Help me build a pc for $900..

[AdamDuritz99]

So some peeps I know want me to build them a pc. They got 900 to spend this is including monitor, keyboard, speakers, mouse, pc itself, etc. So could you all give me some ideas? Best bang for the buck of course

peace
sean

 

[StattlichPassat]

Nice midtower case, 300w PSU, 1GHz+ Athlon, 256MB PC133, 32MB TNT2, integrated audio, NIC or modem, 40GB, CD-ROM, XP Home. Something like that should fit your budget.

 

[MrBond]

My dad just bought a p4 1.5ghz machine, with a 40gb drive, modem, intergrated ethernet, sound, 32mb video (not integrated), and 256mb of DDR ram for just a bit over $400 shipped. I believe it came with a keyboard, mouse, and speakers as well. A 17" monitor can be had for under $150 easily.

 

[Aves]

AnandTech Buyer's Guide: Value Gaming - July 2002

CPU AMD Athlon XP 1700+ $68
Motherboard MSI MS-6380E KT3 Ultra $77
Memory 256MB Mushkin PC2700 SDRAM $62
Video Card ATI Radeon 8500LE 64MB $93
Monitor Samsung 955DF $215
Case Antec SX630 $65
Sound Card Integrated Avance Logic ALC650 $0
Speakers Logitech Z-540 $57
Ethernet Linksys EtherFast 10/100 $20
Hard Drive Maxtor DiamondMax D740X 6L040J2 40GB $65
Hard Drive Controller Integrated KT333 $0
CD-ROM Name brand 40X - 50X CD-ROM $30
CD-RW None
Bottom line $752

Gives you about $150 to play around with so you can add a component or two.

 

[dakata24]

what type of things will your friend be using this for?

 

[Zebo]

Anand and co. has done a kickass Value gaming ststem for $700. Check it

Edit: Aves you beat me to it

 

[SUBxWRX]

with 900 bucks...man u could get almost top of the line desktop with a pretty decent video card

 

[Lucky]

Gives you about $150 to play around with so you can add a component or two.

A little bit less now that memory prices have gone up.

 

[AdamDuritz99]

Ok, I've been playing around on newegg. Here's the link to the wishlist.
http://www.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=133622
That's a total of 966 + 96 to ship to TN. Help me lower this some.

peace
sean

 

[joe678]

Originally posted by: aves2k
AnandTech Buyer's Guide: Value Gaming - July 2002

CPU AMD Athlon XP 1700+ $68
Motherboard MSI MS-6380E KT3 Ultra $77
Memory 256MB Mushkin PC2700 SDRAM $62
Video Card ATI Radeon 8500LE 64MB $93
Monitor Samsung 955DF $215
Case Antec SX630 $65
Sound Card Integrated Avance Logic ALC650 $0
Speakers Logitech Z-540 $57
Ethernet Linksys EtherFast 10/100 $20
Hard Drive Maxtor DiamondMax D740X 6L040J2 40GB $65
Hard Drive Controller Integrated KT333 $0
CD-ROM Name brand 40X - 50X CD-ROM $30
CD-RW None
Bottom line $752

Gives you about $150 to play around with so you can add a component or two.

doesnt take into account ship cost does it?

 

[ultimatebob]

It's amazing what you can buy for $900 today. Check out this spread from mwave.com:

SKU Qty. Item Unit Price Ext. Price

A15962 ABIT NV7-133R nVIDIA nFORCE 415 CHIPSET ULTRA ATA133 ATX FORM FACTOR 1xAGP(4X)/5xPCI/3xDDR W/RAID, LAN & AUDIO Detail Specs (CPU TYPE:AMD DURON, ATHLON) $86.39 $86.39

A03455 AMD ATHLON XP 1800+ 1.53GHZ (AX1800BOX) RETAIL BOXED W/COOLING FAN (3 YEARS WARRANTY) Detail Specs | Important Installation Info $112.36 $112.36

A08540 MICRON MT16VDDT3264AG 256MB PC2100 266MHZ CL2.5 DDR DIMM Detail Specs $85.14 $85.14

A00695 SONY 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE (Bare Drive) Detail Specs $12.90 $12.90

A14247 ANTEC SX630 MINI TOWER W/PP303XP 300W (PENTIUM 4 READY) ATX POWER SUPPLY Detail Specs $69.00 $69.00

A15060 Microsoft Windows XP HOME (OEM/DSP)*Must be Purchased w/Hardware!!* Detail Specs $89.00 $89.00

A13380 IBM 60GB UATA-100 #35L60AVVA07 DESKSTAR 120GXP 7200RPM 2MB (Bare drive) $79.00 $79.00

A02640 VIEWSONIC 17" E70F .25 1280X1024 FLAT SCREEN Detail Specs $152.64 $152.64

A08442 SONY 52X CDROM EIDE INTERNAL #CDR5121 (Bare drive) $29.00 $29.00

395108 LOGITECH Z340 33WATTS 3PC SPEAKER SYSTEM Detail Specs $36.00 $36.00

A11280 MS INTERNET KEYBOARD PROFESSIONAL USB BUNDLE W/INTELLIMOUSE USB(DSP)*Must Be Purchased w/Hardware! $34.00 $34.00

Sub Total $785.43

So, for $850 including shipping, you get:

An AMD Athlon 1800+
256 MB of 2100 DDR SDRAM
A 60GB Ultra-ATA 100 Hard Drive
Integrated GeForce 2 MX video, 6 channel audio, and ethernet
A good Antec case with a 300W power supply
A 52X CD-ROM and floppy
A Microsoft Keyboard and Mouse
A decent set of speakers
A Legit copy of Windows XP. (You can save $90 if you already have a copy)

You could use the extra $50 for a better processor, more memory, a DVD-ROM, or better speakers. Or, you could downgrade the processor to an Athlon XP 1600+, and get a faster video card.

 

[Ramsnake]

use the extra 150 to get a better video card, dvd and cdrw drive and memory.

dvd + cdwriter ( two units) = 75 dollars....u can get em these days....best buy has got a 40X writer for 20 dollars after 40 dollars in rebates. dvd drive u can get for 30-35 dollars. memory u can get another 256 stick for around 40 dollars.spend the rest on graphics card or a better monitor....or on shipping..i wonder if anandtech took shipping costs in to account when they presented that excellent value gaming recommendation.

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: joe678

Originally posted by: aves2k
AnandTech Buyer's Guide: Value Gaming - July 2002

Bottom line $752

Gives you about $150 to play around with so you can add a component or two.

doesnt take into account ship cost does it?

No but you can always look around for free or low cost shipping and buying as much as possible from one retailer will help save on shipping.

googlegear.com has some deals on FedEx 2 Day shipping right now.

 

[Ramsnake]

one more thing...dont buy from that b@stard newegg....u can get better deals elsewhere, newegg was good initially, now the company is shamelessly cashing in on its customer base.


why would u want to spend 70 $ on the drive from newegg when u can get a 48X cdrw frm dell for lower.


Edit : Also go for the creative inspire 5.1 i think, it has got excellent reviews and costs around 90-100 dollars. best bang for the buck in speakers. dont buy that logitech 4.1 system that everyone is nuts about, the bass is irritatingly uncontrollable....even in the lowest setting there is considerable amount of bass.

 

[AdamDuritz99]

Since I have never had enough money to buy a geforce 4, what's a good brand for a GF4 Ti4200? How are the GAINWARD/CARDEXPERT GeForce 4 Ti 4200?

Oh yah, just b/c I'm messing around with newegg doen't mean i'll buy it all from there. i'm not going to pay 70 for a cdrw. These peeps don't even need 40x anyways. I'll buy the monitor at a store. This is just a rough estimate. I will buy a lot of parts from newegg though b/c i'm not providing them with any sort of warrantee, but I don't want them to be completely screwed if something goes wrong. Newegg has always been good to me about RMA and customer service.

peace
sean

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: Carbonyl
Anand and co. has done a kickass Value gaming ststem for $700. Check it

Edit: Aves you beat me to it

Matt forgot to figure in the cost of shipping in his $700 price quote. He also forgot the mouse, keyboard, and Operating System.

It's a good system, mind you, but it would probably cost about $910 to build.

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: AdamDuritz99
Ok, I've been playing around on newegg. Here's the link to the wishlist.
http://www.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=133622
That's a total of 966 + 96 to ship to TN. Help me lower this some.

peace
sean

The motherboard that you chose doesn't have integrated audio. You'll need to add a sound card.

 

[Stallion]

I just built a PC for my mom and mom-in-law for $720.

black cheiftec case ,P4 1.6A (both will do 2100+) ,asus p4b333 (used the on board sound) ,crucuial 256mg ddr2100(on sale for $40) lite on 32x10X40, 40G WD HDD, gainward GF3 ti200,Enermax 350W, 4 case fans , cheap floppy, net gear 10/100 , win XP pro (got for $25 hehe), so just need a monitor, keyboard and good to go,

 

[gwlam12]

i'll build u a pc for $900

 

[AdamDuritz99]

time to got to work bump

peace
sean