1st Time Builder- HELP w choosing Hardware for a BUDGET system!

[spazzy67]

Hi All!

Just joined the site and am impressed with all I've read already! Have had 2 retail systems and I am ready to build my own! My current system is a 6yr old Dell 4550 Dimension that I will give to my daughters since I have replaced PSU, has 2 HD- 450GB total and think I upgraded memory at some point. I use mostly for business apps, video burning/editing and obviously internet surfing. If I can build a gaming ready system for a few dollars more i will do that. Just not alot of time for gaming at this point. I am a DIY in most other areas and enjoy the self-satisfaction of building things myself. I would like to get the most "BANG for my BUCK" without sacrificing quality. My budget is in the $500 range or less if possible.

I am now familiar w/newegg and realize this is where I can purchase my components.
Just confusing with all the options! Are the combo deals worthwhile or do they package inferior w/ quality to move product?

Intel, AMD or Gigabyte for Motherboard?
Corsair 400cx PSU seems to be a great value @ $39 after rebate!

I am looking for recommendations for everything!!

Thanks in advance for your replies!!


Paul

 

[Muffin Man]

hello and welcome. it is possible to build a good system with that budget, but you didnt mention if you also need some other things like a monitor, keyboard and mouse. do you also need an OS included in the budget?

as for the combos, sometimes newegg does offer big discount combos that include crap-ware, but we'll make sure to avoid those.

 

[spazzy67]

Thanks for your reply Muffin Man! Those numbers were for the box only. I am set w mouse and keyboard, but do plan on upgrading my CRT monitor to a widescreen LCD, but that was seperate from my $500 budget for my box.

 

[Muffin Man]

i just posted something but i looked around a bit more and managed to lower the cost of the original list i had posted. it is still a little over budget at $512 with a possible $40 back in rebates.

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!
Newegg.com - CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Power Supplies
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
Newegg.com - Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - CD / DVD Burners

now, if you need to lower the cost, you could change a few things around. you could get a less powerful cpu, you could get 2gigs of ram instead of 4gigs, you could get a hdd with less storage space, and/or get a weaker graphics card. up to you

 

[spazzy67]

Looks good so far! I like the MOBO, Video,OPtical, PSU and CASE selection! All look like solid choices from reviews! The first COMBO deal is no longer available. CPU & MEMORY? Throw me another option! I am assuming the most important place not to skimp on would be the MOBO,CPU & Video? RE: MOBO-Should I pay $5 more to get the HDMI slot if I buy an HDMI monitor. Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more! **just realized will be more becuz of combo deal! ** This may be a dumb question>>> What does green, black, or blue refer to when purchasing WD HDD?? I will be running XP! Do you think I should upgrade to VISTA?
Thanks for your input!!

Not Sure what CPU you were reccommending, but I saw this combo deal! Would this make sense??

Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

 

[Muffin Man]

oo thought it would last longer. o well thats newegg for ya.

yes, the combo was a cpu/ram combo. that ones no longer available so ive found this one to replace it instead.
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, PC Components, Laptop Computers, Digital Cameras and more!

with that combo along with the other components i had originally listed above ^, the total comes to $514 with a possible $30 back in rebates.

that cpu/mobo/graphics card combo that you found was actually the first one i had posted before i edited my post because i had found some better deals that reduced cost.

for the hdmi question, youd be connecting your monitor to the graphics card, so it wouldnt matter if the mobo came with hdmi or not. the graphics card in the combo comes with a dvi-to-hdmi adapter, so yes, you will still be able to have hdmi.

and for the hdd, green, black, and blue are some of the different drives that wd offer and they vary in performance. i dont know any exact specs but i have a good idea of their differences.

the green drives are a bit slower and are mostly used for just storage, although it can still be used as a primary drive, itll still work. they are called "green" because they are supposed to have smarter technology to consume less power, which is why they are slower.

the blue drives are faster and i guess are mostly used as affordable OS and program hdds.

the black drives are the fastest drives out of those three. they offer similar performance to wd's "raptors" which are supposed to be really fast, but you dont pay the premium. the 640gb black is perticularly fast, and it fit into your budget thats why i put it, but if you dont think youll really need that you can get a 320gb blue for $50.

for the OS, you can use xp if you want, itll save you $110 which is what vista would cost you. if you dont want to spend much now, xp will be fine. if you decide to get vista, itll come with a free windows 7 upgrade.

 

[ToXiC]

Why don't you go but a good cheap kit and set it up your self.

 

[Trotter]

Why don't you go but a good cheap kit and set it up your self.

That's basically what Muffin is helping him do. Spazzy gave his budget and Muffin is trying to squeeze in as much as he can while staying within it. Sure, Spazzy could just order a Dell or buy an HP at Walmart, but this will give him a lot more for the same money... as well as the ability to upgrade what he wants without having to replace half the system.

 

[spazzy67]

Trotter you hit the nail on the head! Thanks for the input. MuffinMan has been extremely helpful and I'm am very appreciative for the advice. Btw, the sticky you compiled on Computer Building is awesome, especially Sora's section on Max Per & Min Budget (http://www.techist.com/forums/f76/extensive-guide-maximizing-performance-minimizing-budget-155138/), which was also outstanding! I would also like to add a 3rd cooling fan since the case only comes with two! Either one of these look ok, or would you reccommend something else?? Newegg.com - Thermaltake A2018 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Case Fans or Newegg.com - APEVIA CF12SL-UBL 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Case Fans
I will be purchasing my components in the next week or so. If you have any suggested changes, I am open. I am plannig on adding the Dell S2309w 23" monitor to complete the package! http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/...etail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&sku=320-7339 Seems like a great value based on reviews.

Thanks again guys for the help!!
Paul

RE: MY CURRENT SYSTEM>>>> As I said in my first post, I will be moving my current Dell desktop to the den for my kids to use. I need to update the monitor for that system due to space issues on desk) My current 19 in CRT will never work. Will I be limited in my selection of LCD widescreen due to the age of my system?

2003-Dimension 4550 P4 2.53 w 533mhz bus 512k cache
GPU: 64mbDDR NVidea GeForce4MX w/TV out video card
Memory: 768mb 333mhz DDR SDRAM

I figured I could get them the 20inch which also seems like a good value!S2009W 20-inch Full HD Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor Will it work on my system with the above referenced graphics card??? How will the PQ be??

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Brinson]

Picture Quality will be fine if you aren't playing games or HD videos in formats that require alot of decoding, those are the only arenas in which monitor size makes a significant difference.