- Nov 2, 2008
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To see an explaination of how my though process works and see my other builds at various prices, click here:
Index of sKora's Topics
This was a tough one to get in under $400. I make all my design builds to include an OS but no monitor. If you need a monitor also, your better off buying a pre-built and upgrading the GPU and maybe PSU if needed.
This build was largely based on sales, free shipping, and just enough to get the job done. It's not really upgradeable, nor will it have an extremely long life. The best you can hope for is playing at 1280x1024 or 1440x900 with high details, or 1680x1050 at lowered details. Anything more and you'd need a bigger GPU to have any kind of details turned on. This started off when I found the GPU 9600 GSO for $35 amir and picked the rest of the parts around it getting as much as I could but staying in budget. To get any kind of quality PSU, $40 was the lowest price I could find. There are PSUs that are half the price, but twenty times the risk of failure. Picking the mobo just required it had the right socket really. Once I had everything else picked, I took the rest of the money and used the rest on the CPU. So here's the build. Any questions, comments, suggestions, or respectful flaming are welcome.
GPU: 9600 GSO DDR3, Asus $60-$20 mir - $5 promo code EMCLWMM88 w/ free shipping
$35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121320
CPU: AMD Athlon II x2 245 2.9 ghz dual core http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
Mobo: Geforec 8200 AM2+, Zotac http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500031
Combo: $111 - $20 mir w/ free shipping
$91 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216717
Ram: 4gb DDR2 1066, OCZ Reaper $67-$25 mir w/ free shipping
$43 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289
PSU: Corsair 400wCX $50-$10 mir w/free shipping
$40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
Case: Apex Micro ATX case $34 - $9 promo code EMCLWMM67 w/ free shipping
$25 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154094
HDD: WD 320gb Caviar Blue Sata http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
OS: Windows Vista home premium w/ win 7 upgrade http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677
$145 Combo w/ free shipping and 15% off HDD promo code HDDSALE15 (this was applied at the end): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.235895.22-136-074
Optical: DVD Burner Sata w/ free shipping from Zipzoomfly.com
$28 https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010832&ps=homain2
Total: $400!!! amir delivered!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, its possible. Not the greatest system, but should do well enough. Now some upgrade options if you do have a few more bucks to spend.
CPU/Mobo:
CPU: AMD Phenom II x2 545 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103694
Mobo: Gigabyte 785G AM2+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394
$140 Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.237632
This cpu/mobo can be attained 2 ways. Spend the extra $49 and get the 9600 GSO or only spend an extra $14 but not buy the 9600 GSO. The onboard graphics for the 785G are the best avaible and are able to play most modern games with lowered details at the low target resolutions. See this review for benchmarks. If you compare the results to the charts and use the 4670 (close equivilant to the 9600 GSO), you can see that the 9600 GSO will do much better than just the HD4200 IGP. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-cards-charts-q3-2009-mainstream-quality/Left4Dead,1358.html
Case: +$15 This case is a mid ATX giving better airflow. Free shipping w/ promo code EMCLWMM55
$40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147106&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL081109&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL081109-_-ComputerCases-_-L9A-_-11147106
Promo codes are set to expire on 8/16/09 for the HDD and 8/17/09 for the rest.
Hope this helps someone. If it does, please leave a note below.
Index of sKora's Topics
This was a tough one to get in under $400. I make all my design builds to include an OS but no monitor. If you need a monitor also, your better off buying a pre-built and upgrading the GPU and maybe PSU if needed.
This build was largely based on sales, free shipping, and just enough to get the job done. It's not really upgradeable, nor will it have an extremely long life. The best you can hope for is playing at 1280x1024 or 1440x900 with high details, or 1680x1050 at lowered details. Anything more and you'd need a bigger GPU to have any kind of details turned on. This started off when I found the GPU 9600 GSO for $35 amir and picked the rest of the parts around it getting as much as I could but staying in budget. To get any kind of quality PSU, $40 was the lowest price I could find. There are PSUs that are half the price, but twenty times the risk of failure. Picking the mobo just required it had the right socket really. Once I had everything else picked, I took the rest of the money and used the rest on the CPU. So here's the build. Any questions, comments, suggestions, or respectful flaming are welcome.
GPU: 9600 GSO DDR3, Asus $60-$20 mir - $5 promo code EMCLWMM88 w/ free shipping
$35 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121320
CPU: AMD Athlon II x2 245 2.9 ghz dual core http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687
Mobo: Geforec 8200 AM2+, Zotac http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500031
Combo: $111 - $20 mir w/ free shipping
$91 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.216717
Ram: 4gb DDR2 1066, OCZ Reaper $67-$25 mir w/ free shipping
$43 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227289
PSU: Corsair 400wCX $50-$10 mir w/free shipping
$40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
Case: Apex Micro ATX case $34 - $9 promo code EMCLWMM67 w/ free shipping
$25 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154094
HDD: WD 320gb Caviar Blue Sata http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
OS: Windows Vista home premium w/ win 7 upgrade http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116677
$145 Combo w/ free shipping and 15% off HDD promo code HDDSALE15 (this was applied at the end): http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.235895.22-136-074
Optical: DVD Burner Sata w/ free shipping from Zipzoomfly.com
$28 https://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010832&ps=homain2
Total: $400!!! amir delivered!!!!!!!!!!
Yep, its possible. Not the greatest system, but should do well enough. Now some upgrade options if you do have a few more bucks to spend.
CPU/Mobo:
CPU: AMD Phenom II x2 545 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103694
Mobo: Gigabyte 785G AM2+ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394
$140 Combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.237632
This cpu/mobo can be attained 2 ways. Spend the extra $49 and get the 9600 GSO or only spend an extra $14 but not buy the 9600 GSO. The onboard graphics for the 785G are the best avaible and are able to play most modern games with lowered details at the low target resolutions. See this review for benchmarks. If you compare the results to the charts and use the 4670 (close equivilant to the 9600 GSO), you can see that the 9600 GSO will do much better than just the HD4200 IGP. http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/gaming-graphics-cards-charts-q3-2009-mainstream-quality/Left4Dead,1358.html
Case: +$15 This case is a mid ATX giving better airflow. Free shipping w/ promo code EMCLWMM55
$40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147106&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL081109&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL081109-_-ComputerCases-_-L9A-_-11147106
Promo codes are set to expire on 8/16/09 for the HDD and 8/17/09 for the rest.
Hope this helps someone. If it does, please leave a note below.
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