$500 build for my old man

[daidalas]

I'm putting together a build for my old man for a max $500 (EDIT $600)dollar budget. heres the info and what i've got so far.

Will run XP and probably never upgrade

Doesn't play any games, as such i want mobo w/ onboard graphics.

will probably use this computer for around 8 years into the future

main goal is to keep it cheap and quiet



now, onto the build! ***UPDATED***

Intel E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

Gigabyte MOBO
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128363

Antec Sonata III Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129036

4gb gskill ram @ 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219&Tpk=g%20skill%20hk

Caviar Black 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd6401aals

DVD drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152



Subtotal: $575.94


Any ideas on making this faster/stronger/harder/better greatly appreciated

 

[xthekidx]

This HDD is faster due to higher platter density:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd6401aals

Faster ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219&Tpk=g%20skill%20hk

Get a SATA DVD Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Cheaper quality case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129045

Why the floppy drive?

SO if you want this to last 8 years...then you should probably drop a Quad core in there in a couple years, that E5200 is somewhat sluggish already, so in 8 years it will be agonizing. Wait for the Q9650 to become the low-end mainstream and put it in, the E5200 will do for now.

 

[IzzyCraft]

Ditch the aftermarket cooler swap case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121001

buy a psu
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151038

swap out mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128363

buy free shipping and handling

 

[the1tarheel]

The xthekidx changes make a lot of money sense as well as performance.
The 5200 will suffice for about 3-4 years for his usage but the platform will not.
Prices for old technology seem to go up 3-4x the normal price once they are being discontinued
(socket 775 will disapear before he has a chance to upgrade to a quality quad)

 

[jdw_swb]

Mobo - ASRock A780GXE/128M AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G ATX AMD $79.99

CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz 169.99

PSU - PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V $79.99

Case - COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $49.99

RAM - Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) $37.99

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache $74.99

DVD - ASUS Black 22X DVD Burner with LightScribe $28.99

Total Cost - $521.93

 

[Helloworld_98]

swap out the 920 and 780 mobo for a Q8200 and an intel G4/Q4 series mobo.

 

[daidalas]

This HDD is faster due to higher platter density:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319&Tpk=wd6401aals

Faster ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231219&Tpk=g%20skill%20hk

Get a SATA DVD Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136152

Cheaper quality case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129045

Why the floppy drive?

SO if you want this to last 8 years...then you should probably drop a Quad core in there in a couple years, that E5200 is somewhat sluggish already, so in 8 years it will be agonizing. Wait for the Q9650 to become the low-end mainstream and put it in, the E5200 will do for now.

Thx for the tips, im updating the dvd drive,ram,and hdd. Got the floppy cause dad wants it for some crazy sentimental reason =D.

 

[daidalas]

OK, here is another build idea, tell me what u think and how they compare plz. (Thanks gurus)

Antec Sonata III $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8ghz $170
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103472

Gigabyte motherboard with onboard radeon 3200 graphics $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128382

4gb gskill ram @ 1066 $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231166

WD Caviar Black 640gb hd $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136319

Samsung dvd drive $26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151173

Subtotal: $535.94

To my eyes seems like a better system than the intel. Also decided to take thekids advice and just trash the floppy drive =D

 

[xthekidx]

Its a much better system than the intel, and if its not outside of your budget then I think it is a great build. I'm not 100% sure that MB will support a Phenom II out of the box, you may need an old AM2 processor in order to flash the bios for PII support.

This one does support PII for sure and has a better chipset with slightly better onboard graphics: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.182255

 

[daidalas]

that combo is sweeeet thekid, thx for bringin to my attention. pops is gonna be pleased come fathers day =DDD