Best Bang for Buck!?

[Construct]

Hello!

Well, its time for a new computer! I want to build this one completely myself, which would be the second time. Last time I was up to date on the latest equipment was about 3 years ago so I figured to become educated I'd join this forum and try and get some suggestions.

At the moment what do you guys feel is the best bang for the buck hardware out their? This computer will be used mainly to run an online business and some light gaming. Appreciate any recommendations!

 

[nderscore]

Welcome to Tech-Forums. Do you have a budget for this build? Also any thing special to note; as in, do you need monitor, speakers, mouse, operating system, or keyboard? Plus would you like a quiet computer or don't care much for acoustics?

 

[tastegw]

well if you are looking for the latest and greatest

here is what both intel and amd have for the quad cores:

intel just released core i7 cpu's (920/940/965/975) for the LGA1366 chipset
these are the fastest cpu's on the planet

amd just released phenom II line for the am2+ chipset. (920 and 940)
these are comparable to intels core 2 quad 9000 series

notable chips:
intel core 2 quad 9000 series (9300 and up)
these are exellent chioces too if your looking for some serious power.


for light gaming:
you can check out ati's lineup and nvidia's lineup

ati:
4830's are great for the wallet
move up two slots to the 4870 or the 4870x2 for some serious power.

nvidia:
9600gso is great on the wallet
move up a few slots to the gtx lineup (gtx 260/280/285/295)
these gtx cards are some of the best on the planet at the moment

as for motherboards, that would depend on witch cpu you decide on.

just to get you started!

 

[wizzardxexe]

if you have a decent budget (~700) i would go intel, as they are winning the race, but just so you know AMD isn't crap, if you want a more budget build you can go amd.

 

[Hefemeister]

What is your budget? That will determine a lot.

 

[tastegw]

if you have a decent budget (~700) i would go intel, as they are winning the race, but just so you know AMD isn't crap, if you want a more budget build you can go amd.

just because intel is winning the race with the i7 chips
doesnt mean a $700 intel setup will be better than a $700 AMD setup.

 

[hikaricloud]

The upshot of a $700 intel setup is you'll at least get the E5200 which is a bangin' overclocker.

 

[Construct]

Budget will be MAX 700 with monitor. Already have a copy of XP that I should be able to use. I would PREFER to stay around 550 though if possible. Not really concerned about having good rig for gaming just need a stable computer to run an online business.

Thanks

 

[hikaricloud]

Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - Thermaltake Purepower W0100RU 500W ATX 12V 2.0 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - BIOSTAR TFORCE TA780G M2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops
Newegg.com - A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Newegg.com - Acer X223Wbd Black 22" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2500:1 - LCD Monitors

$508.15 after shipping. Plus a $20 MIR on the PSU.

You have some wiggle room to update some things, but it's a solid machine.

 

[kmote]

What exactly do you mean when you say "run an online business" if you mean you will use this PC to administer your businness then that's fine but I would not recommend using a $550 gaming PC as a server or in any critical role.