AMD or Intel for $300

[ParatoOptimal]

Am I better off building an Intel or AMD rig for $300?

That's $300 or just over for Mobo, Procy and RAM.

... plus heatsink and fan and I'd like to stay with my current case and PSU for now.
I think it's 300W.
I don't want to spend $66 on a PS or $56 on a HS/F if I don't have to.
I hear there are $18 cases that include a 400W PS to be had.

Thanks

 

[Anubis]

you can get more bang for buck going the AMD route

check this out
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.html?i=2029

 

[Dman877]

With ram prices as high as they are, go AMD. NF7 + mobile barton 2600 + 512mb pc3200 should be right around 300$ if it's too high, there are cheaper mobo's and you could go for a 2500 or 2400 instead.

 

[o1die]

I would go for a mobile barton xp 2600 ($99 newegg) with abit nf7s version 2.0 (about $93). For memory, I would go for micron pc3700 ($40 each for 2 256 meg sticks at aib.com). For heatsink, a speeze whisper II ($14 newegg) will work fine. When you get the cpu, try setting the fsb to 333 (instead of the default 266) and it may run fine at the default voltage settings.

 

[Vette73]

As others have said Athlon XP, Mobile if you can afford it.

 

[Mik3y]

make sure you have a good psu for the overclock.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

go the AMD way, that way you can spend more $$$ on things like GFX

 

[jpeyton]

AMD Athlon XP Mobile 2600+ - $99
NForce2 Ultra 400 Motherboard - $40-$99
512MB PC3200 - $90-$130

Anywhere from $229 to $328, depending on how fancy you want to get. Don't forget a good heatsink, which will run you anywhere from $15-$40 dollars.

 

[myocardia]

I wasn't aware that it was even possible to build an Intel system for $300! Oh, well, you could, if you don't mind having a Celeryon.:roll:

 

[peonyu]

Originally posted by: o1die
I would go for a mobile barton xp 2600 ($99 newegg) with abit nf7s version 2.0 (about $93). For memory, I would go for micron pc3700 ($40 each for 2 256 meg sticks at aib.com). For heatsink, a speeze whisper II ($14 newegg) will work fine. When you get the cpu, try setting the fsb to 333 (instead of the default 266) and it may run fine at the default voltage settings.

Ugh, Do NOT buy from Aib.com !! That company is a scam, the ram they sell is almost always defective, generic, and over rated. I ordered two sticks of pc2700-micron from that place a year ago and they came with heat spreaders on them to cover up the true specs [GET ram, pc 2100 @ cas 3].

also check out thier rating on resellerratings.com -

link

 

[Fricardo]

Originally posted by: myocardia
I wasn't aware that it was even possible to build an Intel system for $300! Oh, well, you could, if you don't mind having a Celeryon.:roll:

And you definitely would mind having a celeron. A Pentium with gimped cache is like a ripping the pinion feathers out of a falcon's wings and telling it soar. Those processors are a joke.