The time has come to move on (NEW BUILD)

[jae]

Yes, I am still using the A64 3000+ in my sig. Its time for an upgrade!!! That computer will be turned into a server.

New build will be used for the usual... internet, movies (watching and encoding), studying, leeching, Skype, etc. No gaming. I am an AMD fanboy because of cheapness.

Only things that will be reused from old build is hard drives. I have Win 7 Pro from school .

Trying to do this as cheap as possible (under $600 w/ monitor)

Only thing I don't really prefer is the motherboard.. the only problem I've seen from these are the inability to unlock, but that doesn't affect me. I could go Dual or Tri-Core but I want 4 cores, since I wont be updating this for a while.

Here is the new build:

Hanns·G HZ201HPB Black 20" 5ms HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor
$119.99

Logitech MK120 Black USB Wired Slim Desktop
$20.99

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ...
$81.99
-$10.00 Mail-in Rebate

Cables Unlimited - Select HDMI Cable - 6 FEET
$4.99

Rosewill DESTROYER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 120mm ...
LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support
$53.98

Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap
$0.00

AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX635WFGMBOX
BIOSTAR TA785G3HD AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$139.99
-$10.00 Mail-in Rebate

Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core ...
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$109.98


Subtotal: $531.91

 

[anishannayya]

Looks great. That HDD is just too expensive. I picked up that exact model for $60 just a couple days ago. If you are using your old HDDs, then would you consider purchasing an SSD? A great 64 GB one would only set you back $30 more than you were planning to spend on that 1 TB HDD.

 

[mfenn]

That Rosewill PSU is pretty much crap. I would just get the HDD by itself and get a quality 400W PSU. You'll very likely never need more since you won't be gaming. Here's an Earthwatts for $40.

I'm also iffy on Biostar's quality, but it is cheap.

 

[anishannayya]

Oh, I didn't realize that was a combo deal. In that case, go for it. I'm not a brand whore, so I'm of the mentality that as long as it has good reviews, your good to go.

 

[jae]

Yeah, I believe I have three HDDs in the old rig. One is a Western Digital 160GB SATA (It was one of the fastest in its day)...its dying. Another one is a Samsung 250GB which is still ok.. Can't remember what the other is but I think its a old drive I used as a dump space.

The Samsung 1TB/Lite-On DVDRW is a combo, which takes $17.. So practically getting a DVDRW drive for few dollars.

The Rosewill PSU I got because it was a cheap combo.. Yeah iffy on Biostar, for some reason they remind of Chaintech lol. I was originally looking for the cheap MSi 785 board but couldn't find it. This is still draft, so I'll be sure to try to tweak this.

I know this isn't the specific section, but any comments on the LCD? Originally wanted 1080P, but realistically at 19-22" 720p is more than enough.

 

[anishannayya]

Asus and Hanns both make some great stuff. If you can spring for the dough, get the new 23" Dell e-IPS monitor. You'll spend about $300, but it will last a lifetime.

While the monitor you choose is good, I would go for something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236052

You might spend $60 more, but you'll getting a 1080 monitor + a couple more inches.

My philosophy on monitors is that if you get a nice one, you can easily keep it for several builds/upgrades. I think that monitors, speakers, cases, PSUs, and HDDs shouldn't be skimped on, as they are generally carried over for sometimes years. The rest, you just upgrade as you wish/need.