Building my other sister a PC, need input - Page 2

Viper007Bond · September 19th, 2008, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvrefugee

It will cost you $323.83 + an expensive AGP video card to build that system. I say you start from scratch with a system that will have some sort of future upgrade path.

That means buying a mobo, RAM, a CPU, and a PSU. That's gonna run like $300-400, no?

cvrefugee · September 19th, 2008, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

That means buying a mobo, RAM, a CPU, and a PSU. That's gonna run like $300-400, no?

Well, I mean start with this ($375 after shipping and coupon) then add the speakers, monitor, and video card. You can easily make up the difference by selling your old stuff. I'm guessing $30-40 for the CPU, $40-50 for the RAM, $20-30 for the motherboard and $30-40 for the PSU. Worst case scenario you make $120, $160 on a good day. Plus you can get a better PCI-e video card for cheaper than sticking with AGP.

Crazyjeeper · September 19th, 2008, 08:06 AM

You could also buy this mobo + cheap ram so you can have pci-e

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=socket%20478

awdrifter · September 19th, 2008, 10:08 AM

Depends on your budget, you can get the HD3850 AGP ($145) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161225 or the HD3650 ($89) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121260.

For WoW and Spore, the HD3650 will be enough, but for Mass Effect you'll probably need the 3850.

Viper007Bond · September 19th, 2008, 10:41 AM

Managed to talk her out of wanting to play high end games like Mass Effect (she can use the other sister's PC for now), so maybe upgradable is the way to go, especially since a P4 3GHz is a POS.

I'm just worried about it being a refurb and/or it being a POS performance wise. Plus, nothing is really upgrade proof. I mean, sure PCI-E helps a lot, but CPU/RAM would become the bottleneck and they change CPU connectors every 2 days it seems.

EDIT: And if we did buy that HP, I probably wouldn't sell my parts. I'd keep them and use them for a HTPC or file dump probably.

Viper007Bond · September 26th, 2008, 03:13 AM

Okay, I'm with cvrefugee on this one now -- PCI-E is the way to go. Nothing obviously will be future proof (CPU connectors change, new types of RAM, etc.) but at least this way she won't be hardware capped.

I'm hesitant to buy a prebuilt though (are they all standard ATX parts? and of good quality?) and even more so a refurb.

Thoughts on upgrading some prebuilt off Newegg versus just building from scratch?

_HighVoltage_ · September 26th, 2008, 05:02 AM

I still think you should stick to your old parts and build an AGP system. It will be much cheaper. As for future upgradability - there is no guarantee the nVidia 430 chipset will be competitive in a year time.
Get an HD3650 and she shouldn't have any complaints with games like Wow and Spore.

Hell, my old desktop with Athlon 1800+, 512DDR and 6600GT runs WoW on 1024x768 no problems at all.

Viper007Bond · September 26th, 2008, 05:27 AM

Hmm. The P4 3.0GHz is a pile of crap now though. On my other sister's PC (same specs with a 3850), her CPU is her bottleneck I think.

cvrefugee · September 26th, 2008, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

I still think you should stick to your old parts and build an AGP system. It will be much cheaper. As for future upgradability - there is no guarantee the nVidia 430 chipset will be competitive in a year time.
Get an HD3650 and she shouldn't have any complaints with games like Wow and Spore.

Hell, my old desktop with Athlon 1800+, 512DDR and 6600GT runs WoW on 1024x768 no problems at all.

My onboard video could run any game at 1024x768, but that doesn't mean it's the best solution. Viper, if you have a Fry's Electronics try to get one of their CPU + mobo combos. The mobo is generally pretty cheap (ECS) but unless you're overclocking it should be fine. I would spend $100 or less for that. A dual-core AMD system would work great on a budget. You could easily get 2GB of DDR2 RAM for $20 or less after rebate if you shop around for deals. The extra money you spend on the CPU, mobo, and RAM will be worth it when you start shopping for a video card. PCI-e will always be cheaper and better than AGP.

Viper007Bond · September 26th, 2008, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cvrefugee

Viper, if you have a Fry's Electronics try to get one of their CPU + mobo combos.

Closest one is an hour away. Gotta stick to Newegg.

cvrefugee · September 26th, 2008, 10:07 AM

Then I would look around for a good deal. I remember seeing a CPU and case combo at Newegg for $100, I think it was an AMD X2 5600+ and an Antec Sonata III.

awdrifter · September 26th, 2008, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viper007Bond

Closest one is an hour away. Gotta stick to Newegg.

How much budget do you have for this build? If you can re-use the case, DVD drive, and HDD, you can pick up the rest for about $400.

E5200 + 4GB G.SKill PC2-6400 combo $140 http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/Ad...t=Combo.126566

ECS P45T-A mobo $90 ($75 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=ecs%20p45t-a

EVGA 9600GSO $100 ($50 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130356

Rosewill 500w $42 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182016

I actually built a quad core rig for a friend with that mobo and ram, the ram can do 425mhz easily on 1.95v, the motherboard I got it up to 355fsb for my friend (355x9). The e5200 has 12.5x multi, most people hit 3.6-4ghz out of it (with aftermarket cooler of course, you'll probably only get 3ghz with the stock cooler). The 9600GSO is basically a 8800GS, so it should perform ok on most game still. For $50 it can't be beat.

cvrefugee · September 26th, 2008, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awdrifter

EVGA 9600GSO $100 ($50 after MIR) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130356

Use coupon code VGA92613 to take $14 off before rebate.

Viper007Bond · September 27th, 2008, 02:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by awdrifter

How much budget do you have for this build? If you can re-use the case, DVD drive, and HDD, you can pick up the rest for about $400.

The cheaper the better. She's trying to save for school.

There's also no case, DVD drive, or HD to reuse as I am using them all.

awdrifter · September 28th, 2008, 02:07 AM

It'll probably cost another $150 for them then.

cvrefugee · September 29th, 2008, 08:56 PM

I found a good deal on a case:

Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $54.95 (free shipping)

Use coupon code SAVECAMP0908A to save an additional $15

matt2000 · September 30th, 2008, 11:31 PM

Just read the thread title again and...
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http://www.amitty.co.uk/bumpkin/img/Johnny5.jpg

Sorry I couldn't help it. Onwards!

Viper007Bond · October 3rd, 2008, 05:30 AM

Figuring out what case, etc. is easy. The only real trouble I have is what mobo, CPU, and RAM to get as there's so many to choose from. Or does everyone agree that awdrifter's recommendations are sound?

Crazyjeeper · October 3rd, 2008, 06:17 AM

I don't think a P45 chipset is necessary. I'm going to assume that your sister just wants a computer that will turn on every time more than one that can push a processor. Here is what I would get:

ECS P43 LGA 775 ATX Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 Wolfdale 2.5ghz Dual Core Processor<

September 19th, 2008, 08:06 AM	#23
Crazyjeeper Joined: Nov 29th, 2006 Last Online: 04:26 AM Location: Texas Age: 19 Posts: 2,497 Car: 1985 Jeep CJ7, 1997 Ford F150 Rep Power: 50	You could also buy this mobo + cheap ram so you can have pci-e http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=socket%20478 __________________ Toy: 1985 Jeep CJ7 Lifted and Locked Daily Driver: 1997 Ford F150 4.6L with a massive 220hp MSI P6N Diamond 680i, E8400 @ 3.15ghz, CM Hyper 212 Cooler, XFX 8800GT 512mb Extreme, MSI 8400GS, Creative X-FI, 2x1gb Corsair XMS2 DDR2 800, PC Power & Cooling 610w EPS12v, 1.6tb of HDD, CM Centurion 690.

September 19th, 2008, 10:08 AM	#24
awdrifter Joined: Aug 29th, 2004 Last Online: 01:58 AM Posts: 1,490 Rep Power: 25	Depends on your budget, you can get the HD3850 AGP ($145) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161225 or the HD3650 ($89) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121260. For WoW and Spore, the HD3650 will be enough, but for Mass Effect you'll probably need the 3850. __________________ TP

September 19th, 2008, 10:41 AM	#25
Viper007Bond Lazy Head Dude Joined: Sep 21st, 2003 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 24 Posts: 20,988 Car: Dodge Viper (I wish!) Rep Power: 234	Managed to talk her out of wanting to play high end games like Mass Effect (she can use the other sister's PC for now), so maybe upgradable is the way to go, especially since a P4 3GHz is a POS. I'm just worried about it being a refurb and/or it being a POS performance wise. Plus, nothing is really upgrade proof. I mean, sure PCI-E helps a lot, but CPU/RAM would become the bottleneck and they change CPU connectors every 2 days it seems. EDIT: And if we did buy that HP, I probably wouldn't sell my parts. I'd keep them and use them for a HTPC or file dump probably. __________________ Fight back against the evil Quiky by +1'ing this post! There is no replacement for displacement. - Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it. - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005 Last edited by Viper007Bond; September 19th, 2008 at 10:44 AM..

September 26th, 2008, 03:13 AM	#26
Viper007Bond Lazy Head Dude Joined: Sep 21st, 2003 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 24 Posts: 20,988 Car: Dodge Viper (I wish!) Rep Power: 234	Okay, I'm with cvrefugee on this one now -- PCI-E is the way to go. Nothing obviously will be future proof (CPU connectors change, new types of RAM, etc.) but at least this way she won't be hardware capped. I'm hesitant to buy a prebuilt though (are they all standard ATX parts? and of good quality?) and even more so a refurb. Thoughts on upgrading some prebuilt off Newegg versus just building from scratch? __________________ Fight back against the evil Quiky by +1'ing this post! There is no replacement for displacement. - Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it. - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

September 26th, 2008, 05:27 AM	#28
Viper007Bond Lazy Head Dude Joined: Sep 21st, 2003 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 24 Posts: 20,988 Car: Dodge Viper (I wish!) Rep Power: 234	Hmm. The P4 3.0GHz is a pile of crap now though. On my other sister's PC (same specs with a 3850), her CPU is her bottleneck I think. __________________ Fight back against the evil Quiky by +1'ing this post! There is no replacement for displacement. - Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it. - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

September 26th, 2008, 05:02 AM	#27
_HighVoltage_ Joined: Aug 5th, 2006 Last Online: 05:33 AM Location: Bulgaria / Athens, WV Age: 21 Posts: 1,056 Car: 1998 VW Polo 1.0 Rep Power: 19	I still think you should stick to your old parts and build an AGP system. It will be much cheaper. As for future upgradability - there is no guarantee the nVidia 430 chipset will be competitive in a year time. Get an HD3650 and she shouldn't have any complaints with games like Wow and Spore. Hell, my old desktop with Athlon 1800+, 512DDR and 6600GT runs WoW on 1024x768 no problems at all.

September 26th, 2008, 10:07 AM	#31
cvrefugee Joined: Aug 16th, 2004 Last Online: 12:57 AM Location: Corona, CA Age: 28 Posts: 3,399 Car: 2005 Scion xB Rep Power: 58	Then I would look around for a good deal. I remember seeing a CPU and case combo at Newegg for $100, I think it was an AMD X2 5600+ and an Antec Sonata III.

September 28th, 2008, 02:07 AM	#35
awdrifter Joined: Aug 29th, 2004 Last Online: 01:58 AM Posts: 1,490 Rep Power: 25	It'll probably cost another $150 for them then. __________________ TP

September 29th, 2008, 08:56 PM	#36
cvrefugee Joined: Aug 16th, 2004 Last Online: 12:57 AM Location: Corona, CA Age: 28 Posts: 3,399 Car: 2005 Scion xB Rep Power: 58	I found a good deal on a case: Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $54.95 (free shipping) Use coupon code SAVECAMP0908A to save an additional $15

September 30th, 2008, 11:31 PM	#37
matt2000 Squirrel Mincer Joined: Feb 17th, 2006 Last Online: 07:29 AM Location: Market Harborough, UK Age: 18 Posts: 3,479 Car: '77 Land Rover Series III LFS Status: Rep Power: 53	Just read the thread title again and... . . . . . . . . . . . . Sorry I couldn't help it. Onwards! __________________ Signature last updated 27/11/08. Photos last updated 25/10/08.

October 3rd, 2008, 05:30 AM	#38
Viper007Bond Lazy Head Dude Joined: Sep 21st, 2003 Last Online: Yesterday Location: Portland, Oregon Age: 24 Posts: 20,988 Car: Dodge Viper (I wish!) Rep Power: 234	Figuring out what case, etc. is easy. The only real trouble I have is what mobo, CPU, and RAM to get as there's so many to choose from. Or does everyone agree that awdrifter's recommendations are sound? __________________ Fight back against the evil Quiky by +1'ing this post! There is no replacement for displacement. - Wolfgang Bernhard, Chief Operating Officer, Chrysler Group talking about the Dodge Viper SRT-10 ... I ask Herb Helbig, vehicle synthesis manager for SRT and a member of the original Team Viper development group since day one, if they'd ever thought of adding traction control. "It comes with two," he says, pointing at my feet. "Learn to use them." Got it. - Motor Trend on the 2006 Dodge Viper Coupe, November 2005

October 3rd, 2008, 06:17 AM	#39
Crazyjeeper Joined: Nov 29th, 2006 Last Online: 04:26 AM Location: Texas Age: 19 Posts: 2,497 Car: 1985 Jeep CJ7, 1997 Ford F150 Rep Power: 50	I don't think a P45 chipset is necessary. I'm going to assume that your sister just wants a computer that will turn on every time more than one that can push a processor. Here is what I would get: ECS P43 LGA 775 ATX Motherboard Intel Core 2 Duo E5200 Wolfdale 2.5ghz Dual Core Processor<