Tight budget mATX media/game

[levk80]

I'm building a computer for my girlfriend. She'd like to game, it doesn't have to be top settings. She'd like to use it as her TV. Here's what I'm thinking:

Aspire Q-XPACK case with 420W PSU - $79 - Does anybody sell these without PSU? It said somewhere it fits normal ATX PSUs
JetWay K8M8MS mATX mobo - $49
Sempron 2800+ s754 - $76
OCZ Value 1GB - $103.43
ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 AGP - $134 - will this fit in that case?
Maxtor Diamonmax 10 200GB SATA150 8MB cache - $84
BenQ1640 - $40

The whole thing comes down to $566 and change now. Other than the questiongs above I'm also thinking if it would make sense to downgrade to nForce2 board - performance/$ wise.

Thank you in advance

 

[gotkilled]

looks good to me. the x-qpack fits normal psus but you need a short burner and the benq fits that short burner category.

 

[Tostada]

JetWay is a pretty low-end brand. Notice that the board doesn't even have a 3rd voltage regulator donut.

The ECS SiS 760 board -- which is actually $6 cheaper -- is a much better board if you're looking for something cheap. That's a very good board (even though I'm no big fan of ECS), and it has much better integrated graphics (and less quirks) than the KM800 boards.

If you want the VIA chipset you should probably pay a little extra for the Biostar K8M800 board. You're not even using integrated graphics, so that's not a problem, but I think you have to watch out for VIA boards not running at DDR400 with more than one stick of RAM.

The Biostar board doesn't come with an SATA cable, though (the JetWay and ECS boards do).

 

[imported_OrSin]

Sounds good but you I get different motherbaord too.
Maybe wait for the new NV boards. This way you could skip the video card all together and get a low end 939 chip instead of the 754.
939 will give you alot more space to upgrade later and the new NV on board video will not be that bad for game. Also if you ahve not used a 9600 ATI AIW, I would avoid it.
It not fast at all for gaming and the TV capture is maybe the worst of all AIW cards.
If you want TV capture get a $20 TV card. TV capture techology is old as hell and most of the major (skip the no name brand cards) companies do it right. Unless you want HDTV capture any card is good.

Also look for deals on the HDD and save alot money.

 

[Zap]

If you have a tight budget, forget about the cute cube case and just go with a normal mATX case.

For motherboard, get the new Biostar Geforce 6100 motherboard for socket 754. The onboard video may even be as good as the ATI AIW Radeon 9600. The board runs about $62 and is available right now on Newegg. This should save you a few bucks on the video card for now, leaving a PCIe 16x slot for future upgrades.

Cheap TV tuner card. I've used no-name cards and they work as well as ATI TV Wonder and AIW cards. Have not had a chance to use other "brand name" cards besides ATI.

Maxtor 200GB drive is available for $70 in EIDE. SATA gives your GF nothing in performance. Save the money. Perhaps go for a rebate deal - can often find 200GB EIDE Seagate drives for $50 after rebate.

Good job choosing a single 1GB module instead of a 1GB dual channel kit.

If you have a Fry's Electronics nearby, some stores are running a special on a Sempron 2800+ with ECS motherboard for $79. I'm sure you can sell that disposable motherboard for more than the $3-4 difference between the combo and the CPU only price.

Add a DVDRW drive and we're looking at about $400 plus taxes and shipping.

What games does she intend to play? If not too demanding, the onboard Geforce graphics should do quite well.

 

[piasabird]

A $49 dollar motherboard is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Might be better off with a Gigabyte motherboard, or an Asus A7N8X

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: OrSin
Sounds good but you I get different motherbaord too.
Maybe wait for the new NV boards. This way you could skip the video card all together and get a low end 939 chip instead of the 754.

Socket 939 probably wouldn't work for that budget, but using a cheap tuner instead of getting an AIW card is a good idea. I've hated every AIW card I've ever used.

Originally posted by: Zap
If you have a tight budget, forget about the cute cube case and just go with a normal mATX case.

All your other suggestions are really good, but you may be underestimating how important a cute case is to the girl.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: piasabird
A $49 dollar motherboard is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Might be better off with a Gigabyte motherboard, or an Asus A7N8X

... and with the same AGP card in it, the more expensive motherboard will play games how much better???

but you may be underestimating how important a cute case is to the girl

Roger that.

 

[IlllI]

i dont think that ati aiw card has dvi, only vga. not sure if thats important to you or not

 

[NEWYORKJETS000]

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=45&threadid=1699639&enterthread=y

 

[imported_OrSin]

The reason I suggested the socket 939 is the the new NV boards are 939 (as far as I know). The CPU are about $140 for the 3000, but thier about 30% faster then the 2800 sempron whick sales for $75. But with the $65 more you get a decent video card and good VIVO (much better then any AIW). And a free pci slot and upgradeable CPU for later. It cost you little less then your orginal setup and means you don't need to build a new computer for few more years (just add some parts).

I think I going to replace my current HTPC with this setup and give my old one (minus the case) to my parents.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: OrSin
The reason I suggested the socket 939 is the the new NV boards are 939 (as far as I know). The CPU are about $140 for the 3000, but thier about 30% faster then the 2800 sempron whick sales for $75. But with the $65 more you get a decent video card and

Which game (one stated use in the OP) will play 30% faster with the s939 versus the Sempron, all other hardware the same? What about if we use the cheaper chip/board and use that extra $65 for a better video card? Now we're talkin'. That's the difference between a Radeon X600 and X800.

 

[imported_OrSin]

I never said games will play 30% faster I said the chip will beachmark 30% faster.
We are talking on board video so we can't just move the money into a fast video card.

The Biostar Geforce 6100 baord you suggested early is actually pretty nice. I didn't know they had those out for the 754 already. That would probably work great for him.
I need the 6150 so I can go native HD.

 

[Zap]

I mentioned games because that was one of the two stated uses for the computer - the one with higher requirements. Benchmarking was not mentioned as a possible use for the computer. Yes, yes YES, we all KNOW that a socket 939 3000+ CPU with appropriate motherboard would outperform a socket 754 Sempron 2800+ with appropriate motherboard - in and of itself. However, with a set budget and with games being an intended use, tell me what is "faster" for the same fixed budget.

Sempron 2800+ CPU socket 754
$199 video card (with stated $65 difference between socket 939 and 754, Radeon X800GTO, Geforce 6800, Radeon X800, Radeon X800GT, Radeon X800GTO minus the price gouging)

Athlon 64 3000+ socket 939
$134 video card (Geforce 6600, Radeon X700Pro, what other PCIe for this price?)

Remember the OP has $134 set aside for a dedicated video card, plus PCIe is available in both sockets. Socket 939 is always better... but it is not always the better "choice."

 

[imported_OrSin]

Personally if I was him I would skip the video card entirely. She games some but not on hig settlings so the on baord video will probably be good enough. Not to be sexist but a women gaming is not the same as a mans so if she is not play the latest FPS she is fine.
Even game that was hight end 2 years ago would play good with on board video. Also the on baord video is about on par with the 9600 card he was about to by. JMO, I would not get a video card at all unless she asks for one later.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: OrSin
Personally if I was him I would skip the video card entirely. She games some but not on hig settlings so the on baord video will probably be good enough. Not to be sexist but a women gaming is not the same as a mans so if she is not play the latest FPS she is fine.

You are being sexist. Also, there are non-FPS games that are graphically intensive. There are a few threads around here regarding performance in the AOE3 Trial version - that's a RTS and people are having to run less than top settings even with top video cards.

Even game that was hight end 2 years ago would play good with on board video. Also the on baord video is about on par with the 9600 card he was about to by.

I do agree with these statements.

I still say in this case go with socket 754 and either save the money or get a $200 video card such as the X800GTO² (and unlock pipes!!!).

 

[inkbrush]

Hey,
I just built - or rather upgraded - a system with my old Dell Pentium 4 components, an eVGA 6800 GT AGP card, a normal Antec ATX12V power supply, and of course, a used X-Qpack bought off of eBay.

Since you seem to be thinking of the Qpack, I will give you some details on it. It might make you reconsider. The video card fits in, but it leaves less than half-inch space between the psu and the card. But that's no problem, I think.

The worst part is the power supply. A lot of people have been reporting failure of the Qpack power supply, especially on AMD systems. It says on the psu that it's for Pentium 4. If you are getting the Qpack, getting a new psu might be unavoidable. Another thing to think about if you are concerned about the budget.

I didn't want to have any power supply issues, so I just put my old Antec 12V psu, which was a nightmare. The Antec is about 5.5 inches deep and it barely fit. There's less than 1 inch space between the psu and the DVD drive, and all the cables that go into the DVD are crunched up. I think 5.5 inch is about the maximum depth of the power supply. If you go over that, you will probably have no space between it and the DVD to put the molex connector. So if you are getting a psu for the Qpack, make sure it's less than 5.5 inches. That might be hard, though.

Also the 120mm fan that came with the case is extremely loud to the point of being unusuable, if it stays on your desk. So another extra $ for a replacement fan if noise level is important.

All in all, I like the case, but I have some mixed feelings. It's cute enough to be put on your GF's desk, but the extra width eats up more footprint than a regular mATX tower. Hope that helps.

 

[inkbrush]

Hey this is a sorta ps. Forget about what I said about the power supply needing to have a depth of less than 5.5 inches. My DVD drives are "normal" I guess. They are about 8 inches deep and don't leave too much space between themselves and the psu.

The bad thing about the Qpack is the flimsy psu's. They should have just not included a psu and charged a lot less. The Qpack might cost more than a regular mATX tower case, but you will probably score some extra points with your GF. Make sure she picks the color.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: inkbrush
The Qpack might cost more than a regular mATX tower case, but you will probably score some extra points with your GF. Make sure she picks the color.

Word! :thumbsup:

LiteOn and OEM Sony drives are pretty short at about 6½" depth. I just got a Benq that is about 7" depth. You can also get relatively short PSUs (yes, some are much longer than others). I just got a Fortron FSP400-GLN PSU with 120mm fan that is 5.5" depth - probably a good match with one of those short DVDR drives.

 

[Edgy]

Sempron 3400+ (512K L2 cache) is same core as 3200 Venice A64 (1MB L2 cache) - and Semp64 3400 performs right between A64 3000 / 3200.

And the Sempron 3400+ is 754 pin and it costs less than A64 3000+.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Edgy
Sempron 3400+ (512K L2 cache) is same core as 3200 Venice A64 (1MB L2 cache)

??? That doesn't make sense.

 

[Saint Nick]

i have an xqpack. its sweet

 

[jjmIII]

My New SFF

 

[RobsTV]

Originally posted by: inkbrush
Hey,
I just built - or rather upgraded - a system (snip) and of course, a used X-Qpack bought off of eBay.

Perhaps it was sold as used on ebay for a reason?
The 120mm fan in mine is very quiet. Some have gone totally silent by doing the 7v mod.
They now ship Q-Xpack with an updated power supply that is rated much higher than original, and complaints seem to be gone now.

All in all, it is an excellent case.
Blows my old Antec Aria away by a huge margin for quietness, airflow, looks, ease of build, inside room and "reliability".
My Aria POS PS only lasted 6 months of light use. Because the Antec Aria uses a proprietary power supply, you have a dead machine while waiting 3 weeks for replacement. Plus, the Aria was loud. And the Aria was HOT due to terrible airflow unless you cut up the case and add fans.

Q-Xpack is stone cold with excellent airflow. Not even near warm. Uses common ATX power supply.

edit:
Sorry jjmIII, just noticed your new SFF link after I posted about my Aria. If you have not yet bought the Aria, check out forums for posts from other users, and while the PS failure in mine was probably rare, the other bad things listed about Aria are common complaints. I went to Athenatech A100-BB after unloading my Aria, and now have upgraded to the Q-Xpack. Even Athenatech was much better than Aria. BTW, these are all for HTPC in living rooms for Sat DVB-S, OTA HDTV and gaming.

 

[jjmIII]

All in all, it is an excellent case.
Blows my old Antec Aria away by a huge margin for quietness, airflow, looks, ease of build, inside room and "reliability".
My Aria POS PS only lasted 6 months of light use. Because the Antec Aria uses a proprietary power supply, you have a dead machine while waiting 3 weeks for replacement. Plus, the Aria was loud. And the Aria was HOT due to terrible airflow unless you cut up the case and add fans.

Q-Xpack is stone cold with excellent airflow. Not even near warm. Uses common ATX power supply.

edit:
Sorry jjmIII, just noticed your new SFF link after I posted about my Aria. If you have not yet bought the Aria, check out forums for posts from other users, and while the PS failure in mine was probably rare, the other bad things listed about Aria are common complaints. I went to Athenatech A100-BB after unloading my Aria, and now have upgraded to the Q-Xpack. Even Athenatech was much better than Aria. BTW, these are all for HTPC in living rooms for Sat DVB-S, OTA HDTV and gaming.

Hmmm,
They did add a new vent above the power supply.
I'm using a Biostar Nvidia 6100 based mobo with A64-3000+ with NO heat issues.
Biostar has a great fan utility (software) that keeps the case 10x quieter than my old tower. We'll see what happens once I add a 6600gt though...