$500-$700 Budget! Help me build!

949C1Novice

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What I've got:

Case w/430W power supply
Keyboard/Mouse
Monitor
Speakers

What I need:

Motherboard
CPU (I'm used to AMD but not opposed to Intel)
HDD
Video Card
Memory

My system took a dump on me and I'm running a Frankenstein comp. temporarily. I'll be doing a little gaming and mostly the usual internet surfing, email stuff. I've always had a computer buddy help me out with picking the parts but he's since gotten married and is not up on all the new technology. Any help is apprecaited!
 

sillywabbit

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I'm a newb so wait until the Pro's here modify my build but i put this together on newegg. Also assumed you won't bother with OC'ing or SLI since you stated 'light gaming'.

Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock
$99.99 $99.99

BIOSTAR VP7603GT21 Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Mail-in Rebate
$158.99 $158.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor
$180.00 $180.00

Patriot 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PSD21G533K - Retail
$119.99 -$8.00 Instant $111.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$79.99 -$5.00 Instant $74.99

Subtotal: $626 I left you some room for taxes and shipping. If you can afford a little more, one of the gigabyte or asus boards might be worth spending that extra on. Also notice only 1 GB of ram. 2 GB would add about another $100 or so.
 

Flopmouth_Fish

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I'm a newb so wait until the Pro's here modify my build but i put this together on newegg. Also assumed you won't bother with OC'ing or SLI since you stated 'light gaming'.

Foxconn P9657AA-8KS2H Socket T (LGA 775) Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
In Stock
$99.99 $99.99

BIOSTAR VP7603GT21 Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Mail-in Rebate
$158.99 $158.99

Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 Conroe 1.86GHz LGA 775 Processor
$180.00 $180.00

Patriot 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model PSD21G533K - Retail
$119.99 -$8.00 Instant $111.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 (Perpendicular Recording) ST3250620AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
$79.99 -$5.00 Instant $74.99

Subtotal: $626 I left you some room for taxes and shipping. If you can afford a little more, one of the gigabyte or asus boards might be worth spending that extra on. Also notice only 1 GB of ram. 2 GB would add about another $100 or so.

Change the video card to THIS.
 

Flopmouth_Fish

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What about optical drives? You got those?

X2 3800+ EE

XFX 7600GT (590/1600)

DFI Infinity M2

Seagate 7200.10 250GB

OCZ 2GB 667Mhz

CPU: Good, cheap, OC's like hell, 65W version
GPU: Fast as he!!, OC's like mad, it'll hit 7900GTX clocks with some tweaking
Motherboard: One of the best overclockers an AMD CPU has ever seen
HDD:Big, Perpendicular, cheap
Memory: Overclocks rather well, 1.9V, CAS4, 2GB

Total is around $660

The 7600GT might hit 7900GTX clocks, but it won't come close to the performance. Nonetheless, it's a good card for the money. I'd take the Core 2 Duo over the Athlon 64 X2 because the OP probably isn't planning on overclocking.
 

ikjadoon

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The 7600GT might hit 7900GTX clocks, but it won't come close to the performance. Nonetheless, it's a good card for the money. I'd take the Core 2 Duo over the Athlon 64 X2 because the OP probably isn't planning on overclocking.

Yeah, thats why I made sure I said clocks. Fish is right, though.

AMD is good for those on a budget, but I'm not that good at C2D builds. I'm learning, though.

True, C2D is a completely better CPU if you aren't OC'ing your AMD.

~Ibrahim~
 

949C1Novice

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I'm not looking to overclock. I never have because I'm afraid I would fry something. I'm looking at AM2 processors. Is it possible to get a low end one on my budget? I know I'll need DDR2 memory. Another question. Will I be able to upgrade without having to get all new components in 1 year if I get the AM2? I've been reading where the AM2's haven't been performing as well as they thought. Will they get better and having the AM2 board be worth buying now?
 

ikjadoon

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Well, OC'ing is not that bad, as long as you do a little research and have a lot of patientence.

Low end? Sure, we could step down to a 3500+. Or a 3200+ at the least. (These are single-core, versus the X2 3800+ which is dual-core_

DDR2 memory is a must for AM2.

What will you be upgrading? A new AM3 CPU will work, but a few features may be disabled, namely HT3. Can't think of an upgrade that would not work, maybe a GPU might not. Will your 430W PSU be able to hold up against some beefy GPUs?

The only reason you could say AM2 isn't performing as well as expected is because of Core 2 Duo, completey relative. AM2 is just as fast S939, maybe a shade faster.

AM2 will get much better. AM2 will be here for the new 65nm CPUs and Quad-Core/K8L.

One thing about Intel is how they use sockets and FSB changes, either can disqualify a processor from being used on a particular motherboard. Right now they are on Socket 775, FSB 1066. Rumours of moving to FSB 1333Mhz middle of next year. If they do, a majority of motherboards now cannot support the latest processors using 1333Mhz. Enough rant on Intel. Core 2 Duo is a great processor, no doubt. Tad pricey, though. Cheapest one is around $185.

~Ibrahim~
 

Flopmouth_Fish

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Well, OC'ing is not that bad, as long as you do a little research and have a lot of patientence.

For a newb's first build, there's no way in hell that I would advocate overclocking.

IMO, you should overclock if you can afford to replace what you're overclocking. Having a knowledgable friend around couldn't hurt.
 

ikjadoon

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I don't know. I think maybe sit this one out on OC'ing, but on the next, go for it.

If you do your research, it should be OK. Unless you go mad and try to boot it at 1.8V....

~Ibrahim~

P.S. For the love of God, please do your research if you plan to OC. Don't mean to be rude, but you can't blame anyone but yourself for a burnt processor...
 

Flopmouth_Fish

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I don't know. I think maybe sit this one out on OC'ing, but on the next, go for it.

If you do your research, it should be OK. Unless you go mad and try to boot it at 1.8V....

~Ibrahim~

P.S. For the love of God, please do your research if you plan to OC. Don't mean to be rude, but you can't blame anyone but yourself for a burnt processor...

LOL; you have 1337 post; you're so l33t.
 

949C1Novice

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So I won't be wasting my $ if I go with the AM2 and will be able to easily upgrade a little bit down the road. Right? Also the last time I upgraded, the Athlon 64 processors were the newest thing.

I was looking at this processor:

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=80717-8

Then saw this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103735

Is that second, more expensive processor worth it? Is it past the "sweet spot"?

I've read where the first thing to do when building a new system is to pick the processor then the motherboard chipset etc.

After I figure out which CPU, I'll move onto the mobo, and then graphics card. Ugh, I've already got a HUGE amount of other things on my plate at home to deal with. At least I'm learning something.
 

rwaritsdario

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Even n00bs can Overclock! (not the stupid ones of course but I dont think thats our case here).
Im practically a noob, ive never built a comp in my life and im going for a top OCing setup in december. Why am I up for it? Because im done alot of research (mostly on parts) on how to do it. I know which safety measures to take etc. Its all about researching. And cooling, never forget cooling.

These guys have made good recommendations for memory and HDD.

But its been proven that the EE version of the X2s dont overclock as far as the regular one. The energy you save its nothing so theres no reason to pick it instead of a regular one. The 4200+ would be a better choice if youve got a few more bucks around.

The DFI is a great mobo for OCing even if it isnt in the LanParty series. But the top Mhx/$ crown goes to the EPoX EP-MF570SLI amazing board for the price if you ask me.

As for a cheap yet very performance HSF, the Artic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro takes the price. The Scythe Infinity would be at the top end of the air cooling.
 

purdueguy

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The problem with an AMD build is that AM2 needs DDR2 800 memory, which at the moment is selling at a premium than what it was a month or two ago.

On top of that, the AMD AM2 that I would recommend is the 4200+ as it's a phenomenal overclocker but for as good as it is, the E6300 is better.

Here's a CPU benchmark that includes the stock E6300 and E6400 alongside it's OC'd bretheren. The "lowly" E6300 wipes the floor with AMD's offering. And since the E6300 is 3 bucks less than a 4200+ and DOES NOT require the faster memory, the C2D is the best bang for the buck.

Known: 949C1Novice wants to spend $500-$700.

Intel C2D system:

CPU: E6300 - $180
Mobo: ASUS P5N SLI - $127
Memory: PQI Turbo - $175
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB Perpendicular Drive - $95
Video Card: eVGA 7600GT - $119

Total Cost: $696

Now, you could go with a cheaper mobo, the 250GB HDD and only 1 GB of Ram. This might save you around $150 which you can then either save and then get a DX10 card down the road or use it to get a X1900GT - $203.

Though with Vista around the corner, get the 2x1GB sticks of memory since it's only around 70 bucks more than getting a 1GB stick. I would then get a DX10 card sometime in the middle of next year to give it time to "break-in".
 

TSIMonster

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for $170, you'd be much better off putting the extra $10 towards the e6300. As far as single core, you can get an AMD 3000+ and out of the boxk set the FSB to 250 and beat out the 3500+, that'll save you some doe. I recommend the 3000+ highly for budget builds, its price per performace ratio is hard to beat! (Its actually number on toms bang per buck chart)
 

purdueguy

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You would have to get the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA mobo here.

The problem is that it does not have a PCI-Express x16 slot. It only has x4. Therefore I wouldn't recommend it.

So, other than that board, the answer would be no. I'd just sell that DDR memory on Ebay or to anyone that you know that could use the extra memory.
 

949C1Novice

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I'm just being a complete idiot. What's so special about the AM2 sockets? I'm reading where you can run dual core processors on a 939? Why is this stuff so difficult to understand? I know there are A LOT of variables but sheesh!
 

rwaritsdario

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But its been proven that the EE version of the X2s dont overclock as far as the regular one.

I agree with everything he said.

Wait, I thought they overclocked just as well??? Linky?

~Ibrahim~

Cant recall anyone at the time but simple facts proove it. A 4200+ 89W will reach 2.66Ghz on stock voltages while a 65W will only go to 2.4Ghz. They respond alot less to voltage increases too.
It seems like AMD simply did some weird silicon manufacturing process that cut down on potential.
 

purdueguy

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Yes, there are dual-cores for both socket types.

Socket 939 CPU's have support for DDR memory while Socket AM2 CPU's have support for DDR2 memory. Socket AM2 chips are only going to get better. The best socket 939 chip that you can get is the FX-60 dual-core which is insanely overpriced for the price/perf compared to the Core 2 Duo.

Rumor has it that FX-72 or FX-74 will be coming out soon. This will only be available for Socket AM2.
 

ikjadoon

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Yeah, computers can drown you with information.

So, about the memory question. All new processors use DDR2. Only really old P4 sockets use DDR, and Socket 939 uses DDR.

Socket AM2 is the new socket for the jump from DDR to DDR2. Socket 939 used DDR. Socket AM2 uses DDR2. It provides minimal speed increases.

Yes, you can have a dual-core on a 939 build or a AM2 build. Both have dual-core processors.

~Ibrahim~
 

949C1Novice

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Ok, I've nailed down a processor which, I've read is the first thing to pick out before looking at other components. I'm going off the suggestion of another member. Thanks! :wink:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103733

The mobo I'm looking at is this one. I noticed some of the other ones had a massive amount of SATA connectors. Why would anyone need anymore than 2 or 4? Also the chipset that comes with it is Nvidia. Would it be better to get an nVidia graphics card rather than an ATi? What other specs should I be looking at?

http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_techspecs_full.php/masterid=22194852

After I make a decision on the mobo, I'll look into graphics card based on feedback from you guys. Next would be the HDD then power supply. I don't think my 430w is going to cut it.

My budget seems to be growing! 8O
 

rwaritsdario

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As I said, if you arent an OCer, then go for it!

That mobo has the NF4 chipsets. Since youre going with AM2 you better find something from the new generation of 500 ones. Dont buy Asus for AMD (too many problems too explain).

HDD = Seagate Barracuda 7200.10
It doesnt get any better than that.

Check out the "Best cards for the money" and the "ghrapics cards for beginners" (er something like that) articles in Tomshardware. Theyll come in handy. Check toms VGA charts too.