Best computer under $500?

[gHeTToAzNPrEp]

please can someone build a computer $500 or less? i'm still not familiar with what is compatible with what yet..i have searched to no avail....proc doesn't matter between amd and intel...which ever one comes out with better performance but <$500 + shipping.....im deciding maybe only a 32 mb video card...becuz not much gaming..just word processing...internet...and other usual stuff.....no o/c gonna be done to it.....i will choose the case and psu and CD-R and mouse and keyboard...at least a 17" monitor....thanks in advance

 

[SithSolo1]

Wait? So what exactly do we have to help you choose? Just motherboard, processor, video card, and harddrive?

Lets us know what you have in mind and we will go from there.

 

[sniperruff]

save yourself some trouble and wait for a sale at dell... with OS a dell can be cheaper than a home-brew

that is, if you don't know how fun building your own computer can be =D

 

[lycurgus]

I would base it on an nForce2 m/b with integrated video (plus sound and LAN of course). Get a couple sticks of PC2700 so you can run dual channel and the fastest Tbred you can afford (if a Barton doesn't fit the budget). That should be plenty powerful enough for what you need, and it even has some upgrade potential.

 

[bluemax]

I can't sing enough praises about the wonderful, yet inexpensive system I just put together.

I went with the Shuttle MN31N motherboard - it's an nForce2 with the integrated GeForce4MX (with two VGA ports right on the board for two monitors) and the awesome SoundStorm audio. For well under a hundred US, it's tough to beat. I put a cheap, cheap, cheap AMD XP 2100+ in there and have just tried running it at higher speeds... without even trying hard, it's up to 2800+ and running smooth as silk!

If you're not a gamer, a single stick of 256MB DDR is maybe enough, but a second would be better. Two sticks of memory (dual channel) doubles the memory bandwidth and improves system perfomance a fair bit. Improves the onboard video by about double! (MX420 vs. MX440) if you do like the occasional 3D game every once and again.

In Canadian dollars, the board was ~$100, processor ~$100, 2x256MB DDR400 (very fast, Samsung) ~$100. Add a halfway decent case for $50 or so and you have a very nice system with more than acceptable audio and video too!

About $200-250US tops. Then add WinXP.

But I'll agree with some of these fellas... sometimes it's really hard to beat one of those awesome Dell packages if one comes up! If you scour the Hot Deals area here on Anandtech Forums (search for "Dell" once there) I'd seriously consider a cheap Dell 4600 system! You get a good machine and a warranty where someone *else* will take care of it for you. I'd advise against the 2400 systems if you even consider using your computer for more than just word processing and email.

But if you want to build your own, you could do really well with a setup like I mentioned above and gain some good experience while you're at it. It's frustrating sometimes, but very satisfying when it all comes together.