My First Budget Build

[jhh979s]

Girlfriends dad wants a new computer. His Emachines he bought from BestBuy last year suffers from constant problems. He wants to keep the cost low, preferably less than $500 but might be able to stretch it to $600. For low cost I immediately thought an AMD dual-core would be the best bang for his buck. The case needs to stay small so I'm going with Micro-ATX, something with decent integrated graphics and sound. And since the computer will never be turned off I want to keep the power consumption at a minimum. So here is what I have so far.

CPU
Motherboard
PSU
RAM

I also have 2 optical drives picked out, a case, 160 GB HDD, and FDD. The grand total is $452.43.

I am open to suggestions, I've never used anything but ASUS when it comes to mobos. Would it be worth it to go with the lowest end C2D. How does it compare to the CPU I have picked out? It will be running Win XP.

Thanks for your input.

 

[MarcVenice]

It's somewhat equal, the 20% speed advantage the c2d has clock for clock is negated by the higher clock of the am2 cpu, and the x2 3800+ is cheaper. So in the end, AMD it is. The c2d MIGHT consume less power though, but it wouldn't be to big of a difference. Theres antec earthwatts 500w being sold at fry's for 50$ btw, 80% efficient as well, seasonic build.

Case, could look into antec solo for 50$.

 

[bladder23]

Might wanna consider a 4000+ for less

Link

 

[kush23]

give him a mac mini.... by building him a computer, he expects support from you for the rest of that computers life.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Hmm. It looks like you have picked out more expensive components than are necessary. The PSU, for instance, is much too pricey for a budget rig. The Cooler Master is a great case, but not really well-proportioned to the cost of the internal components. And you can get cheaper memory that performs almost or even just as well as the Corsair you picked out. Also, one optical drive should be fine.

Here are my recommendations:

base components:
Philips 20x retail DVD burner
Foxconn mATX mini-tower
NEC black floppy drive
Western Digital 320GB hard disk
FSP Group 400W power supply
1GB Patriot DDR2-800

Intel-based:
Pentium E2140
Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2
TOTAL: $397.94; $492.93 w/Vista

AMD-based:
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (as combo)
Biostar TForce TF7025-M2 (as combo)
TOTAL: $406.94; $501.93 w/Vista

I suggest the Intel configuration. I also suggest going the extra mile and buying Vista.

Good luck!

 

[fanbottle]

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
Hmm. It looks like you have picked out more expensive components than are necessary. The PSU, for instance, is much too pricey for a budget rig. The Cooler Master is a great case, but not really well-proportioned to the cost of the internal components. And you can get cheaper memory that performs almost or even just as well as the Corsair you picked out. Also, one optical drive should be fine.

Here are my recommendations:

base components:
Philips 20x retail DVD burner
Foxconn mATX mini-tower
NEC black floppy drive
Western Digital 320GB hard disk
FSP Group 400W power supply
1GB Patriot DDR2-800

Intel-based:
Pentium E2140
Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2
TOTAL: $397.94; $492.93 w/Vista

AMD-based:
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (as combo)
Biostar TForce TF7025-M2 (as combo)
TOTAL: $406.94; $501.93 w/Vista

I suggest the Intel configuration. I also suggest going the extra mile and buying Vista.

Good luck!

is the e2140 better than the x2 4200+ in performance?

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: fanbottle

Originally posted by: hurtstotalktoyou
Hmm. It looks like you have picked out more expensive components than are necessary. The PSU, for instance, is much too pricey for a budget rig. The Cooler Master is a great case, but not really well-proportioned to the cost of the internal components. And you can get cheaper memory that performs almost or even just as well as the Corsair you picked out. Also, one optical drive should be fine.

Here are my recommendations:

base components:
Philips 20x retail DVD burner
Foxconn mATX mini-tower
NEC black floppy drive
Western Digital 320GB hard disk
FSP Group 400W power supply
1GB Patriot DDR2-800

Intel-based:
Pentium E2140
Gigabyte GA-945GCM-S2
TOTAL: $397.94; $492.93 w/Vista

AMD-based:
Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (as combo)
Biostar TForce TF7025-M2 (as combo)
TOTAL: $406.94; $501.93 w/Vista

I suggest the Intel configuration. I also suggest going the extra mile and buying Vista.

Good luck!

is the e2140 better than the x2 4200+ in performance?

At stock? No, the 4200+ is a little bit faster. However, overclocked the E2140 should outpace it. Moreover, I like the Gigabyte board more than the Biostar, because it sports three PCI slots instead of just two. And of course the Intel setup is cheaper.

 

[Zap]

I agree that a single optical drive should be sufficient. If he doesn't use a FDD, then don't bother or get him a USB flash drive. Case is a decent choice. RAM almost doesn't matter for a budget build so go cheap.

Originally posted by: MarcVenice
The c2d MIGHT consume less power though, but it wouldn't be to big of a difference. Theres antec earthwatts 500w being sold at fry's for 50$ btw, 80% efficient as well, seasonic build.

Good suggestion on the Earthwatts, but I'd just go with the lowest end 380W version since that's more than sufficient to run such a system.

As for power consumption, a few different reviews have shown that the C2D uses less power when CPU is maxed out, but in idling situations the A64 uses less power. These were for older cores, not counting the new low power versions of either chip.

I would do an AMD setup just because the 690G chipset is IMO the best on the market for a low end system. This means I would not chose that Nvidia chipset board.

Check the recent Anandtech mATX article on the slightly older Intel version of the 690G pitted against the G33.

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: Zap
I agree that a single optical drive should be sufficient. If he doesn't use a FDD, then don't bother or get him a USB flash drive. Case is a decent choice. RAM almost doesn't matter for a budget build so go cheap.

I wouldn't say that RAM doesn't matter. You can overclock on these mATX boards, nowadays, and DDR2-800 provides the breathing room necessary for a high FSB. As for the floppy drive, it's useful for BIOS updates if nothing else. I would definitely get one.

Not a bad idea about a USB drive, though. I would just get it in addition to, not instead of the floppy.

Good suggestion on the Earthwatts, but I'd just go with the lowest end 380W version since that's more than sufficient to run such a system.

I think the Earthwatts sale is over. If you can get something cheap from Frys, though, whether the Earthwatts or something else, by all means go for it--especially if they put that Microfly w/400W back on sale. Otherwise I'd stick with the reliable yet inexpensive FSP Group PA series.

As for power consumption, a few different reviews have shown that the C2D uses less power when CPU is maxed out, but in idling situations the A64 uses less power. These were for older cores, not counting the new low power versions of either chip.

Actually the E2140 blows away the X2s for power consumption across the board. See here for detailed benchmarks.

I would do an AMD setup just because the 690G chipset is IMO the best on the market for a low end system. This means I would not chose that Nvidia chipset board.

The TForce boards are phenomenal overclockers, which I think outweighs any performance difference from the chipset. Meanwhile, the 690G and 7025 GPUs are more or less on par with eachother. Plus, the TForce is cheaper.

 

[jhh979s]

I dont mind throwing a little extra money at a PSU that will last a long time. That is why I chose the Seasonic plus its efficient. Vista would be a waste of money for these folks. They dont use their computer for anything but surfing the web and messing with pictures they take. I also dont have the OS figured into the budget, I have that covered. He needs a short case, the computer desk doesnt have much head room for the tower(I like the layout in the CM case). And since the cpu will never be maxed out, idle power usage is most important. I should have mentioned I most likely will not be OCing this for him, its just not necessary. I find FDDs convenient for BIOS updates, never had much luck with other methods, and having 2 opticals makes copying discs much simpler.
I thought about getting some value ram but prices are so low right now the price doesnt vary much between value and performance.
Still have not decided on CPU/mobo. Although I'm leaning towards the 4200+ 65w
Thanks again for everyone's input.

give him a mac mini.... by building him a computer, he expects support from you for the rest of that computers life.

This I actually enjoy.

 

[w00t]

I'd go with a low end c2d if you budget would allow it

psu is pretty low wattage but seasonic is FTW

I would go with some budget memory to save some money even though that stuff is cheap budget memory is prolly cheaper. I didn't look it up but I am guessing it would

case is nice cheap and good