im a noob need a budget system =]

[Rawrified]

i saved some money, and have a spare x300se i got for free from a friend its pci-express, so um well i have a total of 800 dollars to spend i dont do heavy gaming just moderate and dont play any of the new high tech uber games out like company of heros and such, so ya...any help would be appreciated 800 may seem like a little bit but im on a budget =]

 

[apt403]

i think you can get a C2D system with that budget, are you going to be reusing any other parts besides the X300SE, like HDD's, optical drives, ect?

 

[Rawrified]

um what is a c2d system....and i got a keyboard laying around thats about it im starting from scratch...so no hard drives cables or etc.. lol

 

[apt403]

by C2D i mean core 2 duo. Do you need a monitor as well, or do you have that covered?

 

[Rawrified]

well i got a crappy 15 inch crt i can get from friend =] itll do...

 

[apt403]

ok, i would suggest somehting like this.

E6300 - $181
Asus P5B Deluxe - $175
G. Skill 2GB - $241
Western Digital 250GB HDD - $70
NEC 3550A - $30
Silverstone 500w PSU - $88

total - $785

pick out a case and your set, you have some oc-ing room too.
total -

 

[Rawrified]

well i dont oc and to be honest 2gb is over kill i think 1gb wouldbe enough and ill have money to spare heh, so another cheaper suggestion on mb/cpu/1gb ram not looking into a cpu well over 150+ atm -_- remember i do moderate gaming heh

 

[apt403]

well i dont oc and to be honest 2gb is over kill i think 1gb wouldbe enough and ill have money to spare heh, so another cheaper suggestion on mb/cpu/1gb ram not looking into a cpu well over 150+

What about this ram?

If you really want to save money i would go with this mobo.

As for the cpu dont get anything lower then an E6300.

 

[Rawrified]

hmm ok, the set up sounds good wat case would you reccomend.

 

[randomizer]

If you save enough money you might want to look into a new monitor too as it will really improve your gaming experience no matter how little you play. You can pick up some pretty cheap 17" or even 19" LCDs these days if your not out to get the biggest and best, which you're obviously not.

 

[apt403]

hmm ok, the set up sounds good wat case would you reccomend.

im getting a Thermaltake Armor case, might be a bit expensive for you though. Lian-Li makes really good cases too, basiclly its down to personal taste, just pick a case you like.

 

[WR2]

You could also spend about $700 getting a Dell E521 and put that x300se video card into it.

 

[randomizer]

Dell = no upgrade path, although that doesnt really matter in this case.

 

[randomizer]

He could almost stick a generic psu in there since its such a low power system

 

[Rawrified]

really? so if i get a 500watt psu with case its fine.

 

[Rawrified]

looking at the dell computer its price is decent with the monitor and all...could i upgrade it if i was to get a bigger case and such? just wondering =]

 

[bullaRh]

it sounds like u allmost dont do any game at all - atleast the new games .. and a 6300 would be overkill if u dont do that, u could make alot cheaper PC if u wanted 2, maybe $400 and still play the games u want 2

 

[-silencer-]

Since you have $800..
Stick with the E6300 CPU - it'll be a great processor for a long time and is relatively inexpensive.
Since you're not into overclocking but do a little gaming, a wide array of motherboards are available for varying prices. Do you want to eventually be able to upgrade to nVidia SLI? (the x300 is rather low-end right now anyway, but will work for now) If so, look at the Asus P5NSLI for $107. For something newer, go with the Gigabyte 965P-DS3 ($130) or the Asus P5B Deluxe ($177).
For RAM, (1GB) 2x512MB DDR2-800 should be a minimum.. if you're planning on Windows Vista in a couple months, just get 2GB now. CorsairXMS DDR2-800C5 is around $250 for 2GB (2x1GB).
For cases, the only one I'd seriously consider is the Antec P180 - the best combination of price, silence, and cooling. Some people don't think it's flashy enough, but I like the sleek style. Either in black or two-tone silver/black for around $130-140 shipped.
For power supplies, SeaSonic are very quiet, efficient, and stable. The 430W vesion is $90 and more than enough power.

There are a few great 19" LCD monitors (widescreen and standard aspect) for around $200 by ViewSonic.. you could get an Antec case w/350W power supply for around $60 shipped, the E6300 ($181), the P5NSLI ($107), 1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 ($125), Western Digital SE16 250GB hard drive ($80), Lite-On DVDR burner ($30).. then get the ViewSonic VA1912wb 19" widescreen LCD ($228) with DVI and VGA inputs. (Most of the other 19" models don't have a DVI input.. spend the extra $30 for this model)
That should be around $800-820... if you need to cut corners, re-use a current hard drive for awhile until you've got some extra money for that upgrade. Since you're not into overclocking, you don't need high-end RAM. With the E6300's 1066MHz bus, you don't technically need anything higher than DDR2-533, and could go with the Corsair ValueSelect 2x512MB for $107.

 

[WR2]

could i upgrade it if i was to get a bigger case and such? just wondering =]

A bigger case won't be necessary for upgrading.
Upgrading a Dell PC isnt the "Mission Impossible" it once was.
It will take any current AM2 CPU - just like any other AM system.
There are four RAM slots, 2 will be available for upgrading.
Plenty of room for an extra hard drive (might need an extra long power connector in some cases).
And it has 3 PCI-E (1 X16 and 2 X1) and 2 PCI slots.
You can even upgrade the powersupply with any ATX 2.0 24 pin PSU. One person in the Dell forums put a OCZ 700w GameXStream Power Supply and 8800GTS into his E521.

 

[randomizer]

really? so if i get a 500watt psu with case its fine.

Depends who makes the psu, if you by an antec case, you wont have a problem with the psu. What I said before about the generic psu was a joke, and hence the reason I highlighted the "almost" part. It doesnt need to have big numbers for wattage, its amps and build quality that counts.

He could almost stick a generic psu in there since its such a low power system