- Feb 1, 2006
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As with the Intel vs. AMD CPU Thread, I think this thread needs to be alive. Again, I ask nobody to start flame wars or fanboy posts because a particular Intel or AMD CPU was chosen, if you disagree with what is posted, PM me so I can attempt to accomodate you, try to keep posts here limited so we can retain the integrity of the reason for this thread. I also ask the Moderators to consider this for Sticky, because I believe it will help many many people building new computers.
This Thread is designed to help people looking for new computers as to what to purchase. I start with a basic $500 system, and work my way up to The Dream Machine in $250 increments. I will first name the components and prices, say a Total at the end, and state why I chose each of those parts near the bottom of each build. I will also give an estimate as to the quality of gaming, multi-tasking, and longevity of each system. All prices are quoted from Newegg.com as of 2-18-06.
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The Basic Setup Budget: $500
Processor: AMD Sempron 3100+ Socket 754 -- $80.00 Link
Motherboard: MSI RS482M-IL Socket 754 -- $62.99 Link
Memory: G.SKILL Value DDR400 512MB --$36.65 Link
Video Card: ATI Radeon x1300 PCI-E 128MB -- $67.50 Link
CD Drive: LITE-ON Beige 52X CD-RW Drive -- $21.99 Link
Hard Drive: WesternDigital CaviarSE 80GB SATA --$55.00 Link
Power Supply: Antec TruePowerII 430 Watt -- $64.99 Link
Case: RAIDMAX Mustang Red -- $53.99 Link
Speakers: Logitech S-100 BLK 5 Watt 2.0 -- $7.00 Link
Total Cost: $450.11 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $502.03 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose the AMD Sempron 3100+ for a few reasons. Mainly because it is cheap, and is a very fast CPU for the money it costs. It also uses HyperTransport at 800MHz (1600MHz Full Duplex), is 90nm, and has 256KB Level 2 Cache, which is double most other Semprons. The only con is that this is 32-bit.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard because it was very cheap, had all good reviews, and comes with lots of additions and features that range from IDE & SATA RAID, 2 SATA Ports, and has 3 PCI Slots for expandability. It also has 2 DDR400 RAM Slots that allows up to 2GB of Memory.
Memory: I chose this memory because G.Skill is a very reputable brand. Their memory, in my experience, has been very stable and cheaper compared to Corsair, OCZ and others. The timings of this memory, being "Value RAM", are better than most Value RAM's at the same price (2.5-3-3-6 vs. 3-3-3-8 ).
Video Card: I chose this because this is a very accepting Video Card for a Basic Setup Budget computer. I currently use this in a Dual Opteron server, the server is used for tasks of DHCP, DNS, AD, etc. so the Video Card does not get used, but the specs and ease of installation make this a great video card for the price.
CD Drive: I chose this CD-RW Burner almost purely on Price and Reviews. This burner has gotten solid reviews and for the price and performance of this drive, it is unrivaled by many. Very accepting drive for a budget system, or any system for that matter.
Hard Drive: I chose this Hard Drive due to Performance & Price, and the fact that the Caviar's are a very good series from Western Digital. The Price of this drive is extremely acceptable, and given the fact it is SATA w/ 8MB of Cache, this drive performs very well and should give you about 50-55MB/s or more sustained Read/Write. (That's good!)
Power Supply: I chose this due to Price & the quality of this drive. This Drive has served many-a Gamers and enthusiasts searching for Power w/ Low Price, this PSU provides rock solid performance and stability at a fraction of the price of competitors.
Case: I chose this drive due to the Airflow, Upgradability, and Price. There is lots of room to expand in CD/DVD Drives, Hard Drives, add extra cooling, and w/o breaking the bank either. This case is made of sturdy steel and even comes with a 420 Watt Power Supply!
Speakers: I chose these purely due to price. I have owned several 2.0 and 2.1 budget speaker setups, all performed surprisingly well for the price and were very sturdy. These speakers should not let down, they will be very good now, and later if you choose to upgrade.
Quality:
Gaming: This system will perform admirable in Gaming. It will not be playing games such as F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 2, Need For Speed Most Wanted, etc. But it was designed for people looking for an everyday computer with light gaming. This computer system will handle Battlefield 2, MotoGP 3, Unreal Tournament 2004, etc. on Low to Low-Medium settings and maybe Medium on some games.
Multi-Tasking: This system will allow for ease of Application multi-tasking. You will be able to open several Windows, Internet Explorers (Or Opera
), IM Programs, etc. w/o noticing lag. It will not be able to have multiple Games, while having 25 Windows open and trying to extract files, copy files, w/o slow down, but the slowdown will not be extreme.
Longevity: Since this is a budget system, it is hard to say exactly how long it will last. The motherboard and case will provide upgrade options in the future for more RAM, new Hard Drives, newer PCI-Express graphics card. As for a number to say how long this will last in it's current state, w/o needing too many upgrades, I would put a 6 - 12 Month lifetime for this current system confguration.
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The Beginning Gamer Budget: $750
Processor: Athlon 64 3000+ Socket 754 -- $120.00 Link
Motherboard: JetWay GTDual-STD-G s754 & s939 -- $86.00 Link
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 512MB DDR400 -- $56.50 Link
Video Card: nVidia 6800GS PCI-E 256MB -- $179.00 Link
CD Drive: ASUS Black E-IDE CD-RW -- $23.99 Link
Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.7 SATA 2 80GB -- $59.00 Link
Power Supply: Aspire Chameleon 550 Watt -- $74.99 Link
Case: Sunbream Transformer ATX Case -- $89.99 Link
Speakers: Altec 2.0 Speakers -- $10.00 Link
Total Cost: $699.47 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $754.82 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this processor because of the price to performance rato. This CPU is the newest socket 754 processor and it runs on the Venice core and 90nm. This has HyperTransport up to 800MHz (1600MHz Full Duplex) and has very good overclocking potential.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard due to expandabiltiy and price. This motherboard allows for the current setup of socket 754 and in the future, upgrade to a socket 939 with Dual Channel memory. The price cannot be beat, the reviews all point to good stability and ease of install.
Memory: I chose this memory due to the reliability, performance, and price of this. I use this in a Desktop computer of mine, it overclocks extremely well, has very low latencies (Supports Cas Latency of 1.5) and works flawlessly. This memory can be than put with its matching pair later and used in the Socket 939 part of the motherboard for Dual Channel Extreme performace.
Video Card: I chose this video card for it's outstanding performance and price. I have his in a Deskop computer of mine, in SLI, in Single Card confguration, this thing knocks out all my 6800GT's & Ultras! This card offers excellent ability for overclocking and the performance cannot be beat in the price level.
CD Drive: I chose this CD-RW due to the price and ASUS. ASUS is a very good company, all my products made by ASUS are rock solid stable and perform acceptional. This CD-RW is very cheap, will perform excellent, and is good for any computer. If needbe, this can be upgraded to a DVD-ROM for darn-near the same price.
Hard Drive: I chose his hard drive due to speed, price, and Seagate. Seagate 7200.7 series has been stable, vs. he .8 series that has been buggy with my experience. The price of this drive cannot be beat at 80GB w/ 8MB Cache and SATA. For future, pair this drive with a 2nd for RAID 0 and get mad performance boost!
Power Supply: I chose this power supply for it's cheap price and specs. The 36A +12v is enough to power anything now, and a future system as well. Aspire is a well-known company that makes rock solid PSU's (In my experience) and this one is just the icng on the cake. And at 550 Watts, it can't be beat!
Case: I chose this case because it is very big, expandable, has excellent airflow, and is made by a reputable company. Sunbeam, in my experience, made stable, excellent products and this is no exception. It has a slick, cool design with fans galore. It has plenty of room for future expandability and you won't have to worry about overheating issues or adding in components. And the fact it is very cheap!
Speakers: I chose these speakers purely on price. For $10, the price cannot be beat. All 2.0 and 2.1 speakers as I stated before, have been very qualitative for their low price.
Quality:
Gaming: This system will peform extremely well in Gaming. It will be able to play F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 2, NFS Most Wanted, etc. On Medium to Medium-High settings and get amazing frame rates. This video card is an excellent card for single-card-configuration and will last for a long time.
Multi-Tasking: This system will be an excellent multitasker. You will be able to have open several windows, and a couple programs with minimal slowdown. You won't be able to tab between games or heavy programs, due to 512MB RAM. But for he price, this system will multi-task the best.
Longevity: This is an easier one to put a longevity number on. Given the motherboard, RAM, and case chosen, I would put the longevity between 9 - 15 months. A very excellent time for such a great, cheap system. Being 64-bit, it will handle Windows XP x64 edition if wanting.
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The Newbie Budget: $1,000
Processor: Athlon 64 3500+ -- $201.00 Link
Motherboard: BIOSTAR nForce4 SLI -- $113.00 Link
Memory: Corsar XMS 1GB (512MBx2) DDR400 -- $100.00 Link
Video Card: nVidia 7800GT PCI-E 256MB -- $285.00 Link
DVD Drive: NEC Beige DVD-RW -- $37.99 Link
Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.9 80GB SATA2 3.0Gb/s -- $58.00 Link
Power Supply: Thermaltake 500 Watt -- $79.99 Link
Case: Aspire X-Finity ATX Black -- $56.99 Link
Speakers: Codegen 2.1 Speakers -- $32.88 Link
Total Cost: $964.85 Before Shipping
Toatl Cost: $1,017.97 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this CPU because of it's excellent performance at a low cost and cheaper then a 3700+. This processor performs excepionally well in multitasking, converting, gaming, etc. The price for this CPU is unrivaled by any Intel counterpart, and will last a very long time.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard due to price and features. It is a cheap board, has SLI for future adoption and expanability, and it has plenty of PCI, SATA, and IDE to add in additional Hard Drives and expansion cards for upgrading and all at a low cost!
Memory: I chose this memory due to price, performance, and stability. All Corsar XMS in my experiene has been extremely rock solid, No DOA's and overclocks nicely. The price for this is very low and it provides excellent timings and rock solid DDR400 performance.
Video Card: I chose this video card because it is cheap, performs fantastic, and overclock well. This video card will play all new games on good settings with awesome image quality. You can overlock it safely and stabley for extra performane and later add in a 2nd one for extreme performance from SLI.
DVD Drive: I chose this drive because it is cheap, highly rated, and has excellent specs. A reliable, performing drive that will do what it is made to do, burn DVD's and CD's at high speed! And the fact that it is dirt cheap!
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to speed and price. The SATA 2 provides excellent performance and when accompanied with RAID 0 of a 2nd drive, provides max performance for multitasking and gaming experiences! This drive is very cheap, very fast, and is made by a very reputable company.
Power Supply: I chose this because of the company, price, and specs. All Thermaltake products to me have been very reliable and excellent performers. Rock solid stability and excellent specs for now and future upgradability, accompanied with the low price, make this a steal for any computer level.
Case: I chose this case due to price and excellent airflow. All the 80mm fan ports on the side, front, and top mean you can setup awesome airflow and get maximum cooling. The price is so low, it may make you buy 2! I recommend this case for any computer build, and it fits perfectly in this build.
Speakers: I chose these speakers purely due to price and company. Codegen makes excellent products at a very low price, and 2.1 speakers don't come much cheaper than this. A nice bass, decent sound, cheap price, these are a steal!
Quality:
Gaming: This system is an excellent gaming machine. It will play all current games on excellent settings with little to no drop in performance. It will last a very long time, and given the oppurtunity to add in a 2nd video card later on for SLI means that this is an excellent choice for the future.
Multi-Tasking: This system will multi-task like a dream. You will be able to tab between a game, IM, copying files, and browsing the interent w/o slowdown of any severe kind.
Longevity: The longevity of this system is pretty high. With the option for SLI to add in a 2nd video card and the fact that you can throw in a Dual-Core CPU later on to take full effect of Multi-Tasking and Multi-Core Gaming, means this system should be rock solid for 12 - 18 months or more.
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The Spender Budget: $1,250
Processor: Athlon 64 3800+ X2 -- $296.00 Link
Motherboard: ASUS A8N-SLI Premium -- $166.99 Link
Memory: Corsair XMS DDR400 1GB (512x2) -- $127.00
Video Card: nVidia 7800GT 256MB PCI-E --$294.00 Link
DVD Drive: NEC Beige IDE DVD Burner -- $37.99 Link
Hard Drive: Maxtor Diamondback 80GB -- $56.00 Link
Power Supply: XG Vortec 600 Watt ATX -- $100.99 Link
Case: Broadway Com Corp -- $54.99 Link
Speakers: Logitech X-530 5.1 -- $58.99 Link
Total Cost: $1,192.95 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $1,248.03 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this CPU due to it's excellent performance for a cheap price, and the fact that it is Dual-Core! This CPU is like having 2 A64 3200+'s! The overclocking potential, and stability of this CPU make it a match for any desktop build.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard because of the name and the features. ASUS has always been a good brand for me, and the A8N-SLI series keeps up that tradition. All the A8N-SLI series I've used have been rock solid stable and performed very admirably, and given the fact it has SLI, supports Dual-Core, has loads of features, and it's cheap!
Memory: I chose this RAM due to price and name. Corsair....too many builds have been utilizing Corsair RAM and too many times have I had 100% reliability, and the XMS Series is the icing on the cake. This RAM is excellent performance at a very cheap price, this RAM will perform very well in any computer build.
Video Card: I chose this Video Card due to price and performance. The 7800GT has performed flawlessly in benchmarks and real-world performance. With the option to add a 2nd 7800GT with this build, the possibilities for all the eye-candy and great frames reaches the roof! And you can't beat the price, come on!
DVD Drive: I chose this DVD-RW due to price and performance. This drive performs very admirably, NEC drives have always been stable to me and never let me down. And the fact that it is very cheap, make this the perfect fit for a perfect system!
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to price and name. Maxtor drives have been some of the most reliable and best performers for me, beating out Hitachi Deskstars and Seagate Barricudas. The price of this makes it so attractive to add a 2nd one for RAID 0 and get ungodly performance for a very low price.
Power Supply: I chose this PSU due to reliability and price. I put this in a desktop computer, fired it up, and all the RAIL's are incredibly stable and high-performing, even with overclocking! The fact that it is 600 Watts means that this PSU should be great for any build!
Case: I chose this case due to price and sturdyness. I used this case for a desktop computer build, stuck many fans and extra drives in here, and the airflow and performance is very good. Many ports for fans, huge size for great airflow and room for expandability in the future!
Speakers: I chose these speakers due to price and performance. I picked these speakers up a few times for a couple desktop builds, and each time they have performed like those $200+ speakers! 5.1 speakers, attractive price, and great performance, these can't be passed up!
Quality:
Gaming: This computer system will perform above and beyond in gaming performance. In it's current state, it should handle all current generation and future generation games at excellent quality. As soon as you add a 2nd one, the performance will be extravigant.
Multi-Tasking: This system will multi-task like there is no tomorrow. Given the fact of Dual-Core and great clock speeds, means you can have almost unlimited windows and programs running as possible w/o worrying about slowdown.
Longevity: This system, given it's current state and the possibility of future upgrades, I would put this system between 12 - 24 month lifetime.
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The Enthusiast Budget: $1,500 - $1,750
Processor: Opteron 165 -- $332.00 Link
Motherboard: DFI LanParty nF4 Expert -- $189.99 Link
Memory: G.Skill Extreme 2GB Kit DDR500 -- [b$192.00[/b] Link
Video Card: nVidia 7800GTX PCI-E 256MB -- $469.00 Link
DVD Drive: Lite-On DVD-RW -- $52.99 Link
Hard Drive: Western D 250GB 16MB Caviar -- $105.00 Link
Power Supply: XG Vortec 600 Watt ATX -- $100.99 Link
Case: Aspire X-Navigator ATX -- $99.99 Link
Speakers: Creative Inspire 5.1 -- $65.00 Link
Total Cost: $1,606.96 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $1,671.96 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
Processor: I chose this CPU due to it's price and performance. This CPU is an insane little fella, the fact that it can be overclocked like mad is another reason I chose this. At it's stock speeds, it is a very impressive chip, but once you start to overclock, it really pays off to buy this CPU.
Motherboard: I chose this Motherboard due to performance and name. DFI is known for it's enthusiast boards that overclock like mad. What a perfect fit for the CPU I chose, this is very stable, has tons of features, and has SLI for future-proofing gaming performance.
Memory: I chose this memory due to price and name. G.SKill makes very good RAM, and this is no different. Coupled with the CPU/Mobo, this DDR500 makes he overclocking experience much easier and you won't have to worry about having 1:1 with your CPU anymore.
Video Card: I chose this video card due to performance. The 7800GTX is a performance killer, just 1 is enough to power through all current gen games at great settings, throw a 2nd in for SLI and you got yourself 1 hell of a rig!
DVD Drive: I chose this DVD-RW due to price and name. Lite-On is a very reputable company making very well made drives, and this drive will be just perfect for this build.
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to size and price. 250GB w/ 16MB of Cache means this drive will perform like crazy. I can't begin to tell of the performance I get with 250GB 16MB drives in RAID 0, and once you add a 2nd, you'll be lovin' it too!
Power Supply: I chose this PSU due to performance and price. This is the 2nd build I chose this PSU for, and the reason is simply because it is great. This PSU is one of the best on the market, it powers my desktops like no other and at a very attractive price too.
Case: I chose this case due to size and price. A friend of mine loves this case, it's huge, has lots of room for expansion, and has great airflow. The price of this case is unrivaled and will be perfect for this build.
Speakers: I chose these speakers due to price and name. Creative makes excellent speakers at an excellent price. These speakers are the final touches to this awesome build.
Quality:
Gaming: This system, at it's default settings, will perform extremely well. The fact that the CPU is dual-core means future gaming will be no match for this system, and adding a 2nd vid card, you're lookin' very good.
Multi-Tasking: Due to the Dual-Core CPU and RAM, this system will be a very very good multi-tasker. You'll be able to multi-task to your hearts content and not lose any performance.
Longevity: Given the CPU, SLI ability, featured mobo and case, I would have to put this system with a lifetime of 15 - 24 months.
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Okay, now you may notice a few things. 1, I didn't use Intel, reason is because you can't really find a respectable low-end Intel (Celeron is not a processor in my book) and for high-end gaming, AMD is the way to go. 2) I did not mention new CPU's, due to I don't believe Socket AM2 or Conroe's will be anywhere near "budget priced" or even $1,000 for a worthy next-gen system. I compiled this list to help people that don't know much about computers but want to build their own.
You can pretty much edit anything here and add and delete and keep the same price, and obviously if shipping isn't a concern, you can add more eye-candies to the specs to compensate for my shipping inclusion. If you notice anything wrong or think something should be changed, as I said before, PM me and I will change it. I hope this is helpful, took me awhile to make it. The shipping is how much it costs to ship to my residence, I am almost 3,000 miles from Newegg's HQ in California (where most of the items ship from) so this should be a good estimate of the most it would cost for the entire USA.
I chose to exclude Mice, Keyboard, and Monitor due to pricings and ability to pickup keyboard+mice combos for damn near $10.
~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time
This Thread is designed to help people looking for new computers as to what to purchase. I start with a basic $500 system, and work my way up to The Dream Machine in $250 increments. I will first name the components and prices, say a Total at the end, and state why I chose each of those parts near the bottom of each build. I will also give an estimate as to the quality of gaming, multi-tasking, and longevity of each system. All prices are quoted from Newegg.com as of 2-18-06.
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The Basic Setup Budget: $500
Processor: AMD Sempron 3100+ Socket 754 -- $80.00 Link
Motherboard: MSI RS482M-IL Socket 754 -- $62.99 Link
Memory: G.SKILL Value DDR400 512MB --$36.65 Link
Video Card: ATI Radeon x1300 PCI-E 128MB -- $67.50 Link
CD Drive: LITE-ON Beige 52X CD-RW Drive -- $21.99 Link
Hard Drive: WesternDigital CaviarSE 80GB SATA --$55.00 Link
Power Supply: Antec TruePowerII 430 Watt -- $64.99 Link
Case: RAIDMAX Mustang Red -- $53.99 Link
Speakers: Logitech S-100 BLK 5 Watt 2.0 -- $7.00 Link
Total Cost: $450.11 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $502.03 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose the AMD Sempron 3100+ for a few reasons. Mainly because it is cheap, and is a very fast CPU for the money it costs. It also uses HyperTransport at 800MHz (1600MHz Full Duplex), is 90nm, and has 256KB Level 2 Cache, which is double most other Semprons. The only con is that this is 32-bit.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard because it was very cheap, had all good reviews, and comes with lots of additions and features that range from IDE & SATA RAID, 2 SATA Ports, and has 3 PCI Slots for expandability. It also has 2 DDR400 RAM Slots that allows up to 2GB of Memory.
Memory: I chose this memory because G.Skill is a very reputable brand. Their memory, in my experience, has been very stable and cheaper compared to Corsair, OCZ and others. The timings of this memory, being "Value RAM", are better than most Value RAM's at the same price (2.5-3-3-6 vs. 3-3-3-8 ).
Video Card: I chose this because this is a very accepting Video Card for a Basic Setup Budget computer. I currently use this in a Dual Opteron server, the server is used for tasks of DHCP, DNS, AD, etc. so the Video Card does not get used, but the specs and ease of installation make this a great video card for the price.
CD Drive: I chose this CD-RW Burner almost purely on Price and Reviews. This burner has gotten solid reviews and for the price and performance of this drive, it is unrivaled by many. Very accepting drive for a budget system, or any system for that matter.
Hard Drive: I chose this Hard Drive due to Performance & Price, and the fact that the Caviar's are a very good series from Western Digital. The Price of this drive is extremely acceptable, and given the fact it is SATA w/ 8MB of Cache, this drive performs very well and should give you about 50-55MB/s or more sustained Read/Write. (That's good!)
Power Supply: I chose this due to Price & the quality of this drive. This Drive has served many-a Gamers and enthusiasts searching for Power w/ Low Price, this PSU provides rock solid performance and stability at a fraction of the price of competitors.
Case: I chose this drive due to the Airflow, Upgradability, and Price. There is lots of room to expand in CD/DVD Drives, Hard Drives, add extra cooling, and w/o breaking the bank either. This case is made of sturdy steel and even comes with a 420 Watt Power Supply!
Speakers: I chose these purely due to price. I have owned several 2.0 and 2.1 budget speaker setups, all performed surprisingly well for the price and were very sturdy. These speakers should not let down, they will be very good now, and later if you choose to upgrade.
Quality:
Gaming: This system will perform admirable in Gaming. It will not be playing games such as F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 2, Need For Speed Most Wanted, etc. But it was designed for people looking for an everyday computer with light gaming. This computer system will handle Battlefield 2, MotoGP 3, Unreal Tournament 2004, etc. on Low to Low-Medium settings and maybe Medium on some games.
Multi-Tasking: This system will allow for ease of Application multi-tasking. You will be able to open several Windows, Internet Explorers (Or Opera
), IM Programs, etc. w/o noticing lag. It will not be able to have multiple Games, while having 25 Windows open and trying to extract files, copy files, w/o slow down, but the slowdown will not be extreme.Longevity: Since this is a budget system, it is hard to say exactly how long it will last. The motherboard and case will provide upgrade options in the future for more RAM, new Hard Drives, newer PCI-Express graphics card. As for a number to say how long this will last in it's current state, w/o needing too many upgrades, I would put a 6 - 12 Month lifetime for this current system confguration.
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The Beginning Gamer Budget: $750
Processor: Athlon 64 3000+ Socket 754 -- $120.00 Link
Motherboard: JetWay GTDual-STD-G s754 & s939 -- $86.00 Link
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 512MB DDR400 -- $56.50 Link
Video Card: nVidia 6800GS PCI-E 256MB -- $179.00 Link
CD Drive: ASUS Black E-IDE CD-RW -- $23.99 Link
Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.7 SATA 2 80GB -- $59.00 Link
Power Supply: Aspire Chameleon 550 Watt -- $74.99 Link
Case: Sunbream Transformer ATX Case -- $89.99 Link
Speakers: Altec 2.0 Speakers -- $10.00 Link
Total Cost: $699.47 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $754.82 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this processor because of the price to performance rato. This CPU is the newest socket 754 processor and it runs on the Venice core and 90nm. This has HyperTransport up to 800MHz (1600MHz Full Duplex) and has very good overclocking potential.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard due to expandabiltiy and price. This motherboard allows for the current setup of socket 754 and in the future, upgrade to a socket 939 with Dual Channel memory. The price cannot be beat, the reviews all point to good stability and ease of install.
Memory: I chose this memory due to the reliability, performance, and price of this. I use this in a Desktop computer of mine, it overclocks extremely well, has very low latencies (Supports Cas Latency of 1.5) and works flawlessly. This memory can be than put with its matching pair later and used in the Socket 939 part of the motherboard for Dual Channel Extreme performace.
Video Card: I chose this video card for it's outstanding performance and price. I have his in a Deskop computer of mine, in SLI, in Single Card confguration, this thing knocks out all my 6800GT's & Ultras! This card offers excellent ability for overclocking and the performance cannot be beat in the price level.
CD Drive: I chose this CD-RW due to the price and ASUS. ASUS is a very good company, all my products made by ASUS are rock solid stable and perform acceptional. This CD-RW is very cheap, will perform excellent, and is good for any computer. If needbe, this can be upgraded to a DVD-ROM for darn-near the same price.
Hard Drive: I chose his hard drive due to speed, price, and Seagate. Seagate 7200.7 series has been stable, vs. he .8 series that has been buggy with my experience. The price of this drive cannot be beat at 80GB w/ 8MB Cache and SATA. For future, pair this drive with a 2nd for RAID 0 and get mad performance boost!
Power Supply: I chose this power supply for it's cheap price and specs. The 36A +12v is enough to power anything now, and a future system as well. Aspire is a well-known company that makes rock solid PSU's (In my experience) and this one is just the icng on the cake. And at 550 Watts, it can't be beat!
Case: I chose this case because it is very big, expandable, has excellent airflow, and is made by a reputable company. Sunbeam, in my experience, made stable, excellent products and this is no exception. It has a slick, cool design with fans galore. It has plenty of room for future expandability and you won't have to worry about overheating issues or adding in components. And the fact it is very cheap!
Speakers: I chose these speakers purely on price. For $10, the price cannot be beat. All 2.0 and 2.1 speakers as I stated before, have been very qualitative for their low price.
Quality:
Gaming: This system will peform extremely well in Gaming. It will be able to play F.E.A.R., Call of Duty 2, NFS Most Wanted, etc. On Medium to Medium-High settings and get amazing frame rates. This video card is an excellent card for single-card-configuration and will last for a long time.
Multi-Tasking: This system will be an excellent multitasker. You will be able to have open several windows, and a couple programs with minimal slowdown. You won't be able to tab between games or heavy programs, due to 512MB RAM. But for he price, this system will multi-task the best.
Longevity: This is an easier one to put a longevity number on. Given the motherboard, RAM, and case chosen, I would put the longevity between 9 - 15 months. A very excellent time for such a great, cheap system. Being 64-bit, it will handle Windows XP x64 edition if wanting.
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The Newbie Budget: $1,000
Processor: Athlon 64 3500+ -- $201.00 Link
Motherboard: BIOSTAR nForce4 SLI -- $113.00 Link
Memory: Corsar XMS 1GB (512MBx2) DDR400 -- $100.00 Link
Video Card: nVidia 7800GT PCI-E 256MB -- $285.00 Link
DVD Drive: NEC Beige DVD-RW -- $37.99 Link
Hard Drive: Seagate 7200.9 80GB SATA2 3.0Gb/s -- $58.00 Link
Power Supply: Thermaltake 500 Watt -- $79.99 Link
Case: Aspire X-Finity ATX Black -- $56.99 Link
Speakers: Codegen 2.1 Speakers -- $32.88 Link
Total Cost: $964.85 Before Shipping
Toatl Cost: $1,017.97 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this CPU because of it's excellent performance at a low cost and cheaper then a 3700+. This processor performs excepionally well in multitasking, converting, gaming, etc. The price for this CPU is unrivaled by any Intel counterpart, and will last a very long time.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard due to price and features. It is a cheap board, has SLI for future adoption and expanability, and it has plenty of PCI, SATA, and IDE to add in additional Hard Drives and expansion cards for upgrading and all at a low cost!
Memory: I chose this memory due to price, performance, and stability. All Corsar XMS in my experiene has been extremely rock solid, No DOA's and overclocks nicely. The price for this is very low and it provides excellent timings and rock solid DDR400 performance.
Video Card: I chose this video card because it is cheap, performs fantastic, and overclock well. This video card will play all new games on good settings with awesome image quality. You can overlock it safely and stabley for extra performane and later add in a 2nd one for extreme performance from SLI.
DVD Drive: I chose this drive because it is cheap, highly rated, and has excellent specs. A reliable, performing drive that will do what it is made to do, burn DVD's and CD's at high speed! And the fact that it is dirt cheap!
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to speed and price. The SATA 2 provides excellent performance and when accompanied with RAID 0 of a 2nd drive, provides max performance for multitasking and gaming experiences! This drive is very cheap, very fast, and is made by a very reputable company.
Power Supply: I chose this because of the company, price, and specs. All Thermaltake products to me have been very reliable and excellent performers. Rock solid stability and excellent specs for now and future upgradability, accompanied with the low price, make this a steal for any computer level.
Case: I chose this case due to price and excellent airflow. All the 80mm fan ports on the side, front, and top mean you can setup awesome airflow and get maximum cooling. The price is so low, it may make you buy 2! I recommend this case for any computer build, and it fits perfectly in this build.
Speakers: I chose these speakers purely due to price and company. Codegen makes excellent products at a very low price, and 2.1 speakers don't come much cheaper than this. A nice bass, decent sound, cheap price, these are a steal!
Quality:
Gaming: This system is an excellent gaming machine. It will play all current games on excellent settings with little to no drop in performance. It will last a very long time, and given the oppurtunity to add in a 2nd video card later on for SLI means that this is an excellent choice for the future.
Multi-Tasking: This system will multi-task like a dream. You will be able to tab between a game, IM, copying files, and browsing the interent w/o slowdown of any severe kind.
Longevity: The longevity of this system is pretty high. With the option for SLI to add in a 2nd video card and the fact that you can throw in a Dual-Core CPU later on to take full effect of Multi-Tasking and Multi-Core Gaming, means this system should be rock solid for 12 - 18 months or more.
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The Spender Budget: $1,250
Processor: Athlon 64 3800+ X2 -- $296.00 Link
Motherboard: ASUS A8N-SLI Premium -- $166.99 Link
Memory: Corsair XMS DDR400 1GB (512x2) -- $127.00
Video Card: nVidia 7800GT 256MB PCI-E --$294.00 Link
DVD Drive: NEC Beige IDE DVD Burner -- $37.99 Link
Hard Drive: Maxtor Diamondback 80GB -- $56.00 Link
Power Supply: XG Vortec 600 Watt ATX -- $100.99 Link
Case: Broadway Com Corp -- $54.99 Link
Speakers: Logitech X-530 5.1 -- $58.99 Link
Total Cost: $1,192.95 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $1,248.03 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
CPU: I chose this CPU due to it's excellent performance for a cheap price, and the fact that it is Dual-Core! This CPU is like having 2 A64 3200+'s! The overclocking potential, and stability of this CPU make it a match for any desktop build.
Motherboard: I chose this motherboard because of the name and the features. ASUS has always been a good brand for me, and the A8N-SLI series keeps up that tradition. All the A8N-SLI series I've used have been rock solid stable and performed very admirably, and given the fact it has SLI, supports Dual-Core, has loads of features, and it's cheap!
Memory: I chose this RAM due to price and name. Corsair....too many builds have been utilizing Corsair RAM and too many times have I had 100% reliability, and the XMS Series is the icing on the cake. This RAM is excellent performance at a very cheap price, this RAM will perform very well in any computer build.
Video Card: I chose this Video Card due to price and performance. The 7800GT has performed flawlessly in benchmarks and real-world performance. With the option to add a 2nd 7800GT with this build, the possibilities for all the eye-candy and great frames reaches the roof! And you can't beat the price, come on!
DVD Drive: I chose this DVD-RW due to price and performance. This drive performs very admirably, NEC drives have always been stable to me and never let me down. And the fact that it is very cheap, make this the perfect fit for a perfect system!
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to price and name. Maxtor drives have been some of the most reliable and best performers for me, beating out Hitachi Deskstars and Seagate Barricudas. The price of this makes it so attractive to add a 2nd one for RAID 0 and get ungodly performance for a very low price.
Power Supply: I chose this PSU due to reliability and price. I put this in a desktop computer, fired it up, and all the RAIL's are incredibly stable and high-performing, even with overclocking! The fact that it is 600 Watts means that this PSU should be great for any build!
Case: I chose this case due to price and sturdyness. I used this case for a desktop computer build, stuck many fans and extra drives in here, and the airflow and performance is very good. Many ports for fans, huge size for great airflow and room for expandability in the future!
Speakers: I chose these speakers due to price and performance. I picked these speakers up a few times for a couple desktop builds, and each time they have performed like those $200+ speakers! 5.1 speakers, attractive price, and great performance, these can't be passed up!
Quality:
Gaming: This computer system will perform above and beyond in gaming performance. In it's current state, it should handle all current generation and future generation games at excellent quality. As soon as you add a 2nd one, the performance will be extravigant.
Multi-Tasking: This system will multi-task like there is no tomorrow. Given the fact of Dual-Core and great clock speeds, means you can have almost unlimited windows and programs running as possible w/o worrying about slowdown.
Longevity: This system, given it's current state and the possibility of future upgrades, I would put this system between 12 - 24 month lifetime.
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The Enthusiast Budget: $1,500 - $1,750
Processor: Opteron 165 -- $332.00 Link
Motherboard: DFI LanParty nF4 Expert -- $189.99 Link
Memory: G.Skill Extreme 2GB Kit DDR500 -- [b$192.00[/b] Link
Video Card: nVidia 7800GTX PCI-E 256MB -- $469.00 Link
DVD Drive: Lite-On DVD-RW -- $52.99 Link
Hard Drive: Western D 250GB 16MB Caviar -- $105.00 Link
Power Supply: XG Vortec 600 Watt ATX -- $100.99 Link
Case: Aspire X-Navigator ATX -- $99.99 Link
Speakers: Creative Inspire 5.1 -- $65.00 Link
Total Cost: $1,606.96 Before Shipping
Total Cost: $1,671.96 After Shipping (From Newegg.com UPS 3-Day)
Why did I choose this?
Processor: I chose this CPU due to it's price and performance. This CPU is an insane little fella, the fact that it can be overclocked like mad is another reason I chose this. At it's stock speeds, it is a very impressive chip, but once you start to overclock, it really pays off to buy this CPU.
Motherboard: I chose this Motherboard due to performance and name. DFI is known for it's enthusiast boards that overclock like mad. What a perfect fit for the CPU I chose, this is very stable, has tons of features, and has SLI for future-proofing gaming performance.
Memory: I chose this memory due to price and name. G.SKill makes very good RAM, and this is no different. Coupled with the CPU/Mobo, this DDR500 makes he overclocking experience much easier and you won't have to worry about having 1:1 with your CPU anymore.
Video Card: I chose this video card due to performance. The 7800GTX is a performance killer, just 1 is enough to power through all current gen games at great settings, throw a 2nd in for SLI and you got yourself 1 hell of a rig!
DVD Drive: I chose this DVD-RW due to price and name. Lite-On is a very reputable company making very well made drives, and this drive will be just perfect for this build.
Hard Drive: I chose this drive due to size and price. 250GB w/ 16MB of Cache means this drive will perform like crazy. I can't begin to tell of the performance I get with 250GB 16MB drives in RAID 0, and once you add a 2nd, you'll be lovin' it too!
Power Supply: I chose this PSU due to performance and price. This is the 2nd build I chose this PSU for, and the reason is simply because it is great. This PSU is one of the best on the market, it powers my desktops like no other and at a very attractive price too.
Case: I chose this case due to size and price. A friend of mine loves this case, it's huge, has lots of room for expansion, and has great airflow. The price of this case is unrivaled and will be perfect for this build.
Speakers: I chose these speakers due to price and name. Creative makes excellent speakers at an excellent price. These speakers are the final touches to this awesome build.
Quality:
Gaming: This system, at it's default settings, will perform extremely well. The fact that the CPU is dual-core means future gaming will be no match for this system, and adding a 2nd vid card, you're lookin' very good.
Multi-Tasking: Due to the Dual-Core CPU and RAM, this system will be a very very good multi-tasker. You'll be able to multi-task to your hearts content and not lose any performance.
Longevity: Given the CPU, SLI ability, featured mobo and case, I would have to put this system with a lifetime of 15 - 24 months.
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Okay, now you may notice a few things. 1, I didn't use Intel, reason is because you can't really find a respectable low-end Intel (Celeron is not a processor in my book) and for high-end gaming, AMD is the way to go. 2) I did not mention new CPU's, due to I don't believe Socket AM2 or Conroe's will be anywhere near "budget priced" or even $1,000 for a worthy next-gen system. I compiled this list to help people that don't know much about computers but want to build their own.
You can pretty much edit anything here and add and delete and keep the same price, and obviously if shipping isn't a concern, you can add more eye-candies to the specs to compensate for my shipping inclusion. If you notice anything wrong or think something should be changed, as I said before, PM me and I will change it. I hope this is helpful, took me awhile to make it. The shipping is how much it costs to ship to my residence, I am almost 3,000 miles from Newegg's HQ in California (where most of the items ship from) so this should be a good estimate of the most it would cost for the entire USA.
I chose to exclude Mice, Keyboard, and Monitor due to pricings and ability to pickup keyboard+mice combos for damn near $10.
~~Mad Mod Mike, pimpin' the world 1 rig at a time
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