Mobo & CPU suggestions for extremely cheap system

[NoHabloGeek]

Hi, I am planning my first PC build. Due to still waiting for work authorisation here in the US, funds are extremely tight so I am looking to spend no more than $300 in putting together a basic system that will allow me to surf the internet, run MS Office (we have a copy of MS Office 2000 as well as a Win 98 setup CD so won't need to buy XP just yet) and will have USB 2.0 so I can connect my mp3 player.

I have a CD-ROM drive, sound card and modem from an old system so am really looking for a MOBO/CPU combo for around $100 if ther are any worth buying at that price. I will also need to get some RAM, a hard disk and a graphics card so $100 on the MOBO/CPU is roughly my limit.

I know that for $200/$300 I am only going to get a very basic system but I am currently using a PII 300MHz Compaq Presario with a 2GB hard disk, 24Mb of RAM and a 28.8 modem so whatever I can put together for $300 is going to seem a hell of a lot faster than what I have to use at the moment.

Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

AS Rock Socket A motherboard with Sempron 2200+ w/hsf
http://www.compu-terra.com/store/product105.html

everything is integrated for instant use, so video is not a necessary upgrade for internet and word processing.

USB 2.0 is here for you too.

The cost is approximately $103 after shipping.

As for ram, buy a stick of 256 MB PC 2700 off of newegg. I would recommend 512, but you're mainly word processing and whatnot, so it's not completely necessary.

Good Luck

Ryan

 

[reggie_da_man]

get 512 no sense in not spending a little extra money for some better performance, however windows 98 with 512 ram is a bit iffy but if u ever get a copy of windows xp it will run very smoothly

 

[C0RR0SIVE]

Windows 98 HATES 512mb of ram i think >_< decreased my performance when i had 98......

 

[NoHabloGeek]

Thank you all for the advice, much appreciated. The AS Rock Socket A MOBO and Sempron 2200+ suggestion is an excellent one especially as it comes with onboard graphics. Thanks also for the heads up on Win 98 with 512, that is definitely food for thought. If I don't have to buy a separate graphics card then maybe I can stretch for Win XP Home edition.

Thank you all again.

 

[terry0249]

If u are going to use sempron 2200+ and asrock k7s61gx mobo
why not choose sempron 2500+ (socket 754) and asrock mobo with c51 chipset
the graphic performance is greatly better than that in k7x61gx
and the price is not so much higher

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

I think the reason not to switch is because it is not necessary, and will show no improvement for the applications he'll be running. Why spend more money for stuff you're not going to use or notice a difference in?

Ryan

 

[NoHabloGeek]

Thank you for the suggestion terry0249 and for the point you made FghtinIrshNvrDi. While it's true that I really don't need the improved graphics capability......if the difference between the two meant that I would be able to play Call of Duty and get a decent frame rate, well, then I might just have to try and stretch my budget a little more if I can. Doom 3, Far Cry and Half Life 2 are a ways off yet but I love Call of Duty and if there is a chance I could afford a system that would support it then I would have to go for it!

Thank you again for your suggestions and advice.

 

[FghtinIrshNvrDi]

Note: I don't think an upgrade to a 2500+ is going to be where you see better results in gaming. Throw money at the video card more than the processor. Your motherboard is upgradable for the video card, so I would focus your cash there. Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Ryan