$500 - $600 build

[robertito]

My brother has started getting into PC gaming but my family's computer sucks. It's about 6 years old and even my mom is getting aggravated with how slow it is. So, in a few months I'm going to build a new PC. The budget is about $500 - $600, the cheaper the better.

I'm going to reuse the DVD/RW and the HDD

CPU - E2220 or E2180 (haven't decided yet) $90/70
MOBO - Ep35 DS3L $90
RAM - 2x 1gb Patriot Extreme performance $45
GPU - EVGA 8800GS $80 after MiR
HDD - 7200.10 250gb $65
Case - Antec NSK4480B (going to use the Earthwatts 380w included) $100
OS - Windows Xp Home SP3 $90
Total: $560

If there are better deals please tell me about them. Which is better for the price the E2220 or the E2180? Everything is going to be bought off Newegg.

 

[Onus]

That looks like a reasonable build, but you might be able to improve it a little. Lately, Newegg has had deals on one or another of the Earthwatts PSUs. Right now for example, you can get an Earthwatts 430 for $30 after MIR, or the 500W for $50 with no rebate needed. You can then pick up a budget Rosewill or even CoolerMaster case with front and rear 120mm fans for around $50, so the total will still be around $100, but you'll have a more powerful PSU.

 

[robertito]

Ok, thanks. I'll get an earthwatts 500 and a Centurion 5. That will leave some room for upgrades.

Edit: by the way does anyone know if the E2220 is worth the $20 over the E2180, I know the E2180 is an amazing OCer but what about the E2220?

 

[orangegator]

The build looks pretty good. I'd change a few things, but I won't list them. The reason is because you said you won't be building this for a few months. By then new products will be out and prices changed. The only thing that wouldn't change much in price would be the case and psu. Otherwise, it's pointless to plan months in advance for a budget build.

 

[quaduser]

I'm building in a month and I think you can do a lot more for $600. Esp. if you are on the look out for deals between now and when you build.. as someone said above, the PSU and case aren't going to change in price and watch out for deals.

Eg. I got this great OCZ 600 W Stealth Stream PSU for $40 after rebate on Newegg.. there was another deal for the Antec PSU recently.

The GA mobo is on my list too.. - $90. I bought a Centurion case on Ebay for $30 w/ shipping. Plan to buy the same HDD as you -- 250 GB Seagate for around $60 (16 MB Cache)..

I was going to get a slightly cheaper GPU since I don't game ($60 say). RAM is always on sale now and you can get 2 GB for $45 max ($30 if you are lucky -- Corsair on Newegg).

But for the CPU, I was going to get the Q6600! It's $200 on Amazon now (no taxes) and adding everything up,

$300 (CPU + Mobo)
$100 (RAM + HDD)
$60 (GPU)
$70 (Case + PSU)
$45 (after market cooling for my CPU since i plan to OC just a little bit)
-----
$570

Throw in a DVD burner and an couple of Scythe really-quiet case fans, it's about $600 - $620. (I use linux so I guess I don't have that $90 Windows cost..)

In 2 months from now, you should be able to do this for maybe $30 - $40 less.. esp. if you aren't going to buy an expensive after-market cooler for the CPU like I am (go with the E8400 -- runs cools I am told.)

 

[robertito]

My gaming PC has a E8400 and it does run cool aside from the messed up temp. sensors but, the main difference between our builds is that I need an OS. That's $90 I could have spent on a better CPU.

I'll look out for deals and rebates etc. I might try to sqeeze a E7200 into the budget.

Thanks for the C&C

 

[orangegator]

My gaming PC has a E8400 and it does run cool aside from the messed up temp. sensors but, the main difference between our builds is that I need an OS. That's $90 I could have spent on a better CPU.

I'll look out for deals and rebates etc. I might try to sqeeze a E7200 into the budget.

Thanks for the C&C

In terms of a budget built, the E7200 is a great choice. And a few months from now it should be even cheaper.

 

[resonance451]

It's amazing what you can build for cheap nowadays.

not bad.

 

[Why_Me]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119153 69.99
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 red version FR-T05-URI-GP Black / Red Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with AC connector 430W Power Supply - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128077 $64.99
GIGABYTE GA-P31-S3G LGA 775 Intel P31 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052 $129.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121251 $109.99 ($89.99 after 20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
ASUS EN9600GSO TOP/HTDP/384M GeForce 9600 GSO 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail ASUS TOP overclock technology at 600MHz

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144047 $40.99
GeIL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075 $44.99
Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106263 $23.99
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075 $6.99
ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound - Retail

Total
$491.92
$471.92 w/mail in rebates

 

[jamesgoddard]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Amazing you can spend under $500 and get a PC that will run any current game.. That 9600 GSO is amazing bang per buck.

 

[robertito]

Didn't even know the 9600GSO existed thanks for the find. I;m def going with a E7200 just because in a few months it should be even cheaper.

@why_me No need for a DVD/RW, I'm recycling one from the machine this one is replacing.

Never had geIl before so I'd like to stick with what I know. So far A-DATA, Kingston, and Patriot have served well.

Here's an updated list so far, I don't doubt it will change in a month or so when I actually go to build.

CPU - E7200 $130
MOBO - Ep35 DS3L $90
RAM - 2x 1gb Patriot Extreme performance $45
GPU - ASUS 9600 GSO $90 after MiR
HDD - 7200.10 250gb $65
Case - Cooler MAster Centurion 5 $50
PSU- Earthwatts EA500 $50
OS - Windows Xp Home SP3 $90
Total: $610

Slightly over budget but price drops will fix that.
Thanks for the help!