Budget C2D PC for $400. Possible?

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AirForceElite

Senior member
Nov 8, 2004
268
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Hello folks.
I am getting new PC cause i got some $ for my birthday.
It will replace my 3.5 year old AMD 64 3200+ with 40GB hard drive and 1GB RAM aging computer.

Few key things:

-Budget is $400 (no monitor/DVD/speakers/keyboard/mouse/printer/OS)
-It is budget PC and the heaviest task it will probably do is Winamp+Photoshop+Firefox+MSN. I do not play games.
-I want it to be very quiet as it will be 5 feet away from my sofa where I sleep and it will be download 24/7 pretty much.
-I am not Intel/AMD fan, so either is fine.
-I am in Canada so please avoid NewEgg
-To cut the costs down, I am fine with as little as 250GB of HD
-I will not be overclocking
-Anything else just ask


Once again, this is budget PC aimed to be "family PC"


And if somebody can answer these please:

1)SATA vs SATA2? Is there difference if I will just be using this for regular usage?

2) AMD vs Intel. Does it make difference for someone who doesn't wish to overclock?

3) DDR2 speeds. There is so many to choose from...do they vary that much? For example, what will be the difference in 2 identical machines if one has PC2-4200 and other that has PC2-6400?

4) Is it possible to get a motherboard with integrated video card and save up on the costs? The reason why I ask is because I really see no need to get dedicated video card if I don't play games. As far as I know there are integrated video cards now that are powerful enough to play x.264 MKV HD files (which what i want to do)
 
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Extelleron

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 2005
3,127
0
71
Originally posted by: AirForceElite
Hello folks.
I am getting new PC cause i got some $ for my birthday.
It will replace my 3.5 year old AMD 64 3200+ with 40GB hard drive and 1GB RAM aging computer.

Few key things:

-Budget is $400 (no monitor/DVD/speakers/keyboard/mouse/printer/OS)
-It is budget PC and the heaviest task it will probably do is Winamp+Photoshop+Firefox+MSN. I do not play games.
-I want it to be very quiet as it will be 5 feet away from my sofa where I sleep and it will be download 24/7 pretty much.
-I am not Intel/AMD fan, so either is fine.
-I am in Canada so please avoid NewEgg
-To cut the costs down, I am fine with as little as 250GB of HD
-I will not be overclocking
-Anything else just ask


Once again, this is budget PC aimed to be "family PC"


And if somebody can answer these please:

1)SATA vs SATA2? Is there difference if I will just be using this for regular usage?

2) AMD vs Intel. Does it make difference for someone who doesn't wish to overclock?

3) DDR2 speeds. There is so many to choose from...do they vary that much? For example, what will be the difference in 2 identical machines if one has PC2-4200 and other that has PC2-6400?

4) Is it possible to get a motherboard with integrated video card and save up on the costs? The reason why I ask is because I really see no need to get dedicated video card if I don't play games. As far as I know there are integrated video cards now that are powerful enough to play x.264 MKV HD files (which what i want to do)
Click to expand...

1) SATA 2 has more bandwidth but AFAIK this is useless in terms of performance (someone correct me if I'm wrong.)
2) Usually I'd recommend Intel for a build because they overclock so much better, but since you won't be OCing + want a board w/ integrated graphics, I'm going to say AMD.
3) There's not much difference in terms of memory performance, it doesn't affect performance that much. But with prices the way they are... there is no reason NOT to go for DDR2-800. Anything higher than that is silly for someone not overclocking.
4)AMD 780G chipset fits the bill nicely.

I suppose you are looking for a CPU + motherboard + RAM + HDD + PSU + case?

I don't know exactly where to shop in Canada, but in the US this is what I would go with:

CPU - AMD Athlon X2 5000+ 2.6GHz Brisbane = $85 US @ Newegg
Mobo - Any 780G will do, just avoid ECS. In US, this is around $90.
Mem - 2GB (1GBx2) DDR2-800, any will do. In US, this is around $30.
HDD - Go with Western Digital or Seagate, 500GB is a good size IMO. Would be around $100; might need to get a smaller drive to fit inside your $400 budget though.
PSU - Corsair 450VX (450W PSU) is a good choice, ~$60 in US. PSU isn't going to be so important with a low end build on IGP.
Case - IDK what to recommend here, wait for someone else.

Total would be around $400 probably.

Other option would be going Intel, but at your price range and no-overclock, I think AMD is the better option. On Intel, I'd go with an E2180-E2200 + cheap P35 board like the IP35-e, then go with a cheap AMD HD 3450 graphics card (only around $40-45).

Both setups will probably end up costing around the same and performing quite similarly. Although X2 5000+ @ 2.6GHz will likely be faster than an E2180 @ 2GHz.
 
GuitarDaddy

GuitarDaddy

Lifer
Nov 9, 2004
11,465
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Extelleron

Diamond Member
Dec 26, 2005
3,127
0
71
Originally posted by: GuitarDaddy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129024">Antec Sonata III w/ 500w earthwatts PS $90 AR</a>

2x1gb Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 $29 AR

Abit mobo w/nVidia 7150 graphics $65 AR

Intel E2180 $80

WD High density 640gb $120


Thats $384 before shipping and after rebates

Do a mild overclock to 3ghz, and this will pummel the AMD system.
Wow parts are getting cheap, these are all high quality well reviewed parts and would be very upgradable. Stick an 8800gt in there and it becomes a helluva little gaming rig.
Click to expand...

Well, he said he didn't want to overclock so I don't think he'll want to be taking a 2GHz CPU to 3GHz. If it's just a family system, he'll probably value stability over raw performance and would rather just leave things at stock. You could also overclock the X2 5000+ to 3.0GHz easily or if it is a G2 stepping, 3.2-3.3GHz without problem. AT STOCK, a 2.6GHz X2 is faster than a 2.0GHz E2180.

nVidia GeForce 7100 is going to get blown away by the 780G chipset in terms of graphics performance - playing games, HD movies, etc.

The thing I like there is the case... probably better to for a case w/ PSU than to buy separately in this case. With the parts that both of us have chosen, there is no worry about power consumption.
 
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AirForceElite

Senior member
Nov 8, 2004
268
0
0
Thank you for suggestions so far! I appreciate it.

@jterrel: the reason why I don't want Dell is because I don't want no-name brands. For example, I have no power over what hard drive brand, what RAM, what power supply i get. I plan to buy good brands for those. (I know this further limits my budget if I play the "I dont want this, I want that" game...but this PC can be $500 instead of $400 if situation requires it)

Basically, what I missed in the original post:

I will most likely be buying separate CPU fan and separate Power Supply to make this PC very silent. Thanks to those fo rsuggesting AMD. They have INSANE AMAZING prices on Dual core processors. I can't believe AMD X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz costs only $80!!!!!!!
Looks like I am getting another AMD because quite honestly, according to my calculations, I should not see any difference between AMD vs Intel for such a low budget family PC .
 
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heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
6,278
0
0
Originally posted by: AirForceElite
most current onboard video cards will have no trouble with dual display, right?
Click to expand...

I believe IGP dual display would be limited to the AMD 780g but I may just be passing gas ... :p


edit:

The 780G's northbridge is capable of driving two displays independently and supports all the necessary acronyms, including DVI, HDMI, DP, and good ol' VGA.
Click to expand...

from: Ars Tehnica

If I remember correctly one connection has to be VGA - the other connection may be either hdmi or dvi ...
 
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PolymerTim

Senior member
Apr 29, 2002
383
0
0
If it is quiet you want and may be able to pay just a little extra for it that can be done. A great place to check for quiet recommended parts is:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/

Here's a couple recs from there:

PSU: Antec Earthwatts 380 or Seasonic S12-380 (these are the same unit)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005
It's too bad you don't buy in US, there's currently a great rebate on this one.
Note: You have to be careful about cheap power supplies. Many of the sub $50 ones are actually trash and have a disproportionally high chance of frying your other components when they go up in smoke. Seasonics are known for quality low-budget PSUs. If you think about going with another brand, make sure to check it out first.

CPU/HSF: Scythe NINJA PLUS Rev.B SCNJ-1100P
http://www.coolerguys.com/840556035572.html
This comes with a fan usually, but it is actually designed to be run fanless for low to moderate power systems, which I think you qualify for. Note that this HS is big so make sure it fits in your case.

Combined with your use of onboard video and maybe 1 or 2 quiet 120mm case fans, you can have a very quiet computer for not much money. The only thing I'd be worried about after that is the case quality since some are a lot noisier than others.

Good luck with your build!
 
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AirForceElite

Senior member
Nov 8, 2004
268
0
0
thank you all for suggestions.

I have been using my new PC for a week now and i like it a lot.
the most noticeable improvement is noise.
man my old one generated a lot of noise. i couldnt sleep with it.
thjis new one with awesome Antec case is silent. if it wasnt for tower lights, i wouldnt know if its on or off.

Anyways what I got:

Mobo:
M3A78-EMH HDMI with ATI Radeon HD 3200 <---Thanks to heyheybooboo for suggesting 780G chipset motherboard. It is awesome at HD conent

CPU:
AMD 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz No CPU Fan

RAM:
GB (2x 1GB) Kingston DDR2-6400 800MHz

HDD:
Western Digital 320GB SATAII 7200RPM

Video Card:
None...integrated into motherboard to achieve silent PC

Case:
Antec Sonata III with 500W Power Supply <---Thanks to PolymerTim for suggesting Antec cases/PS. Very satisfied with built quality of the case

CPU Fan:
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" (because original Ninja was too big for the case) <---Thanks to PolymerTrim for suggesting Scythe products

All in all, this costed me $500. It could have been less if I went cheaper case and not separate CPU heatsink, but decided that it's not hard to shell out extra $100 for silent case and good CPU heatsink.
I must say though, I am really impressed by 780G chipset. It is very powerful and I can not believe I can actually run some non-heavy games at close to maxium settings for Team Fortress 2, World of Warcraft, CS 1.6 etc...
Comparing it to my dedicated and very loud ATI Radeon 9800, this seems like a blessing.
And thanks to AMD having wide variety of lower end dual core processors.

Anyways, I know i am not going to return anything since it satisfies me, but what would you do if you were with my budget ($400-500 max) and my aim (silent family PC for occasional HD playback). What would you have done if you were me? (just for curiosity and no OC'ing)
 
Zap

Zap

Elite Member
Oct 13, 1999
22,377
7
81
Originally posted by: vailr
Aluminum cases (generally) have better cooling characteristics than steel cases:
Click to expand...

I believe you are wrong. Case cooling has almost 100% to do with airflow characteristics, not the type of material. Now, if the CPU or GPU heatsinks were directly connected to the aluminum case (like the Zalman TNN case) then one can say that aluminum cases cool better, otherwise they do not.

Originally posted by: AirForceElite
what would you do if you were with my budget ($400-500 max) and my aim (silent family PC for occasional HD playback). What would you have done if you were me? (just for curiosity and no OC'ing)
Click to expand...

Pretty darn similar, only major differences being a different Antec case with either NSK3480 if I want a mini tower, or NSK2480 for a desktop/HTPC. Oh yeah, and maybe one of those 750GB Samsung hard drives to hold more media. For the cases, I don't like the Sonata series because I don't like case doors, plus the motherboard is micro ATX so why use an ATX case? Both micro ATX Antec cases come with the 380W version of the 500W in the Sonata and are perfectly capable of powering your components.

BTW, my HTPC is:
AMD A64 x2 5600+ CPU
Scythe Mini Ninja
4GB A-DATA DDR2-800
Gigabyte HD 2600 Pro (passively cooled)
Abit NF-M2 Nview motherboard
Antec NSK2480 case/power
optical drive (LG maybe?)
couple big HDDs
TV tuner
 
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AirForceElite

Senior member
Nov 8, 2004
268
0
0
i honestly didnt even think about it.
i should have gotten mini ATX case, especially since i do not plan to add more than 1 optical drive and more than 2 hard drives and my deskspace is really limited as i do not live in a house, a mini case would be awesome

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
 
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