First AMD Budget Build

scubba85

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Jul 24, 2009
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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: One to Two Weeks

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Watching movies, surfing internet, very light gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg please

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD/ATI

OVERCLOCKING: no

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1440 x 900

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: First time AMD build, in fact first time budget build, for a customer with a budget of 350-400


Parts so far:

AMD Athlon X2 7850 Black Edition Kuma 2.8GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103678

Foxconn M61PMV AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186155

Patriot Extreme Performance Gaming Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model PGS24G6400ELK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220396

Rosewill R230-P-BK Black 0.5mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147075

SAPPHIRE 100253DDR3L Radeon HD 4650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102838

COOLER MASTER RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046

SAMSUNG HD502HI 500GB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152137

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner LightScribe Support - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188


Thanks in advance from a long time reader, first time poster
 
You don't want an Nvidia chipset really.

Here is an AMD chipset board:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186166
Comaptible with AM3 CPUs.

Here is a better CPU for less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
Regor 2.9ghz

Then there's the PSU. That needs the most work, as it's very poor.
This OCZ is a fairly good deal
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
Leaves some room for upgrades, although you'll have to deal with the rebate.
 

kevin1212

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Oct 3, 2008
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^+1

You can also consider just using the onboard graphics alone, as u may not need a discrete gpu. I'm not sure, but the 780G may have slightly better onboard than a 760G. It would certainly support DVI and HDMI outputs. Otherwise, I couldn't agree more with Proximon. The athlon II's are far more efficient for the same price, and the cooler master 460W is not a good choice, anything 80plus certified should do.
 
Here's my current bottom-dollar AMD build. There are plenty of places for improvement, if only small ones, but you have a very tight budget.

Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #:R102-P-BK
Item #:N82E16811147111
I've never had any trouble with any of the cheap Rosewill cases I've bought. I used this specific one for a build my wife took to her brother in El Salvador, and it made the trip no problem.

$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99

BIOSTAR TA790GX XE AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #:TA790GX XE
Item #:N82E16813138140
Could be improved by going AM3, but that would mean using more expensive DDR3 RAM. The onboard GPU is actually good enough for some games, and you can always add a GPU later if needed.

$94.99 -$5.00 Instant $89.99

Antec earthwatts EA380 380W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:EA380
Item #:N82E16817371005
Solid, quiet, reliable 80+ PSU. Can handle that GPU upgrade to a 4770 or 4830. Get the Earthwatts 500 if you think you'll want a more powerful GPU.

$59.99 -$10.00 Instant $49.99

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX250OCGQBOX - Retail
Model #:ADX250OCGQBOX
Item #:N82E16819103681
Cheap. In this build, this is the first thing I'd improve if the budget permits, either to a 550BE or to a 720BE.

$94.00 -$15.00 Instant $79.00

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996557 - Retail
Model #:996557
Item #:N82E16820146692
Mushkin makes quality RAM, and has been my first choice for a few years now. You can get DDR2-1066 for a little more, but the performance difference won't be that great.

$52.99 $52.99

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD3200AAKS
Item #:N82E16822136074
The Black drives are a little faster, but also another $15.

$54.99 -$5.00 Instant $49.99

SAMSUNG DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223L LightScribe Support - OEM
Model #:SH-S223L
Item #:N82E16827151188
Eh. Not much to say about an optical drive.

$28.99 $28.99

Subtotal: $375.94
==================================
Yes, it can be improved, but like I said, I'm keeping it within your budget.

 
I agree with every one else that AMD have moved on ftom the 7850 and so should their customers .

But one CPU thats being overlooked by almost everyone is the X3 710 .

Newegg have this cpu for $99 . Cheaper than the x2 550 . And it easily out performs the x2 550 [ and all the other dual core amd's ]
If the op multitasks he may well be better off with

AMD Phenom II X3 710 + ASUS M4A78 PRO AMD 780G HDMI ATX $178.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.211682#


There are cheaper combos but just because you are on a budget doesnt mean you have to compromise quality .
The mb is 780g so a graphics card wont be required . Outputs in vga/dvi/hdmi
 

scubba85

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Jul 24, 2009
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Thanks, but im pretty sure for this build the duel core will be plenty. And i saw the on board video but i wasn't sure if it would be enough for streaming video on that size screen. The build is for a family member, and I've never built such a low cost system, so no overclocking/they want everything for as cheap as can be.

Thanks again for all of the suggestions.. I've replaced the parts from Proximon's post, but still havent decided to go with a discrete gpu or not
 

udaman

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Feb 11, 2009
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The combo deal is no longer available. (I just checked :( )
 
The combos come and go quickly sometimes


Either of these


AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz +BIOSTAR TA790GXE AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 790GX Micro ATX $149
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.230131

or the more powerful

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz + BIOSTAR TA790GXE 790GX Micro ATX $175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.230130

This article
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-x2,2324.html
compares the two processors

Both combos use the same m-ATX mb . Its an AM2 board and uses DDR2 ram . The m-atx board has less expansion slots but Ive never had a computer where I got any where near filling the pci slots of an atx board anyway so a couple of year back I decided m-atx was a better choice [for me].
The board fits in an ATX case btw , but theres a bit of extra room left over at the bottom of the case




This combo
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz +ASRock M3A780GXH/128M AM3 AMD 780G HDMI ATX $143
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.229024

is a full atx board and its all AM3 which means 1/ that you have to use DDR3 memory [ ~ $75 for 4 gig]
and 2/ it may give you more options to upgrade the processor in the future
You'd be giving up a fraction in speed on the 3.0 Regor to gain possible future benefits If you go this way then
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231200

is very good ram for the price