Limited Budget SFF building

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joseardzm

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
208
Hi guys!

First of all i want to introduce myself, im 21yo, from Monterrey, Mexico, and im studying computer engineering

I want to change my way old Dell Dimension 4500 that is a big piece of junk, with p4 2ghz, 1gb ram, and a x1600pro 256mb that i installed myself.

That computer is usually only for web browsing, msn, and small apps, sometimes to see downloadable shows, and for gaming. I played some good games with it, and it runs all The Orange Box, but episode one and two are not enjoyable. Even my laptop inspiron1420 with X3100 graphics, sometimes gave me better framerates, loading times, and expierence.

With that said, I was planning on building something small but faster and affordable, within 400-600dlls.

I was thinking of this

MOBO: Intel DG35EC G35 (119dlls) or the G45 (145dlls)
CPU: Intel Core 2 duo E8200 (174dlls)
RAM: Kingston DDR2, PC2-6400 (800Mhz), 2GB (34dlls)
HDD:Western Digital de 250GB, 7200 RPM, 16MB Buffer, SATA II (52dlls)
Case: Acteck Kendal Micro ATX, PSU 500W (59dlls)
DVD+RW: LG DVD+RW drive (28dlls)

Total: Intel G35: 466dlls
Intel G45: 492dlls

Tax and shipping included, those prices are from a local store near home, i prefer to buy this things in person.

I Have a 19'' lcd monitor (1280x1024 max res) so i was thinking of getting a Radeon HD 4670 , though it is not urgent at this time.

I want something to be "future proof" because i dont think this thing will get replaced in the next 6 years!

oh! and i dont plan to do overclocking

What do you guys think? im sorry for the long post but i wanted to get all covered.
 
- How much more is the E8400?
- Don't use the included PSU in that case. It looks like a generic brand that should be used with such a moderate system like that. Try to find Antec Case/PSU combos like the Antec NSK3480, NSK4480, NSK2480, or Sonata III since they all come with significantly better quality PSUs.
 
The E8400 is 222dlls , so like 50dlls more. I can find power supply from Corsair, Cooler Master, Acteck, or Thermaltake from 400W to 600W
 
joseardzm said:
I can find power supply from Corsair, Cooler Master, Acteck, or Thermaltake from 400W to 600W
Click to expand...

Ok, out of those list:
- ANY Corsair PSU will be a good choice for your setup.
- Out of all of Coolermaster's PSU line, only the Real Power Pro series is actually decent.
- Never heard of Acteck. Sounds like a generic brand so definitely avoid.
- Only Thermaltake's Toughpower and Purepower RX line of PSUs are decent. The rest are kind of crap.
 
and what about the chipset of the mobo? the g35 is cheaper than the g45, and it seems that the difference is pci-e x16 2.0, it is really worth it?

Here i can find the Intel G35 mobo, and a G45T-M2 from ECS, is ECS good in mobos??
 
joseardzm said:
and what about the chipset of the mobo? the g35 is cheaper than the g45, and it seems that the difference is pci-e x16 2.0, it is really worth it?

Here i can find the Intel G35 mobo, and a G45T-M2 from ECS, is ECS good in mobos??
Click to expand...

PCI-E 2.0 isn't really worth it right now as current video cards don't even saturate the regular PCI-E 1.1. However it may be useful for future GPU upgrades.

ECS is decent when it comes to mobos as long as you don't stress them that hard. Even then, I think asking for a ECS mobo to last 3 years let alone 6 years is very tough. So stick with the Intel branded mobos or Asus or Gigabyte.
 
joseardzm said:
and what about the chipset of the mobo? the g35 is cheaper than the g45, and it seems that the difference is pci-e x16 2.0, it is really worth it?

Here i can find the Intel G35 mobo, and a G45T-M2 from ECS, is ECS good in mobos??
Click to expand...

Sure, for about 2 weeks. They are the most unreliable boards I have ever dealt with. Definitely go for another manufacturer if can. Otherwise, make sure the shop has a very good return policy.
 
im going to ask because some weeks ago they had the intel based G45mobo. I have and Acteck power supply on the dell dimension, the dell one broke after 3years, this one has like 3 years working. Though i will look on the corsair PSU.

Do you thing the prices are ok? or are a bit overpriced? is everythings else alright?

Does somebody knows about a online retailer that ships internationally, or that accepts international credit cards? Because if i cannot find some componnents it may we worth to find them online.
 
joseardzm said:
Do you thing the prices are ok? or are a bit overpriced? is everythings else alright?

Does somebody knows about a online retailer that ships internationally, or that accepts international credit cards? Because if i cannot find some componnents it may we worth to find them online.
Click to expand...

I don't know the average cost of parts down there in Mexico so can't really say whether or not they're overpriced.

Amazon.com is the only store I know that ships internationally and accepts international credit cards.
 
2 things:
- If you're looking at the E8200 for budget reasons, then you might look at the E7300: better multiplier so will benefit better from a small overclock (if you want to).
- Why an Intel mobo? they are fairly reliable from what I understand, but not especially cheap and not particularly loaded with features. Am I wrong?
 
Drakan290 said:
lol, what?

Have you researched any intel based motherboards in the past year?
Click to expand...

Have you read the OP's post? "lol" And yes, unfortunately I have researched Intel boards in the last year, and for OPs purposes a 9x00 board would be superior to a G35/G45 board. Disclaimer: I have an Asus G35 board.

OP: an nvidia based 9x00 board would give you a much better game experience than a Gx5 board, and would be equivalent to your x1600pro. I assume you will be donating this to someone because you are interested in integrated vid boards. You could save money now, enjoy better game performance, and even OC if you wish. I've included a link to one such board below. I would recommend the 640 gb WD drive, and a better case+psu combo, such as the Antec NSK4480. These two substitutions would give you much better performance and value for a small increase in cost. The single platter 500GB Seagate is also a good option, but there are limited reviews on it. You might also consider the $40 2x2gb DDR2-800 crucial ram from frys (I don't know if they will ship to Mexico).

Asus 9300 board review

Quote from the article, where the Asus 9300 board was compared to the Asus G45 board:

On paper, the Asus P5N7A-VM is very similar to the P5Q-EM, but, head-to-head in the real world, the GeForce 9300 board came out on top in almost every way. The P5N7A-VM pulled less power from the wall (the lowest we've ever recorded for a board of its type), was more efficient at handling high defintion video playback, and delivered much better 3D performance.
 
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