Sub $600 non-gaming build for idiot

[travander]

Hello,

First of all let me admit that I know nothing of computer building. The only way I have survived this long in the world of technology is that I was smart enough to stay in contact with my friends who went to school for this.

And also let me apologize for asking the same questions that had to have been asked a million times. I have spent a week or two reading around these forums but still manage not to find the answers that I am sure are in front of my face.

So what I am looking for is something that will virtually never be used for gaming, or for anything too productive for that matter. About all I am looking for it to do is internet, music, and movies. Mainly a media pc.

Here are my thoughts so far.

CPU--some model of intel core 2 duo

MOBO-- something that supports 4gig of memory

Memory--- corsair 4 giig

Video Card-- whatever will allow me to plug into my plasma hdmi ports

Case-- as small as I can get that will fit everything and has plenty of ventilation as I would like it to put it in my entertainment center if possible

Fan--big ole huge fan

Dvd burner--- cheap and fast, don't care about noise

OS-- doubt i can afford a new one, but if i do ever come across any money, recommendations?

Hard Drive--- no real need for huge storage but would take one if I can fit it in under budget. might have to jam old one in there for now.



Anyhow, can someone come up with something that would fit the above? If not, what would it cost to build something like that. Maybe i could sweet talk a credit card company into contributing to my budget.

If there is any info that I left out let me know.

Thanks for taking the time to read and hopefully help.

[Alaron]

Welcome to PCMech. Your system is very do-able for a lower budget. Here is a list to start with:

Asus P5K Motherboard $125
Intel E4500 CPU $115
4GB DDR2-800 Corsair RAM $75
LiteOn SATA DVD Burner Retail $35
Seagate 320GB 7200.11 Hard Drive $80
Radeon HD3650 Video card (Includes DVI to HDMI adapter) $100
Case is up to you. ~$100

That total is around $630. Windows XP will run about $90. Let us know how that works for you and we can tweak it accordingly.

[Lespaul20]

So what I am looking for is something that will virtually never be used for gaming, or for anything too productive for that matter. About all I am looking for it to do is internet, music, and movies. Mainly a media pc.

Alaron has a good start but if you want/need to cut some cost consider this,

Lower performance CPU(although the E6750 seems to be the sweet spot)
Half the RAM, 2GB should be good for you needs
Lower Performance Video Card

[Khalil]

That new celeron dual core will do all you mentioned above really well and you can save about $70. I built one recently for a media PC and I was suprised how well it performed. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...%2bdual%2bcore
You don't need 4GB of memory unless you are going with a 64 bit Operating System. 2 GB will do nicely, make sure and go DDR2 800, Ram is real cheap right now. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

[travander]

Okay, so how about this for a build

Asus p5k motherboard -- $125

Intel E6750 cpu -- $180

4GB ddr800 corsair ram -- $75

LiteOn SATA DVD Burner Retail $35

Seagate 320GB 7200.11 Hard Drive $80

LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM $140


Nvidia GeForce 6200---- Currently own. Although not sure if I need new one for watching blu-ray. If so, which one?

Case--haven't decided yet

Also, what about a fan and power supply. Would my old dell dimension 8250 ones work. Not like new ones are expensive I guess. What new ones would you guys recommend.


So would this build list work together? Also, will this potential computer allow me to have my sound through the television rather than separate computer speakers or would I need a specialized sound card?

Thanks.

[travander]

Okay, one last question before I fall asleep for the day.

What cases would you guys recommend for the best cooling ventilation? I plan on putting the computer into an entertainment center that has fairly limited ventilation though I am working on that also. I need a case with a ridiculous amount of fans/ cooling power. I do have room for a standard tower if I take the shelf out or of course the htpc cases if I leave the shelf in. What brand/ type should I be looking at for maximum cooling capacity?

Thanks.

[12twelve12]

GPU suggestion: HD 3450 (has HDMI out)

[Masaki 7-11]

Here is a good home theater PC setup for under $600 with good performance, and it runs very cool so you don't have to worry about ventilation:


LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106057
$29.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148261
$59.99

SAPPHIRE 100235L Radeon HD 3470 256MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102728
$64.99

mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996557
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820146692
$79.99

ASUS P5K-VM LGA 775 Intel G33 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131187
$109.99

Intel Celeron E1200 1.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E1200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116064
$59.99

Antec Black Aluminum Veris Fusion Black 430 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129030
$169.99

Subtotal: $574.93

[Doom]

1. If you're not using this for gaming, I think you'll be good w/ 2GB of memory to cut costs.
2. For a motherboard, check out the ASUS GA-P35-DS3L for $89.99. It was recommended to me by a lot of folks and is the #1 reviewed motherboard at Newegg.com.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by Doom 1. If you're not using this for gaming, I think you'll be good w/ 2GB of memory to cut costs. 2. For a motherboard, check out the ASUS GA-P35-DS3L for $89.99. It was recommended to me by a lot of folks and is the #1 reviewed motherboard at Newegg.com.

2GB will cut costs and won't affect performance much, but the motherboard you have in your link is not made by Asus, and it won't fit in most media center cases like the Antec one; most media center cases require a micro-atx case.