Budget Priced System Recommendations

[U-571]

I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.

 

[U-571]

I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.

I already have hard drives and monitor. Either AMD or Intel type will
be fine.

Thanks

 

[BigJim]

you could try dell
but something new with a monitor will be tough to find for under 500
dollars.
dell has one about 530 dollars

 

[U-571]

you could try dell
but something new with a monitor will be tough to find for under 500
dollars.
dell has one about 530 dollars

I already have monitor, hard drive, power supply and case.

Not looking for latest technology on anything. Just the good, stable
MB, CPU, Memory, and Video Cards that were popular 6 months to a year
ago. Nothing over PC3200 memory.

Just the technology that has been replaced by the latest dual core
cpu, high powered video card, etc.

Something in the AMD Socket 754/939, or Intel Socket 478/775 range.

 

[BigJim]

I buy a lot of parts from newegg

 

[Paul]

I already have monitor, hard drive, power supply and case.

Not looking for latest technology on anything. Just the good, stable
MB, CPU, Memory, and Video Cards that were popular 6 months to a year
ago. Nothing over PC3200 memory.

Just the technology that has been replaced by the latest dual core
cpu, high powered video card, etc.

Something in the AMD Socket 754/939, or Intel Socket 478/775 range.

There is currently a price war between AMD and Intel. Intel's latest
product line is positioned at the high to mid-high end of the market.
AMD is occupying the low to mid range.

Charts - so you know what you're getting:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single core San Diego 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Socket 939 OEM $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103528

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR400 (PC 3200) $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145480

Seagate hard drive - IDE (no surprises) $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148095

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Cooler (since processor is OEM and heatsink/fan doesn't come with CPU)
Normally I'd recommend a Zalman 7000B AlCu, but not for a kid's PC
This one is compact and easy to install. Fan appears replaceable.
Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 939 K8 - AMD K8 solution w/ Heatpipe $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106068
http://www.pro-clockers.com/reviews.php?id=65&page=3

Thermal paste (Ceramique) $5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100009

*****
Spare Northbridge cooler (for when the Asus fan fails)
Note - check dimensions and make sure hole span matches mobo holes.
Center to center on mobo of 2.05" (52.1mm) to 2.41" (61.4mm).
Looks to be about 2.29"
MCX159-CU $33 (aggressive cooler since chip gets hot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108072
http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcx159-CU.asp

*or* buy spares from the Asus store @ $3 each.
http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=231&catid=132
*****

I wanted to price all that stuff first, to see what is left for video.
I left out the spare replacement Northbridge fan for now.
80+73+100+44+30+30+5=362

Video card

This 7600GT is $80 after rebate - quiet and low power consumption
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

A 7900GS is about $145 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150208

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_17.html

X1950Pro for $179 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103021

None of the three cards has really high power consumption.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_6.html

7600GT 35.8W max, or about 12V @ 3A
7900GS 45.1W max, or about 12V @ 4A
X1950Pro 65.7W max, or about 12V @ 5.5A

In terms of +12V consumption:

CPU 89W (www.amdcompare.com) 89W/12V * (1/0.90) = 8.24A
Video card (salt to taste...) 4.0A
Hard drive 0.6A
CDROM (I measured mine one night...) 1.0A
Fans (estimated budget for CPU + two other fans) 0.5A
Total 12V @ 14.34A

Check the label on the side of your power supply, for
whatever current you work out for +12V. The 3.3 and 5V
consumption is usually OK (and I cannot work it out
anyway).

Paul

 

[Dave]

I searched for information on the internet and found several
recommendations, but they were a year and a half old and their
suggested Motherboards were no longer available.

Can someone point me in the right direction for a budget priced
system, under $500 if possible, for a solid kid's PC.

Thanks for the help.

That's easy. From www.mwave.com:

# INTEL PENTIUM 4 541 3.2 GHZ EM64T 800MHZ RETAIL BOXED BUNDLE W/BIOSTAR
P4M80-M7A
# KINGSTON 1GB DDR400
# NO TESTING

$232.66 $232.66
SKU: MB-BA22895 -BA21929 -BA20668 -


XFX GEFORCE 6200 128MB GDDR2 AGP LOW PROFILE TV/DVI (Retail)
$47.49 $47.49
SKU: 4185526


# SAMSUNG Black 18X SH-S182D DUAL DVD RW DRIVE w/SW(Bare drive)NO AUDIO/DATA
CABLE
# NO ADD-ON MEDIA

$31.90 $31.90
SKU: AA51490 - -


# ENERMAX EG465P-FMA FMAII ATX 12V VERSION 2.2 460W RoHS UL FCC POWER SUPPLY
FOR ATX CASESNO TESTER
# NO Y CABLE

$60.50 $60.50
SKU: BA23026 - -


CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER SB0570 AUDIGY SE 24-BIT 7.1 PCI (Retail)
$29.92 $29.92
SKU: 3876465


Total $402.47

There's a very solid system, much under $500. Just add your case and hard
drive, and choose a different color DVD burner if black doesn't match your
case. Note that even if you have a power supply, you will want to buy a new
one. But even with a high-quality power supply, decent video card and
premium sound card, you're still well under $500. -Dave

 

[U-571]

There is currently a price war between AMD and Intel. Intel's latest
product line is positioned at the high to mid-high end of the market.
AMD is occupying the low to mid range.

Charts - so you know what you're getting:
http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html

AMD Athlon 64 4000+ single core San Diego 2.4GHz 1MB L2 Socket 939 OEM $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103528

ASUS A8N5X Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard $73
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131569

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR400 (PC 3200) $100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820145480

Seagate hard drive - IDE (no surprises) $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148095

NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152058

Cooler (since processor is OEM and heatsink/fan doesn't come with CPU)
Normally I'd recommend a Zalman 7000B AlCu, but not for a kid's PC
This one is compact and easy to install. Fan appears replaceable.
Thermaltake CL-P0200 Silent 939 K8 - AMD K8 solution w/ Heatpipe $30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835106068
http://www.pro-clockers.com/reviews.php?id=65&page=3

Thermal paste (Ceramique) $5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100009

*****
Spare Northbridge cooler (for when the Asus fan fails)
Note - check dimensions and make sure hole span matches mobo holes.
Center to center on mobo of 2.05" (52.1mm) to 2.41" (61.4mm).
Looks to be about 2.29"
MCX159-CU $33 (aggressive cooler since chip gets hot)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108072
http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcx159-CU.asp

*or* buy spares from the Asus store @ $3 each.
http://estore.asus.com/shop/item.asp?itemid=231&catid=132
*****

I wanted to price all that stuff first, to see what is left for video.
I left out the spare replacement Northbridge fan for now.
80+73+100+44+30+30+5=362

Video card

This 7600GT is $80 after rebate - quiet and low power consumption
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814143049

A 7900GS is about $145 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814150208

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_17.html

X1950Pro for $179 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814103021

None of the three cards has really high power consumption.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/x1950pro-gf7900gs_6.html

7600GT 35.8W max, or about 12V @ 3A
7900GS 45.1W max, or about 12V @ 4A
X1950Pro 65.7W max, or about 12V @ 5.5A

In terms of +12V consumption:

CPU 89W (www.amdcompare.com) 89W/12V * (1/0.90) = 8.24A
Video card (salt to taste...) 4.0A
Hard drive 0.6A
CDROM (I measured mine one night...) 1.0A
Fans (estimated budget for CPU + two other fans) 0.5A
Total 12V @ 14.34A

Check the label on the side of your power supply, for
whatever current you work out for +12V. The 3.3 and 5V
consumption is usually OK (and I cannot work it out
anyway).

Paul

Thanks, Paul, for the information.

I haven't assembled a complete system since the Socket A, Duron 950
days.

When I started looking for the components to build a new system, it
was very confusing, with all the options now available. Whew

Your helpful input has pointed me in the right direction.

Thanks for your help.

 

[U-571]

That's easy. From www.mwave.com:

# INTEL PENTIUM 4 541 3.2 GHZ EM64T 800MHZ RETAIL BOXED BUNDLE W/BIOSTAR
P4M80-M7A
# KINGSTON 1GB DDR400
# NO TESTING

$232.66 $232.66
SKU: MB-BA22895 -BA21929 -BA20668 -


XFX GEFORCE 6200 128MB GDDR2 AGP LOW PROFILE TV/DVI (Retail)
$47.49 $47.49
SKU: 4185526


# SAMSUNG Black 18X SH-S182D DUAL DVD RW DRIVE w/SW(Bare drive)NO AUDIO/DATA
CABLE
# NO ADD-ON MEDIA

$31.90 $31.90
SKU: AA51490 - -


# ENERMAX EG465P-FMA FMAII ATX 12V VERSION 2.2 460W RoHS UL FCC POWER SUPPLY
FOR ATX CASESNO TESTER
# NO Y CABLE

$60.50 $60.50
SKU: BA23026 - -


CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER SB0570 AUDIGY SE 24-BIT 7.1 PCI (Retail)
$29.92 $29.92
SKU: 3876465


Total $402.47

There's a very solid system, much under $500. Just add your case and hard
drive, and choose a different color DVD burner if black doesn't match your
case. Note that even if you have a power supply, you will want to buy a new
one. But even with a high-quality power supply, decent video card and
premium sound card, you're still well under $500. -Dave

Thanks, Dave, for your help.