Low Budget PC - Need Suggestions

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18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Hi,

I want to build a new computer but have a low budget for it. I have around 220$ to spend. What I primararily need:

* 2.0 GHz or more Processor (Intel or AMD --- Something that runs cool and can be maintained by stock fans)
*MotherBoard
*VideoCard {Nothing high end. Will never play games. ViVo will be an added benefit}
*256 MB DDR RAM


It would be great if the motherboard is capable of taking upgrades to a new proc/more ram a little of a year down. Basically I just want a fast computer to browse the net and watch a few movies. I guess my low budget scares people from replying ... but I do hope to get a reply this time :). I will try upping it a bit if that's the only alternative, but let's see ...


Thanks.
 
J

JWMiddleton

Diamond Member
Aug 10, 2000
5,686
172
106
Hey 18114, I have built a number of cheap boxes that were that cheap or less. But, I had some of the parts.

A few months back I picked up a Mobo-CPU (Sempron 2500+ Retail) combo from Fry's for $69.95. I have picked up some nice used video cards at computer shows for $5 to $10 each. These might be Matrox G200s or TNT2 based cards.

You only list a few of the items that you need, so can we assume you have an adequate case, PS and HD? Know that will help.

 
R

ribbon13

Diamond Member
Feb 1, 2005
9,343
0
0
$65 Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-225&depa=0
$79 Cpu http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-104-226&depa=0
$36 Ram http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-025&depa=0
$38 GPU http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-154&depa=1

$220

Best your gonna do with that budget. I would highly reccomend getting another $70 saved and
$120 CPU http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80698-R
$63 Ram http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-026&depa=0
$38 GPU http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-154&depa=1
$65 Mobo http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-225&depa=0
 
Spikesoldier

Spikesoldier

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 2001
6,766
0
0
Originally posted by: ribbon13
$45 Mobo http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-227&depa=0
$79 Cpu http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-104-226&depa=0
$36 Ram http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-025&depa=0
$38 GPU http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-154&depa=1

$198

Best your gonna do with that budget. I would highly reccomend getting another $70 saved and
$120 CPU http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80698-R
$63 Ram http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-145-026&depa=0
$38 GPU http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-125-154&depa=1
$45 Mobo http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-123-227&depa=0
Click to expand...
you cant put an A64 2800 into a socketA board.

i suggest picking up an nforce2 IGP board, it has integrated video that is pretty much equivelent to a geforce2, which isnt that bad and is great for onboard video.

pick up a used CPU or maybe a new sempron, and 512MB of ddr400 and i would say you are set.
 
spaceman

spaceman

Lifer
Dec 4, 2000
17,616
183
106
go used:
ti4200 in anandtech fs/t:$50-60
decent socket a mainboard:$40-50
512 pc2700:$50-60
sempron/barton 2500:$45-60
 
S

sniperruff

Lifer
Apr 17, 2002
11,644
2
0
nforce2 IGP mobo: ~$70
barton 2500 with HSF retail/OEM: ~$70
antec mini-tower (or lanboy when on sale): ~$50
any reliable PSU: ~$30
any HD on sale, about 160gig: ~$60 after rebate
dvd burner: ~$50
any DDR on sale, 512mb: ~$50

i know, it's $380. you can save money by:
1) get a cheap case/PSU: ~$40
2) cheap sempron/mobo combo at outpost: ~$80
3) get cd burner: ~$25

that comes pretty close. i would save some money and get a quality case/PSU and a decent mobo, so there'll be no headaches.
 
1

18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Hi,


Blain. Ummm ... by saying that I meant on other forums my post went 'unnoticed'. I guess Anandtech rules then ;) ... was overwhelmed by the response.

However. I was really disappointed as a few of them were GREAT newegg rebates. I live outside the US and newegg doesn't ship there ... nor do I have any Fry's around.

Zebo, dang I really am depressed seeing my inability to get that :/
 
1

18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Btw,

I've never heard of AMD Semptrons ... are they any good? They run hot?
Why haven't many recommended Intel?

JWMiddleton,

I have to get a case with PS. I kept that aside. I guess around 30$ would be suffient for it.
 
spaceman

spaceman

Lifer
Dec 4, 2000
17,616
183
106
Originally posted by: 18114
Btw,

I've never heard of AMD Semptrons ... are they any good? They run hot?
Why haven't many recommended Intel?

JWMiddleton,

I have to get a case with PS. I kept that aside. I guess around 30$ would be suffient for it.
Click to expand...



cost.
semprons are amds new budget chip.
 
J

Jhhnn

IN MEMORIAM
Nov 11, 1999
62,365
14,685
136
What do you have now, and how much of it are you willing to re-use?

Please, be specific. If your case, psu, floppy, hdd and optical(s) are acceptable, then your budget is appropriate-

also need to have Win98SE or later- older versions are generally not compatible with modern boards...
 
1

18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Hi,

Well as of now. Here are my pc specs:

Gigabyte GA- something motherboard
P III 800 Mhz, Coppermine
*512 MB PC133 SD Ram
Riva TNT 2 Ultra 32 MB
10 GB Seagate 5400 RPM HDD
*Panasonic Floppy Drive
*External USB Modem
*Samsung CD-Rewriter/DVD-Rom Drive
Old ATX case with 300w PSU
*Some IDE Cable :p
Running Windows XP Home

The starred ones are those that I am willing to re-use

The main reason, I want to get a new computer is because .... this computer presently cannot do many things at one time. As in, if I have a CD being burned ... watching a movie or surfing the net makes it lag. Also, during startup it takes about 15secs to finally reach the desktop (after the welcome screen). Therefore, I wanted a change of a computer as I don't think there is anything much I can do with this one presently ... no chance of upgrading any of the existing stuff. If I want to change proc, I will have to change mobo and due to that RAM also ....


 
J

justly

Banned
Jul 25, 2003
493
0
0
Originally posted by: 18114
Hi,

Well as of now. Here are my pc specs:

Gigabyte GA- something motherboard
P III 800 Mhz, Coppermine
*512 MB PC133 SD Ram
Riva TNT 2 Ultra 32 MB
10 GB Seagate 5400 RPM HDD
*Panasonic Floppy Drive
*External USB Modem
*Samsung CD-Rewriter/DVD-Rom Drive
Old ATX case with 300w PSU
*Some IDE Cable :p
Running Windows XP Home

The starred ones are those that I am willing to re-use

The main reason, I want to get a new computer is because .... this computer presently cannot do many things at one time. As in, if I have a CD being burned ... watching a movie or surfing the net makes it lag. Also, during startup it takes about 15secs to finally reach the desktop (after the welcome screen). Therefore, I wanted a change of a computer as I don't think there is anything much I can do with this one presently ... no chance of upgrading any of the existing stuff. If I want to change proc, I will have to change mobo and due to that RAM also ....
Click to expand...

sounds like your biggest problem is that 5400 RPM HDD, replace that FIRST.
 
1

18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Hmm.

What would you suggest? A normal Seagate/Western digital 7200 RPM? I've heard about RAID ... is it easy to enable?
 
J

justly

Banned
Jul 25, 2003
493
0
0
Doesn't sound like you need anything elaborate like RAID, anything running at 7200RPM or higher will cut your load times quite a bit and help with disk access while multitasking.

As far as a brand goes that is mainly up to the individual (preference vary from person to person) Maxtor and Western Digital are usually less expensive, Seagate and Hitachi (formally IBM) usually run a bit more but are norally considered better quality.

Out of the brands listed above I have used all but Seagate (actually I have but it was an old drive from a stripped down system) and I would say that any should be fine, but if you are picky about heat and/or noise you may want to look into what brand has a better reputation for those qualities.

 
D

DeRusto

Golden Member
May 31, 2002
1,249
0
86
Considering the components you already have, I see no reason the TNT2 card would not work with your upgraded PC. Unless it does not have TV-out, which is something you want.

Also, you say you can't order from Newegg so it would be nice to know where you live so we can find stores you can buy from.

It looks like the components you need to upgrade are as follows, in order of importance:

Hard drive
CPU and motherboard
RAM if your new motherboard doesn't support SDRAM
Video card
Case

Maxtor 40GB 7200RPM Hard drive $50

Cheapest hard drive on Newegg, should be able to find a little cheaper used

MSI "K7N2GM2-LSR" Motherboard $62

This motherboard has integrated video and all the reviews on the page mention its TV-out capability, so we do not need to look for a video card now.

AMD Duron 1.8 Ghz $53

Not quite 2 Ghz, but the cheapest Socket A CPU on Newegg

256MB DDR RAM $33

Upgrade this later to 512MB for dual channel and added speed.

<a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-182-520&depa=
">Crappy case</a> $35

Comes out to $233 shipped from Newegg, but since you can't buy from Newegg this is just an example.
 
spaceman

spaceman

Lifer
Dec 4, 2000
17,616
183
106
i still say the best bet is to finda (TRUSTY) someone in the fs/ft forums that will ship internationally.

 
1

18114

Member
Feb 27, 2005
27
0
0
Hi DeRusto,

Well, basically I wanted to keep an alternative incase I felt like playing Quake 3, that's why I'm going for a low end card. The onboard one's are generally too crappy, but I see from the reviews that UT @ 1024 was not bad.

Secondly,

If I'm going to spend around that much. Why to settle for just a 1.8 Duron? When there are faster Semptrons. (Pardon my newbieism .... but would just like to have some views).

Also,

Are there any new motherboards which can utilize PC133 SD RAM? I've got quite a few sticks ... wouldn't want them to go waste.


Thanks.
 
T

ts3433

Platinum Member
Jun 29, 2004
2,731
0
0
There are some old Socket A boards that use SDRAM, but most everything now uses DDR.
 
A

AtlantaBob

Golden Member
Jun 16, 2004
1,034
0
0
I know I've got an old ECS (Elite Computer Systems) Mobo that has SDRAM and DDR slots. You might be able to use something like that to keep your costs low now and upgrade to DDR later on (although, one wonders how prevelent DDR2 will by the time you can upgrade it [I haven't kept up with it's use in A64s and things of that sort]). One nice thing about the ECS board--very, very cheap!

Good luck with the small budget :)
 
D

DeRusto

Golden Member
May 31, 2002
1,249
0
86
Originally posted by: 18114
If I'm going to spend around that much. Why to settle for just a 1.8 Duron? When there are faster Semptrons. (Pardon my newbieism .... but would just like to have some views).
Click to expand...


I only went with the Duron because I was trying to fit the hard drive and case into the budget as well since you will definitely want a faster hard drive :p
 
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