$500 budget system

[ohnoitztim]

hi im planning on building a new system for my parents. it will mostly be used for watching videos, burning dvds, but no gaming or anything like that. i will need everything for the system even the OS except for speakers, mouse, monitor, and ect.

thanks in advance

 

[wingsofzion]

Hmm a $500 PC huh. Well seeing as how this is a basic bare system not used for anything but family stuff i'm sure it can be built for $500. Here is what i have come up with:

Motherboard
ASUS P5LD2: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131048
Price: $87

Case
Rosewill R6422 w/350W PSU: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811147048
Price: $26

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E4400: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819115014
Price: $126

Video Card
EVGA 7200GS: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16814130097
Price: $37

Memory
Corsair 1GB DDR2 667: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820145568
Price: $43

Hard Drve
Western Digital 160GB Drive: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822136062
Price: $60

DVD Drive
Lite-On DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16827106050
Price: $30

Operating System
Windows XP OEM: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16832116056
Price: $90

GRAND TOTAL: $499.00

This is as basic a system as you can get. There are areas you can still save a few bucks. First off if the video card is very unimportant in this system you can save $10 bucks by buying a very basic video card. You can also save around $30 bucks by going with a P4 chip instead of the Core 2 i went with. A P4 chip can run ya like $90 bucks these days. I went with a Core 2 to at least give the system a chance to be at least a lil fast for the DVD burning. You can save on memory if you feel 1GB is too much, cut down to 512mb but i was afraid that was a lil too cheap. The mobo was the best i could find that didnt sacrifice too much but i'm sure if you do a lil digging you may finde something a fraction cheaper by a few bucks (i mean $87 for a mobo, how low do you wanna go ya know). Case is very bare bones. Go any lower and you'll fall into the ones that dont come with power supplies so i'd keep that one. But this system built with the parts i listed will do you good. Up to you if you feel changes are in order.

 

[wingsofzion]

Also a lil advice. If $500 is your budget then honestly i'd go and buy a Dell. You can get a Inspiron 531 for $500 bucks. It includes Vista and a 17inch LCD. If ya already got a monitor you can decline it and save a lil more. I suggest this cause with the shipping + tax on all these parts compared to that of one system the cost may be a lil better. And at least you'll have a warranty. If this was a $1500 system you were customizing to use for something specific (gaming, video editing, etc...) i'd say build it yourself. But if this is a generic family PC for internet surfing and watching video's and such i'd go with a retailer. If you feel you want to take on the task and build it then go with what i complied above. It's something to consider.

 

[WR2]

wingsofzion has you in the right ball park.
Instead of downgrading to a P4 look at:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ @ $89 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103776
DFI Socket AM2 GeForce 6150 Micro ATX @ $90 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813136016
Saves you $71 for the Motherboard/CPU/Video combo.

Looking at Dell or HP is also a good suggestion. I'm guessing that your family would think its a higher quality product (only because of advertising of course) and its much easier to support warranty wise.

 

[Solariscs]

Raidmax ATX-302 O2 380W
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (2.2GHz)
Biostar TFORCE 7025-M2
Super Talent DDR2-800 2GB (2x1GB)
Seagate ST3160811AS 160GB
LG Electronics GSA-H62NK 18X SATA Super Multi DVD+/-RW
EVGA 7200GS 256MB Upto 512MB
Microsoft Windows XP Home W/SP2B

-$490

Similar Dell with Video Card and no monitor is $549.

Good luck with your build man

 

[chief5286]

My suggestion: pick up a Sunday paper and look at the ads. It's back to school season, so you can probably get a decent deal.

Buy cheapest system you can find. You can probably pick one up for $350 or so. You should definitely be able to find a decent system for $500, at least comperable to the ones spec'd out here.

To me, if one is starting completly from scratch, it doesn't make too much sense to build at that price point, unless the builder is doing it for fun or for a specific purpose.

 

[zenmaster]

Agree.
Got to a store.
Here is an example of one PC for under $400 with the current sale.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Acer-Aspire-Desktop-PC-AST180-UD400A/sem /rpsm/oid/184840/catOid/-12962/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

With the extra $100 you could easily buy a memory upgrade and or an nice video card like at 7600GT.

 

[theuprightman24]

I disagree - build it yourself.

yes you can go to a 'store' and pick up a cheap low end PC but custom build even at such a low budget you can get more PC for your money. Better / custom componets will make your build last longer than a 'store' machine any day.....

OEM OSs are better as well because you won't get all of the crap Dell/retailer try to put in / force upon you.

My vote is build it yourself.

 

[woody240]

I disagree - build it yourself.

yes you can go to a 'store' and pick up a cheap low end PC but custom build even at such a low budget you can get more PC for your money. Better / custom componets will make your build last longer than a 'store' machine any day.....

OEM OSs are better as well because you won't get all of the crap Dell/retailer try to put in / force upon you.

My vote is build it yourself.

Well that's what I was thinking. I'm trying to figure out what to build for the same intended use. If I can build something better, faster, more "future-proof" without integrated graphics and a mess of third party crap for the same or a little more money then I'm going to do it. I just wish I could get you guys to agree on the perfect build for $600-$700 without monitor or OS.

Build it.

 

[theuprightman24]

If you have a budget of $500 then get the best you can -- and the best you can get is to mix and match compnents ------- thus building it yourself will get you a better return on your $500.

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

nforce 7025 and 7050 amd have good on board video and is better then the intel chipset at the same price and you can put in a video card if you want.

 

[asgallant]

hi im planning on building a new system for my parents. it will mostly be used for watching videos, burning dvds, but no gaming or anything like that. i will need everything for the system even the OS except for speakers, mouse, monitor, and ect.

thanks in advance

Here's a cheap package (prices are from NewEgg before shipping):

[fixed]CPU: AMD Athlon X2 3600 $61.00
Motherboard: Gigabyte GeForce 6100 GA-M61SME-S2 $50.00
Memory: A-DATA 1GB DDR2 800 ADQVE1908K $45.00
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB ST3250310AS $65.00
DVD: NEC DVD +-RW 18x Burner 7170A $30.00
Power Supply: Fortron ATX350-PA 350W $30.00
Generic Case: $20.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home $90.00
Total: $391.00[/fixed]

This includes integrated graphics so you don't need a video card, although one would easily fit within your budget if you chose to buy one. You could probably save so more money on a cheaper power supply, though I am unfamiliar with the quality of the low-end power supplies and so cannot make a recommendation. You can also save a few bucks on a smaller hard drive or by buying a single-core processor (Semprons will work just fine for basic computing and they can be had for as little as $26 at NewEgg). All told, you could shave maybe $90 off by going for the cheapest components, but I don't recommend doing so.

Well that's what I was thinking. I'm trying to figure out what to build for the same intended use. If I can build something better, faster, more "future-proof" without integrated graphics and a mess of third party crap for the same or a little more money then I'm going to do it. I just wish I could get you guys to agree on the perfect build for $600-$700 without monitor or OS.

We will never agree on the "perfect" build here, as everyone's idea of what is "good" (nevermind perfect!) is different. What you will get is a series of options that includes what each of us values in a build. I, personally, prefer to achieve the objective at the minimum cost while maintaining a level of quality (I don't buy crap components just to save a few dollars). Some of us will max out the build's budget, going above and beyond the needs of the OP, just because the budget allows it. Some of us are Intel fans and some of us are AMD fans who will always include their favored company's products in the build even if the other company has a better offering for the price or a cheaper offering that gets the job done. Despite all this, nobody's strategy is inherently "wrong" (though I despise fanboyism for either Intel or AMD). You, as the "customer" for the advisors here, need to choose the build that best meets your needs out of those that are offered, or modify the suggestions here, or even throw them all out if you don't like any of them. We can help you move towards the "perfect" build as you provide us with more information (ie. you decide on a processor, we can help you pick a motherboard; you decide on how much graphics performance you need, we can help you pick a graphics card; etc.).

 

[theuprightman24]

Nah - stay with your lower end dual core either Intel or AMD... AMD is worth considering as you could pick up a cheaper MOBO.....

 

[woody240]

At the risk of hijacking;
asgallant, what would you buy for $600 if you were not a gamer but wanted rock solid multi-tasking, speed, and several years of upgradability?
The last several machines have been AMD, all have served me well. I do like the numbers I see on the Intel chips.

 

[Joe_The_Dragon]

Here's a cheap package (prices are from NewEgg before shipping):

[fixed]CPU: AMD Athlon X2 3600 $61.00
Motherboard: Gigabyte GeForce 6100 GA-M61SME-S2 $50.00
Memory: A-DATA 1GB DDR2 800 ADQVE1908K $45.00
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB ST3250310AS $65.00
DVD: NEC DVD +-RW 18x Burner 7170A $30.00
Power Supply: Fortron ATX350-PA 350W $30.00
Generic Case: $20.00
Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home $90.00
Total: $391.00[/fixed]

This includes integrated graphics so you don't need a video card, although one would easily fit within your budget if you chose to buy one. You could probably save so more money on a cheaper power supply, though I am unfamiliar with the quality of the low-end power supplies and so cannot make a recommendation. You can also save a few bucks on a smaller hard drive or by buying a single-core processor (Semprons will work just fine for basic computing and they can be had for as little as $26 at NewEgg). All told, you could shave maybe $90 off by going for the cheapest components, but I don't recommend doing so.

If you want on board video get a 6150 or 7025 / 7050 with DVI or hdmi as the 6100 has vga only.

 

[zenmaster]

Woody, just start a new thread. The type of build is quite different.
What one would recommend for you would be quite differnent because of both price and function.

But ASGallant's post is an example of why I would buy from a store.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Accessories-for-Acer-Aspire-Desktop-PC- AST180-UD400A/sem/rpsm/oid/184840/rpem/ccd/productDetailAccessory.do#tabs

My previsous link did not quite work.

But for the Same price on sale you the the Same Geoforce 6100 motherboard, an X2-4000 instead of an X2-3600, same amount of memory, same size/speed HDD, plus you get a media reader, keyboard, mouse, and speakers.

The extra advantage is that you do not have to put it together yourself, if something does not work you can take it back to the store.
No need to spend time installing Windows and finding drivers.
If Windows ever crashes, just pop in the recover DVD and you are done.

The one thing you loose is an overclockable BIOS.
However, CPU power is not going to be an issue with this PC for the tasks specified.

I find it a bit amusing that my earlier link was almost a 100% match for what Ghallant put together. At least we were in agreement with what the poster needs.

Part of the issue comes in how you value your time.
Myself, I don't have much free time for building.

And after they get the PC, I don't want to get too many calls for support.

When doing my own, I need lots of power and I would hit jacked up prices if I bought from a store so I have custom stuff.

For most family members, I just take them to the store and get a low end system and just add memory and it does all that they need.

 

[woody240]

I did start a new thread some time back but it lost momentum.

 

[chief5286]

"And after they get the PC, I don't want to get too many calls for support." --->> This is the Key.


A $350 bestbuy/cc/whatever special will do everything the OP needed in this machine, and likely gives more bang for buck, as well as easier setup. Plus, if something goes wrong quickly, take it back. If something goes wrong, say, 11 months after purchase, send it back and let the manufacturer figure it out rather than trying to diagnose a problem over the phone for the parentals. I"ve been there, many times; it's not fun.

If I were building my own system, I'd build, but I also wouldn't have a $500 budget, and I would build for gaming/video work. So there it makes more sense. For watching movies and stuff like that, anything currently found in stores will be fine. Personally, I think $500 is overkill, unless the speed at which a movie is encoded matters. Then it might be worth it to spend the little more and get an X2 4xxx or whatever $500 will get.

So like I said before, look in the sunday paper.

 

[royalcrown]

@cheif5286

The problem with the paper is this:

"It's only 4 years old and still looks new, so I'll give you a whole 50 bucks off the price of the original $ 999.99 that I paid for it."

PPL don't realize their computers value drops like a rock, faster than a YUGO even, then they get all pissy when you tell em it's only worth a hundred bucks.

 

[StevieD]

Buy off the Dell small business division. The Vostros computers are suppose to be crapware free.


http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=04&kc=6W300&a mp;amp;amp;l=en&oc=brcw2fv&s=bsd


$399. It is a mom and dad computer.

Vista Home
MS Works
Upgraded from integrated graphics to the most basic card.

Add a stick of RAM and you are done and well under your $500 limit and no crapware, full warranty that you dont have to screwaroundwith. And mom and dad got themselves a Dell.

Go to HP and you can do the same type of system for about the same price. Same with Gateway.

Oh yea, picking your own parts and spending your free time assembling it might save you a buck, or make you feel like you did one better. But this is a mom and dad computer. In two, three, five years when they want a new one, no hassles or trying to upgrade parts, just buy a new one.

 

[turboflame]

I just built one!

edit: except I got kingston RAM, currently out of stock

 

[StevieD]

I just built one!

http://i12.tinypic.com/626ihzn.jpg

edit: except I got kingston RAM, currently out of stock

$500 and you don't have an OS, basic wordprocessing software or a warranty.

Sure, ya can use that free software stuff, but then you are going to have to do the customer support for Mom and Dad and don't forget the warranty. That warranty might come in handy when Mom accidently pours a cup of coffee into the tower.

And never forget your time to assemble all the parts and load the OS and software.

 

[turboflame]

True, I built it for me lol, well he could take off the $90 graphics card and use integrated, that will save enough to buy vista basic.

As for the warranty, each individual part has a pretty good warranty. Though it may not cover coffee induced damage (though even through dell you have to pay extra for that kind of damage).

If he wants a complete computer for $500 then he is probably better off buying it through Dell or another company. If he can reuse some parts then he is better off building it himself.

 

[rkorczyk]

i agree with everything that says u should go retailer...i've been researching for a start-up custom computer building company geared towards college students and through all my research and my knowledge of the cost associated with customizing and building a machine including IT costs in case of system failures, the offers Dell have out there are by far the best you can do, they boast solid machines for the average consumer in addition to a service plan that rivals anything a custom computer build would offer bc its all run through them no matter the component or situation the system fails, where as, if both ur CPU and Mobo fail, you will likely have to deal with multiple service centers, unless u go intel and intel..but even then you still have to go through the retailer to see what they offer, and then most likely have to go thru intel's c.s. center....which will be more hassle than its worth....

 

[ohnoitztim]

i checked out the the dell site i built the inspiron 531 system which contains
amd x2 3800+
vista home premuim
1gb of ram
250gb hdd
internal wireless card
and a 22in monitor
it all comes around to 667 with shipping and tax
i figured if i do get this system i would sell the monitor for the extra cash and it'll be around the budget that i want
but im just putting it here for some feedback to what you guys think