Cheap Build

[Hufigyed]

Hi,

I want to build a computer for just basic use like browsing, email, open office, etc. I don't want it to be more expensive then what I currently have listed below but would also like it to run Windows 7 fairly quick. I already have a 250GB hardive that I'll use as well as a mATX case and optical drives.

This is what I came up with but I'm new to building computers so if theres an equal option for a little less money or much better for a little more money that I'm missing, please let me know. I tried to make sure all the parts are compatible but if someone could confirm that'd be great.

Also, I know nothing about the AMD side and how it compares to Intel. Could I do an AMD build of similar performance for less money?


Antec Basiq BP350 350W 24PIN ATX 12V Power Supply - $27.74
Intel Pentium E6500 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.93GHZ 1066FSB 2M L2 Cache 65W Retail Box - $82.68
ASUS P5KPL-AM Epu LGA775 DDR2 G31 mATX PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI VGA SATA2 GBLAN Motherboard - $56.34
Kingston HyperX PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-800 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit - $98.95
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM - $105.79
Total comes to $371.50

All prices are Canadian. None of those prices are NCIX's but I'm price matching and buying form NCIX.

[glc]

The P5KPL-CM is a better board. You may want to consider a cheap video card such as an ATI 4350, Win 7 will run better.

[Khalil]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131619
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103681
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231253
If you want to go AMD, you will save about $30 but you will also have DDR3 and a newer better motherboard than the P5K series in my opinion.

[glc]

Canada, Khalil.

[Hufigyed]

Thanks for the advice guys. I priced out the AMD setup but due to different pricing/product availability up here it ended up being a little more than the Intel system actually. So I think I'll go with the Pentium.

How do I know which revision the motherboard I'm ordering is going to be? Apparently some earlier revisions won't support that cpu.

[Khalil]

Originally Posted by glc Canada, Khalil.

DUH

[mjkovis]

Originally Posted by Hufigyed How do I know which revision the motherboard I'm ordering is going to be? Apparently some earlier revisions won't support that cpu.

More than likely, if you are ordering from a well known distributor, once a new revision for a product comes out they will be carrying it. The chances are few and far between in getting an older product, if there is a newer version to take its place.

[glc]

When you receive the board, the hardware revision will be on the barcode sticker on the box.

[Hufigyed]

I've been thinking and I like the idea of DDR3 memory because it will be more useful in the future when I upgrade so how does the following look? The price is just under $400 so I'm ok with that.

ASUS M4A78LT-M LE mATX AM3 DDR3 AMD 760G 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E1 2PCI Radeon 3000 Sound GBLAN Motherboard

AMD Athlon II X3 435 Triple Core Processor Socket AM3 2.9GHZ 1.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box this was only $12 more than the X2 250 plus there is some chance of it being a quad core

G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws PC3-12800 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 Core i5 1.5V Memory Kit I couldn't find that ram linked to above anywhere accept newegg.ca but it would take an extra week and half to arrive.

[Hufigyed]

Well I got the computer up and running. I unlocked the fourth core and ran OCTt for an hour and Prime 95 for 3 hours without errors so it seems like I've got a quad.

1. I have question though, is the 350W PSU sufficient for this cpu with all cores running as I'll likely be folding on it all the time and the PSU is quite warm to the touch. Much warmer then the PSU in my main rig, or is a little warmeth ok? Also speed fan is reporting -8v on both the -5v and -12v rail and when I was looking at the graphs produced by OCCT there was one point where the 5v and 12v dropped to like 1 or 2 volts for a split second. Was this likely a sensor issue or did the power to the wall socket drop or is there an issue with the PSU? I have been folding for 3 days or so and it has never crashed or become unstable.

2. If it is sufficient and not defective, will it still be able to handle a 4350 if I decide to get one?

[glc]

The Antec can handle it. It's made by FSP, and it's got pretty beefy rails for a 350.