Need Help Building SUB-$300 rig....??

[maniac234]

OK- dont ask why, but my budget is $300 NO MORE (incl shipping)
System will be used MAINLY for playing mp3's (have amazing home theater system hooked up for speakers )
Also going to be used for surfing net While playing mp3s, downloading stuff, and MAybe a game or two on the weekends...

Do Not need= case, psu, keyboard, floppy, cdrom, lan card

SOO, here are my Ideas so far according to NEWEGG prices... (Must come from quality stores ie: newegg, mwave, googlegear,etc)

Mobo= ECS K7S5A= $57
CPU= Duron 900mhz= $40
HSF= volcano 2= $8 (wont be OCing)
Video= Abit Siluro GF2mx32mb= $44
RAM= Crucial 256mb pc133= $34
HD= Maxtor 40gig= $76 (cheapest was $65 for 20 so 11 more and i double it!)
Sound= SB Live digital 5.1= $32
TOTAL=$315 shipped

I can live with this price, just skip a meal or something hehe.

BUT- Anyone see any changes i could make to shave off some money??
-I could save $11 by getting a 20giger instead of 40, but i cant justify that...
-I could get the micro atx ECS board with onboard video also, so i could not get the GF2 until later. But then i dont have option of DDR, only have 2 pci, and mobo sucks, so cant do this.

ANY SUGGESTIONS AT ALL???

ALSO= i MAY consider ordering from a bunch of different pricewatch stores to save some money, but dont you think this would be unsafe giving me credit card number to soo many places?? and i run the risk of gettin screwed over, unlike newegg which has a GREAT history especially with me, hehe

Thanks alot!
mike-

 

[pay]

I really cant think of anything cheper.. its about minimized to barebones

 

[maniac234]

True, but does my system atleast sound decent? like should be able to handle playing mp3's and surfing and maybe something like MS word w/o lagging/freezing right? should handle Most games too right?

thanks

 

[ThatDumbGuy]

Sounds decent to me! A fast duron is fine for surfing, office apps, and the like. trust me, I do it on a pII 266 or something at work. Should work great for most games too. Have fun with it, you made some good choices.

 

[Adul]

oput in a cheaper graphics acard.

 

[Adul]

i could do better

BIOSTAR M7VKL AMD MICRO ATX VIA KL133 686B 200MHZ FSB PC 133 - OEM W/video & software audio. 3xPCI slot. No AGP. CNR. 2x DIMM. ATA 100. W/HWM. 244x225 N82E16813138007 $63.00 $63.00
AMD DURON 900MHz 200MHZ FSB SOCKET A PGA PROCESSOR -OEM 192K of total on-chip cache N82E16819104124 $40.00 $40.00
Crucial Micron 256MB 32x64 PC133 SDRAM RAM 168Pins DIMM, CL=3-Unbuffered, Non-parity, 7.5ns, 3.3V Requires SDRAM Support Motherboard - Lifetime Warranty. OEM/ NOT RETAIL BOX. N82E16820146003 $36.00 $36.00
MAXTOR 4D040H2 DIAMONDMAX D540X 40.9GB EIDE Hard Drive 3.5" FORM - OEM 5400rpm ATA 100 - Drive Only - Three Year Manufacturer Warranty Model 4D040H2 - (Click Here for IDE cable) N82E16822142104 $76.00 $76.00
PCI, Cirrus Logic CS4624 Sound Fusion Chipset, 8mb Yamaha SYXG50. 4 speaker out; Optical In/out! A3D, EAX, DS3D, Sensaura 3D Engine N82E16829116104 $32.00 $32.00
Cooler Master DP5-6H11 CPU FAN FOR AMD socket A and Intel Socket 370 Processor Model DP5-6H11 - DP5-6H11 for Pentium III coppermine up to1.2 Ghz, AMD Athlon up to1.2Ghz, Duron 850Mhz and higher Dimensions 60 x 60 x 15 (mm) Rated Voltage 12 VDC Rated Speed 4800 RPM Air Flow 21.19 CFM - Recommended by AMD N82E16835103116 $7.00


$ 272.23

onboard video, no need for an extra card.
the cound card uses the same audio chip has the santa cruz and ame theatre XP. just only support 2 speakers.
the MB is much better then an ecs.

 

[Pabster]

LOL, a VIA chipset all-in-one special? Don't send him down that POS road.

K7S5A is a fine choice. Since you're on a budget, I'd ditch the SB! Live and use the on-board sound. Use the extra money to pay for the Crucial PC2100, as it isn't $34 a stick any more

EDIT: well, I see you are trying to use PC133. I'd highly recommend taking the above advice and getting a 256MB PC2100 module instead.

 

[Shalmanese]

Use onboard Video and add a video card later.

 

[Nack]

1. Do yourself a favor and spend another $10 and get some PC2100 DDR. Don't BUY PC133 right now. OK to use it if you have it laying around, but don't invest $3X dollars in it, when the same size DDR chip can be had for $4X dollars. Better to get decent non-crucial DDR than settle for PC133. Not everybody jacked up prices quite the way crucial did.

2. Spend the extra $30 and just get the 1GHz Athlon that runs on a 266 bus. You won't notice the extra 100MHz, but you will really notice the extra bus speed (you said you were not overclocking). In the alternative, buy that duron (with morgan core) and overclock it as much as possible (if it will).

3. For $119 after rebate you can get a 100GB WD 7200RPM hard drive at Sam's club. I know you are trying to SAVE money, not spend money, but you DID say you are building this to be an MP3 system, and 40GB goes FAST when you are into MP3s.

4. You MAY be able to save money on the video card if you NEVER EVER want to do ANY gaming on the machine, and JUST want to use it for websurfing and MP3s. Use the money you save to do one more more of the things above.

5. You may be able to save some money on Pricewatch. Just make sure to use a CREDIT card and not a DEBIT card, as CREDIT cards have more protections built in by law if you get screwed by a merchant. I have ordered things from small unknown merchants with a CC many times, and have not had a really serious problem, with one exception, where I simply refused the charge for goods that never shipped, and got all of my money back. If you are worried about them having your number, just use the AMEX service to generate a one-time-use CC number (I believe it is free), or a similar service offered by several Visa/MC issuing banks. On balance, I have had very good luck with small merchants. Most are honest people who just want to sell things they bought cheaper to make a buck. Nothing wrong with that. Don't be afraid to give the small guys a try.

Nack