- Oct 14, 2006
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There are 3 things i love in this world: Computers, Linux, and Halo. I also have about $250 left over from my recent christmas buying spree. Ive been thinking about building a cheap linux box for a while, and now seems as good a time as ever.
A C2D setup is completly out of the question because of my budget. A Via based computer would be awesome, but ive realized that the price/performance ratio isnt the best. P4/D's are dirt cheap nowadays, so cheap i might be able to get a dual core. I would perfer and amd or via setup, but the Pentiums are not out of the question. So, that leaves AMD, great deals right now. And there enlies (sp?) my problem. I know next to nothing about amd cpu's and chipset's.
I was thinking about getting this Athlon because its pretty cheap. Im going with socket 939 because they seem to be cheaper then there AM2 counterparts. Is there a big performance difference between the 3200+ and the 3500+? Because the 3200+ is $14 cheaper, a pretty big amount when your building a $250 pc.
I figure 512mb ram should be sufficient, the linux distro im installing has pretty low hardware requirments. Ive heard the performance of amd cpu's is dependant on the ram timings, any truth to this?
For the video card im going with integrated graphics, mainly because its cheaper, i also wont require as powerful a psu.
For the psu i just need somthing of decent quality thats also cheap, im thinking 300w should be enough for this build. This Emermax psu doesnt seem to bad, but it seems to powerful for the price. Not opposed to bundled psu's, as long as its a quality unit.
As far as the optical drive goes im probably going to get a NEC 7170 (they took the 3550 off newegg.) since i know the quality is decent, and its not that expensive.
Im just going to get a cheap 80gb IDE or sata drive, thats all i need for this build.
Now for the main reason i posted this, the mobo. Knowing nothing about amd chipsets im pretty much helpless. I need a socket 939 (that is, if i stay with 939.) with onboard graphics. It needs to be cheap just like everything else in thise rig, like $50-$75. Oc'ing ability would be a nice, but thats why i have my C2D rig. Not sure whether not im going to get an m-atx case or a full size, the format of this mobo will be the deciding factor.
I dont care about looks when it comes to the case, as long as it has good airflow, its sturdy, and its cheap im happy.
So, to summarize probably the longest post ive written this month; I have $250, i want to build a linux box, im thinking amd or via, but Pentiums are ok if the price/performance ratio is there, and im in need of help. and Halo is awesome.
A C2D setup is completly out of the question because of my budget. A Via based computer would be awesome, but ive realized that the price/performance ratio isnt the best. P4/D's are dirt cheap nowadays, so cheap i might be able to get a dual core. I would perfer and amd or via setup, but the Pentiums are not out of the question. So, that leaves AMD, great deals right now. And there enlies (sp?) my problem. I know next to nothing about amd cpu's and chipset's.
I was thinking about getting this Athlon because its pretty cheap. Im going with socket 939 because they seem to be cheaper then there AM2 counterparts. Is there a big performance difference between the 3200+ and the 3500+? Because the 3200+ is $14 cheaper, a pretty big amount when your building a $250 pc.
I figure 512mb ram should be sufficient, the linux distro im installing has pretty low hardware requirments. Ive heard the performance of amd cpu's is dependant on the ram timings, any truth to this?
For the video card im going with integrated graphics, mainly because its cheaper, i also wont require as powerful a psu.
For the psu i just need somthing of decent quality thats also cheap, im thinking 300w should be enough for this build. This Emermax psu doesnt seem to bad, but it seems to powerful for the price. Not opposed to bundled psu's, as long as its a quality unit.
As far as the optical drive goes im probably going to get a NEC 7170 (they took the 3550 off newegg.) since i know the quality is decent, and its not that expensive.
Im just going to get a cheap 80gb IDE or sata drive, thats all i need for this build.
Now for the main reason i posted this, the mobo. Knowing nothing about amd chipsets im pretty much helpless. I need a socket 939 (that is, if i stay with 939.) with onboard graphics. It needs to be cheap just like everything else in thise rig, like $50-$75. Oc'ing ability would be a nice, but thats why i have my C2D rig. Not sure whether not im going to get an m-atx case or a full size, the format of this mobo will be the deciding factor.
I dont care about looks when it comes to the case, as long as it has good airflow, its sturdy, and its cheap im happy.
So, to summarize probably the longest post ive written this month; I have $250, i want to build a linux box, im thinking amd or via, but Pentiums are ok if the price/performance ratio is there, and im in need of help. and Halo is awesome.
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