Very cheap $400-$450 custom computer for a beginner...

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Agent0725

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I made a thread about this before but I changed around alot of parts due to money. I don't want to go over $450 and I'm willing to keep some parts from my Dimension 5150 (wifi adapter, maybe dvd burner)... This computer is just something for me to get my feet wet in the pc building world that I want to get into and hopefully make money off of... I know even this cheap rig will straight up outperform my Pentium 4 PC and that's an improvement to me. If something doesn't work, please tell me.... I have to sell my computer so I can buy this and I lowered the price a bit....

Motherboard + processor +$144.00 Biostar Tforce am2/Amd Athlon 64x2 3800.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138027

Getting the combo at the bottom

Case = $25 bucks

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010

memory = $94 bucks

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161172

Burner = $41.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106073

Hard drive = $80.00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074

That's about $400.00 bucks total and I can use a couple of my old parts from my pc to go along with that.

My question is will the power supply be enough for this setup? let me know, later.
 
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alcattle

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Are you using the onboard graphics to start with?
The PSU is a POS, but it is free, don't work buy a new one.
Do you want a SATA DVD? IDE is $10 cheaper
Nice HD but you could cut corners there.
 
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Agent0725

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I have my retail copy of XP Home from my dell but I can go over my mom's house and get her retail copy of xp pro if I have too....

I'll change the pos and get a cheaper hd to save a couple bucks as well....

I notice there are 3 different 3800s.... are they all the same or what?
 
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alcattle

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what do you mean different? they have ones with different sockets, some are OEM and some are retail. If you mean the 3 that are the same price, then no, just different wording on the title
 
utaka95

utaka95

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Dell XP discs look for a BIOS key, if it's not there, it won't work. At least that's what I've found. The Microsoft activation setup for XP cleans old keys from their servers every 4 months, and WGA doesn't seem to notice the same keys twice. Not that I'm advocating piracy.
 
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Agent0725

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Dell XP discs look for a BIOS key, if it's not there, it won't work. At least that's what I've found. The Microsoft activation setup for XP cleans old keys from their servers every 4 months, and WGA doesn't seem to notice the same keys twice. Not that I'm advocating piracy.
Click to expand...

I know, I won't even try to do anything like this.... I don't have the orginal dell xp home disc that came with my dimension 5150 so I'll probably sell it with no operating system or try to get a replacement from dell for free.....
 
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Agent0725

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http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/GUIDE-GHz-Core-Duo-Budget-System-456-Overclock-ftopict234760.html

That's perfect for you.
Click to expand...

I won't even attempt overclocking at this time since I know nothing about it and I need a dependable computer for work.... I'm in school and seeking a higher education so I will primarily be using this pc for basic web surfing, dvd encoding with winavi and cd burning.... maybe ebooks as well since I'm studying some certifications (A+, N+ and MCP)....

I want to remain under $500 shipped and want something a bit more dependable for at least a year, when I can command a higher salary, I'll play around with overclocking as well as gaming and so forth but for right now, that's not necessary.... but thanks...

I might go core 2 duo but the 4300 will suit me, any computer that I build whether it be amd athlon x2 or core 2 duo will smoke the pent 4 with intergrated graphics pc that I have now from dell. My dimension is close to 2 years old and 1 of the memory banks have failed on me, I need to upgrade......
 
quantumsheep

quantumsheep

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http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/GUIDE-GHz-Core-Duo-Budget-System-456-Overclock-ftopict234760.html

That's perfect for you.
Click to expand...

I won't even attempt overclocking at this time since I know nothing about it and I need a dependable computer for work.... I'm in school and seeking a higher education so I will primarily be using this pc for basic web surfing, dvd encoding with winavi and cd burning.... maybe ebooks as well since I'm studying some certifications (A+, N+ and MCP)....

I want to remain under $500 shipped and want something a bit more dependable for at least a year, when I can command a higher salary, I'll play around with overclocking as well as gaming and so forth but for right now, that's not necessary.... but thanks...

I might go core 2 duo but the 4300 will suit me, any computer that I build whether it be amd athlon x2 or core 2 duo will smoke the pent 4 with intergrated graphics pc that I have now from dell. My dimension is close to 2 years old and 1 of the memory banks have failed on me, I need to upgrade......

If i were you just get the exact PC recommended in that post BUT spend the extra $$$ to get yourself an E6600 or similar.
 
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Agent0725

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If i were you just get the exact PC recommended in that post BUT spend the extra $$$ to get yourself an E6600 or similar.[/quote]

Is all that speed necessary for someone like me?

I love this forum, very helpful and full of good people who offer great advice but I don't want to be a troll and ask the same questions over and over again, I don't want to wear out my welcome if you know what I mean. For someone like me who doesn't touch or know alot about the powerful applications, I wouldn't want to go overboard for basic computing tasks that I usually perform.

The AMD I brought it seems good but the heat issue is a concern from what I read about the AMD chips but the core 2 duo seems to be a bit more expensive and might be outta the bugdet.
 
quantumsheep

quantumsheep

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I just reread your post and realized you weren't doing any gaming - just websurfing. If that's the case an x2 3600+ with 1gb RAM and a cheapo motherboard will do you fine.
 
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Agent0725

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quantumsheep

quantumsheep

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I just reread your post and realized you weren't doing any gaming - just websurfing. If that's the case an x2 3600+ with 1gb RAM and a cheapo motherboard will do you fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I agree but I'll still get the x2 3800 over the 3600....

About the case, is it better to go full tower over mid?

And how does this ram look to you?

http://www.buy.com/prod/crucial-2gb-ddr2-sdram-memory-module-2gb-800mhz-ddr2-800-pc2-6400-non/q/loc/101/202541818.html?adid=17662

That RAM looks very good!

The question about the case is entirely up to you. Depends on the size you want really. I tend to prefer full tower cases as they are easier to work in and AFAIK they offer better airflow.
 
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Agent0725

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Thanks, let me know when I become a burden, I'll stop.... :?

Microatx boards will fit in full tower cases? I thought microatx boards = microatx cases and so forth....

I'm changing the dvd drive, I don't need lightscribe, I'll stick with my trusty NEC dvd burner
 
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Agent0725

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Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822136074
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy $79.99
1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+(65W) Windsor 2.0GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADO3800CSBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103729
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy $79.00
1 Rosewill Stallion Series RD450-2-DB ATX V2.2 450W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16817182022
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $37.99
1 BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX RoHs compliant AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813138027
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $75.99
1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
Item #: N82E16820231098
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $95.99
1 LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black SATA Model LH-20A1S - Retail
Item #: N82E16827106057
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy $38.99
1 Logitech R-10 4 Watts 2.0 Speakers - Retail

And the compusa case
 
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