Requesting some help with MB purchase

[hoyaguru]

I used to build computers for a living, and knew the best things to get when building my own system, but that was a long time ago. Example, the last system I built for myself was a P3 450MHz, and that was top of the line at the time. Then I got into other things, and eventually started my own business, so I've been "out of the loop" on what's hot and what's not in the computing world.

Now it's time to build myself a new computer, and I have no idea what to look for. I am on a budget, I don't want to spend more than $400 to $500. I need just a barebones system, including:

Case
Motherboard (needs one AGP slot)
CPU
Memory (at least 2GB, more if possible)
Power Supply

I have everything else, hard drive, video card (AGP), etc. I was looking out on Ebay, and found THIS, but I have no idea if it is a good deal or not. And if it is a good deal, is it compatable with a CPU that is any good? If anyone can give me a little help, I'd much appreciate it. If you know of any other barebones systems, on a web store or Ebay, please let me know. I prefer Ebay because I have the money in PayPal, but I can pay with a credit card too. Thanks in advance!

 

[hoyaguru]

Oops, I guess I should say what this comptuer is for. It's for my business, nothing too processor intensive except I do use a lot of large Excel macros (up to 75MB) that really suck up the memory. I play games once in a while, but this will not be a gaming computer.

 

[Wentelteefje]

Hmm, the deal has ended already... BUt it was Pentium 4 Socket 478, so that's not THAT good...

In your case, I would stick with a nice and cheap AMD Sempron setup, the 2GB should be possible in your budget... Maybe even a Socket 939 CPU... I'll check prices...

 

[hoyaguru]

Originally posted by: Wentelteefje
Hmm, the deal has ended already... BUt it was Pentium 4 Socket 478, so that's not THAT good...

In your case, I would stick with a nice and cheap AMD Sempron setup, the 2GB should be possible in your budget... Maybe even a Socket 939 CPU... I'll check prices...

Thanks a bunch, I'm totally lost with this stuff any more. I was thinking of going with a Pentium CPU, as I've always had problems with AMD and other CPU's over the years.

 

[o1die]

I've built both amd and Intel systems recently. For value, it's hard to beat a dual core 820, but the extra heat generated requires you to go with a better heatsink, even watercooling. Avoid all that hassle by going with an amd dual core. I suggest 2 gigs of pc3200 to go with it while memory prices are down. Biostar makes the tforce 6100 with built in pci-e for around $75 at newegg that may be all the motherboard you need.

 

[Wentelteefje]

Here are my recommendations...

Case:

Antec Solution SLK3000-B Black - $ 49
CoolerMaster Centurion 5 - $ 49.99

Because you'd want a serious case made out of steel and with a good airflow, not one of those flimsy ones, where you cut yourself at every corner... A slight nod to the Antec, but both are very good...

Motherboard:

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 - $ 68

Great board that offers you AGP8x AND PCI-Express... So if you decide to upgrade your graphics card, you can take one with the future minded PCIe connection... AGP is phasing out, so that's practically no alternative anymore... It combines the best of both worlds...

Processor:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ - $ 167

Wonderful CPUs that'll give you a lot of power, whilst not costing too much... If you care for overclocking, these are little miracles as well... They outclass more expensive Pentiums in a great deal of benchmarks...

Memory:

G.SKILL Value 1GB x 2 - $ 142

Although no "killer-RAM" with ultra-tight timings, this will prove more than good enough for you... These really are about the cheapest you can get, but are still of very good quality... The two sticks will run in Dual Channel, and will give you a lot of memory bandwidth that way...

Power Supply:

Fortron AX400-PN - $ 39.99
Fortron AX450-PN - $ 49.99

Very good PSUs with dual 12V rails, a lot of Amps and power, a silent 120mm fan, PCIe and SATA connectors, 24-pin connector... These are great for their price... If you like to afford it, the 450W is the obvious choice, it is still a tad better than the 400W version, although that one isn't bad at all either...

Total: $ 466.99 or $ 476.99

Good price for the stuff you'll have...

 

[n7]

ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 is indeed the mobo to go with, since it supports both AGP & PCI-e

 

[hoyaguru]

Great advice, thanks a lot, I really appreciate it. You just saved me a ton of time I would have had to spend researching this stuff. Now I can just try to find the best prices for everything.