Low end but worthwhile build

[kornphlake]

I'm just getting started on replacing my current system, I don't need anything more capable. The reason I'm upgrading is because my current system has become unstable, I looked into buying some parts to swap out the processor, Mobo, video card or RAM but the cost of used equipment to do the troubleshooting would cost as much or more than a budget built system using current technology.

My current system is:
Generic PS
Generic case
Asus A7N8X-X
Athlon XP 2500+ Not OC'd
Retail AMD heat sink and fan
512mb PC2700 Kingston Value RAM
120GB Western Digital 7200 rpm PATA
52x CD ROM
GeForce 4 TI4200 AGP
CRT Monitor
Windows XP Pro

I'm looking for something that will be comparable in performance, I plan on doing exactly what my current system is capable of doing. I won't be playing games other than solitaire or online java based games. I don't need quad cores or PCI-E graphics, I don't do encoding, I don't do photo processing I don't do HTPC stuff. I do check email and surf the internet along with occasional word processing or spreadsheet stuff. I have ~20gb of music on my hard drive that I'd like to listen to occasionally. I don't own an Ipod and I don't have a cell phone. If it matters I'm a 30 yr old male with 3 kids, a minivan and a mortgage. Really I don't need a powerful PC, the one at the public library would be fine if it didn't mean I had to drive a mile down the road and wait in line any time I needed to post an ad on Craigslist.

Budget: $150

What I need:
Mobo
CPU
RAM
PS (only because my current power supply doesn't have the 4 pin connector that seems to be common on all modern mobos.)

I'm considering something like this:
Via PC2500E w/C7 processor http://www.pcclub.com/product_...ls.cfm?itemno=A4842001
1GB RAM http://www.pcclub.com/product_...ls.cfm?itemno=A4360012
Low Wattage PS http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817182050

That leaves me with a few dollars for shipping and an optical drive to replace my 5 year old CD ROM.

I just picked out any old RAM and a cheap PS, if there is a better one that's fine. My real question is will I be happy with the PC2500E Mobo? It looks like it should be about as fast as my current system but numbers on paper and real performance are two different things. I've seen Sempron or Celeron package deals for nearly the same price which makes me wonder if I wouldn't be better off with something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813121334 Or this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813138120

I need something that will be stable, reliable and will function for another 4-5 years.

I've read the guides and that's fine, if I had $400 I'd get a system with a faster processor and upgradability, but honestly I don't need to future proof my computer. When the future gets here I'll just buy another computer. I built my last computer as a supposed future proof system and within a year 64 bit processors were rolling out, the newest video cards were PCIe and DDR2 dropped to 1/4 the price of DDR. Within about a year and a half my future proof computer could only have been upgraded to whatever was fastest at the time I originally purchased my computer.

 

[Leros]

I wouldn't get the Via.

AMD 3800x2 2.4Ghz Dual Core - $30

Socket 939 mobo - $50 (I bet you can find a cheaper one if you look harder than I did)

The bad thing about my suggestion is that it uses socket 939, which is essentially dead. The CPU I showed you is about the best you'll find for it. So, it doesn't have much upgrade room. But the Via doesn't offer upgrade potential anyway, so not much loss for you.

With this mobo, you're gonna need DDR400 Ram, but I checked the price on that. Its the same as you already had. 1GB for $30. It would be advisable to throw in another gig down the road, if you have some extra money.

Hang out in FS/FT forums and get some old parts for cheap.

 

[kornphlake]

TThanks for the suggestion, my only concern would be that the board you found has some less than sparkling reviews from the folks at newegg. I'd have to do some more research on my own for sure. The processor isn't a dual core either, but that's not a big deal to me. Would that processor be any better than a Sempron LE 1100 like this board has? http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813138120 Obviously the 3800 has a higher clock speed and more L2 cache but that doesn't always make as much difference as one would expect. I'm sure either would be plenty fast for my needs.

I'm not really committed to the VIA for any reason, it's just something different and it fits the budget.

 

[Twsmit]

I would go AMD for sure. If you are able to reuse the old PSU (which I think you can if it is a decent 5 year old ATX PSU) then this should fit the budget. comes in at $150.98 with free shipping.

Foxcon mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186151 $51.99
2GB DDR800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820178154 $39.99
Athlon X2 4050e 2.1ghz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103257 $59


There is the possibility to save a few dollars getting an older motherboard, and a few dollars getting a slower cpu and ram. If you cut some fat you can probably get down to ~$130ish. If your old PSU will not cut it, get some slower components and a $20 PSU and you will still come under budget.

 

[kornphlake]

So I don't need the 4 pin power connector? How much juice will a processor like the one you linked too need? I think my current PS is something like 300W, it's not a name brand so I'm not sure if that's actually a reliable number anyway.

Looking at AMD systems, which chipset is the most robust?

 

[JackMDS]

The via c7 is a good solution for law power consumption server, it would be bad for regular working computer its performance is actually like P-III 1GHz.

The 939 combo works better and it is more than x2 (200%) more powerfull.

Another inexpensive that uses 45W CPU could be this.

Mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813138103

CPU 45w

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103199


Mem
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820161636

 

[Twsmit]

Here, I reworked it to include a PSU. You get a slightly worse mobo and cut the ram in half. However newegg is charging an arm and a leg for the ram, something like $6 to ship $20 ram.

Foxconn nvidia 6100 mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186142 - $44.99
Antec 350 watt Earthwatts PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005 - $29.99
2x 512MB DDR667: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820144199 - $20.59 (terrible shipping cost)
Athlon X2 4050e 2.1ghz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103257 $59

This puts you at $154.57 before shipping and taxes. If you have no tax, it comes in around ~$161. The biggest drawback of this mobo, over the one I first posted is that it only has VGA output. That should be fine for your CRT monitor, but is not the best if you are thinking of moving to an LCD.

 

[Blain]

$16 PS = :thumbsdown:

 

[heyheybooboo]

Foxconn A74MX-K AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G mATX motherboard: $52

New Egg Combo Deal: $101

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz AM2 65W
&
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800


Sorry. I missed it by $3

 

[kornphlake]

Originally posted by: Twsmit
I would go AMD for sure. If you are able to reuse the old PSU (which I think you can if it is a decent 5 year old ATX PSU) then this should fit the budget. comes in at $150.98 with free shipping.

Foxcon mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186151 $51.99
2GB DDR800: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820178154 $39.99
Athlon X2 4050e 2.1ghz: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819103257 $59

There is the possibility to save a few dollars getting an older motherboard, and a few dollars getting a slower cpu and ram. If you cut some fat you can probably get down to ~$130ish. If your old PSU will not cut it, get some slower components and a $20 PSU and you will still come under budget.

Hmm, looks like Foxconn doesn't do well with Linux, depending on the future of Windows XP I may go that route instead of Vista.
How about
ASUS M2N-MX SE Plus Motherboard $49
AMD Athlon 64 LE-1600 2.2GHz $35
Kingston HyperX 1GB $25
Antec earthwatts EA380 380W $30
Add shipping and I'm a bit over $150.

It looks like the AMD chipsets are slightly better than the Nvidia counterparts, if I went with a mobo like this
MSI K9A2GM-F V3 $53
Text Kingston 1GB DDR2 800 $18
With the above processor and PS

would I be any happier or is the chipset really not going to make that much difference for my intentions?

I'm specing 1GB RAM instead of a slightly faster processor, is my thinking correct that I'd see more benefit from an extra 512MB of RAM than I would a hundred MHZ or some L2 cache?

 

[Twsmit]

I know of nothing incompatible between Linux and Foxconn. As for a single core CPU, I would try and avoid that route as much as possible. Dual core allows so much more multitasking for $20ish bucks more.I know we are racking the bottom of the barrel here, but a dual is the way to go to maximize performance even with only light office tasks.

 

[Roguestar]

Originally posted by: kornphlake
Hmm, looks like Foxconn doesn't do well with Linux

You can probably use generic drivers if it comes to it, seeing as FOXCONN seem to make almost everything that goes into every motherboard.

 

[kornphlake]

Hits from a Google search on "foxconn linux" it looks like the issues may be singular to intel boards:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=2292
http://linux.slashdot.org/arti...07/25/1150218&from=rss
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.p...ge=news_item&px=NjYyMA
http://wordpress.com/tag/foxconn-linux/

Rumors of a bios fix:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=877721

Last time I looked at motherboards was almost 5 years ago, back then Foxconn and PCChips were two of the worst board manufacturers out there. Has Foxconn's quality improved significantly? Do they have better support? Are their manuals written by someone who speaks English? Do they honor warranty claims? Years ago these were issues that came up that I'd rather not deal with.

As far as dual vs single core, give me an example of what you mean by faster multitasking. Are you talking about having a web browser and an email client open at the same time? Running windows media player and notepad? I get the idea that multitasking is more like encoding video while running a FEA in a CAD program, two tasks that I'm not likely to do one at a time, let alone simultaneously. I'm more likely to be running a virus scan while I'm paying my bills on line.

I'm not trying to shoot down every suggestion you give, I wouldn't have asked for suggestions if I didn't want to listen to them. I just don't want to spend that extra $10 on a better mobo, an extra $20 on a better CPU, an extra $15 on better memory and realize that I spent an extra $45 (that's more than 30% of my budget) only to find out that I'll never take advantage of the capabilities I paid a premium for.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

I think Foxconn has gotten better, they are now making enthusiast boards too.

Well, ideally you'd want a dual-core processor, spend a couple more bucks -- It's totally worth it.

Anyway, the expensive RAM is not going to make much of a difference, but I do think the AMD chipset is better than the Nvidia. It also has better graphics than the Nvidia.

 

[kornphlake]

I'm sitting here thinking about the dual vs single core debate and realized that my computer at work has a Core2Duo processor (2.4ghz I believe) and 2gb ram. The system was intended to run CAD and CAM so it was spec'd with better components than I'd ever be able to afford for home use. For the work I do at work, the computer is pretty snappy, the only problems I ever have are if the network is running slow. Comparing that computer to my 1.7ghz Athlon XP with 512MB RAM, I can't say I see any difference between work and home, granted I don't do any CAD work at home. I can't say that I've ever noticed that the dual core system is faster doing routine office tasks, even though it's got more GHZ and RAM I can't tell much difference. I know the benchmarks say there is a difference but I honestly can't see it for the type of work I do.

Thanks for the help steering me away from the C7 processor, but I think I'm going to keep well below my budget and stick with a single core processor, the Athlon64 LE-1600 should do the trick just fine and save me $25 that I could put toward more RAM, a mobo with a better chipset and DVI connection, a PS that cost more than $16, a SATA HD, a DVD drive (although I haven't had a reason to own a DVD burner yet) or I could take my wife out to dinner. A $25 savings is more than 30% of my budget, it just makes a lot of sense to me to save the money if I can. Worst case scenario, I hate the processor but I deal with it for a year then buy a processor that is faster than the Athlon X2 4050e for $25 in the FS/FT.

 

[QuixoticOne]

Look at Fry's in store (not usually online) Friday / Saturday sales.
Often they have something like an X2 CPU + motherboard for like $60-$90 like the
recent X2-6000 + MB for like $69 even online (it didn't last long before it sold out), check the AT Hot Deals forum for details on what has happened in the past to get an idea of what to expect.
Also look at the fatwallet hot deals forum too.

Even if you don't go for one of those if you're not living near a Frys and they don't often sell them online, still, the hot deals forums often point to the best CPU / Motherboard / RAM / PSU / Case deals by far. See what is on sale at Newegg, Buy.com, zipzoomfly every day or two. Subscribe to the email newsletter from newegg for discount codes.

Spending either around $70 to around $130 will get you a very nice CPU + MB on sale.
There are plenty of cheap 2x1GB RAM kits on sale for $25-$35, and plenty of $50ish 2x2GB DDR2 RAM deals which would be what I'd suggest personally.

Now if you want to replace the whole system, look at one of the $199 or $299 special PCs including MB, case, HDD, RAM, CD/DVD, PSU, and often a copy of Vista Basic or something like that. It's hard to build your one PC with all that for the same cost *and* get the OS if you need one.

Tigerdirect.com has some deals on CPUs / Motherboards...

Anyway whatever you get / do in specific isn't that important... X2-5600, X2-6000, e2180, whatever, just get what's reputable quality and on sale.. wait about 1-4 weekends of shopping and I'm sure in that time you'll find a great deal.