New Comp (small budget)

E

eggyhustles

New Member
Thanks to the great members on this board (just a noob,Yeti, and dougland) they steered me in the right direction and told me doing an overhaul on my old pc would be a waste of money and would be best to build new

My budget is 250-300usd(this includes shipping) i can salvage my dvd drive, monitor, keyboard, and i can use my 200gb hdd as a slave(runs well as a slave..terrible as a master) and mouse..

what do you guys recommend? i do not play games(well rarely) i only use the computer to watch movies, surf the net, and download music....
 
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just a noob said:
first off, what site will you be using, newegg tiger direct? amd or intel, ati or nvidia
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i hear newegg is cheaper..so i guess newegg..i have no clue what are the pros and cons of either amd or intel...same with ati or nvidia...i just need something that can play movies well and sound good doing so..
 
i guess amd and ati in that case, they tend to be cheaper, how many ghz would you like the processor to be(amd has a 5000+ that is like 130 dollars), and would just a 256mb card work for you?
 
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just a noob said:
i guess amd and ati in that case, they tend to be cheaper, how many ghz would you like the processor to be(amd has a 5000+ that is like 230 dollars), and would just a 256mb card work for you?
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so with a 250-300 dollar budget i can fit a 256mb vid card in there? i figured i was gonna have to settle for onboard video(which isnt a problem by the way as long as the picture is clear) im not a complete noob when it comes to comps..but im still a lil wet behind the ears when it comes to pickin out processors and so forth..so whatever u think will do the job and can fit into the budget is fine by me
 
Here is my shot at one for you. If does not include a OS.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103243

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056

hec Orion XPOWER585 ATX12V 2.01 585W $27.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339001

Western Digital WD1200AAJS 120GB 7200 RPM 8MB $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136225

Rosewill R5717-P BK 120mm Fan ATX $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147056

Total w/shipping $320.55

Hope someone else could check this over first.
 
Vestitor said:
Here is my shot at one for you. If does not include a OS.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 $64.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103243

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231098

GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056

hec Orion XPOWER585 ATX12V 2.01 585W $27.98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339001

Western Digital WD1200AAJS 120GB 7200 RPM 8MB $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136225

Rosewill R5717-P BK 120mm Fan ATX $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147056

Total w/shipping $320.55

Hope someone else could check this over first.
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wow that sounds awesome..it is over the budget though..its a stretch that i got 300 out of my mom..shes not gonna give me another 20 lol..BUT..how much of a price/ performance decrease are we looking at if we bump the ram down to 1gig? i dont really need 2gigs anyway the biggest ram hog i'll probably be running is limewire
 
A few things to keep in mind if you want to cut costs:
  • you're replacing a Duron 900, any modern processor will be several times better, even a Sempron 64 3400+ ($37)
  • buy 1 GB of memory now and another later when you have more money
  • you might not need a large master hdd, the cheapest may be a lower cost/GB but it will save you money now
  • you might want to check out zipzoomfly.com, even for the same items you might save money on the product and/or the shipping, and I've always been happy with their service

Edit:
Also a huge thing that needs mentioning is the OS. Do you have a non-proprietary (i.e. can be installed on computers other than a Compaq) copy of Windows? Or are you a Linux user? If you're not a Linux user, now might be a good time to start.
 
Yeti said:
A few things to keep in mind if you want to cut costs:
  • you're replacing a Duron 900, any modern processor will be several times better, even a Sempron 64 3400+ ($37)
  • buy 1 GB of memory now and another later when you have more money
  • you might not need a large master hdd, the cheapest may be a lower cost/GB but it will save you money now
  • you might want to check out zipzoomfly.com, even for the same items you might save money on the product and/or the shipping, and I've always been happy with their service

Edit:
Also a huge thing that needs mentioning is the OS. Do you have a non-proprietary (i.e. can be installed on computers other than a Compaq) copy of Windows? Or are you a Linux user? If you're not a Linux user, now might be a good time to start.
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yeah i basically just need a building block for now..i can def add more ram+get a vid card and other things in the near months to come..about the hdd your right..i dont need one with a large capacity as i can salvage the 200gb i have now..for the os i have a copy of windows xp.. it can be installed on other comps,..as far as linux..i've heard of it..have no clue how to use it ..im willing to learn though
 
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eggyhustles said:
yeah i basically just need a building block for now..i can def add more ram+get a vid card and other things in the near months to come..about the hdd your right..i dont need one with a large capacity as i can salvage the 200gb i have now..for the os i have a copy of windows xp..its an illegal copy(trust i would buy a legal copy if the funds were available) but it can be installed on other comps, just cant be updated..as far as linux..i've heard of it..have no clue how to use it ..im willing to learn though
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Please edit you post on that windows thing you dais =D

Don't wanna get in trouble eh?
 
for the os i have a copy of windows xp..its an illegal copy(trust i would buy a legal copy if the funds were available) but it can be installed on other comps, just cant be updated..as far as linux..i've heard of it..have no clue how to use it ..im willing to learn though
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In that case since pirated copies are bad, and evil, and God will smite small kittens if you use it, you should give Linux a try. Ubuntu is a decent distro with good support and after the initial setup you shouldn't have much to worry about if you're mainly using the internet and multimedia. There's also a lot of free open source software available for Linux in general. However, if Linux is too much up a jump, to keep from returning to you dastardly ways (and since you already have the pirated copy) you could try dual booting Windows and Linux (keep in mind that kittens will still be smitten, though less of them) and ease your way to using only Linux.
 
Yeti said:
In that case since pirated copies are bad, and evil, and God will smite small kittens if you use it, you should give Linux a try. Ubuntu is a decent distro with good support and after the initial setup you shouldn't have much to worry about if you're mainly using the internet and multimedia. There's also a lot of free open source software available for Linux in general. However, if Linux is too much up a jump, to keep from returning to you dastardly ways (and since you already have the pirated copy) you could try dual booting Windows and Linux (keep in mind that kittens will still be smitten, though less of them) and ease your way to using only Linux.
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I will make sure next month to buy a legit copy of windows xp..what do u think about the setup Vestitor posted?
 
You can always run Linux XP or Freespire, or Ubuntu. They're awesome and can download using Limewire still.
 
here's my stab at a budget build
Case/PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811164057
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103246
Mobo:(has on board video no need for graphics card but can upgrade later)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138038
Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161675
and you have everything else so the cost of this ^ is $110 and you have a DVD drive and HDD already and monitor/keyboard so really its like $110 and you can upgrad to a vide card/better PSU later. Then slap Linux on it ( you have many choices) and you're good.
 
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dougland said:
here's my stab at a budget build
Case/PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811164057
CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103246
Mobo:(has on board video no need for graphics card but can upgrade later)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138038
Ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161675
and you have everything else so the cost of this ^ is $110 and you have a DVD drive and HDD already and monitor/keyboard so really its like $110 and you can upgrad to a vide card/better PSU later.
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im actually gonna need a hdd..the one i have now sucks as a master drive
 
I will make sure next month to buy a legit copy of windows xp..what do u think about the setup Vestitor posted?
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Give Linux a shot first.

I would buy 1 GB RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134045
Not that G.Skill, as Vestitor recommended, is necessarily bad; I've just never had a problem with Kingston... personal preference

You're not going to need a 585W PSU for that setup especially if you're only using onboard video. I would suggest something in the 400W range by a manufacturer like Seasonic, Sparkle, FSP, Silverstone, or from ceewi1's list.

Other than that it looks alright. You might want to browse around the cases for one that suits your aesthetically (give or take $5 shouldn't break you), and you can always cut back on the CPU or hard drive if you're over budget.
 
Yeti said:
Give Linux a shot first.

I would buy 1 GB RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134045
Not that G.Skill, as Vestitor recommended, is necessarily bad; I've just never had a problem with Kingston... personal preference

You're not going to need a 585W PSU for that setup especially if you're only using onboard video. I would suggest something in the 400W range by a manufacturer like Seasonic, Sparkle, FSP, Silverstone, or from ceewi1's list.

Other than that it looks alright. You might want to browse around the cases for one that suits your aesthetically (give or take $5 shouldn't break you), and you can always cut back on the CPU or hard drive if you're over budget.
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ok..i've looked at the ps units on newegg i couldnt find a 400watt that was on the goodlist that is cheaper than the 585w that the first person posted..so i assume i'd stay with that one..no i wont have a video card..but its possible if i do this build this month i will upgrade to a video card by next month..so would it to good to keep the 585w for the future? i swapped out the gskill ram for the kingston u recommended..so far the price comes out to $297.05
 
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