new pc

[sephir420]

Wanting to build new computer but on a tight budget about $700, i know its not much but i want to build a gaming system. things that i wont need are a monitor, hdd, cd-rw. the dvd stuff will come later maby. these items will be guted from my curent computer. looking at the amd 64 procesors. not shure what main bord to get. and the look of the case is not important. i would just like your opinions.

 

[sephir420]

yep $700 us. i am poor. i thaught some one hear might be in for a chalange. can posibly go to about $800 - $900 but trying to not cut corners on cpu or main bord. dosent have to be top "o" the line but i want to make it a nice system. dont care if it is prety.

my curent system is

amd k6-2 500
asus p5-ab main bord i beleave
gforce 2 mx
768mb ram pc100
wd ata 133 80gb hdd
windows xp pro

i know its a sad system. but it runs xp just fine. lol.

 

[sephir420]

dang you are good. what is better to get harware from? newegg or pricewatch?

 

[Guest]

whichever lists cheaper price. newegg is an online retalier who has lots of adds on pricewatch.com, and newegg is also very reliable. Pricewatch is a website that searches lots of online retailers and lists the best prices available for whatever item you are looking for. personally, i wouldn't mind paying a few bucks more if its from new egg

 

[tweebel]

You can even delete the HD, says he won't need one. That'll leave some more room for a good PSU or a 3200+.

 

[endyen]

Either the Asus K8N ($85@ newegg) or the Abit NF8 ($88 at newegg) would be fine boards as well, but a little cheaper.

 

[Rugger]

Recommend you get the hardware from a single place - to me it's easier dealing with one company. Newegg has great customer service and prices.

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:tongue: <font color=red>Have you read the FAQ? Searched for other posts on this topic?</font color=red><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Rugger on 02/15/05 11:58 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pauldh]

And I almost never buy from just one place. Seems you can always save some money shopping around for each component.




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[pauldh]

Nothing against the other mobos mentioned, but I think <A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241581" target="_new">this</A> is a good value board that can save a few more bucks. Pair it with a A64 2800+ retail, a GF6600GT, and 512MB-1GB Ram, and a decent case/PS, you'll be well with your budget. You may need to skimp to 512MB ram if you need to fit Windows XP into that budget. But that would be better than going to a R9600 pro with 1GB system ram.


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[Rugger]

Updated list with clickies (all prices are Newegg):
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=13-127-190&depa=0" target="_new">Abit NF8</A> for $88
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=19-103-485&depa=0" target="_new">A64 2800+ Retail (s754)</A> for $123
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-150-085&depa=0" target="_new">XFX Geforce 6600GT</A> for $204
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=17-103-459&depa=0" target="_new">Enermax Noisetaker 420W</A> for $75
<A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=20-146-299&depa=1" target="_new">Mushkin Dual Pack PC3200 2x512MB</A> for $131
Total so far =$621

You can install the above PSU in your old case for now or get an El Cheapo case for $30. Recommend you avoid the generic PSU. Later you can upgrade to SATA HDD. If you want to spend a little more, you can get the 3000+ for $24 more than the 2800+ or the 3200+ for $67 more then the 2800+. To me the price/perf ratio starts dropping after the 3000+ right now.

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[Rugger]

I found myself not saving more than $20-50 when I bought at different locations. It was worth it to me to pay a few dollars more for ease of shopping and dealing with one vendor with one RMA process. You are correct, you can save some money buying from different places - especially on a tight budget.

Sephir: When shopping around make sure you take into account the shipping/handling costs when comparing prices. Ask on the boards for opinions on an online retailer. And look at the company's RMA policy and make sure they have a good customer support reputation, too.

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[mozzartusm]

You cant beat NewEgg for service. I would buy there if at all possible. ZIPZOOMFLY will probably have Newegg beat on the prices so you may also consider them.

READ THE STICKY AND WIN A PRIZE! ALL PRIZES CAN BE CLAIMED IN THE SECTION TITLED "THE OTHER"

 

[pauldh]

<A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80698-R" target="_new">http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80698-R</A>
<A HREF="http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241581" target="_new">http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=241581</A>
<A HREF="http://www.buyxg.com/store/item.asp?key=VC-145-102" target="_new">http://www.buyxg.com/store/item.asp?key=VC-145-102</A>

Saves you $25 on mobo/cpu/video

That's a nice PS, do you need a case also? You could consider an Antec or enlight case that comes with a 350W or higher PS, which would still be good and probably cost you about the same for the case and PS as that PS does. I wouldn't recommend a generic PS, but Antec, Enlight, Sparkle, FSP group, Fortron Source, PC power & Cooling, as well as Enermax are all good PS's. No harm in having extra power though if you still go with the 420W.





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<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Pauldh on 02/16/05 02:02 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pauldh]

Don't get me wrong, I have a closet full of newegg hats & T's from the past few years. Great site, and by far the one I have used the most (at least until they started charging NJ sales tax). But Half my profits would disappear if I were to only shop from them. If you are building one system fine, what's $50 I guess except an upgrade to a GF6800 instead of a 6600GT. But building one system after another, it ads up quick and saving a few bucks here and there can make a big difference over time. newegg is great to deal with for sure, but I can't say I have a sour taste from any other site except maybe Tiger Direct and Justdeals.



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[Rugger]

What do you know about the Xclio PSUs? They seem to have good amp ratings on their 12V lines. Does this company have any reliability issues? Customer Support? Their 450W is only $51.50 - I just don't kno wenough about them to recommend...

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[Rugger]

Good perspective on the pricing. I don't build systems one after another and don't have a profit margin that would be cut into...

Next time I build, I'll do some more shopping around.

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[pauldh]

Honestly, never heard of them, but will keep my eye out for info/reviews.

For cheap but good ones I usually stick to Sparkle or FSP Group, both basically Fortron Source. But I also do just use Antec or in the past Enlight whenever free shipping is offered on the cases. When just buying a PS I don't buy ANtec though as for the price something else usually seems better. But it's still a solid PS in a solid case when bought together. For some reason I have been on an Antec Case kick for the past year or so. Before that is was Enlight for a while, and before that cheap computer show cases(w/ crappy PS) unless it was a high end rig. :redface:


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<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Pauldh on 02/16/05 02:02 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pauldh]

I stop short of ordering CPU's from the pricewatch sites in the midwest , but otherwise I just have to hunt for the best price all the time. I will pay a buck or two more to buy from newegg or zipzoom. But I hate getting ripped off and get bothered seeing a piece of hardware $20 cheaper 2 days after I ordered it somewhere else. I don't know, maybe it's a curse. At least I usually now stay away from mail in rebates as much as possible. Getting lazy I guess.

Pathetic as it seems, I even went back to BestBuy (2 miles away) just to get a $16 pricematch on HL2 when they advertised a lower price 2 weeks later. But then again, I don't need much of an excuse to browse at BestBuy either, *drool*.

I forgot to say, at least think of the money saved on a system as being able to pay for the first game you'll want to play on it. Alot of good games for $30 or so out there.

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<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Pauldh on 02/16/05 01:14 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Rugger]

Thanks for looking - I'll keep an eye out and post if I see anything. Usually can't go wrong with the FSP based PSUs - just good, reliable and inexpensive PSUs. I listed the 420W Enermax, because it was the middle of the road btw the FSP 400W and FSP Blue Storm 500W. S/H is what kills for the heavier parts like the PSU/case - free shipping is NICE!

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[Rugger]

Everytime that kind of price drop happens to me I end up kicking something. I have to do a Seinfeld and yell "SERENITY NOW!" :lol:

I don't blame you at all for going back to Best Buy for the extra funds - that was half the cost of another game. Wish I could do more looking around in Best Buy :frown: - closest one is 45 min from me.

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[pauldh]

That is a nice PS you posted for sure and in a higher end rig that would be much better than a Sparkle 350W. I just think of those as a solid budget value PS, especially compared to the 300-400W generics that come in most el-cheapo cases.


Anyway, I just had a good LOL at myself for typing FS<b>B</b> Group.


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[Rugger]

Agreed on quality of that PSU. I'm just not sure that a 350W PSU - made by whoever - is good for a modern system, especially if the PC will have a lot of additional cards. He should really calculate power consumption before getting anything less than 400W. He should calculate wattage needed based on continuous usage being at the maximum 65-70% of total wattage. Getting an under-powered PSU now will mean a faster PSU failure and more money down the line. Definitely should get something that is ATX12V v2.0 compliant for the split 12V rails and vid card power.

Wasn't going to say a thing about the FSB...

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