The Cheap <$400 computer

[Mr Bob]

I'm trying to build a very low-end machine for the basic internet browsing, word documents, etc..

Newegg is currently having a sale right now, all components below are $310 with shipping/tax

Rosewill RCX-Z940-SL 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail
COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-OWR460 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case RS-460-PSAR-J3
Elite 460W Power Supply - Retail
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX245OCGQBOX - Retail
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3750528AS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5C - Retail
ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Thinking that I may be able to swing up to $375-$400 at MOST, will I really find a better system for that price?

I also can't find many reviews for that AMD X2 245 CPU

 

[batuchka]

Hmm about $366 AR

 

[vj8usa]

Do you need to buy the OS as well? If so, a prebuilt might end up being a good bit cheaper.

 

[Mr Bob]

Thanks for putting that together!

So I'd be paying 20-30% more (I assume shipping is around $20?), what would the improvement be though? Looks like a better PSU, and a slightly faster CPU?

"Do you need to buy the OS as well? If so, a prebuilt might end up being a good bit cheaper."
- Nope, I have a free Win 7 license I can toss on the machine.

 

[batuchka]

Yep CM Extreme series ain't the worse but try to hit an 80+ certified with active PFC and ya X3 better multi tasker Build is also AM3/DDR3 ....sun is going down on DDR2 platforms You are welcomed ^^

 

[mfenn]

Just get a Dell Outlet computer.

You'll get a better engineered, quieter case than that chintzy Rosewill as well as a single source for warranty claims (and no RMAing, they come to you!).