$250 internet surfer

[bbr147]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Soon. Within the next 2 weeks.

BUDGET RANGE: $250 US

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Internet surfing will be the main purpose of this computer. It may be occasionally be used for word processing or powerpoint. It would be a major plus if it can run Halo and Counter Strike 1.6, but that isn't necessary if it will break the budget.

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: OS, Monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg only please

PARTS PREFERENCES: No preferences

OVERCLOCKING: Don't think any overclocking is needed here.

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I don't want it to be too noisy. I need to be able to connect it to an old CRT monitor.

Here's the parts I have picked:

GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 Motherboard = $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128342

AMD Sempron LE-1250 2.2GHz CPU = $29.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103189

Kingston ValueRAM 1GB = $15.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134116

Western Digital Caviar Blue 80GB HDD = $34.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822135106

Rosewill R103A Case with 350W Power Supply = $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147010

GIGABYTE GeForce 7200GS 256MB Video Card = $24.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125095

Samsung DVD Drive = $22.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151175

Speakers = $7.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836110026

Keyboard & Mouse = $12.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126017

Total Cost = $239.91

So, those are the parts I have chosen for my ultra-cheap internet surfing PC. Will they come together to make a functioning computer? Am I missing anything? Will it do everything I have listed?

Thanks

 

[rewindlabs]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167032

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167037

The only difference in these two is that the latter is the newer dual core atom...you can check out the benchmarks on them...im not so familiar with its performance as i was using the atom 270 in my netbook which is in the first linked to setup


Just add some ram and an hdd + a mouse and keyboard and use this...its not the best at halo or cs but it will play them pretty well if you tweak em...that keeps the budget down a bit...and hey you can install osx on it pretty easily as well...

Check out this forum....we also help out the nettop owners as well and since the hardware is literally the same minus bios overclocking youve all the info you would need on installing any os or any problems you could possibly run into...

http://forums.msiwind.net/


http://forums.msiwind.net/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=6996

Edit:BTW! you don't need a dvd drive with this system...atleast for os installs you can either used specialized apps for installing osx or a simple 1gb usb stick for installing xp...but the dvd drive can of course be for movies or burning etc so yeah if your not using it for that there is not reason to spend the extra atm if you want to save a few bucks

And like i said this system has been worked out so there are tons of guides on doing everything without a dvd or cd drive...

Also make sure you pick the right ram...these use the same chipsets as the netbooks so its laptop ram...stick with 2gbs

Last addition...make sure to go and read the reviews at newegg atleast a couple of pages...im sure you will quickly see that this would be a great system for your intended use..btw it runs great with emulators so anything up to ps1 and n64 and back will play GREAT! and that can keep you busy for a while...

Feel free to ask any questions on the system as i had a great run with my Msi wind netbook for a good 5 months...

 

[gkay09]

Well $250 is more than suffice for the setup you want...
Am sure this setup could even run CS:S

CPU + CASE + PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.188540

Mobo - ASRock A780GMH/128M AM2+/AM3 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
780G motherboard supports AMD AOD/ACC, HDMI, 128MB side port
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157154

- You dont need the graphics card
Actually it would be kinda slower than the onboard graphics chip...


RAM - 2GB OCZ Vista upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227189

HDD - 160GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148397

Speaker - Same

DVD - Same

Keyboard - same

Total - $248...
What do you think ???

But there is one upgrade that you could consider - The CPU
If you can get about $20 more, then get this CPU...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103300

 

[bbr147]

Total - $248...
What do you think ???

I like it very much. It's got twice as much RAM and hard drive space, a better graphics card and a dual core athlon. That's much better than the parts I picked.

The integrated graphics on that board are pretty impressive, it can run Far Cry with AA and AF enabled at playable frame rates. That is a lot more than I expected for this price.

I got a few questions.

1. The CPU is OEM, this means it does not come with a cooler, correct? I picked this one. The reviews say it comes with thermal paste already applied, but will that be good enough for what I'm doing, or should I buy some other paste for it?

2. The motherboard supports DDR2 1066 RAM, but does it also work with the DDR2 800 memory you picked? And it says it has 2600MHz Hyper Transport but the CPU only has 2000. These are still compatible with each other, right?

 

[orangegator]

Just buy a netbook.

 

[gkay09]

Total - $248...
What do you think ???

I like it very much. It's got twice as much RAM and hard drive space, a better graphics card and a dual core athlon. That's much better than the parts I picked.

The integrated graphics on that board are pretty impressive, it can run Far Cry with AA and AF enabled at playable frame rates. That is a lot more than I expected for this price.

I got a few questions.

1. The CPU is OEM, this means it does not come with a cooler, correct? I picked this one. The reviews say it comes with thermal paste already applied, but will that be good enough for what I'm doing, or should I buy some other paste for it?

2. The motherboard supports DDR2 1066 RAM, but does it also work with the DDR2 800 memory you picked? And it says it has 2600MHz Hyper Transport but the CPU only has 2000. These are still compatible with each other, right?

1. Yes as it is an OEM product, it will not come with CPU cooler...
Well mayb instead of spending $8(maybe will come to $10 after shipping) on CPU cooler and $40 on OEM CPU, which totals to $50, get this Retail CPU for $53...It is much faster than that CPU and will come with CPU Cooler...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103255
or this with the case combo...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.188526...

2. You dont have to worry about the Mobo and RAM...they are backwards compatible...and generally they list the maximum supported...
The main thing that you should see when buying a CPU and compatible mobo, just check the Socket Type and for RAM, the type - such as DDR2/DDR3 and the MHz speed should be less than or equal to the specs given on the Mobo...

 

[gkay09]

Just buy a netbook.

nice option...
But it would just serve the basic tasks but not his wish to play CS and Halo...

 

[rewindlabs]

nice option...
But it would just serve the basic tasks but not his wish to play CS and Halo...

Heh...wrong it can play both of those titles...

And have you not heard of the edit button?

 

[gkay09]

^Hmm..a $250 netbook - small screen, slow processor, low HDD space, OS ??
Well still I would stick with PC if the mobility is not taken into account...

 

[rewindlabs]

^Hmm..a $250 netbook - small screen, slow processor, low HDD space, OS ??
Well still I would stick with PC if the mobility is not taken into account...

Meh im not going to argue with performance for the price with you...it works great as a portable lite gaming system for those who want it to be....this guy only needs a small HDD a slower than what even the intel atom cpu offers and any torrented os will do...although most netbooks ship with xp anyways...screen size is preference....

Either way its not the optimal system for much fpsing above the unreal engine....try the asus with the 9300 or the soon to be released ION platforms...those should be able to play quite a few titles....would eat halo up no problem should do nice on the source engine

The reason i didn't suggest a netbook in the first place is this guy doesn't need one....a nettop is something he could use though...

 

[Outlander_04]

why the gfx card?

why not just buy a
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128379
and use the onboard gfx

 

[Outlander_04]

Because you cant play any games with onboard video.

the 780g board has better video than the card the OP was suggesting .

 

[orangegator]

maybe, doubt it though

The onboard hd3200 is at least 2x better than the 7200gs.

 

[bbr147]

Here's benchmark for the 7200GS


It gets a score of 489 in 3Dmark06

The onboard HD3200 beats it, with a score of 1552.

So, the onboard graphics are actually better.

 

[Kill@dor]

Yup.

 

[Outlander_04]

I'd like to see those benchmarks.

I've seen users on this site say the onboard 3200 is not good for CS, and thats what the OP wants to play.
Back in the day I played CSS with a ti4200 and my buddy had a FX5500 and it was flawless on both systems, I find it hard to believe it wouldnt be twice as good on a 7200GS.

You should give up offering people advice about computer hardware and software .
You are not very good at it

 

[orangegator]

You should give up offering people advice about computer hardware and software .
You are not very good at it

:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[Kill@dor]

Oh snap..another fight. Why can't we all just get along LOL

 

[Outlander_04]

Outlander, you should grow up. I never gave him advice dumbass, learn to read.

Your the moron advising him to go with onboard graphics for gaming, and your telling ME, I should give up giving advice? LOL

He wont be happy with the performance of the onboard 3200 and he'll end up buying a card anyways.

More proof that you should give up advising people .

You suggested half the gfx power I did ...but what I suggested isnt going to be good enough .
Your "logic" is a little inadequate .

Plus you have appalling manners , and that doesnt compensate for your unreasonable belief that your opinion is worth something .

 

[rewindlabs]

Yeahp anyone who is so immature they think they need to lash out and call someone fat isn't the most polite forum member

And Zip where not here to recommend him a gfx solution to play newer games so stop trying to prove you where right in the first place no one cares....he WILL be doing just fine in cs 1.6 and halo with the onboard graphics...

I hate listening to people say oh no you can't game with onboard graphics they suck....sounds so narrow minded...im glad your not recommending my hardware...you sure he won't need a gtx 295 for cs 1.6....

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=368975

http://boards.ign.com/pc_general_board/b5027/179599137/p1/

As you can see any IGP that does 1280x720 on the source engine with medium settings is decent in my book...should do cs source maybe...with some configs to gain fps

 

[gkay09]

Here's benchmark for the 7200GS


It gets a score of 489 in 3Dmark06

The onboard HD3200 beats it, with a score of 1552.

So, the onboard graphics are actually better.

Well the OP has agreed that his choice of discrete graphics is weaker than the onboard that we had suggested...Hence problem solved...
So please dont fight among yourself...
And zipzoom not trying to criticize you but you were not correct about the onboard 3200...do check out the review of the 780G mobo on Toms...you would get a clear idea that for the resolution that the OP wants to play, the onboard is suffice...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-780g-chipset,1785.html

And bbr147 don't get the Gigabyte mobo...it doesn't have side port memory(though not a major concern) but this ASRock board has 128MB DDR3 side-port which will help increase the FPS and is cheaper than that Gigabyte...
Even ASRock boards are good and stable boards...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157154

 

[orangegator]

You are just plain wrong, face it. From first hand experience, I can tell you an overclocked 7300gs scores 900 in 3dmark06. An overclocked onboard hd3200 scored 1700. Now quit pissing into the wind and let it go.

 

[drunknmunkys]

Internet surfing will be the main purpose of this computer. It may be occasionally be used for word processing or powerpoint. It would be a major plus if it can run Halo and Counter Strike 1.6, but that isn't necessary if it will break the budget.

My point is that he wont be happy with either onboard or a 7200GS because as soon as he goes to play something more current, and finds out his onboard is crap, he wont be happy.

BUDGET RANGE: $250 US

Outlander, are you still sure you want to recommend onboard 3200 for gaming? LOL

Internet surfing will be the main purpose of this computer

GeForce 7200 GS (3Dmark06): 489
hd3200 (3Dmark06): 1552

I don't think he's looking to play crysis here.

quesitons?

 

[Outlander_04]

If I'm wrong I'm wrong, I dont care, I said in my second post that he may be right. I dont give a friggin shiznit either eway about any 7200G friggin S, it's a piece of crap just like the onboard 3200.

I'm trying to get a point across to the genius with the pussy for a avatar, that is recommending onboard 3200 graphics for the OP to game on. Its just plain stupid to recommend that looking at the benchmarks I've linked. Unless the OP wants to play CS at 15fps.

You might as well face it . You are wrong on all counts .
[ as you have been on a number of issues in the past ]

My suggestion doubled the gfx power of the OP's build for ZERO extra money , and that is the point of offering advice to people . Its about helping them meet their needs at the best price .
When people like yourself dont know things, and cant be bothered checking you really have no business offering advice .

Did you even read the original post ?
Can you build a more powerful system for $250? . If you cant then you have no basis for any criticism .

If you have anything to do with the website of the same name as your avatar I feel very sorry for the clients who accept your advice . If you dont have links to that site Im sure they'd appreciate you not embarrassing them further.

 

[bbr147]

I read the review of the 780G months ago my friend. I'm no expert on 7200GS or whatever it was, but I know we played CS on FX5500 and Ti4200 just fine so it should play twice as good on a 7200GS. My point is that he wont be happy with either onboard or a 7200GS because as soon as he goes to play something more current, and finds out his onboard is crap, he wont be happy.

This computer is not supposed to be a high performance gaming PC, and if I wanted that, my budget would have been 4 or 5 times as much. This is a gift for my mom, who basically uses yahoo mail, ebay and craigslist, and that's it. That's all she does, so I don't think this computer needs the latest and most powerful $200 graphics card. You're kind of missing the point. You're right both the 7200GS and onboard HD3200 are weak, but they are supposed to be. I knew it would have weak graphics before I started this thread, and I don't care. It's a $250 computer FFS.

I would like to be able to play some older games on it when I go over there, but like I said, that is not a high priority. But I'm pretty sure the onboard GPU can handle those games, because they are even less demanding than Unreal Tournament 04. Halo was released in 2002, and CS was released in 1999. But if it can't run those games, I won't really care too much, as long as it CAN surf the internet. I already have a PC with a Core 2 E6600 and a HD 3870 video card, and that will be good enough for my gaming needs until the time Windows 7 comes out, which is when I'm going to build another gaming rig. But that's NOT what I'm doing right now, and I've already made up my mind that I'm gonna get the ASRock board that gkay linked to. So you can stop arguing onboard vs. separate video card, because I already decided that the onboard is good enough for this computer.