Help building my brother a computer...

[Dru22]

I was givin the task of building my brother a computer for gaming. Currently he has an AMD Athlon 1.1ghz...I'm not sure what one it is. He said he would like to spend around $500-$600 on this. He already has a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and 80gb HDD. Can anyone help me? I know he wants AMD again. No sound card is needed.

 

[ts3433]

A64 2800 (retail), inexpensive Epox NF3 250 board, 2x512 value RAM, 6600 GT, and an Antec case/PSU combo should be great (I didn't check prices, but this should come out around $620). See if he can salvage an optical.

 

[ncage]

Ya and if you want to save even more money go with a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro. Will save you about $75 and still a very very good card.

 

[Dru22]

Which one is better?

http://www.newegg.com/app/view...=13-123-219&DEPA=1

or

http://www.newegg.com/app/View...=13-123-225&depa=1

 

[Kishan]

1st one.

 

[Dru22]

Does it handle PCI Express? Cause the 6600GT is PCI Express. I will need a motherboard to go with it.

 

[Mrvile]

No, that motherboard is AGP. AGP 6600GTs are available.

Anyway I would get the same motherboard you have for your bro.

 

[Dru22]

So i shouldn't get the Epox mobo? I'm trying to stay in the budget. 500 - 600 dollars.

 

[ts3433]

I think the DFI is a bit much for the budget. It's also really only needed if doing lots of overclocking, and budget boards will do that almost as well.

The 9800 Pro is still viable as well, but it's definitely not going to save you $75; maybe $30 at best, and the 6600 GT carries a significant increase in performance that outweighs the price delta.

 

[Philippine Mango]

On the AMD side, wouldn't you still want a high end brand like ASUS or ABIT? Is gigabyte the equivalent of OCZ? Just seems that way..

 

[ts3433]

Originally posted by: Philippine Mango
On the AMD side, wouldn't you still want a high end brand like ASUS or ABIT? Is gigabyte the equivalent of OCZ? Just seems that way..

What exactly do you mean by this? There are tons of quality motherboards that don't have an Asus or Abit badge on them (and often, because of this, have a lower price)--those made by DFI, Epox, Shuttle, Chaintech, and Soltek are some examples. Asus and Abit aren't any more "high end" than most of what I've mentioned.

As for Gigabyte being equivalent to OCZ, I am positively bewildered as to what specifically you mean.

 

[leigh6]

Cant help you with hardware but Outpost.com has the Antec Sonata for 89.99 plus shipping (between 12-14 dollars) with a $30.00 rebate. This could be a good start.

Leigh

 

[Dru22]

Can u have a PCI Express mobo that accomodates an AMD CPU?

 

[ts3433]

They exist, but not for S754/in your price range (prices on the boards are astronomically high right now). I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Dru22]

Well i'm having extreme trouble trying to pick something out for him. He has a case right now so throw that out he said. He will buy a different PSU. Does that give a little more room? I need something that will play games well and last for awhile. $600 max

 

[nick1985]

PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING!


Case $72

CD Burner $24

RAM $141

Mobo $72

CPU $130

Video Card $155

Total: $594

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: Dru22
Help building my brother a computer

For a 10% of the parts cost, I'll PM you a list of parts to build your brother a PC. :laugh:
I can take PayPal or a MO