New budget build advise please

[RandyG]

First post to a forum please forgive. Well my first build ever is starting to die a slow death (very old P4 socket 478) Looking to build one more on a budget, my needs are small, general use, a little ripping and burning (CD & DVD) watching DVD's, Netflix, a small amount of photo editing, that kinda of stuff.I'm not a gamer (my bad!) and I'm a novice(my badder!) I sure could use some advice on where to start this budget build, I dont like super cheap but I dont want to buy more then I would ever need. Reloading oem XP sp2 but may W7 in future. Not much left in the old build I trust, got a very old Audigy sound card and a XFX Nvidia G force 6200 so looks like I'm going to need everything, also I LOVE this not so mini, mini atx case! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129044 Thanks so MUCH ! Lets build this thing !!!

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Do you have a specific budget we can work off of? It would help tons!

 

[RandyG]

I would say around the 500 - 600 range. Dependability & Longevity are key.

 

[4mattc]

The hardest part is makein the computer compatible with w7 and still run xp. Which they no longer sell in the stores anymore so you would have to get it from someone. also you need to make a list of all the hardware you have in your old pc to let us know what you can use out of it and what you can't plus it would help if you told us it was functioning.

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Core 2 Duo E7500 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056&cm_re=E7500-_-19-115-056-_-Product

Gigabyte P45 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128372

G.Skill 800MHz DDR2 (2GBx2) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122

OR

Core i5 750 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115215&cm_re=i5_750-_-19-115-215-_-Product

Gigabyte P55 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128405

G.Skill 1600MHz DDR3 (2GBx2) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193

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OCZ Fatal1ty 550W - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022

VisionTek HD4850 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129112

WD Caviar Blue 500GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Sony Optiarc DVD+- 24X CD 48X Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

LiteOn Blu-ray 4x drive - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106326

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The first build isn't as future-proof as the second build, but will be significantly better than what you have now. It comes at a price tag of $603 + shipping before rebates. The second build, what I'd recommend if you can dish out a little more, comes at the price tag of $716 + shipping before rebates. If you want to make both builds cheaper, you can remove the blu-ray player I included. The first dashed line separates the 2 options of core components that you may choose from. The other parts underneath are what I recommend regardless.

 

[RandyG]

Thanks for the advice !!! The second build does look nice, I'll probably pass on the BD reader for now and put the saving toward that case. Now another question please, I have a oem XP sp2 I was going to use again to save a little cash but maybe W7 is the way to go ???? I heard that its more involved to get the SATA drivers to work with XP,your thoughts ? Boy I'd better be careful here,starting to have too much fun & the wallets thinning lol ! By the way this forum is great and you guys are awesome !!!!

 

[JogaBonito1502]

Thanks for the compliment on the forums, we try our best. The thing with XP is that there is no more support for it. I would go with Windows 7. You can get student versions for $65 if you have a college e-mail. The only thing is that they're upgrade keys, so it's kind of tricky to do a clean install.

 

[RandyG]

Ha Ha ! I wish I had a collage address ! So is Newegg the best source ? OEM or Retail ? I also live close to Fry's but there pricing may not be as good Newegg, if I remember I thought there was a discount for the OEM version.

 

[JogaBonito1502]

I would say OEM. All that matters is that you have a serial key number.