Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!

Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!

Tom's Hardware: Over 1.4 million members in 6 different countries available to answer all your high-tech questions. Sign up now! Its free!

Ask the community Add a reply

Bottom Search this thread

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Possibility of next 48hrs or longer if worth it to wait (for specials)

BUDGET RANGE: Option 1: Around 700$ Option 2: Around 1400$

STEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Web browsing, Office, Light Photoshop, Light video editing, watching movies

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Mouse + Keyboard

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Canada purchase, NCIX for build option, price matching and lower shipping cost

PARTS PREFERENCES: Never had AMD, but no preference as long as system is stable

OVERCLOCKING: Not really SLI OR CROSSFIRE: I don't think so

MONITOR RESOLUTION: No idea, need to purchase one!

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

For parents. Need stable and reliable system that will last 4 years!

There are two budget options because I could go with an i7 build but I'm thinking it would be overkill, hence me looking for a budget system with some upgradeability that should do the job for the next 4 years.

Need:

Good 20" Moniter should suffice
Will run Windows 7, something with virtualization might be good to run on XP mode

Would a dual or quad core build be enough or should I go i7?
DDR2 or DDR3?

Thanks

Add a reply

Because of the lack of response, I'm posting what I had came up with so far.

This is my first build and some help would be appreciated, no video card, not sure if necessary.

I'm a bit lost and some advice would be helpful, thanks again.

LG GH22NP20 Black DVD+RW 22X8X16 DVD-RW 22X6X16 DL 16X/12X 2MB IDE OEM

Gigabyte EP45-UD3R ATX LGA775 P45 DDR2 1366+ 1PCI-E SATA2 RAID HD Sound GLAN 1394A Motherboard

Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.5GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail Box

BenQ E2200HD 21.5IN 16:9 Widescreen Black LCD Monitor 2MS 1920X1080 10000:1 Senseye HDMI DVI VGA

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E 120MM Cooling Fan 1200RPM 20.1DBA 49.0CFM FDB X 2

Intel PRO/1000 GT Gigabit Ethernet PCI Network Adapter Card NIC

G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit

Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc 3.5IN SATA Hard Drive OEM 5YR Mfg Warranty

Coolermaster Extreme Power Plus 500W ATX 12V V2.3 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan

Antec Three Hundred Mini Tower Gaming Case 300 ATX 3X5.25 6X3.5INT No PS Front USB & Audio

Message edited by papisupport on 07-26-2009 at 06:11:36 PM

Reply to papisupport

Hi...
The setup you have chosen is good but the dual core might be enough for now but would easily show signs of slowing down in a year or 2...So it is better you get the Quad...And for your usage, it is not necessary to go with i7...

Here is a config that you can consider...
CPU -
intel Q8400/ AMD X4 940...Both are very good CPUs...either would do...

Mobo -
intel - GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R (Would require a separate graphics card as no onboard video is present)
If you dont play any games, then get the ATI 4550...

AMD - ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G /
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H (Has a decent onboard video so no separate graphics card is required)

RAM -
For intel -
DDR2 800MHz with CAS 4

For AMD -
DDR2 1066MHz with CAS 5

PSU - Change to a better Quality PSU -
Antec EA430/ EA380/ Corsair 400CX - These are 80+ certified PSUs...

And get a SATA DVD Burner instead of IDE...

Reply to gkay09

Thanks for the reply, much appreciated!

New build looks like

Antec Three Hundred
AMD X4 940 Black Edition
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H
Corsair 400CX
Samsung SH-S223F Black 22X DVD Writer SATA OEM
Western Digital WD1001FALS Caviar Black 1TB

G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] omoid=1192

Can I go with DDR3 instead of DDR2 with this system later?

Also, will the fans be of any use?

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21E 120MM Cooling Fan 1200RPM 20.1DBA 49.0CFM FDB X 2

Thanks again!!

Reply to papisupport

Ok did some research, looks like I might need a different board to support DDR3, I came up with this:

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produ [...] _-13128392

I'm thinking of adding DDR3 for future upgradeability? Is it necessary?

Reply to papisupport

^ If you are going to use that mobo, you would also need to get an AM3 CPU like X4 945/ X4 955...And it doesnt have onboard video...
And Yes DDR3 would be a better way to go...but they dont have significant performance boost over DDR2...

And the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-US2H that you have listed is just a DDR2 mobo...you cant use DDR3 with that...

Reply to gkay09

Ask the community Add a reply

Tom's Hardware > Forum > Homebuilt Systems > New System Build > Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!

Go to:

Help |
Forum rules

There are 432 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Page generated in 0.635 seconds

Focus On

Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!

Forum Homebuilt Systems : New System Build - Basic Home Computer: Sub 700$ or Sub 1400$!