Cheap build reusing old HD

[dremot]

I'm looking to build a new system on the cheap using my two old IDE hard drives I have. I picked up the sonata II for $50 so I don't need that. I will be using this system to record TV and playback those on the monitor. I have two PCI TV tuner cards (PVR-250 and PVR-150), so the processor doesn't need to be fast. I have been using a Athlon 2400+ since 2003 so I would like the new system to be comparable.

I haven't been keeping up on processors, motherboards, video card, or memory speeds so any suggestions you may have would be appreciated. Thanks.


Drew

 

[skreet]

Well, if you're really looking to do something on the cheap, it can't hurt to look at the For Sale/Trade section of this forum. Lots of people are selling/trading used hardware at great prices.

If you want something cheap, consider a new Athlon64/Sempron build, the prices have come way down and they're pretty decent performers.

Good luck.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

What's the most your willing to spend? As long as your not gaming, a cheap dual core processor will suffice. If you don't plan on overclocking then go for an AMD X2 processor (specifically socket AM2), which are going for easily less than $100 dollars now. A decent motherboard and some cheap DD2 RAM will be just fine.

As for other areas you may want to address, a video and sound card might be upgrades to look at as well if money permits. A cheap 6-series or x1k series GPU from Nvidia or ATi will be a great addition, as both have support for purevideo and avivo playback respectively. Whether you want a soundcard will all depend on what speakers you are using. If you have a nice home theater/5.1 setup you could look for a cheap soundblaster.

Hope this puts you in the direction you want. Good luck