Buying bare bones at Mwave

[JB]

I'm looking into buying a bare bones PC at Mwave. I already have a CD
drive, hard disk, Windows -- just about everything except case, RAM,
motherboard, psu, and CPU -- so it's a good match. I have a Creative
Audigy 2 sound card, a run of the mill WD 40 GB hard disk, a Sony
multiformat drive, and a Hercules 64 MB video card already, plus
mouse/keyboard, FDD, etc.

I'm wondering, of the various cases and motherboards, which ones
would you recommend for a tight budget? I'd love to spend less than
$300 on the whole thing. I figure I'd get the 2.6 CPU, and 512 RAM
from Mwave. I know I want the 800 MHz FSB. Their link is here:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/ProdBBONE-INTEL.hmx?updepts=bbone.hmx&dname=Barebone-Systems

Pricing ranges from $35 up to $135 for the cases. They have Antec,
Enermax, etc. Asus, Chaintec, Gigabyte etc.

Let me know what you think,

- JB
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Dave C.]

I'm wondering, of the various cases and motherboards, which ones
would you recommend for a tight budget? I'd love to spend less than
$300 on the whole thing. I figure I'd get the 2.6 CPU, and 512 RAM
from Mwave. I know I want the 800 MHz FSB. Their link is here:

http://www.mwave.com/mwave/ProdBBONE-INTEL.hmx?updepts=bbone.hmx&dname=Barebone-Systems

Pricing ranges from $35 up to $135 for the cases. They have Antec,
Enermax, etc. Asus, Chaintec, Gigabyte etc.

Let me know what you think,

I think your CPU and RAM are going to eat up almost $300 by themselves, and
you still need about $200 for a decent PSU, case and Mainboard.

I can spec you similar performance and rock-solid stability for about $300,
but you can't do it the intel 800FSB route unless you obliterate your
current budget. Check out the following though:

from www.mwave.com:
SKU Qty Item Unit Price Ext. Price
MB-BA03069-BA19812-BA13301-BA02598-BA02598- AMD ATHLON XP 2600+ 333MHZ
OEM BUNDLE W/ Details (EPOX 8RDA3I-MB; MWAVE COPPER PLATE FAN; MWAVE 512MB
DDR333(256MB X 2); NO TESTING) $229.00 $229.00

frow www.newegg.com:



RAIDMAX Beige 10-bay Case, Model "ATX-208" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811156011
Save to Buy Later

Remove Item
$18.00

$18.00


qualifies for extended warranty
Power Supplies



SPARKLE POWER 400 WATTS ATX UL APPROVED POWER SUPPLY MODEL,
"FSP400-60GN(12V)" -OEM
Item# N82E16817103407
Save to Buy Later

Remove Item
$58.00

$58.00


qualifies for extended warranty
Extend My Standard Warranty on the above qualifying items for:
$5.00

Product total: $76.00
FedEx International Economy - PR ONLYAPO/FPO - Military ONLYFedEx
Standard OvernightFedEx 2DayFedEx Express Saver Choose
stateAAAPAEALASKAALABAMAARKANSASARIZONACALIFORNIACOLORADOCONNECTICUTDISTRICT
OF
COLUMBIADELAWAREFLORIDAGEORGIAHAWAIIIOWAIDAHOILLINOISINDIANAKANSASKENTUCKYLO
UISIANAMASSACHUSETTSMARYLANDMAINEMICHIGANMINNESOTAMISSOURIMISSISSIPPIMONTANA
NORTH CAROLINANORTH DAKOTANEBRASKANEW HAMPSHIRENEW JERSEYNEW MEXICONEVADANEW
YORKOHIOOKLAHOMAOREGONPENNSYLVANIAPUERTO RICORHODE ISLANDSOUTH CAROLINASOUTH
DAKOTATENNESSEETEXASUTAHVIRGINIAVERMONTWASHINGTONWISCONSINWEST
VIRGINIAWYOMING Shipping & Handling: $ 0.00
Total (Before tax): $ 76.00


With shipping, total about $350, probably. The raidmax case is low-end, but
well made and easy to work with. The power supply is one of the top rated
brands in the world (fortron/sparkle). The motherboard is top-notch quality
and nforce2 chipset can't be beaten for speed and stability. The only thing
I would do is upgrade to Kingston brand RAM, but I believe this is the best
you can do to TRY to stay within your budget and still end up with something
useful and reliable. -Dave

 

[JB]

I think your CPU and RAM are going to eat up almost $300 by themselves, and
you still need about $200 for a decent PSU, case and Mainboard.

I can spec you similar performance and rock-solid stability for about $300,
but you can't do it the intel 800FSB route unless you obliterate your
current budget. Check out the following though:

I don't know, I've tested a few 800 FSB systems and they just seem
snappier. Do you think it's worth the extra expense? I have been
pretty happy with AMD -- I have an 1800+ right now. Mostly, it just
seems logical for me to start with a new computer because I have at
least 75% of the other parts here already.

 

[Dave C.]

I can spec you similar performance and rock-solid stability for about
$300,

I don't know, I've tested a few 800 FSB systems and they just seem
snappier. Do you think it's worth the extra expense? I have been
pretty happy with AMD -- I have an 1800+ right now. Mostly, it just
seems logical for me to start with a new computer because I have at
least 75% of the other parts here already.

I think you answered your own question. If you are happy with AMD, stick
with it. FWIW, I don't suggest upgrading from an 1800+ system right *NOW*,
unless you really want to. You could build intel or amd *anything*, and
not have a -significant- performance increase. At least, not without
upgrading a lot more than just the motherboard/CPU/RAM. If you are not
happy with the performance of your current system, have you tried a fresh
install of XP pro recently? (that is, on a FORMATTED hard drive?) -Dave

 

[Matt]

I think your CPU and RAM are going to eat up almost $300 by themselves, and
you still need about $200 for a decent PSU, case and Mainboard.

I can spec you similar performance and rock-solid stability for about $300,
but you can't do it the intel 800FSB route unless you obliterate your
current budget. Check out the following though:

from www.mwave.com:
SKU Qty Item Unit Price Ext. Price
MB-BA03069-BA19812-BA13301-BA02598-BA02598- AMD ATHLON XP 2600+ 333MHZ
OEM BUNDLE W/ Details (EPOX 8RDA3I-MB; MWAVE COPPER PLATE FAN; MWAVE 512MB
DDR333(256MB X 2); NO TESTING) $229.00 $229.00

frow www.newegg.com:



RAIDMAX Beige 10-bay Case, Model "ATX-208" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811156011
Save to Buy Later

Remove Item
$18.00

$18.00


qualifies for extended warranty
Power Supplies



SPARKLE POWER 400 WATTS ATX UL APPROVED POWER SUPPLY MODEL,
"FSP400-60GN(12V)" -OEM
Item# N82E16817103407
Save to Buy Later

Remove Item
$58.00

$58.00


qualifies for extended warranty
Extend My Standard Warranty on the above qualifying items for:
$5.00

Product total: $76.00
FedEx International Economy - PR ONLYAPO/FPO - Military ONLYFedEx
Standard OvernightFedEx 2DayFedEx Express Saver Choose
stateAAAPAEALASKAALABAMAARKANSASARIZONACALIFORNIACOLORADOCONNECTICUTDISTRICT
OF
COLUMBIADELAWAREFLORIDAGEORGIAHAWAIIIOWAIDAHOILLINOISINDIANAKANSASKENTUCKYLO
UISIANAMASSACHUSETTSMARYLANDMAINEMICHIGANMINNESOTAMISSOURIMISSISSIPPIMONTANA
NORTH CAROLINANORTH DAKOTANEBRASKANEW HAMPSHIRENEW JERSEYNEW MEXICONEVADANEW
YORKOHIOOKLAHOMAOREGONPENNSYLVANIAPUERTO RICORHODE ISLANDSOUTH CAROLINASOUTH
DAKOTATENNESSEETEXASUTAHVIRGINIAVERMONTWASHINGTONWISCONSINWEST
VIRGINIAWYOMING Shipping & Handling: $ 0.00
Total (Before tax): $ 76.00


With shipping, total about $350, probably. The raidmax case is low-end, but
well made and easy to work with. The power supply is one of the top rated
brands in the world (fortron/sparkle). The motherboard is top-notch quality
and nforce2 chipset can't be beaten for speed and stability. The only thing
I would do is upgrade to Kingston brand RAM, but I believe this is the best
you can do to TRY to stay within your budget and still end up with something
useful and reliable. -Dave

You have him spending 18 + 15 + 58 + 6 = $97 for case and PSU including
shipping. I don't know that he needs a 400W supply. From the pictures
at newegg, it looks like that case has poor ventilation: the vents at
bottom front seem to be substantially decorative.

I would consider the antec SLK3700 and SLK2600 at newegg for at least
$20 less. They are IMO generally better cases, too. I doubt the
Fortron/Sparkle PSU is practically any higher quality. See the pictures
and reviews at newegg. You may find better prices via pricegrabber.com,
etc.

 

[JB]

I think you answered your own question. If you are happy with AMD, stick
with it. FWIW, I don't suggest upgrading from an 1800+ system right *NOW*,
unless you really want to. You could build intel or amd *anything*, and
not have a -significant- performance increase. At least, not without
upgrading a lot more than just the motherboard/CPU/RAM. If you are not
happy with the performance of your current system, have you tried a fresh
install of XP pro recently? (that is, on a FORMATTED hard drive?) -Dave

My computer is not terribly slow, but I have been playing Far Cry
lately on the medium settings. I had an AMD64 in for testing recently,
and Far Cry looked very different with everything cranked up. But I
hear what you're saying. Anybody see this:

http://www.microsoft-watch.com/article2/0,1995,1581842,00.asp

And I quote, "Microsoft is expected to recommend that the 'average'
Longhorn PC feature a dual-core CPU running at 4 to 6GHz; a minimum of
2 gigs of RAM; up to a terabyte of storage; a 1 Gbit, built-in,
Ethernet-wired port and an 802.11g wireless link; and a graphics
processor that runs three times faster than those on the market
today." -- Mary Jo Foley

I know it's a ways off, but, man, that sounds like a significant
upgrade. I know that I'd like to get ready for Half Life 2 and Doom 3
(I tend to wait until the boxed game is shipping, unlike others who
have been burned by release dates). So, maybe two upgrades between now
and whenever Longhorn ships.

So, anyway, I'm thinking I should use all these extra parts I have
(some from a dead computer, some from freebies and such), even if it's
just for an extra computer. The one conundrum, even if I build this
one, I'm still not in a position to get a NVIDIA 9800 or something, so
my 64MB graphics card would have to suffice.

- JB