Trying to make a sub $500 computer for a friend.

[Nab]

I have a friend that wants to make a rig that'll play World of Warcraft and do basic other functions, music, chat, email etc. He's not a hardcore gamer. I've been out of the loop for a while, but i think amd's are in? He's not going to overclock. I was trying to look for the anandtech's rig guide that used to come out, i couldn't find it...if anyone can point me to that it'd be helpful. He needs the following:

case/power supply
cpu
motherboard
video card
ram
hard drive

he has sound card, mouse, keyboard, monitor, speakers etc.

thank you,
nab

 

[imported_rod]

CPU: An athlon64 3000+ (socket 939-venice core)
MB: ASUS A8N-E or A8V-E
VC: GeForce 6600GT (PCI-E)
RAM: 1GB Corsair Value Select (2x 512MB)
HDD: 120GB SATA HDD
PSU: Antec True Power 380W/430W
CASE: Personal Choice with left over money

Im not certain about the prices of these components, but it should be somewhere around $500. You might want to swap-out the MoBo for something cheaper, if the cost is too high.

RoD

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: rod
Im not certain about the prices of these components, but it should be somewhere around $500. You might want to swap-out the MoBo for something cheaper, if the cost is too high.

Venice 3000+ = $155
ASUS A8N-E = $123 (or $119 for the VIA model)
GF 6600GT = $162 (or $150 if you get one with a mail-in rebate)
Corsair 2x512MB = $84 (probably less from ZipZoomFly)
Barraacuda 120GB SATA = $88 (or $83 for a Samsung)
Antec 1650B (350W) = $68 (over $100 if you want a bigger PSU)

That's $680 delivered from NewEgg. You can save some money on it, but you're not getting in budget with that system.

I'd be interested in know what resolutions he'll play at and what his monitor is. A regular GF6600 would probably be fine. It'll still be hard to fit a Venice with 1GB, and 1GB seems pretty useful for WoW.

 

[TankGuys]

A few simple ideas to come back within budget:

Consider a lower end case/power supply. If you're on a budget, spending a lot on your case and powersupply seems mis-placed.

You could also reduce the hard drive capacity a bit. It won't make a huge difference in price, but it's a thought.

You could also consider an even more basic motherboard. So long as it has sound, LAN, and a reasonable chipset, you're fine.

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: TankGuys
A few simple ideas to come back within budget:

Consider a lower end case/power supply. If you're on a budget, spending a lot on your case and powersupply seems mis-placed.

You could also reduce the hard drive capacity a bit. It won't make a huge difference in price, but it's a thought.

You could also consider an even more basic motherboard. So long as it has sound, LAN, and a reasonable chipset, you're fine.

I certainly don't agree with any of that.

$68 for a good Antec case is a good deal. You're not going to be able to get much under $50 for a cheap case with a terrible PSU.

120GB is already pretty small. I would not build that system. You could go down to an 80GB for around $60, but 160-250GB is actually the best bang for the buck, so it's pretty suspect to cut capacity down even further.

I would be looking at a Biostar motherboard and maybe stick with Socket 754 long before I considered cutting the RAM/HDD/case price further.

 

[boomerang]

Buyer's Guide - Entry Level to Mid-Range, March 2005

Buyer's Guide: Mid-Range to High-End, May 2005

 

[imported_rod]

Do you reckon he could stretch to $600. There would be a reasonable performance difference for only an extra 20%-25%.
Also, the 6600GT is only a little more expensive than the 6600, but it performs a fair bit better. I wouldn't try to cut down there.
How much do the "Abit AV8" and "ASUS A8V-E" cost. Does anyone know if gigabyte make a decent 939 MoBo?

Is your friend likely to upgrade in the future? You should be able to get by on 512MB RAM.

==========
How About this?:

Venice 3000+ = $155
*ASUS A8V (AGP) = $115
*Radeon 9800Pro = $126.50 (Sapphire-128MB)
*Corsair 512MB (2x256MB)= $62
Barraacuda 120GB SATA = $88 (or $83 for a Samsung)
Antec 1650B (350W) = $68 (over $100 if you want a bigger PSU)

This still only pushes it down to $600, and reduces it's upgrade potential (due to the AGP slot).

RoD


EDIT:Actually, maybe go with socket 754. Most people wont upgrade their CPU. With the money saved, put back in 1GB of RAM. It will still be over $500, but it will be better for WoW.

 

[NiKeFiDO]

dont be afraid to go "lower-tech" for his needs. If he isnt a gamer, he can do well with a cocket 754 and AGP motherboard. Get him a 9800pro from buy/sell forums or Hot deals forum. I saw one that the guy just RMAed (so basically a new one) for $95 in F/S forum.

edit: although that venice price is pretty good!

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: TankGuys
A few simple ideas to come back within budget:

Consider a lower end case/power supply. If you're on a budget, spending a lot on your case and powersupply seems mis-placed.

now that right there's some terrible advice. That antec case and PSU is a great combo for the price. Getting a crappy PSU because your on a budget is a very bad idea, because when that goes out and takes something with it you won't have the money to replace it.

 

[TankGuys]

Originally posted by: shoRunner

Originally posted by: TankGuys
A few simple ideas to come back within budget:

Consider a lower end case/power supply. If you're on a budget, spending a lot on your case and powersupply seems mis-placed.

now that right there's some terrible advice. That antec case and PSU is a great combo for the price. Getting a crappy PSU because your on a budget is a very bad idea, because when that goes out and takes something with it you won't have the money to replace it.

Yea, I had mis-read the post about it, and thought he was recommending a $68 case and a $100 power supply (I'm reading these things quick as I work on other stuff).

So with that in mind yes, a $68 antec case/power supply is a good deal. I'm not quite crazy enough to disagree with that!

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: NiKeFiDO
dont be afraid to go "lower-tech" for his needs. If he isnt a gamer, he can do well with a cocket 754 and AGP motherboard. Get him a 9800pro from buy/sell forums or Hot deals forum. I saw one that the guy just RMAed (so basically a new one) for $95 in F/S forum.

edit: although that venice price is pretty good!

I would agree 100% with the 754 option, if he's on a budget.
2800+ AMD64, gig of RAM and either a 6600/6600GT or 9800Pro.

 

[airfoil]

1. MSI RS480M2-IL Micro ATX: $90.50

2. AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice: $153.00

3. CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB): $84.33

4. NEC Black IDE DVD Burner Model ND-3520A: $46.99

5. Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 120GB: $83.99

6. Antec Solution SLK2650-BQE: $91.99

7. Video: Onboard ATI X200 on the MSI

All prices include shipping and all components are sourced from Newegg. Makes for a total of $550.80. If you HAVE to drop the price closer to $500, then buy a 512mb RAM kit instead of the 1gb kit Link. This brings the total down to $519.80.

 

[Lyfer]

I built a rig with the same price restrictions as yours, I came up with this:

Rosewill midtower chassis with 400W PSU (rosewill is value and good quality) $40
CHaintech VNF250 Nforce 3 250 board (less than $60 and works like a rock (own 2 of em)) $58
Athlon 64 2800 newcastle retail $121
Rosewill 1gb ddr400 value ram $77
seagate 120gb hd $76
rosewill radeon 9250 128mb agp (he only plays starcraft/warcraft III) $40
sony 52x cd-rw $22
nec black floppy $8

total = $442

With tax and shipping it was right under the $500 mark, works rock solid, great looking case/psu I might add. If your friend wants to game spend some more $$, get a Radeon 9800 or AGP 6600gt. No need to take socket 939 route if you have small budget and dont plan on OCing or going dual core.

 

[imported_rod]

Originally posted by: Lyfer
Rosewill midtower chassis with 400W PSU (rosewill is value and good quality) $40
CHaintech VNF250 Nforce 3 250 board (less than $60 and works like a rock (own 2 of em)) $58
Athlon 64 2800 newcastle retail $121
Rosewill 1gb ddr400 value ram $77
seagate 120gb hd $76
rosewill radeon 9250 128mb agp (he only plays starcraft/warcraft III) $40
sony 52x cd-rw $22
nec black floppy $8

total = $442

Nicely done lyfer!


If you replace the 9250 with a 9800Pro, your friend should be able to play to WoW fairly well, but that'll push the price up just over $500. But if he can afford the extra $25, it'd be worth it...

(Radeon 9800Pro = $126.50 (Sapphire-128MB) @ newegg)

RoD

 

[stimpy1]

 

[stimpy1]

Originally posted by: airfoil
1. MSI RS480M2-IL Micro ATX: $90.50

I second that. You just took care of the MB and video card with that recommendation.

 

[imported_rod]

How good are the integrated graphics? They're about on-par with an X300 aren't they? But they use system memory: so if he does go with this MoBo/Graphics option, then he'll NEED 1GB of RAM. I guess he should be able to afford that if he doesn't need a graphics card.

Does it have an AGP/PCI-E slot if he wants to upgrade later?

RoD

 

[stimpy1]

Originally posted by: rod
How good are the integrated graphics? They're about on-par with an X300 aren't they? But they use system memory: so if he does go with this MoBo/Graphics option, then he'll NEED 1GB of RAM. I guess he should be able to afford that if he doesn't need a graphics card.

Does it have an AGP/PCI-E slot if he wants to upgrade later?

RoD

I can play Half Life 2 and and Farcry with the integrated graphics with no problem. Yes, it has the slots.