HELP!!! Need to build the GF a system for Christmas for < $400

[xerocool]

Hey guys, I'm sure alot of you can relate to this since the holidays are coming up. I'm looking to build my significant other a computer system since her current one is a broken P3 lappy that crashes every other minute. I've already somewhat decided to get her a mini-pc cuz she's small and I don't want her to have to lug a big pc around. I'm looking at getting her a Shuttle XPC, but I was wondering what you guys think. I personally have a preference for AMD chips, but alot of the mini-pc's out there such as AMS, FIC, etc. have alot of their mobo's made for Socket 478. Having given this a bit more thought, I guess Intel chips would be better since they're usually faster and alot of AMD chips are meant to be overclocked and I'm worried about the thermal dissapation rates inside such a small box.

One of the best deals I've found so far is at Newegg with their SS56G with socket 478 and FSB 800 for $240. LINK
And I'm also thinking about getting a mid-ranged video card such as the Ati 9600 XT or the Geforce 5700 Ultra, both ~$200.

The main attributes I should be looking at are the FSB and chipset right? Cuz there are ones being sold at Newegg with slower FSB's but for more $$$ and I'm not sure why, cuz everything else- integrated LAN, video, sound, are all pretty much the same right?

If anyone has found any better deals, let me know. Also, if anyone else is building a system for Christmas too, I would love to hear what you're making so everyone can benefit from each other's ideas.

Happy Holidays!

 

[JimRaynor]

I built a little system for my mom, antec minuet, a7n266, duron proc, nice little system that didn't break my wallet.

 

[xerocool]

Originally posted by: JimRaynor
I built a little system for my mom, antec minuet, a7n266, duron proc, nice little system that didn't break my wallet.

do you have a breakdown of the prices you paid? i think if we get a nice little complete thread going about this, it'll help out everyone.

 

[Lonyo]

A 9600XT or 5700U is blown away by a 5900nu which is also around $200. Here or here

A Barton 2500+ (something around $90) is a very good processor
If you can find a fully featured NF2 motherboard if you go the AMD route, the integrated sound is meant to be good.

If you do get a P4, 800MHz FSB is the highest you can get at the moment, and a p4 2.6c (800MHz FSB P4) is probably the best one to get. This one

Make sure you get some PC3200 RAM to go with it though.

 

[xerocool]

Looking at the disparity in pricing between AMD and Intel chips, I think I may just have to go the AMD route. Has anyone ever had any experience with overclocking in mini-pc's? Also, I heard a Radeon 9800np can be tweaked to 9800pro ratings, has anyone ever done this?

 

[magomago]

well if you get a small XPC i would be more hesitant just because its s smaller space with more heat....basically i'd just go as high as possible without playing with voltage so themps don't go up too much

edit: btw remember a lot of newer 2500+ chips have the multiplier locked

 

[xerocool]

come to think of it, i may not need to overclock the cpu just because she's not like an intensive gamer or runs any super hard quantum calculations.

this is what i have in mind so far:

Shuttle SN45G Socket A 333/400MHz FSB ~$250
512MB PC3200 DDR400 (not sure which brand just yet) ~$60-$80
Athlon XP 2800+ ~$130
Geforce FX 5600 Ultra or 5600 256MB ~$110

Total: ~$550

I actually have an old video card that I can give her to use for now (I was hoping that the mobo would have onboard video, that way we could save up and get a better one later), so that would bring the price down to around $440. Does anyone have any suggestions on the brand of computer memory? Is brand really all that important in terms of performance? If anyone has a better configuration than this I would love to hear it because $550 is still a little much.

 

[Mloot]

What about the peripherals and software, and other stuff?

Hard drive
Optical drive
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers
Operating system


You mentioned that she was not an intensive gamer, so you could save a few bucks by going with the Barton 2500+ instead of the 2800. It's doubtful she would notice the speed difference. And depending on the types of games she plays, a much cheaper Radeon 8500/9100 might be enough for her. Both of these together might save you anywhere from $60-80.

 

[xerocool]

Originally posted by: Mloot
What about the peripherals and software, and other stuff?

Hard drive
Optical drive
Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Speakers
Operating system


You mentioned that she was not an intensive gamer, so you could save a few bucks by going with the Barton 2500+ instead of the 2800. It's doubtful she would notice the speed difference. And depending on the types of games she plays, a much cheaper Radeon 8500/9100 might be enough for her. Both of these together might save you anywhere from $60-80.

ahh nuts, good point:

Hard Drive- 120GB Maxtor ~$60 AR
Optical Drive- Generic 52x CDRW ~$10 AR
Keyboard + Mouse- MX Duo ~$55
Speakers- Altec Lansing something ~$60
OS- Windows XP Pro ~Free
Monitor- No idea yet, I think to save money she can borrow one of my old CRT's

Additional Stuff ~$200

So I guess total would be around $750.... damn, that's almost twice the amount I think we can spend. She gets Christmas gifts from alot of old people, and she asked them to just send money or giftcards, but I don't think they're gonna send that much money. Bah, if anyone has any ideas I would love to here it. :frown:

 

[TSDible]

Originally posted by: xerocool<I actually have an old video card that I can give her to use for now (I was hoping that the mobo would have onboard video, that way we could save up and get a better one later), so that would bring the price down to around $440. Does anyone have any suggestions on the brand of computer memory? Is brand really all that important in terms of performance? If anyone has a better configuration than this I would love to hear it because $550 is still a little much.

Why not just go with the nForce2 model that includes onboard video? they are only a little bit more.

 

[aceO07]

It seems like a computer that you're building for yourself for those times you visit her. My gf said the same thing the last time I suggested that she get a new computer.

I don't know about your gf, so I'm not sure if my comments were anywhere close to being correct. Just focus on the things that she will notice or make use of. It doesn't have to be the latest/fastest or even Anandtech level 'decent', which is pretty high grade anyways. If it's a gift and you're only willing to pay up to a certain amount, I suggest making it cheaper. Making her pay for part of it doesn't seem like it's very 'gift'-like, especially if she doesn't make full use of it.

I suggest updating the first post to list the current parts, it'd help the other posters figure out what you're planning on getting.

Here are my part suggestions.
1. If she watches movies on the computer, a DVD drive might be nice.
2. If she's a student and do work at school, a floppy drive could be useful.
3. If there's a mail in rebate, you're still paying full price until you get the rebate back.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

There is no possible way you are going to build a decent system for under $400. Just go to Dell and take advantage of their holiday deals.

Dimension 2400 - $350 after $50 instant savings and $200 mail-in rebate

Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.53GHz with 533MHz front side bus
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
256MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 333MHz (Performs at 266MHz for 400FSB systems)
40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
monitor not included

 

[xerocool]

Originally posted by: aceO07
It seems like a computer that you're building for yourself for those times you visit her. My gf said the same thing the last time I suggested that she get a new computer.

I don't know about your gf, so I'm not sure if my comments were anywhere close to being correct. Just focus on the things that she will notice or make use of. It doesn't have to be the latest/fastest or even Anandtech level 'decent', which is pretty high grade anyways. If it's a gift and you're only willing to pay up to a certain amount, I suggest making it cheaper. Making her pay for part of it doesn't seem like it's very 'gift'-like, especially if she doesn't make full use of it.

I suggest updating the first post to list the current parts, it'd help the other posters figure out what you're planning on getting.

Here are my part suggestions.
1. If she watches movies on the computer, a DVD drive might be nice.
2. If she's a student and do work at school, a floppy drive could be useful.
3. If there's a mail in rebate, you're still paying full price until you get the rebate back.

hehe, yah i guess it does seem like i might be overdoing it. it's just that i know what's good vs. crap vs. barely usable, and i don't want her system to be obsolete in like a year (or else i'll have to do this all over again! ) so, not talking about any mini-pc's or brands or anything, here's just a description of her and her needs:

The GF
=====
-small, weighs about 100 lbs and isn't exactly the strongest person in the world, she might be able to lift 50lbs :Q
-student who wants to burn CD's, english major so anything she needs to transfer is like <1MB
-doesn't have a TV in her dorm room, but uses her roommates TV LCD monitor. but any monitor we get her won't be that big so...
-likes to "play video games", i use quotes because her games are like Civ3... actually that's the only game i know she plays. she says she likes to "have the ability" to play games like UT2003 or Unreal2 or CS, etc. but she's a typical girl and even if she played them i think she'd give up after being headshot a couple of times. :frown:
-likes to download lots of music, video clips, etc. big hard drive needed
-says she wants a wireless keyboard so she can type from her bed... which is like 8 ft away...

-gets gifts from lots of people and they're all supposed to be contributing money, but i'm not sure as to the total amount, but i can't imagine it breaking $500

if you guys have any suggestions to a system that could do all this i would love to hear it....

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: xerocool
if you guys have any suggestions to a system that could do all this i would love to hear it....

Um, read my above post. If wireless mouse and keyboard are a necessity, then add $50. That puts the price right at $400 after mail-in rebate if she continues to use her old monitor.

 

[xerocool]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed

Originally posted by: xerocool
if you guys have any suggestions to a system that could do all this i would love to hear it....

Um, read my above post. If wireless mouse and keyboard are a necessity, then add $50. That puts the price right at $400 after mail-in rebate if she continues to use her old monitor.

ahh, the problem with that is that there is no old monitor.... i think she can use my old CRT, so that would work out just fine. and thanks for your suggestion i think that dell way would work out pretty well, but there's gotta be another way to build a system right? i mean not talking about any cool looking mini-pc stuff, i would think putting a system together would be cheaper than getting one from dell?

 

[modedepe]

I second getting one from dell. Unless you want to spend a lot time hunting around for deals the dell will probably be cheaper.

 

[zodder]

I concur. Dell has some pretty sweet deals on their base systems.

 

[xbum]

zzzz...your description of your gf sounds just like mine!!! ...well...only the 100lbs part
I need to build my gf one too to be setup as a server so she can mess with that Oracle crap.
I'm thinking to just go with a Dell and get a gig of ram as that would definitely be the cheapest route to take ~$500.

Otherwise she's drooling over my SB75G2 but that cost me ~$1200 to build

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
There is no possible way you are going to build a decent system for under $400. Just go to Dell and take advantage of their holiday deals.

Dimension 2400 - $350 after $50 instant savings and $200 mail-in rebate

Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.53GHz with 533MHz front side bus
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
256MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 333MHz (Performs at 266MHz for 400FSB systems)
40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
monitor not included

only thing decent about that system is the CPU.. the rest of the system is what counts the most, and is considerably slower.

 

[menads]

Originally posted by: virtualgames0

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
There is no possible way you are going to build a decent system for under $400. Just go to Dell and take advantage of their holiday deals.

Dimension 2400 - $350 after $50 instant savings and $200 mail-in rebate

Pentium® 4 Processor at 2.53GHz with 533MHz front side bus
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
256MB Shared DDR SDRAM at 333MHz (Performs at 266MHz for 400FSB systems)
40GB Ultra ATA/100 7200RPM Hard Drive
monitor not included

only thing decent about that system is the CPU.. the rest of the system is what counts the most, and is considerably slower.

I second that this Dimension 2400 is POS - no AGP slot (big NO NO!), mediocre graphicss (Intel Extreme Bullshit) and finally stuck with alot of propriatary Dell parts so no upgrade whatsoever.

Hey xerocool why don't you cut the CPU from 2800+ to 2500+ the difference is ~$50 and it overclocks almost the same?

 

[menads]

also if you are looking at Dell keep in mind that from just droping the mini PC to normal and using NForce2 integrated graphics (still way better than intel integrated) you should be able to drop another $150 - Cheap ATX case+NForce2 MB can be found for <$100. And that not even counting another $110 drop from 5600 you can simply not buy but use Nforce2 instead.
Basically if you go normal ATX + Nforce2 integrated (still AGP for future upgrade) it should be easy to drop below $500

 

[menads]

Here are my suggestions:
Get cheap Nforce2 IGP motherboard - Biostar M7NCG for example - $68 from NewEgg
Drop Geforce FX - Use integrated graphics - still has option later to purchase AGP card if you want one.
Get cheap $20-30 ATX case - how often your GF will have to move it - I doubt she goes often for lan parties?
Drop the CPU to Barton 2500+ - ~$80-90 (if you need you can you can drop further to $60 with 2000+)
The rest of the parts should be OK.

 

[Ionizer86]

I recommend integrated GF4 graphics or a separate MX440 video (cheap but still decent for lite gaming). I'd say 2500+, yes, but Shuttle system, probably no (you're on a small budget).

 

[xerocool]

oh geez, i didn't even realize the dell didn't have an AGP slot, that's terrible! ok, so looking at all the suggestions so far it seems like this might be the current system:

Mobo- nForce2 Ultra ~$60
Memory- 512MB PC3200 ~$60
CPU- Athlon XP 2500+ ~$85
Hard Drive- 120GB Maxtor ~$60 AR
Video Card- Geforce FX5600 Ultra or 5600 256MB ~$110
Optical Drive- Generic 52x CDRW ~$10 AR
Keyboard + Mouse- MX Duo ~$55
Speakers- Altec Lansing something ~$60
Case- some POS ATX ~$30
OS- Windows XP Pro ~Free
Monitor- One of my old CRT's

Total ~ $530

Without Video Card ~ $420

Without Case ~ $390

Haha, just kidding. This is starting to sound pretty feasible. If she can last on the integrated video card for a while then it should be good. Thanks everyone for all your help! If you guys got any more great ideas I would love to hear them! And I would especially love to hear any horror stories about making your significant others computers too.

 

[xerocool]

hey guys a quick question, what's the difference between nforce2 400 and nforce2 ultra and nforce2 ultra 400 and nforce2 pro 400?