low cost recommendations...

[Wolverdick]

Im trying to help out a friend who has no money and is need of a computer upgrade.
He currently has a Dell Optiplex G150 or something like that.
We are looking to upgrade so he can run Windows XP (currently running W98) and quickbooks.
Going to plan on using his current optical drives (which are IDE).
We will most likely replace the current 20gb HD.
So I need a good cheap Mobo, thinking about Pentium D or older, at least 1mb of Ram and on board video.

budget for this is 300-400 bucks so any reccomendations would be greatly appreciated.

[Cricket]

Find out the wattage of the existing power supply...it may not be able to support newer, more powerful parts and may have to be replaced as well.

Cricket

[jer888]

for 400$ you could just by a new dell desktop that will be better then what he has and will run XP and has a Pentium D

[Wolverdick]

OK update...

So im thinking Ill stay with the case and PS, (i'll get back to you on voltage, I think its 350w) and go with a new mobo/cpu set.

here are two im considering:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...M-P4MSD800-356

and

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138047

these arent perfect, but I like the price ($75 and $85), and these include the cpu.

Then, for about 45 bucks I can add a SATA 80GB HD, another 70 bucks for a Kingston or Ultra 1Gb DDR2 533mhz stick of RAM and he should be all set.

All for under $300

please lemme know what you think, and thx for the help.

[Cricket]

If you plan to keep the DELL power supply make sure that it doesn't use proprietary wiring that doesn't follow the ATX or ATX 2.0 standard.

And another thing...most new motherboards use ATX 2.0 power supplies that have a 24 pin motherboard connector instead of a 20 pin...if the DELL has a 20 pin connector you really should consider replacing it with a ATX 2.0 power supply if that's what the new motherboard requires.

Cricket

[Wolverdick]

Thx Cricket. I did check that out. The two mobo's above use the old 20pin atx ps connector, which is what the dell has.

just found this though, might have to spring for 6 more bucks

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138050

This has the Nvidia chipsets and a 7100gs card! but it is AMD and has the 24pin ATX connector, so probably not. Although I have an old PS he could use....

The only piece of Dell wiring which I know will not work is the front panel usb/audio. This is a multipin connector on the dell, but this isnt really an issue since he doesnt really use the front ports.

[Cricket]

Originally Posted by Wolverdick Thx Cricket. I did check that out. The two mobo's above use the old 20pin atx ps connector, which is what the dell has.

But are you sure the wiring in the connector is standard and not proprietary? Some DELL computers used a 20 pin connector but the wiring was different and if you connected this power supply to a standard ATX motherboard something would get fried.

I think the Optiplex line used standard ATX power supplies, but I'm not positive.

Power Supply pinouts.

Cricket

[Katreat]

Will the new mobo attached to a dell case? I seem to remember reading that you could not change the dell mobo that easy. I wish you luck, but when i was thinking about upgrading my last Dell it did not pencil out.

[Wolverdick]

Update:
So I just opened up the Dell case and looked inside,and im not gonna keep this case.
I wont be able to use any of the front panel, and the power button IS kinda important...
Also Cricket's point about the proprietary wiring swayed my opinion. So im going with a new case.

Heres what im looking at, all in at $227. Lemme know what you think.

https://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion...asp?ID=5826148

[Wolverdick]

Ok so the NVidia chipset mobo i found did not include the PSU, kinda hard to tell in the ad.
So im going with the above config. Just as well because I wasnt sure the AMD psu was a good idea.

[Katreat]

Your link is not public. If you want to show the build you need to set it up in a public shopping cart or wish list.

[Wolverdick]

Ive tweaked a few things...went with seperate cpu and mobo instead of the bundle. hers the list of what ive decided on so far:

Rosewill R6423 BK ATX Mid Tower Computer Case+350W Power Supply - 23.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16811147050

BIOSTAR P4M800-M7 LGA 775 VIA P4M800 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - 43.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16813138263

Intel Celeron D 331 Prescott 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80547RE2667CN - 38.00
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16819112206

WINTEC AMPO 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory - 64.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16820161626

Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - 52.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16822144415

total cost 224.00

[Wolverdick]

not sure about the onboard video of that mobo, so i think i may add an AGP video card for a little more speed. Thinking of this:

ASUS N6200/TD/128 GeForce 6200 128MB DDR AGP 4X/8X Low Profile Video Card - 36.99
http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16814121542

brings the price total up to $260, add shipping and I believe im in under budget

[flanzig1]

would look for a case without a PSU, Rosewill PSUs that com with a case tend to be junk.
This Sparkle would be a good choice: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103515
or this FSP: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104901

[Alaron]

I wouldn't bother with the Geforce card. The Sis onboard graphics are low end, sure, but since gaming is not involved, they are plenty adequate for an Office machine. The 6200 is barely above onboard level as it is. And if you find some need for graphics later, you can pick up a card then.

[Wolverdick]

made a number of changes.
heres what ive got now:

Rosewill R6422-P SL Silver SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $15.99

Sunbeam RGPS-450W ATX 450Watts Power Supply - $19.99
the PSU has 2 SATA power cables, so i can go with SATA HD and combo drive.

BIOSTAR P4M800-M7 LGA 775 VIA P4M800 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $43.99

Intel Celeron D 336 Prescott 2.8GHz LGA 775 Model BX80547RE2800CN - $45.00
did some research on old processors, and this is the best bang for the buck.

WINTEC AMPO 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory -$64.99

Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $42.99

Update LITE-ON Combo Drive Black SATA Model SHC-52S7K-05 - 24.99

all together $258

Basically building a brand new, 3 year old machine.

Should work fine for what its intended for which is office work, surfing, an occasional artwork edit and quickbooks.

[freakitchen]

You CAN get a case+psu combo - but you need to be careful with the manufacturer to make sure you're getting a quality power supply. This Foxconn case comes with an FSP power supply installed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811153042

EDIT: Looking at your list, you should realise that you're compromising on quality in some important areas just to build a system that cheaply. The motherboard you chose has a VIA chipset - which isn't a great idea with an Intel processor; you should be looking at Intel-chipset based boards for the stability required from an office system. You're also buying off-brand RAM. I'm not saying you should build an expensive system, but I am saying you shouldn't compromise on the quality of your parts. If budget is such an issue, an entry-level DELL will provide you with higher quality components than what you've picked out there.

FK

[Wolverdick]

i actuall looked at that case earlier, looks good, but in the end i decided to go with a different psu to have the connections i want. I trust sunbeam, they are reputable. And the cost difference in seperating the two was negligible.

[Wolverdick]

Originally Posted by Freakitchen You CAN get a case+psu combo - but you need to be careful with the manufacturer to make sure you're getting a quality power supply. This Foxconn case comes with an FSP power supply installed: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811153042 EDIT: Looking at your list, you should realise that you're compromising on quality in some important areas just to build a system that cheaply. The motherboard you chose has a VIA chipset - which isn't a great idea with an Intel processor; you should be looking at Intel-chipset based boards for the stability required from an office system. You're also buying off-brand RAM. I'm not saying you should build an expensive system, but I am saying you shouldn't compromise on the quality of your parts. If budget is such an issue, an entry-level DELL will provide you with higher quality components than what you've picked out there. FK

good points. I agree that I am making some big compromises to come under budget, but thats part of the challenge, my friends budget is very small.

I havent ordered anything yet, i appreciate this forum and wanted to run my ideas past everyone befoe committing. I will look into a better mobo. I also noticed that my mobo supports SATA 1.5 and ive chosen SATA 3.0 drives. So more changes in store.

Thanks to all for your continued help and ideas.

edit: Since im not 100% up to date on chipsets...which intel chipset do you think would work best with the processor Ive chosen?

[freakitchen]

Take a look at the ASUS P5PE-VM Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131029

It's the cheapest board I'd recommend - it's from a quality manufacturer and has an Intel chipset, which is key to stability. It takes DDR400 RAM, I'd suggest you go for Corsair Value Select memory - and get a dual-stick kit (2x512) for dual-channel operation.

You CAN use SATA 3 hard drives with SATA 1.5 motherboards, and vice versa.

FK

[Wolverdick]

haha, funny i was just looking at that mobo while you posted. I figured the SATA were cross compatible... and since all in all im staying in budget ill probably spend the rest on corsair or prefferably Kingston RAM, i was going with one stick to leave room to upgrade.

[freakitchen]

I'd actually prefer Corsair over Kingston RAM, but both are higher quality than what you picked earlier. You will take a theoretical performance hit by not using dual channel memory - whether it will be noticable in this kind of system though is another matter.

Oh, and don't forget an operating system! I'd suggest XP over Vista at this moment in time.

FK

[Wolverdick]

CHANGES MADE.
new mobo, better memory.

Rosewill R6422-P SL Silver SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $15.99

Sunbeam RGPS-450W ATX 450Watts Power Supply - $19.99
the PSU has 2 SATA power cables, so i can go with SATA HD and combo drive.

ASUS P5PE-VM LGA 775 Intel 865G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $54.99

Intel Celeron D 336 Prescott 2.8GHz LGA 775 Model BX80547RE2800CN - $45.00
did some research on old processors, and this is the best bang for the buck.

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit - $74.99

Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - $42.99

Update LITE-ON Combo Drive Black SATA Model SHC-52S7K-05 - 24.99

all together $278.94

[Wolverdick]

oh yeah, ive already got a new copy of Windows XP for him.

I dont think id wanna try Vista on a Celeron processor...

Thx for all the help, this is shaping up to be a huge improvement over theo old Dell Optiplex GX150, im sure.

[Wolverdick]

"If budget is such an issue, an entry-level DELL will provide you with higher quality components than what you've picked out there."

really should have read this more closely...after more time of searching for parts I decided just to peek at the Dell site to see what a bare bones system costs.

Now i am ROFL, yes rolling on the floor laughing at myself. The base Dell model with an AMD Sempron is only $359!!!
Add a stick of memory and its $400.

Seems silly to build an old one...oh well, i was reall looking forward to building another one...

Maybe Ill buy a dell and just take it apart and reassemble it for the fun.

[mybikiny]

i has just bought a computer. i think i choose it by suggestion of computer's staff. But when i asked my friend, he said that my component's computer is not fit each other. He said that my mother board is too weak to suitable for the Core 2 dual. How can i do. Please help me. please explain to me what i need to chance in it.
CPU core 2 dual 1.83 GHz
Motherboard Assus PLMW 95 with bus cpu 1066.2Gb Ram bus 667.
HDD 80gb seagate sata 2.
7900GS Graphic card.

[Wolverdick]

My question is: which is better...

Intel Celeron D 336 Prescott 2.8GHz LGA 775 64-Bit Processor

or

AMD Sempron 64 3400+ Manila 1.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor

Between these two I think the Intel is better, but id love to hear your comments.

Looking to build my friend a low cost PC similar to the bare bones Dell systems out there now.
to stay in budget im goin to have to go with one of these two...

[freakitchen]

mybikiny, please do not hijack this thread - start your own thread for your own issue.

Wolverdick, yes, the value of these entry-level DELLs are impossible to beat for the average builder. Might be worth checking the DELL outlet store - you might be able to find a better specced system for the similar price.

FK

[glc]

I doubt you would notice any difference on a budget build. I'd personally build with the Intel on a entry level Asus motherboard with an Intel chipset.

[freakitchen]

Wolverdick, I've merged the new thread you started on the processor question (and GLC's response) into this one - please keep any questions you have regarding this system in this thread - you'll get better advice this way.