Budget Priced System Recommendations

  • Thread starter Thread starter U-571
  • Start date Start date
U

U-571

I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.
 
I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


I already have hard drives and monitor. Either AMD or Intel type will
be fine.

Thanks
 
you could try dell
but something new with a monitor will be tough to find for under 500
dollars.
dell has one about 530 dollars
 
you could try dell
but something new with a monitor will be tough to find for under 500
dollars.
dell has one about 530 dollars
Click to expand...


I already have monitor, hard drive, power supply and case.

Not looking for latest technology on anything. Just the good, stable
MB, CPU, Memory, and Video Cards that were popular 6 months to a year
ago. Nothing over PC3200 memory.

Just the technology that has been replaced by the latest dual core
cpu, high powered video card, etc.

Something in the AMD Socket 754/939, or Intel Socket 478/775 range.
 
I already have monitor, hard drive, power supply and case.

Not looking for latest technology on anything. Just the good, stable
MB, CPU, Memory, and Video Cards that were popular 6 months to a year
ago. Nothing over PC3200 memory.

Just the technology that has been replaced by the latest dual core
cpu, high powered video card, etc.

Something in the AMD Socket 754/939, or Intel Socket 478/775 range.
Click to expand...

There is currently a price war between AMD and Intel. Intel's latest
product line is positioned at the high to mid-high end of the market.
AMD is occupying the low to mid range.

Charts - so you know what you're getting:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single core San Diego 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Socket 939 OEM $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103528

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR400 (PC 3200) $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145480

Seagate hard drive - IDE (no surprises) $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148095

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Cooler (since processor is OEM and heatsink/fan doesn't come with CPU)
Normally I'd recommend a Zalman 7000B AlCu, but not for a kid's PC :-)
This one is compact and easy to install. Fan appears replaceable.
Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 939 K8 - AMD K8 solution w/ Heatpipe $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106068
http://www.pro-clockers.com/reviews.php?id=65&page=3

Thermal paste (Ceramique) $5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100009

*****
Spare Northbridge cooler (for when the Asus fan fails)
Note - check dimensions and make sure hole span matches mobo holes.
Center to center on mobo of 2.05" (52.1mm) to 2.41" (61.4mm).
Looks to be about 2.29"
MCX159-CU $33 (aggressive cooler since chip gets hot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108072
http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcx159-CU.asp

*or* buy spares from the Asus store @ $3 each.
http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=231&catid=132
*****

I wanted to price all that stuff first, to see what is left for video.
I left out the spare replacement Northbridge fan for now.
80+73+100+44+30+30+5=362

Video card

This 7600GT is $80 after rebate - quiet and low power consumption
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

A 7900GS is about $145 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150208

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_17.html

X1950Pro for $179 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103021

None of the three cards has really high power consumption.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_6.html

7600GT 35.8W max, or about 12V @ 3A
7900GS 45.1W max, or about 12V @ 4A
X1950Pro 65.7W max, or about 12V @ 5.5A

In terms of +12V consumption:

CPU 89W (www.amdcompare.com) 89W/12V * (1/0.90) = 8.24A
Video card (salt to taste...) 4.0A
Hard drive 0.6A
CDROM (I measured mine one night...) 1.0A
Fans (estimated budget for CPU + two other fans) 0.5A
Total 12V @ 14.34A

Check the label on the side of your power supply, for
whatever current you work out for +12V. The 3.3 and 5V
consumption is usually OK (and I cannot work it out
anyway).

Paul
 
I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

That's easy. From www.mwave.com:

# INTEL PENTIUM 4 541 3.2 GHZ EM64T 800MHZ RETAIL BOXED BUNDLE W/BIOSTAR
P4M80-M7A
# KINGSTON 1GB DDR400
# NO TESTING

$232.66 $232.66
SKU: MB-BA22895 -BA21929 -BA20668 -


XFX GEFORCE 6200 128MB GDDR2 AGP LOW PROFILE TV/DVI (Retail)
$47.49 $47.49
SKU: 4185526


# SAMSUNG Black 18X SH-S182D DUAL DVD RW DRIVE w/SW(Bare drive)NO AUDIO/DATA
CABLE
# NO ADD-ON MEDIA

$31.90 $31.90
SKU: AA51490 - -


# ENERMAX EG465P-FMA FMAII ATX 12V VERSION 2.2 460W RoHS UL FCC POWER SUPPLY
FOR ATX CASESNO TESTER
# NO Y CABLE

$60.50 $60.50
SKU: BA23026 - -


CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER SB0570 AUDIGY SE 24-BIT 7.1 PCI (Retail)
$29.92 $29.92
SKU: 3876465


Total $402.47

There's a very solid system, much under $500. Just add your case and hard
drive, and choose a different color DVD burner if black doesn't match your
case. Note that even if you have a power supply, you will want to buy a new
one. But even with a high-quality power supply, decent video card and
premium sound card, you're still well under $500. -Dave
 
There is currently a price war between AMD and Intel. Intel's latest
product line is positioned at the high to mid-high end of the market.
AMD is occupying the low to mid range.

Charts - so you know what you're getting:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single core San Diego 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Socket 939 OEM $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103528

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR400 (PC 3200) $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145480

Seagate hard drive - IDE (no surprises) $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148095

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Cooler (since processor is OEM and heatsink/fan doesn't come with CPU)
Normally I'd recommend a Zalman 7000B AlCu, but not for a kid's PC :-)
This one is compact and easy to install. Fan appears replaceable.
Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 939 K8 - AMD K8 solution w/ Heatpipe $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106068
http://www.pro-clockers.com/reviews.php?id=65&page=3

Thermal paste (Ceramique) $5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100009

*****
Spare Northbridge cooler (for when the Asus fan fails)
Note - check dimensions and make sure hole span matches mobo holes.
Center to center on mobo of 2.05" (52.1mm) to 2.41" (61.4mm).
Looks to be about 2.29"
MCX159-CU $33 (aggressive cooler since chip gets hot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108072
http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcx159-CU.asp

*or* buy spares from the Asus store @ $3 each.
http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=231&catid=132
*****

I wanted to price all that stuff first, to see what is left for video.
I left out the spare replacement Northbridge fan for now.
80+73+100+44+30+30+5=362

Video card

This 7600GT is $80 after rebate - quiet and low power consumption
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

A 7900GS is about $145 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150208

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_17.html

X1950Pro for $179 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103021

None of the three cards has really high power consumption.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_6.html

7600GT 35.8W max, or about 12V @ 3A
7900GS 45.1W max, or about 12V @ 4A
X1950Pro 65.7W max, or about 12V @ 5.5A

In terms of +12V consumption:

CPU 89W (www.amdcompare.com) 89W/12V * (1/0.90) = 8.24A
Video card (salt to taste...) 4.0A
Hard drive 0.6A
CDROM (I measured mine one night...) 1.0A
Fans (estimated budget for CPU + two other fans) 0.5A
Total 12V @ 14.34A

Check the label on the side of your power supply, for
whatever current you work out for +12V. The 3.3 and 5V
consumption is usually OK (and I cannot work it out
anyway).

Paul
Click to expand...


Thanks, Paul, for the information.

I haven't assembled a complete system since the Socket A, Duron 950
days.

When I started looking for the components to build a new system, it
was very confusing, with all the options now available. Whew

Your helpful input has pointed me in the right direction.

Thanks for your help.
 
That's easy. From www.mwave.com:

# INTEL PENTIUM 4 541 3.2 GHZ EM64T 800MHZ RETAIL BOXED BUNDLE W/BIOSTAR
P4M80-M7A
# KINGSTON 1GB DDR400
# NO TESTING

$232.66 $232.66
SKU: MB-BA22895 -BA21929 -BA20668 -


XFX GEFORCE 6200 128MB GDDR2 AGP LOW PROFILE TV/DVI (Retail)
$47.49 $47.49
SKU: 4185526


# SAMSUNG Black 18X SH-S182D DUAL DVD RW DRIVE w/SW(Bare drive)NO AUDIO/DATA
CABLE
# NO ADD-ON MEDIA

$31.90 $31.90
SKU: AA51490 - -


# ENERMAX EG465P-FMA FMAII ATX 12V VERSION 2.2 460W RoHS UL FCC POWER SUPPLY
FOR ATX CASESNO TESTER
# NO Y CABLE

$60.50 $60.50
SKU: BA23026 - -


CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER SB0570 AUDIGY SE 24-BIT 7.1 PCI (Retail)
$29.92 $29.92
SKU: 3876465


Total $402.47

There's a very solid system, much under $500. Just add your case and hard
drive, and choose a different color DVD burner if black doesn't match your
case. Note that even if you have a power supply, you will want to buy a new
one. But even with a high-quality power supply, decent video card and
premium sound card, you're still well under $500. -Dave
Click to expand...
Thanks, Dave, for your help.
 
Back
Top