First Time Build - Small Budget

[f430gt3]

Hi. My 3 years old desktop is working slow and constantly freezing. I have already replaced several parts in the past year (e.g., power supply). I am thinking about building a new desktop in a month or so instead of repairing my current one. I have an extremely tight budget: $500-600. I would really appreciate if you can suggest quality and not so expensive parts for my build. I live in Canada so NCIX or Newegg.ca are the ideal places for me to buy the parts (if there are other good online places, please let me know).

Parts needed: Everything except Monitor/Keyboard/Mouse (will use these 3 for time being - however, if there are any excellent deals out there, please let me know).

Budget: $500 (max $600 including shipping/taxes)

What will be the computer used for: Media, downloading, internet browsing, school work and occasional gaming (e.g., Starcraft II, once or twice a month for a few hours).

Other things: I want to make a system which is easily upgradeable (e.g., RAM, maybe CPU in a year or two, maybe GPU in a year or two). Something which will last and be trouble free for at least 2 years. And if it is silent, it would be great as well. I would love to get a good SSD and the new Sandy Bridge CPU's (i5, i7) in this build but I am not sure whether I will have enough money left over for other parts.

Thanks for all the suggestions in advance. I am already going through NCIX and Newegg websites and there are tons of parts available and I am a bit confused. So suggestions from this thread will help me out. Thanks again.

 

[mnewsham]

CD/DVD
PSU
Case
HDD
GPU
RAM
Motherboard
CPU

I chose this build because it will allow for expansion (upper end Sandy Bridge CPU and 8GB of RAM as well as a much more powerful GPU). I got 1x4GB RAM because the motherboard only supports 2 dimms and i didnt want to fill it up (not allowing an upgrade). I also got a much larger PSU then you need to allow for a CPU upgrade, RAM upgrade, and a GPU upgrade. The GPU i got is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is sufficient for medium detail settings at 1080p for most games and should last the next 2 years with playable frame rates in most games. Your motherboard is a low end entry level H61 chipset and will not allow for overclocking (your CPU cant OC anyway) however it will work and it is cheap!


The total cost is $605.21 with shipping to Yorkton, SK. (im not sure if shipping will change depending on where you are)


Hope this helped!

 

[LuluTheMonk]

Just for fun, tried making a budget 2500k build. Didn't quite make it though.

XFX HD-567X-YNF3 Radeon HD 5670 512MB
$20.00 USD Mail-in Rebate
$78.49

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W
$59.99

GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD3-B3
$134.99

Intel Core i5-2500K
$219.99

Subtotal: $493.46

Missing:
RAM: G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 $39.99
SSD: Corsair Force 64GB $129.99
Samsung F3 1tb: $65
Case: $50 (or use your existing case?)
DVD: $23

Sadly, don't think that will work out. Not sure how the integrated graphics are on the 2500k for SCII, but if you got an H67 with no discrete GFX card would save you ~$60. After taxes and shipping, you could be awfully close to $600 adding in a few other components.

**edit**
mnewsham has a great build

 

[mnewsham]

Snip

Yes i tried to do that at first but quickly realized it was futile and settled on a low end i3 (which is still a very powerful dual core!) with the ability to upgrade to the i5's or i7's at a later date.

 

[DominionSeraph]

mmmm.... wait for Bulldozer?

 

[f430gt3]

Thanks for the suggestions. At least now, I know where to start and modify. Thanks.

 

[mnewsham]

Post up any modifications you make so we can let you know if it is worth it or wise to do it

 

[mfenn]

CD/DVD
PSU
Case
HDD
GPU
RAM
Motherboard
CPU

I chose this build because it will allow for expansion (upper end Sandy Bridge CPU and 8GB of RAM as well as a much more powerful GPU). I got 1x4GB RAM because the motherboard only supports 2 dimms and i didnt want to fill it up (not allowing an upgrade). I also got a much larger PSU then you need to allow for a CPU upgrade, RAM upgrade, and a GPU upgrade. The GPU i got is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is sufficient for medium detail settings at 1080p for most games and should last the next 2 years with playable frame rates in most games. Your motherboard is a low end entry level H61 chipset and will not allow for overclocking (your CPU cant OC anyway) however it will work and it is cheap!


The total cost is $605.21 with shipping to Yorkton, SK. (im not sure if shipping will change depending on where you are)


Hope this helped!

:thumbsup:

 

[mfenn]

Post up any modifications you make so we can let you know if it is worth it or wise to do it

Very true. OP, we don't want to have a repeat of the "oh I'll just add a Killer NIC" fiasco.

 

[Smoolean]

I got 1x4GB RAM because the motherboard only supports 2 dimms and i didnt want to fill it up (not allowing an upgrade).

I recently ordered the parts for my build, and my motherboard also only had 2 slots for RAM. I had originally planned to place 2x2GB, but after reading your post I thought it made a lot of sense to leave room to upgrade to 8GB in the future.

After I ordered the 1x4GB, I was reading an article about assembling my computer, and it mentioned dual channel memory, vs single channel. My question is... will the 1x4GB offer far inferior performance than the 2x2GB would have?

I looked up dual channel memory through a few Google searches and noticed that some sources say it makes a difference, and others say it's so small you can safely ignore it.

Can any of you speak from first hand experience concerning the impact a 1 dimm vs 2 dimm setup can have? I only ask, because if it makes a noticeable difference I will gladly order another 1x4GB stick.

Thanks!

 

[mnewsham]

You will lose less then 5% performance, and unless you are benchmarking all day you won't notice the difference. This is from experience.

 

[betasub]

^ Agreed. Memory bandwidth is rarely a limit to performance for this kind of build. In theory dual-channel doubles the bandwidth, but real-life performance outside of synthetic benchmarks is small (mnewsham's <5&#37.

 

[mfenn]

After I ordered the 1x4GB, I was reading an article about assembling my computer, and it mentioned dual channel memory, vs single channel. My question is... will the 1x4GB offer far inferior performance than the 2x2GB would have?

Inferior? Yes. Far inferior? Hell no. 5&#37; max.

EDIT: Mnewsham beat me to it. That'll teach me to not read the entire thread before posting.

 

[Smoolean]

Thanks for the quick response, guys. I can definitely live with 5% performance missing for a while.

Just for future reference... let's say I bought another identical stick of this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-423-_-Product

1) When I drop it into the mobo, I'm sure it will be recognized the next time I boot up... but will I need to adjust any settings in the BIOS to enable the dual channel architecture, or will this be enabled / used automatically?

2) Will that memory I linked work just fine dual channel, or is there something special about the 2x kits you can buy like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&amp;SID=u00000687

I notice on the 2x ram it says "Multi-channel Kit: Dual Channel Kit"

Does this actually mean anything? Will any two identical sticks work?

 

[mnewsham]

It will work just fine and should be all automatic no need to change anything, The multi-channel kit thing just means it is meant for dual channel or triple channel but it doesnt really matter as pretty much all RAM is multi channel.

 

[LucJoe]

If you're near a Microcenter you can pick up an i3-2100 + MSI H61 motherboard for $99. Would be a great start to a solid budget build.

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...ource=ACT_BYO&amp;

 

[mnewsham]

If you're near a Microcenter you can pick up an i3-2100 + MSI H61 motherboard for $99. Would be a great start to a solid budget build.

http://www.microcenter.com/specials/...ource=ACT_BYO&amp;

OP is in Canada

 

[f430gt3]

Right now, the total is $518.43 + $31.18 (shipping) + $71.45 (Tax) = $621.06 - and this is without the CD/DVD since I will just use the one from my old computer.

Now, I have a few more questions:

1. I already have CoolerMaster 400W Power Supply from my old computer (link: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=44...e=COOLERMASTER), do you think it will be ok for now? The power supply is about a year old but it is working fine.

2. I also have 2 Western Digital hard drives, WD3200js that I was running in Raid0 in my old computer. The hard drives are about 3 years old (I am not sure exactly). Do you think, I should upgrade the hard drive at the moment? They seem to work fine but just make a lot of noise now.

3. The GPU you suggested is excellent but a bit expensive for right now. I am trying to bring the cost down a bit - any other suggestions that will work for now? I won't be gaming much. Just need a decent graphics/video card.

If I remove the power supply and hard drives, my total becomes $481.92.

Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry for noob questions.

CD/DVD
PSU
Case
HDD
GPU
RAM
Motherboard
CPU

I chose this build because it will allow for expansion (upper end Sandy Bridge CPU and 8GB of RAM as well as a much more powerful GPU). I got 1x4GB RAM because the motherboard only supports 2 dimms and i didnt want to fill it up (not allowing an upgrade). I also got a much larger PSU then you need to allow for a CPU upgrade, RAM upgrade, and a GPU upgrade. The GPU i got is getting a little long in the tooth, but it is sufficient for medium detail settings at 1080p for most games and should last the next 2 years with playable frame rates in most games. Your motherboard is a low end entry level H61 chipset and will not allow for overclocking (your CPU cant OC anyway) however it will work and it is cheap!


The total cost is $605.21 with shipping to Yorkton, SK. (im not sure if shipping will change depending on where you are)


Hope this helped!

 

[f430gt3]

And also, sorry for replying back after a long time - I was busy with school work.

 

[f430gt3]

One last question: Windows 7 for students (http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/ca/windows/buynow/default.aspx) - it looks like it is upgrade only. Just want to confirm anyways - will it work for new build?

Thanks!!!

 

[mnewsham]

I wouldn't recommend keeping your PSU as it is essentially a 275w PSU (that is what can go on the +12v Rails)

The GPU is in my mind anyway the minimum for gaming. I really wouldnt recommend going any lower, i guess you could get as low as the HD 5750 1GB for about 80 bucks.

 

[aphelion02]

Here's suggestion for PSU to shave costs down abit. Also, the link is to 4gb of ram, not 8gb.

PSU:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...ir%20cx430

 

[mfenn]

Right now, the total is $518.43 + $31.18 (shipping) + $71.45 (Tax) = $621.06 - and this is without the CD/DVD since I will just use the one from my old computer.

Now, I have a few more questions:

1. I already have CoolerMaster 400W Power Supply from my old computer (link: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=44...e=COOLERMASTER), do you think it will be ok for now? The power supply is about a year old but it is working fine.

2. I also have 2 Western Digital hard drives, WD3200js that I was running in Raid0 in my old computer. The hard drives are about 3 years old (I am not sure exactly). Do you think, I should upgrade the hard drive at the moment? They seem to work fine but just make a lot of noise now.

3. The GPU you suggested is excellent but a bit expensive for right now. I am trying to bring the cost down a bit - any other suggestions that will work for now? I won't be gaming much. Just need a decent graphics/video card.

If I remove the power supply and hard drives, my total becomes $481.92.

Thanks for all the suggestions and sorry for noob questions.

I'm confused. If you get the PSU that aphelion suggests and use your existing hard drives (you're asking for trouble running RAID0 by the way), you total should be about $480. That is already well below your budget, so why do you want to get a lesser GPU?

EDIT: Make sure your current optical drive is SATA.

 

[f430gt3]

I was trying to save a bit more money. Looks like I need a new PSU for sure. I am not saving much with the new GPU suggestion so I will go with the original suggestion.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[mfenn]

I was trying to save a bit more money. Looks like I need a new PSU for sure. I am not saving much with the new GPU suggestion so I will go with the original suggestion.

Thanks for the suggestions.

No problem.