The $500 Computer, OS and all...

[slomo4sho]

So I was thinking what kind of system could be made with ~$500 budget. I would need to include monitor, OS, keyboard, and mouse. This is what I came up with:

Acer X193Wb Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009151

RAIDMAX xA Combo Pack ATX-568WBP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156043

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GBhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136010

Transcend 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Chan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208353

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

BFG Tech BFGE86256GTSOCFE GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143113

AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Windsor 2.0GHz
Bundled with
GIGABYTE GA-M61PME-S2
http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/AddToCart.aspx?Submit=ADD&ItemList=Combo.136652

Total = $509.91, no rebates to worry about.

This build still needs a good cheap CPU cooler.

What do you think can be improved? And do you think it would be possible to bring the total to under $500 with CPU cooler included?

 

[Proximon]

Ouch. 132W on the 12V rail...

Better trim it down to onboard

Biostar 790GX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138130

Brisbane 5200+ combo deal, $153 for the CPU=MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103210

Antec case and EA380W - $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129032

2GB memory $26.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211165

17" WS LCD $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254018

Logitech USB KB + mouse $13.00

Vista $100.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488

Burner $24.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

HD WD 250 GB $45.00

Bah that's closer to $600.00

Well, I've said it before.... some of the best computer cases are sitting in closets and back rooms collecting dust because they are "old" or "broken".

If someone I didn't know came to my door begging I would likely hand them a case and 17" CRT monitor and feel pretty good about getting rid of stuff that's not doing me any good.

 

[slomo4sho]

Ouch. 132W on the 12V rail...

Better trim it down to onboard

Well, I've said it before.... some of the best computer cases are sitting in closets and back rooms collecting dust because they are "old" or "broken".

If someone I didn't know came to my door begging I would likely hand them a case and 17" CRT monitor and feel pretty good about getting rid of stuff that's not doing me any good.

LOL. I got three empty cases, a 17" monitor and at least a couple keyboards and a mouse or two just collecting dust in the garage.

But lets ignore that and see if this is possible

I also noticed the 11amp 12v rail. The power consumption on the 8600 GTS is not that high from what I recall. It might stress the PSU but I think it should be able to support the GPU as well.

 

[zenmaster]

Drop the Monitor and get a Used 17" CRT from CraigsList for about $20.

Use the saved money to get more respectable parts.
Then when you have the cash, upgrade your monitor.

You can get this Dell for $500 with a 20" monitor E7300, 2GB of RAM.
(Free Shipping)

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=brcwa1p&c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&kc=productdetails~desktop-vostro-220mt

You will need to upgrade the graphics, but that should not be an issue since there are discrete graphic options available albeit overpriced on the configuration.

 

[slomo4sho]

Dell is funny, $110 to upgrade from 2gigs of ram to 4 gigs of ram... but for $500 its not a bad system especially considering the 20" monitor and Vista included.

But I want to see if we can build a equal or better PC than a premade on a $500 budget.

I have looked at this case/PSU combo and end up saving $5 but now need a mouse and keyboard!
RAIDMAX Elite ATX-208BP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156201


I think its probably better to pick up a generic mouse and keyboard from a local electronics store instead of paying heavy shipping charges.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823164010
$4 for this keyboard and $8 to have it shipped... yea get it from a local vendor

 

[dirtmountain]

This Rosewill case/PSU is a decent choice. It's one of their newer 450w PSUs with decent 12v power and only $5 more then the raidmax combo with free shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147031

 

[slomo4sho]

The RAIDMAX Elite ATX-208BP that I mentioned above also comes with a 450 watt PSU and is $10 less than the Rosewill case/PSU and also has free shipping. But the Rosewell PSU does have 2 12v rails at 20 amps each whereas the RAIDMAX has only a single 12v rail at 21 amps.

 

[megamanx00]

Because that PSU with the case you picked only has 11AMPs on the 12v rail (qualifies it as a POS in my opinion) I don't think it's a good idea to use a dedicated graphics card. I think you should scrap that video card to get a better CPU / motherboard combo and save up money for a PSU and GPU upgrade latter, especially since an 8600GTS just won't cut it for todays games.

 

[zenmaster]

I would not be using any PSU unless it advertises at least basic features such as APFC which is required to even be legally sold in Europe.

And you can't trust the voltages in those "no-name" PSUs.
If the Case Specifies the actual Make/Model of the PSU and the PSU is sold seperate - they are generally "ok". i.e., Antec Earth Watts, CoolMaster Real Power Pro, etc....

If you assume $100 for the OS and $150 for you monitor, you will get a POS system for $250 that is vastly inferior to some Dell/HP deals. And along with being better, there is no worry about DOA parts or time spent assempbling, and the Dell even comes with 1yr on-site warranty.

I just don't see the point of trying to build in the $250 price point.

 

[icyicy]

Keep in mind the HD4670 for $70 only draws power from the motherboard, so I suppose it will not draw too much power from the PSU. It will even run Crysis on medium at 1280x1024! But it's most likely out of reach with that budget. If only you could increase it to $560-580 you could get a decent PC with high quality hardware. Or if you can re-use an old monitor or case.

 

[knotknut]

Wait until the 28th (black friday) You can get some previews already.
Google "black friday"
Yesterday someone said they picked up a G33 motherboard and E4500 for
$45.00 at Fry's.

 

[zenmaster]

Keep in mind the HD4670 for $70 only draws power from the motherboard, so I suppose it will not draw too much power from the PSU. It will even run Crysis on medium at 1280x1024! But it's most likely out of reach with that budget. If only you could increase it to $560-580 you could get a decent PC with high quality hardware. Or if you can re-use an old monitor or case.

The HD4670 would be my GPU of choice for an entry level card that may be used for gaming.

 

[zenmaster]

Wait until the 28th (black friday) You can get some previews already.
Google "black friday"
Yesterday someone said they picked up a G33 motherboard and E4500 for
$45.00 at Fry's.

Saw that..............
Makes me want to move closer to a Fry's.

 

[zenmaster]

And if you were going to build a $250 computer, the only way to really do it would be to just buy 1 part at a time when amazing deals came up.

I got a nice Anct Case/380w PSU combo for $40 shipped one time.
It just sat in my office for 4-5months until I bought everything else, but I could not pass that deal. (was not for a high-end gaming system so 380w was fine.)

 

[Onus]

Tall order. My bottom-dollar AMD build is $373, and that doesn't include KB, monitor, OS, and rodent. I could probably shave $40 off of that, but I think Zenmaster is absolutely right on this one. At that price point, even a Dell makes more sense than building. I've also added APFC to the list of specs that any PSU I buy MUST have.

 

[slomo4sho]

If you assume $100 for the OS and $150 for you monitor, you will get a POS system for $250 that is vastly inferior to some Dell/HP deals. And along with being better, there is no worry about DOA parts or time spent assembling, and the Dell even comes with 1yr on-site warranty.

I just don't see the point of trying to build in the $250 price point.

I have no intent on building a $500 machine. I composed this thread to determine the best possible build at this budget, how well it could game, and see if it could compete with Pre-built systems from companies such as Dell and HP.

Also, if we want to take rebates into account, we can get a 3870 GPU for $75 or a 3650 512mb GDDR3 for $50.

I am pretty confident that I can make a pretty good $500 machine after considering rebates. The original build was without rebates!

I actually enjoy building and troubleshooting PCs so I would always opt to build my own than buy pre-made if I could meet or exceed the performance of the pre-built system within the same budget.

 

[Silverion77]

I did some research on this, and the real problem is that the "Inspirons" WITHOUT upgrades are hard to compete with.
Ive been considering starting a little custom made computer company in my area for lower costs and its hard to compete with the Stock Inspirons because of mass production and lower cost bulk orders dell gets for parts.
As soon as i moved to the Stock XPS 420 i could cut down from their cost by $300!!! That will hopefully win over some ppl. Now the real question is, after how many upgrades do the Inspirons get out of spec because of dells ridiculous upgrade costs.

I mean to upgrade a HD3450 to a 9800GT they charge $300!!! :O. The card only costs less than $150

 

[slomo4sho]

Or $110 for an additional 2 gigs of DDR2 800 ram $60 to upgrade from 250gb to 320gb hd $10 to add a partition on hard drive... yea upgrades are brutal...

 

[Silverion77]

Yea its the upgrades. I mean i was looking for "profit" between custom and the stock inspiron which is hard. Especially with monitor and OS which right away puts u at $500 to compete with the $700 stock inspiron or $400 to the $600 inspiron and thats without a "profit" between u and the buyer so its not even worth it to me.
But as soon as u move to XPS and upgrades ("dell recommended" i believe is what ppl generally go for at times unless rly constricted by price) it becomes a whole nother story

Edit: I mean i just priced out a XPS 420 at $900 at dell. Same thing built would be $600 and then the customer could get 3 yr coverage from squaretrade for $80 + manufacture warranties

 

[ahslan]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136010]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009151]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127383]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339019]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211165]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103211]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147111]

combo with +

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131324]

All that sums up to 454 + 21 shipping = $475 (without OS though)

 

[slomo4sho]

The addition of a monitor in the Inspirion system is usually a guaranteed $100-130 price increase. Thats about the price of a decent 17"-19" LCD.

The real advantage they have is in the department of wholesale components and software. There really is no way to price match the bottom of the barrel parts they use for their low end systems and, unless you plan on going with Linux, don't expect Microsoft to cut you a deal in software.

 

[slomo4sho]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136010]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009151]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127383]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339019]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211165]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103211]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147111]

combo with +

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131324]

All that sums up to 454 + 21 shipping = $475 (without OS though)

Your list of parts is too vague.... ie: the CPU link lists every possible AMD CPU on sale at Newegg...

 

[Silverion77]

Yea they buy xxxxx copies of windows at discounted prices. They make their monitors so obviously have lower costs on that
So moving from $500 Inspiron to $600 u get a monitor which makes it rly hard to compete.....ill just have to look higher

Anyone use SquareTrade for warranties before?? They look good and would allow customers a source for a good warranty with in house service (according to their "features")

Anyways im off for the night lol
Talk to u guys tomorrow about how we dont like Dell