Computer for $1200- Need to have someone answer my last2 questions

[harobikes333]

Final Update
I'm buying all parts today. I need help on mobos and ram. everything else is set.

See page 6 for final list

------------------------------------

April 22nd is here and so are the price drops Aiming to buy all parts by tomorrow or today... lol naw, probably tomorrow.
BUDGET= $1200 Including Monitor, OS, case, mobo, etc.
OS: Vista is temping.... about the same as XP pro...?
Monitor:
CPU: I'm not OCing ever so even though AMD is competitive I think I'm going Intel since the socket seems to have a better upgrade path...? ( I don't plan on upgrading this computer CPU though...) Building it for my parents and I to use and when I leave they sure as heck won't need a faster computer.
RAM: 2GB ....?
Mobo: 775 socket... again, I'm not going to OC.
Graphics Card: I'm still in a haze here... R600 hasn't come out yet so could someone tell me whats up with prices then right now? ( aka ) whats the most for my money...?
Fans: Would like a quiet computer but I don't know how many fans I need... two three?
Case: Looking for a decent case... (aren't we all) Just want to be able to keep my parts cool.
PSU: 500W Seasonic or Corsair 520W or Enhance 500W

 

[harobikes333]

...bump....:?:\ ...

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: harobikes333
Ok, I have 1200 dollars to buy a complete computer. aka i have to buy speakers, LCD, case, mouse, keyboard.... you get the drift.


I know i used to make setups for people for the heck of it so I may or may not get any useful responses...


Thanks a ton!

Sincerely,

Mark

why not build your own..? or is time a constraint..?

 

[harobikes333]

I think you've misunderstood me. I was just wondering if anyone would just pick some parts that they feel would be the most bang for your buck that add up to 1200 dollars for a complete computer system

aka
a list ?

seeing that most people don't want to could you guys tell me if I should go with AMD or Intel... it seems Intel is owning so to speak but AMD has slashed their prices a ton to try to be competitive. I just don't know what way to go>_<

EDIT: I just reread what I had first posted before going to work and needless to say, it misleads a person big time! >_< Sorry about that.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

.

 

[jkresh]

What will you use it for, do you overclock... If you dont want to overlcock then amd's price cuts make them reasonably competitive (and sicne you can find good motherboards for less then intel equivalents maybe even a little cheaper), if you do overclock then intel is the absolute winner right now. Figure 200-300 for a 20inch lcd, 100 or so for acceptable speakers, leaves you 800-900 for parts. If you are going intel that probably means a e6400, definitely 2gigs of ram (what speed will depend on overclocking), either a 965 board or nforce 650...

 

[harobikes333]

I'm not going to be overclocking, I don't get around to building a new computer very often so I want it to last as long as possible.

2GB RAM
AMD or INTEL? = CPU
monitor=....? donno..? last I was up to date with the news, 17in was the way to go since it was the most for your money and they had it seemed little to no ghosting... Kinda clueless
seasonic PSU?
7800GT or better graphics card...? If I'm not going to be using a ton of video games would it be better to get a better CPU?

 

[KungFused]

This is a system I have picked out for myself right now:

• Optical Drive: Samsung SATA 18x DVD-R Burner - $39.99
  
  Hard Drive: Western Digital SATA 200GB 7200RPM - $59.99
  
  Monitor: Samsung 206BW 20.1" Widescreen LCD Monitor - $259.99 after MIR
  
  Video Card: EVGA GeForce 7900GS - $139.99 after MIR
  
  Power Supply: Enermax Liberty 400W (20A per 12V rail) - $79.99
  
  Speakers: Logitech Z-4 2.1 Speakers - $69.99
  
  Keyboard: Logitech UltraX Full-Size Slim Keyboard - $14.99
  
  Mouse: Logitech MX518 Gaming Mouse - $39.99
  
  Memory: 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 667 RAM - $109.99
  
  Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965P-S3 Intel Motherboard - $99.99
  
  Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 - $218.00
  
  Case: Cooler Master Centurion 5 - $49.99

Which is about $1230 from the 'Egg after shipping and mail-in rebates on the video card and monitor. You could probably trim some cost in the processor and drop to an E6300, and get a cheaper power supply, and possibly have enough dough to upgrade to a GeForce 8800 320mb video card.

 

[Boyo]

If your not gaming, don't worry about getting a 8800GTX. Save your money for other parts.

 

[harobikes333]

Ya, I don't game a ton but I was thinking about getting something around the 7800 mark...? or no need...?

Would like to watch dvds, burn them. Play games for the heck of it.

 

[jpeyton]

http://www.dell.com

 

[harobikes333]

i was planning on building my own...........?

 

[Captante]

If you have no plans to overclock & are only a casual gamer I'd go with an AMD X2 based system because you'll save about $100 on the CPU/MB combo ... I'd go with a retail-box 4200+ right now because they are only a few $'s more then the 3800+ ... grab 2gb's cheap DDR2-800 with one of the cheaper X1950 Pro's for your video card & you'll be off to a solid start.

 

[mithrandir2001]

Hit Dell's Outlet and try to select an XPS 410 with a good CPU (E6600 or better) but with a cheap video card like the 7300LE. You can replace the video card and buy other parts like the monitor from newegg or whomever.

 

[harobikes333]

so .... I shouldn't build it myself...:\????

 

[mike420]

Me, I really like KungFu's build. nice price on that ram!

Core2 Duo rocks!

Go with a 7900 graphics card that way you will at least be able to use it for a while. Anything less will be useless pretty soon.

I recomend a 19" wide screen. 22" is better still but pricey.

Build your own if you can.... But if Dell can do it for cheaper... go for it.

 

[harobikes333]

Wide screen is kool but I'm iffy on getting one because of the fact that its ... longer horizontally lol ... I donno isn't there some disadvantages of getting wide screen...

 

[harobikes333]

any comments?

 

[Smartazz]

Core 2 Duo E6400 if overclocking. X2 3800+ if you're not going to overclock. Try to get 2GB of RAM, either 667MHZ or 800MHZ. IDK anything about motherboards. For a video card get the 7900GS or 7900GT, or you could possibly wait for mid range Direct X10 cards. For the case I would recomend the Coolermaster Centurion 5 for the money.

 

[vrbaba]

Widescreen is the way to go. If you watch movies, or shows, or tv on ur computer...Its what you want. Also, games are widescreen nowdays. Check out hot deals for today, there is a 230 deal for a 22" widescreen. Or couple of deals on 19" for about 150 or so.

As you decide on your parts, keep updating your original thread, so we know wht u decided on and what u are still undecided on... and comment accordingly

About the computer, Just get a dual core setup so ur computer will likely last a while and not be outdated. I mentioning the parts below, you can do ur price research.
- E4300, E6300 should do well for you. You can always upgrade later. ~200?
- i would put decent money into a good motherboard just so to upgrade later or have a decent resale value once u get bored of it. The gigabyte option mentioned above looks ok. 100-150
- Monitor - WS - ~150-250 (as said above)
- Card - 7800gt or something mid range range like that. 150
- Keyboard, mouse, speakers....whtever the heck u like. 100 max, I would invest a little on headphones/speakers for quality purposes, but personal choice.
- Case: ~100 shipped should get u a decent case. there are some really good ones, and others are ok. usually u can get a decent idea from newegg reviews.
- PSu: anything 500w or more. Its important to make ur system last longer, quality will go long ways. I am not sure about which one exactly, but I need to research more in this area. I wouldnt buy anything lower than 100 though (unless its a good deal on something reviewed well). Seasonics are good.
- Memory 2GB 2x1GB 667 speed... anything goes almost. ~100
- hard drive: SATA whtever storage space u would like - usually maxtor or seagate. ~ 100.
- DVD drive 50

i think thats about it...

 

[harobikes333]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking at CPUs right now, trying to decide whether I should get a 6400E or 6600E or if I should go with the AMD equivalent ...>_< Any advice?

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: harobikes333
Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking at CPUs right now, trying to decide whether I should get a 6400E or 6600E or if I should go with the AMD equivalent ...>_< Any advice?

I would stick with intel. You may decide to OC them later, and then they perform better than AMD. Although, at stock, AMD might perform a little better.
6400E vs 6600E is totally dependent upon u if u think u can put in more for the 6600. For your purposes, i dont think you will notice a difference in performance.

 

[mithrandir2001]

Originally posted by: harobikes333
Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking at CPUs right now, trying to decide whether I should get a 6400E or 6600E or if I should go with the AMD equivalent ...>_< Any advice?

E6600 has the 4MB of L2 cache while E6400 has 2MB. However if you plan to overclock or if the price difference between the two is large (>$80) you should stick with the E6400.

 

[blamb425]

since you're building from scratch, do you need an OEM windows?

 

[harobikes333]

Yes:\........ I have windows home right now& so I'm planning on getting XP Professional...?
yesh?

Is that the only main difference between the 6400 and 6600? OCing does shorten the lifespan of your computer does it not.....Also wouldn't I end up spending more on my parts to be able to OC well..?? EX: memory timings etc?