Good ultra inexpensive build

[Svaneyk]

I recently visited my Mom and had to jump on her computer to search for an item. That brief experience made me want to throw myself on a steak knife... So, I'm preparing to build her an inexpensive PC that can easily: surf the internet, run skype with video (she has a webcam) and run basic microsoft office programs. Probably very modest graphic demands, think internet blackjack. I'm thinking of around a $200-$300 budget (I already have a spare copy of Windows 7 so don't factor that into the cost).

This is the exact opposite of my normal personal builds which tend to be on the performance bleeding edge so I'm a bit out of my depth. If someone has a build that they've already set up to meet the above parameters and budget I'd appreciated it if you could post it to this thread.

Thanks in advance.

[jdeb]

313.92 before shipping

ASUS P5KPL-AM
Newegg.com - ASUS P5KPL-AM EPU LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Celeron E3300
Newegg.com - Intel Celeron E3300 Wolfdale 2.5GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80571E3300

Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Newegg.com - Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model CT2KIT12864AA800

Antec Basiq BP350 350W
Newegg.com - Antec Basiq BP350 350W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Newegg.com - Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case

LG Black 22X DVD
Newegg.com - LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RAM 12X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA 22X DVD Burner - Bulk - CD / DVD Burners

HIS H545H512 Radeon HD 5450 Video Card
Newegg.com - HIS H545H512 Radeon HD 5450 (Cedar) 512MB 64-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

[glc]

That motherboard has onboard video, so you don't need a video card. You can always add one later. If you get one now this is a much better deal:

Newegg.com - MSI N8400GS-TD256 GeForce 8400 GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

[Svaneyk]

Thanks so much for the ultra fast response. You guys are the best.

[David M]

Sorry to be a party pooper but at $200-$300 I would look on Craigslist for a used computer that is faster than what you can build from scratch new. I would look for lower end Dell's that are no more than about two years old. You could probably get a dual core computer that is reasonably fast for its price. Keep in mind that when buying from an individual you can negotiate a price, unlike a retailer.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by David M Sorry to be a party pooper but at $200-$300 I would look on Craigslist for a used computer that is faster than what you can build from scratch new.

That build falls under 300.00 with the card glc mentions and is excellent quality. I chose the 5450 card because of windows 7 but like glc said, you could add the card later if they feel the need.

[David M]

Personal preference. I would first look for a faster used computer were it me. I'm not one who believes that building from scratch new is always the best deal.

I'm sure that these choices will be picked apart by you know who...

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/sys/1903446932.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/sys/1902036422.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sys/1898012667.html

There are more that are better...and worse.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/s...k=300&hasPic=1

[glc]

A Celeron E3300 isn't exactly a slow computer.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by David M Personal preference. I would first look for a faster used computer were it me. I'm not one who believes that building from scratch new is always the best deal. I'm sure that these choices will be picked apart by you know who... POWER MAC G5 DP 1.8GHz / 1Gb Ram/ 160Gb HDD/OS 10.5.8 Leopard Dell inspiron E1505 Core Duo 1.86GHz 2GB 120GB DVD/CD-RW Gateway Dual Core Desktop PC 3GHZ Windows 7 There are more that are better...and worse. SF bay area computers & tech classifieds "desktop" - craigslist

I would chose the new build over every one you listed. The e3300 is a great value and excellent cpu. It aligns perfectly for Svaneyk's parents needs. Additionally, the warranties are very good on all components. The only thing may be the case in regards to appearance and sharp edges when doing the build, other than that the case is compact and attractive to me.

The apple g5 might be a little faster but you get into a different OS and can be confusing to a novice user

I would stay away from used laptops unless they are factory re-certified

gateways are very poor quality from my repair experience.

[Svaneyk]

somehow I didn't think I'd be stirring up controvery on the cheap end of the spectrum...my brother weighed in with an AMD build. I have my own opinion of it but I'd be interested in the expert advice of this forums members.

Mobo:
Newegg.com - ECS IC780M-A2 (V1.0A) AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

Power supply:
Newegg.com - Rosewill Xtreme Series RX850-S-B 850W Continuous @40°C ,80 PLUS Certified, ATX12V v2.2 & EPS12V v2.91, SLI Ready CrossFire Ready, Active PFC "Compatible with Core i7, i5" Power Supply

(The combo deal for the above two items drops $55. Price for both: $85)

Chip ($37):
Newegg.com - AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor SDX140HBGQBOX

Memory ($41):
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9S-2GBNT

Video Card ($10):
Newegg.com - MSI N8400GS-TD256 GeForce 8400 GS 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Low Profile Ready Video Card

HDD ($43):
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

DVD ($20):
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

Case ($10):
Newegg.com - APEVIA ATXB1KL Beige Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

[glc]

ECS motherboards are poor quality.
Rosewill power supplies are questionable quality, and why on earth would you need 850 watts?
G.skill ram has been having quality issues lately.
Samsung hard drives and optical drives don't have a very good reliability record.

Sorry to shoot that build full of holes, but I wouldn't use any of that if I had to support it. That's also only a single core processor, the Celeron is dual core. Where did your brother come up with that junk? That's gonna look really nasty with a black DVD drive in a beige case.

[jdeb]

There is no controversy what so ever. David has some good insights and is offering you alternatives, as there are a few. glc is the guru of the board and often finds mistakes or better alternatives with our posts. As far as an AMD build, sure we can recommend something (Khalil is the guru) but it more than likely will not outperform the one I mentioned at your budget. I agree with glc, that build you were told is not good at all. I have built systems with the spec I gave you and it works very nice, stable, and best of all, I do not get any calls with problems.

[glc]

An AMD build is quite simple - just take the Intel build and replace the motherboard and processor. Everything else can remain the same (unless the board you choose requires DDR3 ram). I normally do not make AMD recommendations because I don't use them and don't know what's good or not - but I do know that the ECS board and Sempron that your brother speced out is pretty sad.

[David M]

Originally Posted by jdeb There is no controversy what so ever. David has some good insights and is offering you alternatives, as there are a few.

Thanks jdeb. At first I was having my doubts if it is possible to at all to make a quality computer from scratch with new parts on a $200 to $300 budget. That's why I threw out my ideas. It appears that it really is possible to make such a computer.

I recall not too long ago on this forum that when people got below a certain budget, they were being referred to Dells website for low end 500 series refurbished computers. Apparently this idea has changed. Has technology changed since then to allow for the better deal to be to build it from scratch when the budget is $200 to $300?

[glc]

The Dell refurbs are still a very good option, but they are reasonably current technology computers with a warranty. The options you offered in used computers are obsolete technology, and generally offer no warranty. The Intel build offered here may be socket 775, but that's still Intel's current platform at the very bottom end and will be for quite a while. The E3300 is a dual core Wolfdale - same core as the E8500 I believe you used to have?

I see that AMD has an Athlon X2 Regor in the same price range - and I understand that's a decent processor. Match that up with a proper motherboard, looks like Asus has a series of M68 boards, but I don't know if they are any good or not. AMD has more cores and chipsets in their catalog now than I can comprehend.

I also understand that Biostar has some decent cheap boards, but I don't see them as being much cheaper than the low end Asus boards.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by glc The Dell refurbs are still a very good option, but they are reasonably current technology computers with a warranty. The options you offered in used computers are obsolete technology, and generally offer no warranty. The Intel build offered here may be socket 775, but that's still Intel's current platform at the very bottom end and will be for quite a while. The E3300 is a dual core Wolfdale - same core as the E8500 I believe you used to have? I see that AMD has an Athlon X2 Regor in the same price range - and I understand that's a decent processor. Match that up with a proper motherboard, looks like Asus has a series of M68 boards, but I don't know if they are any good or not. AMD has more cores and chipsets in their catalog now than I can comprehend. I also understand that Biostar has some decent cheap boards, but I don't see them as being much cheaper than the low end Asus boards.

Yeah, you can go into a Microcenter and buy an X2 555 black edition and MSI or biostar mother board for 93.99. The board can unlock the other two cores if you are lucky, I was able to do it last week on a cheap build for the neighbor. Don't know if Svaneyk has a Microcenter in his town though.
Micro Center AMD Processor Bundle Savings

Biostar a780L, X2-555, 2 gb crucial ddr2 667, antec basic 500w, Gigabyte GZ-PH2A30 Mid-Tower Chassis, Sony sata dvd burner. $292.51 out the door!

[glc]

I'd take a Biostar over a MSI.

[Kidd]

Originally Posted by David M Thanks jdeb. At first I was having my doubts if it is possible to at all to make a quality computer from scratch with new parts on a $200 to $300 budget. That's why I threw out my ideas. It appears that it really is possible to make such a computer. I recall not too long ago on this forum that when people got below a certain budget, they were being referred to Dells website for low end 500 series refurbished computers. Apparently this idea has changed. Has technology changed since then to allow for the better deal to be to build it from scratch when the budget is $200 to $300?

The primary factor in the possibility of a sub-$300 build is the un-changing $100 expense not factored into this build - Windows 7. If you wanted to build a Linux machine sub-$300, no problem. The fact that those pre-built PCs come with the operating system is the part that makes the price nearly impossible to beat with building your own.

[Svaneyk]

Originally Posted by glc ECS motherboards are poor quality. Rosewill power supplies are questionable quality, and why on earth would you need 850 watts? G.skill ram has been having quality issues lately. Samsung hard drives and optical drives don't have a very good reliability record. Sorry to shoot that build full of holes, but I wouldn't use any of that if I had to support it. That's also only a single core processor, the Celeron is dual core. Where did your brother come up with that junk? That's gonna look really nasty with a black DVD drive in a beige case.

I had to laugh, I had a similar reaction when I read the build he put together. Thanks for confirming my original opinion of it.

One follow up question regarding the HDD. I've had great luck with WD Black caviar drives but never blue. Do the blue drives have a similar reputation?

thanks

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Svaneyk I had to laugh, I had a similar reaction when I read the build he put together. Thanks for confirming my original opinion of it. One follow up question regarding the HDD. I've had great luck with WD Black caviar drives but never blue. Do the blue drives have a similar reputation? thanks

The black drives are what we usually recommend here but giving the limited budget, I decided with the blue. The blacks are faster and have a longer warranty than the blue. I use the blue in budget builds and had no problems with them since I started using them a couple of years ago. I used to use all Seagates but the 7200.10 drives were a nightmare overnight and we do not recommend them anymore. .

[glc]

The Blues replace the old Caviar SE's - decent drives.