Need advice on Mobo/CPU/GPU/Memory $350

[bahamasc]

Good day folks

I have a friend who is running an old celeron maybe sub 1.5 ghz cpu. He wants to upgrade it and is willing to spend $350 (including shipping). He plays mainly RTS games like AOE, Civilization those, does some Dreamweaver/Photoshop stuff as well.

He wont overclock, neither will he run these at high resoulution. I know its a tight budget but what would you advise

CPU- AMD 64 3800 - ZZF @ 113

Mobo - ECS NFORCE4M-A - ZZF @ 70

RAM - Patriot Signature 1gb ddr 2 ram - ZZF @ 77

Video card - MSI 7300 GT ZZF @ 87


Thats at 347. What do you guys suggest

 

[PurdueRy]

At that price point it may be better to just use onboard video and use the video card $$ for double the ram or a better CPU and wait to get a nice gfx card later

 

[bahamasc]

Ok then you would advise something like this

CPU - AMD 64 X2 3800 | ZZF @ $154

Mobo | Biostar GEFORCE 6100 AM2 | ZZF @ 72

RAM - Patriot Signature 1gb ddr 2 ram - ZZF @ 77

$303

or

AMD 64 3800 - ZZF @ 113

Mobo | Biostar GEFORCE 6100 AM2 | ZZF @ 72

Corsair VS DDRII 2gb | ZZF @ 161

$346

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: bahamasc
Ok then you would advise something like this

CPU - AMD 64 X2 3800 | ZZF @ $154

Mobo | Biostar GEFORCE 6100 AM2 | ZZF @ 72

RAM - Patriot Signature 1gb ddr 2 ram - ZZF @ 77

$303

or

AMD 64 3800 - ZZF @ 113

Mobo | Biostar GEFORCE 6100 AM2 | ZZF @ 72

Corsair VS DDRII 2gb | ZZF @ 161

$346

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145015

Add that to the first instead of the patriot. Take the mail in and you will only be about $20 over and you have a damn fine starting computer.

 

[iamaelephant]

2gb is overkill for a budget system, I'd rather tkae the one with the 7300.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: iamaelephant
2gb is overkill for a budget system, I'd rather tkae the one with the 7300.

just depends. Like I said, I would only do this if you planned on adding a nice card within a month or two.

 

[MrPickins]

If your friend doesn't the lack of an upgrade path, the socket754 3400+ & mobo combo at newegg isn't bad at all.

Socket754 3400+ $99

BIOSTAR NF325-A7 Mobo $0
You have a choice of 3, but this is the one I'd get.

G.SKILL Extreme Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR 400 $89.99
I haven't tried this, but it has good reviews, and is way cheap for cas2.

eVGA Geforce 7600GT KO 256MB $165.99 - $30 MIR
I have a 7600gt, and other than being noisy in 3d mode, it's great for the price.
I added a ZALMAN VF700-ALCU to quiet it down.

That comes to around $325 after MIR. This is the route I'd go for anyone interested in anything more than mild gaming.

Edit: I'm dumb... thats a pci-e card, but you could add an AGP x800gto or 6800xt for close to the same price on newegg. I'm not sure which is better, but either should stomp on integrated video.

 

[bahamasc]

Originally posted by: MrPickins
If your friend doesn't the lack of an upgrade path, the socket754 3400+ & mobo combo at newegg isn't bad at all.

Socket754 3400+ $99

BIOSTAR NF325-A7 Mobo $0
You have a choice of 3, but this is the one I'd get.

G.SKILL Extreme Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR 400 $89.99
I haven't tried this, but it has good reviews, and is way cheap for cas2.

eVGA Geforce 7600GT KO 256MB $165.99 - $30 MIR
I have a 7600gt, and other than being noisy in 3d mode, it's great for the price.
I added a ZALMAN VF700-ALCU to quiet it down.

That comes to around $325 after MIR. This is the route I'd go for anyone interested in anything more than mild gaming.

Edit: I'm dumb... thats a pci-e card, but you could add an AGP x800gto or 6800xt for close to the same price on newegg. I'm not sure which is better, but either should stomp on integrated video.

This sounds good man. Umm, I guess I'll look for a AGP video card for him, but arent they getting phased out. Wouldnt it be sorta better to go integrated now and PCIe later than getting AGP now?

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: bahamasc

Originally posted by: MrPickins
If your friend doesn't the lack of an upgrade path, the socket754 3400+ & mobo combo at newegg isn't bad at all.

Socket754 3400+ $99

BIOSTAR NF325-A7 Mobo $0
You have a choice of 3, but this is the one I'd get.

G.SKILL Extreme Series 1GB 184-Pin DDR 400 $89.99
I haven't tried this, but it has good reviews, and is way cheap for cas2.

eVGA Geforce 7600GT KO 256MB $165.99 - $30 MIR
I have a 7600gt, and other than being noisy in 3d mode, it's great for the price.
I added a ZALMAN VF700-ALCU to quiet it down.

That comes to around $325 after MIR. This is the route I'd go for anyone interested in anything more than mild gaming.

Edit: I'm dumb... thats a pci-e card, but you could add an AGP x800gto or 6800xt for close to the same price on newegg. I'm not sure which is better, but either should stomp on integrated video.

This sounds good man. Umm, I guess I'll look for a AGP video card for him, but arent they getting phased out. Wouldnt it be sorta better to go integrated now and PCIe later than getting AGP now?

This whole setup lacks an upgrade path, as socket 754 and the AGP slot are being phased out. That is the main drawback. It's really only best forpeople planning on using the same PC for at least a few years before doing a major upgrade (to a new platform).

But, as far as price/performance, it's a great deal. IMO, of course.
The average user doesn't upgrade often anyway.

And even a casual gamer would appreciate something better than onboard video.

 

[dazraf25]

ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 83.99

CORSAIR VALUE SELECT 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 89.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 159.00

or

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Orleans 99.99


Thats a great MB with many options of upgrading. The onboard is good until u upgrade. The X2 might not be needed if its mostly just for basic use. Save the money and invest in a video card.
Total: $274 (3200+) or $334