extreme budget build

[VirtualLarry]

Mobo: Intel DQ45EK S775 ITX $30 + $5
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?inv...K-BULK&cat=MBB

CPU: Intel Celeron 440 S775 2.0Ghz $8 FS
(from ebay)

RAM: 2x512MB DDR2 $0
(from parts pile)

Case: Rosewill Ranger-M mATX case $30 FS
(Newegg)

PSU: Antec Basiq 350W $30 + tax
(Staples)

Card Reader: Rosewill RCR-0001 or whatever $8 FS
(Newegg)

HDD: WD refurb 80GB IDE JB $20 FS
(Newegg)

Optical: LG DVD-RW SATA $15-20
(Newegg)

And an IDE-to-SATA adaptor from Meritline.com to use the IDE HDD with a mobo with only SATA2 ports.

What do you think?

$200 total, including the Windows 7 license. $150 in hardware.

Performance isn't bad, the weakest link is the HDD, then the RAM, then the CPU.

Trying to scrounge together 2x1GB DDR2 instead for the client.

Edit: Can anyone suggest any economical upgrades? I was thinking small SSD, and more RAM, and maybe something like an E5200.

Edit: Looks like I can get an e5200 in working condition off of ebay for $25.

Edit: Just so everyone is aware, I already built this "parts computer". I was looking for feedback on what people would have done differently, and what people would upgrade.

 

[Torn Mind]

I believe the Basiq has only one SATA power connector, so you might need to get an adapter from Monoprice. It's cheaper if you purchase the Basiq from Amazon.

Maybe an external burner might be more a bit more expensive, but more flexible.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I don't know who this is for, but you may want to look into getting a SATA HDD for $41 plus shipping. It's 160GB, so you're spending twice as much to get twice the storage (well, after you factor in the IDE-to-SATA converter, probably less than twice as much.)

Although I suppose there is something to be said of getting everything from Newegg.

 

[Hubb1e]

Well, I just searched for "computer" on eBay and came up with a whole list of dual core 2GB RAM desktops for about $150. I even found an Athlon II X4 machine in there for $180 that included windows 7.

So, I don't think a single core 2ghz 1 GB DDR2 build is all that good for $150. I've got faster computers in my junk pile. Granted my junk pile is pretty well stocked with Athlon X2s.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I don't know who this is for, but you may want to look into getting a SATA HDD for $41 plus shipping. It's 160GB, so you're spending twice as much to get twice the storage (well, after you factor in the IDE-to-SATA converter, probably less than twice as much.)

Although I suppose there is something to be said of getting everything from Newegg.

Storage amount is not much of a factor. And I don't think a 160GB 5400RPM laptop drive is going to be any or a much better performer than an 80GB 7200RPM IDE drive.

I have some 30GB OCZ Agility SSDs, I could throw one it, I managed to squeeze Win7 64-bit onto one before.

 

[Sleepingforest]

I wasn't really thinking about speed, just the storage-to-cost ratio.

Also, why are you squeezing Win7 64-bit on a computer with 1GB of RAM? Isn't the 32-bit version smaller?

 

[Blain]

Unless this "client" is a friend or relative, you're wasting too much time and effort to save them $$

 

[Hubb1e]

Ok, I wanted to accept the challenge coming from buying all new parts, and from Newegg.

Here's what I came up. Dual core, modern graphics, and enough HD space for a normal user plus has a card reader and DVD drive as you included.

$40 AMD A4 3300 2.5ghz dual core FM1 socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819106013

$47 MSI A55M-P33 FM1 AMD A55 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130641

$15 Wintec Value 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
I'd personally add another one for dual channel memory and 4GB of memory to make this a system I'd be willing to use.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161486

$50 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - a real modern drive on SATA interface already with enough space for a normal user
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152226

$30 after $10 mail in rebate XION XON-720P mATX/ ITX Slim Desktop Case, USB 3.0, 5 in 1 Card-reader, 300W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811208054

$15 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151256

Total after rebate $199

This is a system I would be happy to use, but I'd prefer the extra stick of ram taking the total to $215 before taxes and shipping.

 

[Steltek]

I think Lenovo had an entry level IdeaCenter Q190 machine w/celeron 887, 4GB of memory, 5400rpm 1TB HD, and Windows 8 for $269+tax after coupon today.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Ok, I wanted to accept the challenge coming from buying all new parts, and from Newegg.

Here's what I came up. Dual core, modern graphics, and enough HD space for a normal user plus has a card reader and DVD drive as you included.

$40 AMD A4 3300 2.5ghz dual core FM1 socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819106013

$47 MSI A55M-P33 FM1 AMD A55 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130641

$15 Wintec Value 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
I'd personally add another one for dual channel memory and 4GB of memory to make this a system I'd be willing to use.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161486

$50 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - a real modern drive on SATA interface already with enough space for a normal user
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152226

$30 after $10 mail in rebate XION XON-720P mATX/ ITX Slim Desktop Case, USB 3.0, 5 in 1 Card-reader, 300W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811208054

$15 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151256

Total after rebate $199

This is a system I would be happy to use, but I'd prefer the extra stick of ram taking the total to $215 before taxes and shipping.

That's a really nice build. Perhaps I can hook this client up with something like that as an upgrade in the future. (A "complete swap" upgrade.)

I was looking at FM1 and FM2 boards and CPUs last night, thinking about making something that would be an inexpensive upgrade, but be relatively future-proof.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

Ok, I wanted to accept the challenge coming from buying all new parts, and from Newegg.

Here's what I came up. Dual core, modern graphics, and enough HD space for a normal user plus has a card reader and DVD drive as you included.

$40 AMD A4 3300 2.5ghz dual core FM1 socket
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819106013

$47 MSI A55M-P33 FM1 AMD A55 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130641

$15 Wintec Value 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
I'd personally add another one for dual channel memory and 4GB of memory to make this a system I'd be willing to use.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161486

$50 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - a real modern drive on SATA interface already with enough space for a normal user
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152226

$30 after $10 mail in rebate XION XON-720P mATX/ ITX Slim Desktop Case, USB 3.0, 5 in 1 Card-reader, 300W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811208054

$15 SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151256

Total after rebate $199

This is a system I would be happy to use, but I'd prefer the extra stick of ram taking the total to $215 before taxes and shipping.

You can do better with this combo deal:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1170538

1x MSI A55M-P33 FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS (Model:A55M-P33)
$47.99

1x AMD A4-3400 Llano 2.7GHz Socket FM1 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6410D AD3400OJHXBOX (Model:AD3400OJHXBOX)
$44.99

1x G.SKILL Value 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C11S-4GNT (Model:F3-1600C11S-4GNT)
$28.99

1x Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (Model:ST500DM002)
$59.99

Combined Total: $181.96
Combo Discounts:-$20.97
Combo Price: $160.99

Faster APU, more RAM, larger HDD. Add the case and optical drive from your list and you are @ $196 after rebate.

 

[cubby1223]

I pick up Pentium Dual Core's for anywhere from $10 to $15 shipped depending on the day on eBay, would be much better than a single core celeron. Just specify in the ebay search to less than I believe the option is 2.4ghz, to weed out the Pentium-D cpus from the search results.

Also, the last couple refurb hard drives I bought on the cheap from Newegg were bad. Never go cheap on the hard drive.

 

[DominionSeraph]

 

[Charlie98]

Unless this "client" is a friend or relative, you're wasting too much time and effort to save them $$

...especially using used or parts bin parts... especially if you have to back the machine up (warranty or service.)

This was kind of what I was thinking... These are great days we are living in, bros! You can buy a pretty capable computer for... $250?!?!

This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 917x912 and weights 108KB.

 

[VirtualLarry]

...especially using used or parts bin parts... especially if you have to back the machine up (warranty or service.)

This was kind of what I was thinking... These are great days we are living in, bros! You can buy a pretty capable computer for... $250?!?!

Well, officially, the budget was $0. So it's kind of hard to fit a Dell into that. I told the client that I would replace the HDD if it failed.

 

[Charlie98]

Well, officially, the budget was $0.

...everyone wants something for nothing...

 

[Blain]

Well, officially, the budget was $0. So it's kind of hard to fit a Dell into that. I told the client that I would replace the HDD if it failed.

Are you operating a not for profit business, funded by non-client sources?

 

[mvbighead]

This has to be a friend more than a client. How on earth are you profiting on this deal?

 

[sze5003]

Budget of zero? So this person wants you to give them a free / used pc.

 

[Torn Mind]

You might as well give that guy a Pentium 4 rig. After all, a Celeron 440 isn't that much better pure performance-wise, and is actually slightly worse than the P4 660 at 3.6 GHz in the Anandtech bench. You get what you pay for, basically.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Pentium 4 motherboard&_mPrRngCbx=1&_udhi=33
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...=p2045573.m570.l1313&_nkw=Pentium+4+&_sacat=0

 

[VirtualLarry]

This has to be a friend more than a client. How on earth are you profiting on this deal?

The client is a really nice neighbor lady, and I'm not profiting off of this deal. (At least, not monetarily.)

Edit: Well, technically, I did profit like $1-2 off of a wifi adaptor that I sold her. But that was unintentional.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You might as well give that guy a Pentium 4 rig. After all, a Celeron 440 isn't that much better pure performance-wise, and is actually slightly worse than the P4 660 at 3.6 GHz in the Anandtech bench. You get what you pay for, basically.

Well, a P4 is a power hog, and I didn't want to cause her electric bill to go up too much. I was always under the impression (based on what I had heard at the time) that a C2D core was 2x as fast as a P4 core, thus a 2.0Ghz single-core C2D was equivalent to a 4.0Ghz P4.

If this is not true, then that's news to me. Perhaps the HT on the fastest P4s allows them to multi-task a little better than the C2D does.

 

[cubby1223]

Well, a P4 is a power hog, and I didn't want to cause her electric bill to go up too much. I was always under the impression (based on what I had heard at the time) that a C2D core was 2x as fast as a P4 core, thus a 2.0Ghz single-core C2D was equivalent to a 4.0Ghz P4.

If this is not true, then that's news to me. Perhaps the HT on the fastest P4s allows them to multi-task a little better than the C2D does.

Dual core does not equal twice the performance, and the Core 2 Duo has 2mb cache to the Celeron's 512kb.

Just check out benchmarks for speed comparisons. Personally I would begin at a Pentium Dual Core (1mb cache to the C2D's 2mb cache) as the base cpu for any system. They can be had for less than $15 on ebay. You'll like this cpu much, much more than that Celeron or any netburst cpu.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

 

[VirtualLarry]

Dual core does not equal twice the performance, and the Core 2 Duo has 2mb cache to the Celeron's 512kb.

Just check out benchmarks for speed comparisons. Personally I would begin at a Pentium Dual Core (1mb cache to the C2D's 2mb cache) as the base cpu for any system. They can be had for less than $15 on ebay. You'll like this cpu much, much more than that Celeron or any netburst cpu.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_list.php

According to that link (in reply to Torn Mind), the Celeron 420 is faster than a Pentium 4 3.6Ghz. Of course, the Celeron 440 is faster still.

 

[mvbighead]

According to that link (in reply to Torn Mind), the Celeron 420 is faster than a Pentium 4 3.6Ghz. Of course, the Celeron 440 is faster still.

Yeah, I'd say you're well right about that one.

To me, technology trumps all. I recall Athlon 64 with clock speeds at an actual 2.0GHz stomping Pentium 4 3.06GHz, and they were cheaper to boot.

So, while celerons are by no means premiere CPUs on any level, a Celeron from 2011 is likely to be much better than the best offering from 2005. Just the way it is. (I am pulling the years out of my hind end, but just saying.)

I'd say dual core at a minimum for a CPU I'd throw in anything today, as most things can take advantage, and your operating system most definitely does.