New Build ($400 Budget) Please comment/advise

[pous]

Let me start by saying this build is a stepping stone. $400 is all I can afford at the moment, and so that's where I'm at. At any time later I'll be able to upgrade whatever piece necessary.

That being said, let's get to the good stuff:

Case
Rosewill R330-P-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower = $22.99

PSU
FSP AX400-PN, RoHS, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, 20+ 4 pin, PCI Express, 400W = $39.99

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel = $99.99

CPU
Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80552631 = $68.00

GPU
SAPPHIRE 100172L Radeon X1550 256MB GDDR2 PCI-E x16 = $54.99

RAM
G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Model F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR = $44.99

HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s = $41.99

CD/DVD
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model SHD-16S1S-05 = $17.99

Total Cost = $385.93 (Pre-Shipping)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd just like to specify, all I do is play games. Also, I have no problem what-so-ever playing on low settings. I just want some helpful comments and/or advice on any parts I can switch out or if I can pinch off a few dollars from the overall cost anywhere...

One of my biggest questions is if that video card is alright... I had chosen the GeForce 7300LE 256MB GDDR2 but found out that it borrows from system memory... or so one of the reviews said... and when I'll only have 1GB starting out, that wouldn't be a good thing.

I'll be running Windows XP Student Edition.

The other big question I had was is the P4 over-clockable, and if so, would I need a special HSF for it, or will the stock one be sufficient?

Everything except the Hard Drive and the CD/DVD Drive are Retail, those two are OEM.

Also, will it be possible or even worthwhile to overclock the memory or video card?

Thanks for any input I get.

 

[nobly]

Just ran across these... free cases after mail in rebate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811117086
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811117074

Just watch your temps, P4s can get hot, especially if the case doesn't have enough cooling capabilities.

Otherwise, it looks ok to me. Not sure on the vid card though.

 

[monst0r]

if i were on a tight budget, i'd go with amd
they have MUCH better offerings than intel in the low budget section.

cpu-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103036
mobo-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128043


TRUST ME!! WAY BETTER DEAL! (PLUS YOU SAVE ~44 bucks)

you can get a dual core for a great prirce from amd, and its a huge upgrade from that p4, gl


oh yea, for gaming, i'd put that extra 40 bucks towards something like a 7600gs, this is a much better choice!

gpu-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127211

 

[htoonthura]

Let me start by saying this build is a stepping stone. $400 is all I can afford at the moment, and so that's where I'm at. At any time later I'll be able to upgrade whatever piece necessary.

That being said, let's get to the good stuff:

Case
Rosewill R330-P-BK Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower = $22.99

PSU
FSP AX400-PN, RoHS, 12cm FAN, version 2.2, 2 SATA, 20+ 4 pin, PCI Express, 400W = $39.99

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel = $99.99

CPU
Pentium 4 631 Cedar Mill 3.0GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80552631 = $68.00

GPU
SAPPHIRE 100172L Radeon X1550 256MB GDDR2 PCI-E x16 = $54.99

RAM
G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Model F2-6400PHU1-1GBNR = $44.99

HDD
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s = $41.99

CD/DVD
LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model SHD-16S1S-05 = $17.99

Total Cost = $385.93 (Pre-Shipping)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd just like to specify, all I do is play games. Also, I have no problem what-so-ever playing on low settings. I just want some helpful comments and/or advice on any parts I can switch out or if I can pinch off a few dollars from the overall cost anywhere...

One of my biggest questions is if that video card is alright... I had chosen the GeForce 7300LE 256MB GDDR2 but found out that it borrows from system memory... or so one of the reviews said... and when I'll only have 1GB starting out, that wouldn't be a good thing.

I'll be running Windows XP Student Edition.

The other big question I had was is the P4 over-clockable, and if so, would I need a special HSF for it, or will the stock one be sufficient?

Everything except the Hard Drive and the CD/DVD Drive are Retail, those two are OEM.

Also, will it be possible or even worthwhile to overclock the memory or video card?

Thanks for any input I get.

i would suggest changing to gigabyte p 35 board and c2d e 2140.

 

[haywood]

if i were on a tight budget, i'd go with amd
they have MUCH better offerings than intel in the low budget section.

cpu-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103036
mobo-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128043


TRUST ME!! WAY BETTER DEAL! (PLUS YOU SAVE ~44 bucks)

you can get a dual core for a great prirce from amd, and its a huge upgrade from that p4, gl


oh yea, for gaming, i'd put that extra 40 bucks towards something like a 7600gs, this is a much better choice!

gpu-http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127211

Totally agree woth Monst0r, that is a much better cpu and with the savings you can get this graphics card. Blow that 1550 or the GS out of the water.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130062

 

[monst0r]

i was going to suggest that card, but then again, you know that the gs is an underclocked gt right?

that fan is also loud and useless, if hes not going to overclock it that far (past gt speeds) and he has good case ventilation, i'd say save the 10 bucks or whatever and do it yourself

 

[haywood]

Given the OP's budget, low and tight, I would strongly recommend against OCing any parts. Get the GT, worth the 10 bucks in performance versus the chance of blowing something that can't be replaced due to funding issues.

my .02

 

[pous]

Thanks for all the tips and comments.

I've got a question about this case that nobly mentioned... do ya'll think that power supply will be enough to power the system? If so... how long does it usually take to get the money from a mail-in rebate?

As for everyones' resounding suggestion to go with AMD, I like the idea, and almost did, but I like the idea that with this particular set-up I'd be able to get a Quad Core CPU in the future.

Also I can understand not oc'ing right away given my tight budget, maybe I'll wait on that until I've upgraded a few things.

At any rate, it seems like the general consensus is that A) I should go AMD, and B) I should get a 7600GS (or GT).

I'll go see what I can put together and post that in a bit.

Thanks again for all the replies

 

[Niglex]

I would actually suggest a different cpu and motherboard and keep everything else for now. You will get more performance out of the cpu and it will overclock good.

cpu I recommend: it is currently only $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116040

I really don't think it is worth it to get anything better as of right now for 2 reasons:
(1) You are doing a budget build
(2) There are some huge price cuts coming up and currently there are few games that fully support multi-core processors anyways.

Motherboard I recommend will set you back a little bit more but will last you way longer. It has the P35 chipset, support for DDR2 and DDR3, great upgrade path, and it should last 3 times as long as the p965-ds3 you currently want due to its list of "ultra durable 2" technology. The price is a little high for a budget build though but you will be happy with it. Priced at $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128048

or if you want to save a few penny's and do not want the DDR3 upgrade path you can get the GA-P35-DS3R. basically same technology as above without the DDR3. That can be had for $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128050

 

[rockyjohn]

I agree with the other suggestions to go for the 7600 GT if you can stretch your budget to fit it. If not, a good fall back would be this BFG 6600 GT OC on sale for only $30AR - probably plus a few dollars for shipping. I purchased one of those only about 2 years ago for $150.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2884782&CatId=1558

The THG video charts show that the 6600 GT is marginally better than the 7300 GT. The charts do not list a 7300 LE although I am guessing the GT is much faster, nor do the charts list the ATI 1550.

The 7600 GT is approximately twice as fast as the 6600 GT - you will have to decide if it is worth the added cost.

 

[haywood]

Niglex,

I would almost agree but the premise of a budget build usually does not include an upgrade path. The parts listed are the best bang for the buck, nothing more.

 

[pous]

Niglex,

I would almost agree but the premise of a budget build usually does not include an upgrade path. The parts listed are the best bang for the buck, nothing more.

In all fairness to Niglex, I mentioned above that part of the reason I chose this build was for "upgradability"... I wanted that motherboard because it supports quad-core cpu's.

As for having DDR3 support which some people mentioned... It's not THAT big a deal to me, at least not as much as the Quad support is.

Either way, I'm going to be looking into an AMD build that includes the 7600GT. (Maybe the 6600GT for temporary/budget purposes... we'll see)

Thanks again to everyone for their help.

 

[Niglex]

He also stated that he wanted to upgrade to a quad core in the future.
Currently you can only get a quad core from Intel and no one knows for sure if Amd's will be released on time. Also soon the quad core from Intel will be very price worthy at $216. The OP also stated that he would like to overclock. If its something he really wants I think my suggestions are best.

If not for sure go with AMD and get a good integrated video chipset so you can save money from the card and you can just wait for the new gfx cards to come out if they ever do.

 

[pous]

What about this case will the PSU in that be enough to power the system? If so I could save a bit of money that way...

I'm interested in that $45.00 1.6GHz Celeron that someone posted, I might see what the total looks like with that. (Still going to look at AMD, but I really do want the LGA775 upgrade path, I enjoy the thought of a Quad-Core CPU)

 

[Niglex]

What about this case will the PSU in that be enough to power the system? If so I could save a bit of money that way...

I'm interested in that $45.00 1.6GHz Celeron that someone posted, I might see what the total looks like with that. (Still going to look at AMD, but I really do want the LGA775 upgrade path, I enjoy the thought of a Quad-Core CPU)

I think the case "Might" be okay. I recently purchased the other eagle tech case that is free after rebate. That thing is as flimsy as any $10-$20 case that you would not have to wait for a rebate with. I think the rosewill case you originally posted would be a great idea still. Power supply might be good, I haven't really heard anything bad about it and if you are going for bang/buck that might be a good case for that. But I have personally experienced several different brands of cases with power supplies that were not top quality and a handful do end up failing and sometimes takes out other equipment. FPS is known for its power supplies go with them for a secure feeling or go with these guys for the budget.

 

[pous]

Ok so the things in question were primarily the CPU, GPU, and Motherboard...

I've pretty much decided on these three:

Motherboard

GPU

CPU

I was unsure whether to stick with the Gigabyte motherboard or the EVGA that was suggested.... EVGA won because it matches the video card (both EVGA) and I'm kind of silly like that at times. Besides, I was told both are good for over-clocking... so I shouldn't have any worries.

I've decided to rule out AMD as a possible solution to my computer needs... I just really like the idea of having the LGA775 system.

Grand total with keyboard/mouse and those new parts is $415.92 (pre-shipping). I think that I can handle the extra $16 over my proposed budget.

Thanks for the help everyone offered, and if anyone has any more advice, that won't increase my price or change my CPU manufacturer... I'd be glad to hear it

 

[nobly]

Oh yeah, totallly forgot about the C2D celerons - good idea whoever said it! That is right what you wanted.

Eh, gigabyte vs evga.. .whatever's cheaper.

A small note on PSU's - get a good one. I've seen and experienced (unfortunately) generic PSUs that are simply pieces of junk. Its a pain in the neck. I think a generic one is ok, but I would replace it within 6 months or sooner if possible. Some are ok and I have ones that still work, but its one of those things where you know it'll go bad soon, but you just don't know when...