Why pay more? ~$300 complete build BASIC NEEDS

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mountie

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So i have been intrusted to build a family pc for a friend, and want to do it as cheaply as possible for them. It doesn't make sense for them to go and buy a crap computer from best buy for $499, b/c I think I can beat any of best buy's cheapest computers for around $300-$350. Here's the skinny...

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within next month
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Web surfing, music playing, light gaming (i.e. sims)
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS.
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg/zipzoomfly/frys
PARTS PREFERENCES: none
OVERCLOCKING: NO SLI OR CROSSFIRE: NO
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 19" nothing
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: the cheaper the better!!!


Here's what I'm thinking so far, and it seems like a really decent build...

CD/DVD Drive: Sony Optiarc Black 24X - $33
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

Case: cooler master RC-534 - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119104

HDD: WD 160 blue - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075

PSU: Corsair 400w - $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008

Memory: Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) - $34
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146526

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2H LGA 775 Intel G41 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128396

CPU: Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz - $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116074

TOTAL comes to $327 plus shipping

Mobo has integrated graphics, will it be enough for light gaming on a crap monitor?

Will 2.6Ghz be enough processing to last 5-10years?

Please advise on any less expensive and equally reliable parts! I can go AMD but I just don't think the Athalon64's x2 can provide more value than the E5300 at $70


For any one who cares i'm rocking the PII-720/ HD4870 / 750w / 4gb / 640WD black

EDIT: ADDED MISSING PRICES
 
Solution
pepperman
I think in this case, AMD would be the better way to go, if only because the integrated graphics is stronger. The Athlon II 240 performs on par with the E5300 BTW.
http://en.inpai.com.cn/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6558&pageid=5058

For $128, get the Athlon II 2.8 GHz with HD4200 GPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.270985

For $1 less, get the faster RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161030

Since you want this to last a few years, why not a bigger hard drive for $10 more?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Those are just my recommendations, your build looks good, but with my recommendations, the longevity will be increased. The price will go down $3.
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pepperman

pepperman

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I think in this case, AMD would be the better way to go, if only because the integrated graphics is stronger. The Athlon II 240 performs on par with the E5300 BTW.
http://en.inpai.com.cn/doc/enshowcont.asp?id=6558&pageid=5058

For $128, get the Athlon II 2.8 GHz with HD4200 GPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.270985

For $1 less, get the faster RAM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161030

Since you want this to last a few years, why not a bigger hard drive for $10 more?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181

Those are just my recommendations, your build looks good, but with my recommendations, the longevity will be increased. The price will go down $3.
 
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M

mountie

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Pepperman - Thanks for that combo deal... I like that mobo's graphics

Reviews on that RAM look to be pretty mixed-up, plus the one I picked has free shipping, so may still be cheaper option.

This family had a 80GB hard drive for 7 years and couldn't fill it, plus I can make their old one into an external if they really run into space problems....

Is it worth waiting for a mobo combo to pop up on the egg? I think i ended up getting my old one for free after waiting...
 
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shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt

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The HD recommendation has more to do with speed than capacity. That old 160GB drive is considerably slower than the very fast F3 500GB drive. IMO getting a much faster drive with 340GB more storage for $10 more is a no-brainer, regardless of whether they need the extra capacity.
 
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pepperman

pepperman

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Yes, that one would be better. The lack of a sideport will affect it some, but not much; it's still a lot better than the intel mobo, and the faster cpu would probably make up for it.
 
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pepperman

pepperman

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If he wants to spend more, then yes, he could get the quad, and for 20 more than that he could get the triple core unlocked, etc. From my understanding he is looking for cheap value. For the everyday user, a slower quad core isn't the way to go. I'm guessing his clients don't do rendering.
 
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ohiou_grad_06

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Yeah, but you are only talking about 20 bucks more. They probably don't need the triple core with it being more, but most people are going to have more programs running, like antivirus, web browsing, maybe some audio apps, etc. For the 20 bucks I think it is worth it. Realistically, with quads that cheap, I don't think I personally would want anything less than at least a tri core. Unless I were looking for a laptop or something. But that's just my opinion.
 
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mountie

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OhioU - In all honesty, peppreman has it correct, I would more likely go for a single core if it was going to save me $50, then up to a quad for $20 more. Quad core is WAY overkill for this build, you mention anti-virus (once a week) and web browsing and music for most people simultaneously, as far as I can tell 2 cores will handle that with relative ease.

I guess I just need help finding a decent combo deal from the egg for all these (or similar) components. I just saw the 400w corsair psu just got free shipping and an extra $20 rebate so I may snag that today.

Any suggestions for a OS? I was just going to re-use their Windows XP Pro to keep things simple, but might put a temp copy of the Win 7 trial on a separate partition, for them to try out...

 
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mountie

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I am starting to worry about the onbaord graphics... I noticed it was pretty low on the latest charts. Out of curiosity, should I be concerned about anything the integrated graphics will not be able to do? Even at lowest settings?

Thanks in advance.

EDIT: Found the charts...
 
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pepperman

pepperman

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For the price range you're looking at, the HD 3200 is the best you can get; it will be fine for light gaming, and just plain computing. Granted, you won't be able to play many games on high settings and high res, but you can play on medium and get decent frames.
 
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mountie

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