EggXpert

Ha!  JSV, I had built a 500 AMD budget rig yesterday and joined the forums to see what other people were making... now I see that both you and I made an almost identical rig!  I'd appreciate any feedback before I go ahead and order (400-500USD budget):

I have two major concerns at this point: 

1.  Can I reuse this IDE HD I'm currently using?  I purchased it less than one month ago. 

2.  Thoughts on my GPU selection?  I'm sticking with a 9600GT, but am open to considering other 9600GT cards. 

Recyclable Parts from current PC:

IDE 300 GB Western Cav HD

Lite-On DVD/CD Burner

Windows XP

 New Parts:

Case -- COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119115

 Motherboard -- BIOSTAR TA770 A2+ AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138102

PSU -- Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371006

Memory -- SUPER TALENT 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609027

CPU -- AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Black Edition Processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103194

HSF -- ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125

Extra Case Fan - KINGWIN F-012BB 120mm Case Fan

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999965

GPU -- MSI N9600GT 512M OC GeForce 9600 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127333

Thanks!

 

 

Nice!  That's cool to hear.

You would be able to use that hard drive, but it would be a bottleneck because IDE is falling so far behind the times.  If you have a previous installation of Windows or some other OS on there, you might have to do a clean re-install.  I'd recommend getting a new SATA based hard drive and just using your old WD as storage for media, etc.

That GPU is a fine choice, MSI has been making some nice, factory overclocked graphics solutions as of late.

The rest of your build is great as well and should run very well!

I don’t know man..................I just think this guy has a lot of free time on his hands to do all this. I don't mean to insinuate anything, but I don't think he has a girlfriend . What do you think?

I built a GHY 5670 once...................It was pretty cool but it lacked the RAM power of my present HP Pavilion (Raw Power!) Does anyone have any suggestions on how to boost my HG FD-Chip or my 1234321 bios under the DOS-MAC screen?

It's ok TJ, you don't have to flirt with me on here, you do that enough in the office!    ooooooooh....snap

Alright. I'm a straight up noob but I have about 2000 dollars to spend maybe a little more I need the perfect setup for around 2000 dollars like I said. I would reallyy appreciate it. I am very worried when I buy the parts stuff wont fit etc. I am planning on doing tons of research but are there people that can assist you with these things. I dont want to end up busting the chip or doing something I didnt mean to do.. Just gimme a good setup for gaming =) thanks

Do you need any peripherals?  Such as a monitor, keyboard/mouse, speakers and Windows?  I'll give you a full setup and if you end up not needing everything, we can work from there!

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA

Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case w/ 25CM Fan

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 120mm Rifle CPU Cooler 

2 X  MSI 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 SLI Supported Video Card

Acer P243WAid Black-Silver 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor with HDCP Support

Logitech X-530 70 watts RMS 5.1 Black Speaker System

Logitech 920-000021 Black USB Standard Access Keyboard 600

Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired Optical Gaming-Grade Mouse

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM

Subtotal: $2,012.85 + shipping

If you've got any more specific questions, don't hold back! 

 

 

Ok thanks so much man I think I will buy the excact setup you gave me but might upgrade on tiny things like the keyboard..

Do you know any very detailed online guides for begginers.

I really feal uncomfortable with putting this together and jacking something up or something not fitting in the tower etc.. My friend has told me alot of past experiences and warned me I should do my research on Dimensions of towers and stuff.. I dont know alot so educate me..

Thanks alot,

David from texas.. 

No problem at all!  There are a couple guides around the internet, some youtube videos as well.  Keep the motherboard manual handy as well, lots of answers to questions in there.  Here are a couple links from the forums here that might help you:

System Building Basic Guide - Building From Scratch

System Builds

What to look for when putting a build together

Eggxpert Jargon for Newcomers 101

MySuperPC

That Thermaltake case is quite large and will easily fit everything into it, I have no doubt about that.  It's a Full ATX case, not a mid-ATX so you really shouldn't have too many space issues.

 

Hey jsv. I'm kind of a noob when it comes to building pc's and all that. I wanted to try that $500 possibly intel build, and was planning on using a better graphics card for it. So here's the question, with that build is it possible to replace those 2 choices and go for a better card (namely the XFX 8800 GT 512 mb was what I was looking at.) Because I really can't go much over $500 because I'm pretty poor, and I was hoping to be able to play a lot of the current games out there (Unreal 3, F.E.A.R, Quake wars, CoD4, etc)
Oh and thanks for this thread, it really, really helps alot  :D

If you're looking to squeeze an 8800GT into your build, you might want to look at the AMD build instead.  If you're expecting to get the 8800GT in there without paying more than $500 the only way that is going to happen is to cut back on something else that is important like the CPU and that will eliminate any performance gains you might have gotten by the 8800GT.

My suggestion is to go with the AMD build but substitute in the AMD X2 4800+ for the 5000+ and get the 8800GT. 

just wondering, why the super talent memory?

there are several CAS 4 kits below that price before MIR, and even more that are considerably under that after MIR (from what I generally think of as decent brands too, crucial, corsair, OCZ, mushkin...)

in contrast I hadn't heard of super talent until just recently... 

Oh there is so many choices for memory out there and I feel that you really could go with just about any of the 2x1GB kits of DDR2 800 out there. 

As for when you say that there are many CAS 4 kits below $38 before MIR, I'm not exactly sure where you're finding that but point me in that direction if you can!  If someone wants to take advantage of MIR then they can indeed find ones for cheaper that may perform better, but I'm not taking into account the MIR in the price just because don't have the time to keep those updated as often.

I think I just forgot to switch out the memory after a while when I was updating there though, thanks for pointing that out.  I'll be throwing some lower latency sticks in there or a little higher frequency ones!
 

Ok, how about some suggestions for a lady thinking about a new system... LOL

I will be running either XP, or Ubuntu, or both. LOL 

I'm looking to spend around $600-700. I want an Intel quad core, Q6600 or better. I want a decent aftermarket HSF.

I need a motherboard, and would like 4 GB's of ram- pref 2x2 GB's.

I will NOT be overclocking, and I would prefer very generic, tried and tested hardware. I don't need to deal with compatibility issues.

I need a PSU. I also need a video card. I am NOT a gamer. The only game I play is Descent,and that's from the bad old DOS days. So something basic should do. I also can do just fine with the onboard sound and NIC.

What I have:

I am upgrading from an Athlon 64 2800 single core with 1 GB of ram. I need more horsepower.

This system is housed in a Thermaltake Armor tower case, so I would like to reuse my case. This system also has 2 sata drives than can be scavenged, as well as 2 IDE NEC dvd burners. So I need a board that has at least 1 IDE port. 6 sata ports would also be nice.

Ok, I'm not exactly a n00b- however, I have never installed a cpu and HSF. I've swapped around a few slot 1 Pentiums, that's about it.

This is the only part of the build that frankly- scares the cr*p out of me. I keep reading about how hard it is to install the HSF on the Intel quad cores... :-(

So, as I just started researching this, and stumbled across this thread... well, doesn't hurt to ask.

What parts would you recommend, and what advice do you have in general and about the scary part- the HSF?

Thanks a big bunch!

Candice in PA

 

I think the $500 budget build AMD could use some updating.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=12209707  is a wishlist I made that is a better balance of performance with quality and price. It comes out to be ~$500 shipped (no tax included) and has great quality components.

	1		GIGABYTE GA-MA770-S3 AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - RetailModel #:GA-MA770-S3Item #:N82E16813128327Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return PolicyIn Stock	$79.99		$79.99
	1		Rosewill R220-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - RetailModel #:R220-P-BKItem #:N82E16811147074Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock	$29.99	-$5.00 Instant	$24.99
	1		GIGABYTE GV-RX387512H Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - RetailModel #:GV-RX387512HItem #:N82E16814125086Return Policy:Limited Non-Refundable 30-Day Return PolicyIn StockMail-in Rebate	$129.99		$129.99
	1		AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO4800DOBOX - RetailModel #:ADO4800DOBOXItem #:N82E16819103212Return Policy:Processors (CPUs) Return PolicyIn Stock	$59.99		$59.99
	1		OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2P800R22GK - RetailModel #:OCZ2P800R22GKItem #:N82E16820227139Return Policy:Memory (Modules, USB) Return PolicyIn StockMail-in Rebate	$43.99		$43.99
	1		HITACHI Deskstar P7K500 HDP725032GLA360 (0A35411) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEMModel #:HDP725032GLA360Item #:N82E16822145213Return Policy:Limited 30-Day Return PolicyIn Stock	$69.99	-$20.00 Instant	$49.99
	1		Antec earthwatts EA430 430W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - RetailModel #:EA430Item #:N82E16817371006Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn StockMail-in Rebate	$69.99	-$10.00 Instant	$59.99
	1		SAMSUNG 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223F - OEMModel #:SH-S223FItem #:N82E16827151171Return Policy:Standard Return PolicyIn Stock	$26.99		$26.99
Subtotal:						$475.92

 

Slmclarengt

this is awesome

Interesting jsv, I was looking to see what I could build for under $500. I had the EXACT same build going, except I had g.skill reds in there. Those platinum's make it that much sweeter! $400 after MIRs!

 

Hey jsv35, I posted some questions awhile back, but I'm finally ordering my parts and some of the ones I had decided to get were out of stock indefinitely.  So I've taken a stab at some replacements.  Could you verify whether this system will work together please?

Tell me if the way I linked the parts doesn't work.  Thanks.