Who said it's imposible to build a Intel PC on a budget?

[JorgeHGPR]

Hey guys, my dad told me that the budget for my upcoming pc is very low. I have done my research and these are the components. I am upgrading from a Pentium 4 2.00GHz, 1GB Memory and a 5500 FX. I just want to know if it will be a big upgrade from what I have now to what i will have.

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

Newegg.com - Intel Celeron E3200 Wolfdale 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Newegg.com - Foxconn G41MX-K LGA 775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Newegg.com - WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Desktop Memory

Newegg.com - RAIDMAX RX-400AF 400W ATX12V / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - BFG Tech BFGR79512GTOCE GeForce 7900GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

What do yall think? Im not a true gamer, I like games like NFS and some not too demanding games. I think this is pretty much all I need.

 

[b1gapl]

Anything now will be light years ahead of your current computer.

What is your budget though?

There are alot of improvements on that list to be made, with better quality components.

 

[veg1992]

I think for the price you can do better, budget me.

EDIT: curses.. beaten by the 1337 speed typer

 

[kmote]

Nobody said it was impossible, but at the lower end budget you tend to get a better AMD machine for your money.

IMO other coolermaster cases the same price as that one look better eg 335, 330, centurion 534.

That celeron is already $53, personally I would stump up the extra $17 to get the e5300 with 2MB L2

With AMD you can get some really good onboard which is one thing that makes a great budget build, under no circumstances would I get a graphics card which is already 3 generations out of date. Also the G41 is not exactly the best chipset ever and you are paying for graphics twice.

You can get a stealthxstream with the same rating for $10 less or a 430W antec basiq for $5 less

 

[JorgeHGPR]

I only wanted to know if this was a big upgrade from my current PC.

 

[b1gapl]

As I said before, it will be light years ahead of your current computer.

Here's a list of components I made for you:


Case - COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
w/ Scythe Slipstream 120mm (for the front of the case)
Processor - Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard - ASUS P5QL/EPU LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Graphics cards - SAPPHIRE 100225L Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR4
Power supply - CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified
Hard drive - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
Optical drive - Samsung 22x SATA DVD Burner


It comes down to $435.91

Most items are free shipping.

**edit**
You can save around $10 if you go the AMD route with this CPU and motherboard instead:

CPU - AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard


With these, it goes down to $425.92

 

[Brinson]

I only wanted to know if this was a big upgrade from my current PC.

How can you find a computer that beats a pentium 4?

Close yours eyes in a computer store and spin around.

Edit: Its not impossible to built intel on a budget, just not very smart...

No offense meant, but you can build a much faster and better machine for your money. Celeron chips are not very good. A low end X2 would be both cheaper and better.

I'll also throw out this deal:

X2 6000+ and an Asus motherboard with onboard Nvidia graphics, $110

Make sure to disable all the suggested add-ons.

Motherboard Combo w/ AMD Athlon 64 X2 (Dual Core) 6000+ AM2 CPU - SMKSuperStore.com

The celeron you picked with the foxconn motherboard would likely be more than this once you add in shipping cost, as there is only a $6 difference.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

The E3200 may not be the fastest cpu in the world but it is still a Wolfdale which means it is significantly faster clock per clock than the 6000+ in addition to running cooler and overclocking better.

 

[Brinson]

The E3200 may not be the fastest cpu in the world but it is still a Wolfdale which means it is significantly faster clock per clock than the 6000+ in addition to running cooler and overclocking better.

None of which are highly relevent to most buyers. The x2 6000+ will run faster, and benchmark higher. Edit: At least at stock speeds.

 

[zmatt]

None of which are highly relevent to most buyers. The x2 6000+ will run faster, and benchmark higher. Edit: At least at stock speeds.

The e5200 beats the 6000+ across the board, and the 100mhz and 1 meg cache difference with the e3200 wont make a big enough difference to let the 6000+ win. You are comparing 2008 and 2006 technology. The wolfdale is superior in just about every way.

I personally wouldn't buy a celeron, but just because it's a celeron that doesn't mean it sucks. The Core architecture is very good and it has several distinct advantages over K8. Not only that, but your chip is 90nm and 65nm, and they don't state which version they are selling. Why in the world would you buy a 90nm chip over a 45nm one? It runs cooler and uses less power, while being faster.