Been Out Of The Loop (Budget Build)

[faithwarrior118]

I tried the the sticky (http://forums.anandtech.com/me...d=27&threadid=2194271), but seems to be a bit dated (Oct 08).

your budget : $300-$400
what items you need the budget to cover (see lists below) : Mobo, CPU (Heatsink/Fan), RAM, Video Card, possible PSU
any particular specs you've already decided upon (e.g. a certain CPU or GPU, or a certain amount of RAM) : None
what types of uses you want to use the computer for (e.g. gaming, office/student work, video editing, HTPC, or whatever) : Light gaming, Internet, Home Office

I'm in the US.

I'm a noob and need help picking my parts. Actually 4 and 1/2 years ago I did about 2 months worth of research and built a system. I'm very proud of how long it's lasted me. But I'm now way out of the loop and need to get my feet wet again.

My old system was:

AMD Athlon 64 3000+
1 Gig (512mb x2) RAM
GeForce FX 5900 Ultra AGP
120G Hard Drive
DVD-ROM
CD-RW
NZXT Guardian Full Tower Case with 400W PS

I can reuse the optical drives and the Hard Drive.

I love the case and would like to reuse it. I've got a budget of about $300.

I could squeeze another $100 out but I've saving that as I think I'm going to need to pay a local shop to assemble the CPU/Heatsink/Fan/Mobo. When I built my last computer I broke the Motherboard trying to put it on and had to get a local shop to do it anyway. If I could find a way to buy the entire Mobo/CPU/Heatsink/fan as a predone kit, that would rock.

The main use of the computer will be light gaming, internet, and home office stuff. I say light gaming because I want to play new games, but I don't tend to play at a very high resolution, currently max out at 1024x768.

I don't mind sticking with AMD although I understand that Intel is a bit more performant. Considering what I have now, I'm sure anything will look like blazing speed.

1) I have been told that I don't need to reinstall my OS when I change out the Mobo/CPU, is this true?

Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this thread and help me out.

 

[Denithor]

You're better off reinstalling your OS, otherwise you often wind up with frustration from mismatched drivers, etc.

On a budget of $300 here's two options for CPU/motherboard/ram.

AMD X2 4850e (2.5GHz, 45W) $57
Foxconn A74MX-K $40AR

Intel e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB cache) $83
Foxconn M7VMX-K $44

Whichever you chose, go with these to finish things up:
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $45
MSI 4670 $65AR +shipping

Consider adding these as well.
WD6400AAKS $75
PCP&C 370W $35AR

CPU/Motherboard/RAM/GPU are best $/performance available right now. I personally wouldn't trust a 4.5 year old PSU & HDD, so I also included links to the best value in those categories as well.

If doing it yourself, the AMD heatsink is much easier to mount than the Intel version. I would go that route and do it yourself versus paying a local shop to do it.

 

[faithwarrior118]

Originally posted by: Denithor
You're better off reinstalling your OS, otherwise you often wind up with frustration from mismatched drivers, etc.

On a budget of $300 here's two options for CPU/motherboard/ram.

AMD X2 4850e (2.5GHz, 45W) $57
Foxconn A74MX-K $40AR

Intel e5200 (2.5GHz, 2MB cache) $83
Foxconn M7VMX-K $44

Whichever you chose, go with these to finish things up:
G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 $45
MSI 4670 $65AR +shipping

Consider adding these as well.
WD6400AAKS $75
PCP&C 370W $35AR

CPU/Motherboard/RAM/GPU are best $/performance available right now. I personally wouldn't trust a 4.5 year old PSU & HDD, so I also included links to the best value in those categories as well.

If doing it yourself, the AMD heatsink is much easier to mount than the Intel version. I would go that route and do it yourself versus paying a local shop to do it.

Do you think the 4850e will be okay for gaming. I did a quick goggle search on it and most of the articles seem to have it aimed at the HTPC market.

Would it make more sense to go with a AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Brisbane 2.9GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core.


Using that with Foxconn motherboard, GSkill RAM And MSI GPU still puts me at sub $250 which leaves plenty of room for the PSU you recommend.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186151

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127383

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103234

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122

What do yo think?

 

[ther00kie16]

I think you should look into the $419 Dell with e7300 (probably faster than any x2 at stock and overclockable to 4ghz though not sure about the motherboard included) + 20" Ultrasharp. You could choose not to add the monitor to save $90 but you can probably sell it for $150. Just add a 4670 to that system and you are good to go.

 

[faithwarrior118]

Originally posted by: ther00kie16
I think you should look into the $419 Dell with e7300 (probably faster than any x2 at stock and overclockable to 4ghz though not sure about the motherboard included) + 20" Ultrasharp. You could choose not to add the monitor to save $90 but you can probably sell it for $150. Just add a 4670 to that system and you are good to go.

I looked on Dell's site and could not find the $419 Dell with e7300. Could you provide a direct link?

 

[ther00kie16]

Originally posted by: faithwarrior118

Originally posted by: ther00kie16
I think you should look into the $419 Dell with e7300 (probably faster than any x2 at stock and overclockable to 4ghz though not sure about the motherboard included) + 20" Ultrasharp. You could choose not to add the monitor to save $90 but you can probably sell it for $150. Just add a 4670 to that system and you are good to go.

I looked on Dell's site and could not find the $419 Dell with e7300. Could you provide a direct link?

Saw it here