$800 All-In-One Use Budget PC

[Guest]

This price should include shipping and a monitor 19"+ if at all possible. I guess I will leave the rest up to the thoughts you guys have. This is the first time I have built a PC.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Next Week (Last week of January 2010)

BUDGET RANGE: $800 USD After Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Multi-Tasking, Graphic Design, Gaming, Watching Movies, Surfing The Internet. (This is an all around moderate PC so it is hard to really put one thing over the other)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: Keyboard/Mouse not required

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: N/A

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: N/A

PARTS PREFERENCES: N/A

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (never have before though)

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1600x1200+ is what I am looking to buy ( i think )

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Quiet is always nice since the PC will go in my room.


Can't wait

 

[MadAdmiral]

Going to be tough. Counting $100 for the OS and $150 for the monitor, that leaves only $550 for the tower. Might want to consider another prebuilt.

GPU: HD 5770 $163
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB $55
Optical: Cheapest SATA DVD burner $24
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
Case: Antec VSK-2000 Combo with PSU for $64
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3 1066 mhz CAS Latency 7 $58
CPU: Athlon II X4 620
Mobo: Asus M4A79XTD EVO Combo with CPU for $189

Total: $553. Leaves $247 for the OS and monitor.

 

[djg9205]

Well, as long as you don't plan on upgrading your processor in this computer you should probably go with one of the socket 1156 offerings, such as the i3s or i5s. For your budget I'd recommend a system like this:

CPU: Intel Core i5 650 (Socket 1156)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5581941&sku=I69-0650

Motherboard: MSI P55-CD53 (Socket 1156)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5083743&sku=M452-6072

RAM: 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 @ 1800MHz
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5286074&sku=K24-5864

Video Card: Nvidia 9800GT
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4902100&CatId=3670

Power Supply: Corsair 450W ATX Power Supply
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3287208&sku=C13-2500

Those 5 items come to about 630 at tigerdirect.com

The only other things you would need to buy after that are the case, hard drive, and disc drives. The case is mostly a matter of preference and aesthetics. A cheap case can be had for around $50. I'm also not sure how big of a hard drive you want, so I'll leave that up to you as well. Disc drives are really trivial in cost, and I'm not sure what kind you want, so I'll leave that up to you as well.

Do some perusing around tigerdirect.com, and find a SATA hard drive, SATA disc drive, and ATX case that you like, then post the links back here so we can make sure everything will work. All you said and done you should be hovering right around 800$. Tigerdirect.com also provides free shipping for orders over $100 and under 35lbs, which your order will be, so the cost your looking at online, is pretty much going to be the cost of the computer.

 

[djg9205]

Ah, didn't take into account that you would be needing a monitor or OS. Go with MadAdmirals $550 build.

 

[Guest]

Going to be tough. Counting $100 for the OS and $150 for the monitor, that leaves only $550 for the tower. Might want to consider another prebuilt.

GPU: HD 5770 $163
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500 GB $55
Optical: Cheapest SATA DVD burner $24
PSU: Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
Case: Antec VSK-2000 Combo with PSU for $64
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3 1066 mhz CAS Latency 7 $58
CPU: Athlon II X4 620
Mobo: Asus M4A79XTD EVO Combo with CPU for $189

Total: $553. Leaves $247 for the OS and monitor.

I want a 250GB hard drive, 7200 RPM of course?
I already have Windows 7 OS
and my monitor needs to be 19" or more flatscreen.. I don't know much about what makes the diff here.


Also after reading your build, is AMD better than intel? I had been planning a core 2 duo 3ghz all along.

And I had also been planning 2x2gb ram ddr3 1333 ram? Is 2gb really enough?

And I noticed 400W power supply. Normally I hear 500 is the route to go?

 

[MadAdmiral]

In your price range, yes AMD is better. Intel's offerings in the low price market are all for the LGA775 socket, which is, by all meanings of the word, dead. They will no longer release new CPUs for it, as the company has since moved on to at least 2 other sockets (the 1366, then the 1156 and soon whatever the i9s will run on).

The AM3 socket is not only current, but also future proof. AMD has stated that they will be using the AM3 socket for the next few years.

On the 2 GB of RAM, this was a budget choice. Of course, 4 GB would have been preferred, but I need that $40 other places in the build at that point.

As for the PSU, 400W would be enough for the system. There isn't really a "route to go" for a PSU. It all depends on what's in the build. If you've got a massive GPU (which you won't be able to afford), you'd need 450-550W. If you wanted to Crossfire or overclock, you'd need a 650W. If you wanted to Crossfire and overclock, you'd need 750W. I picked a 400W because it was cheap and about all that budget could afford.

You really should have put that you had the OS already. That could change the build a lot.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W Combo with mobo for $145 after rebates
Case: Antec 200 $30 after rebate
CPU: Phenom II X3705e $124

Total: $656. Leaves $144 for the monitor.

 

[djg9205]

For this kind of build, the brand or specs of hard drive and monitor really aren't going to matter much. Just go with a generic Seagate 7200 RPM drive like this:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4837457&CatId=2458

As far as monitor's are concerned, that's also your decision completely. 19" flat screens are fairly cheap now. I'd suggest going to a local store for your monitor, look at a few they have hooked up,and see which you like the look of best.

On AMD vs. Intel: In a higher budget build, Intel is the clear winner with both price and performance. However, once again, with this budget, we actually find AMD is better. At your price range, Intel's offerings are all socket 775, which you should try to avoid. You can always skim the CPU Buyer's Guide found here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/267801-28-buyer-guide
to find more information on what kind of CPU you need, as well as read the benefits of each.

RAM is a big component in deciding your computer's ability to multitask. Budget allowing, you want as much (fast) RAM as you can get, or your motherboard will allow.

Power Supply: something in the 400-500W range should be just fine for this build. None of your components are huge power hogs.

 

[Guest]

In your price range, yes AMD is better. Intel's offerings in the low price market are all for the LGA775 socket, which is, by all meanings of the word, dead. They will no longer release new CPUs for it, as the company has since moved on to at least 2 other sockets (the 1366, then the 1156 and soon whatever the i9s will run on).

The AM3 socket is not only current, but also future proof. AMD has stated that they will be using the AM3 socket for the next few years.

On the 2 GB of RAM, this was a budget choice. Of course, 4 GB would have been preferred, but I need that $40 other places in the build at that point.

As for the PSU, 400W would be enough for the system. There isn't really a "route to go" for a PSU. It all depends on what's in the build. If you've got a massive GPU (which you won't be able to afford), you'd need 450-550W. If you wanted to Crossfire or overclock, you'd need a 650W. If you wanted to Crossfire and overclock, you'd need 750W. I picked a 400W because it was cheap and about all that budget could afford.

You really should have put that you had the OS already. That could change the build a lot.

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2 GB 1600 mhz CAS Latency 7 $115
PSU: OCZ StealthXStream 700W Combo with mobo for $145 after rebates
Case: Antec 200 $30 after rebate
CPU: Phenom II X3705e $124

Total: $656. Leaves $144 for the monitor.

SOLD OUT
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=Spinpoint F3 500 GB

Any suggestion on a different HD ?

I think the monitor will be fine with $150.

Also, if I was to change my case to something flashier, what should i be aware of when choosing one?

I can get around 850 if necessary, so give or take is always fine

Awesome upgrades btw

 

[MadAdmiral]

Seagate 7200.12 500 GB. It should be about the same price. It's the next best thing.

About the only step up I would make is to the Antec 300 Illusion ($60 I think). Anything cheaper and flashy looking would be poor quality.

 

[Guest]

I just noticed with the hard drive, upgraded case, and cd/dvd drive.. the total without the monitor is well over $750. Is there a way we can cut the costs down to 650-675 without the monitor. I can slack on the hard drive to 250gb, case can be plain (just sturdy) and I am welcome to suggestions for my semi gaming but mostly multi tasking computer for internet and adobe products

 

[MadAdmiral]

How is it $750? Are you after a sub $700 build before rebates and after shipping?

I've got:

HDD: Seagate 7200.12 500 GB $55
Optical: Lite-On 24x Burner $24
RAM: G.Skill 1600 mhz CL 7 $115
Case: COOLER MASTER Elite RC-310-BWN1-GP $30 after rebate
PSU/Mobo: OCZ StealthXStream 700W with Asus M4A79XTD EVO $145 after rebate
CPU: Phenom II X3 705e $124
GPU: HD 5770 $163

Total: $656 after rebates ($701 before rebates). I had to change the case because the Antec 200 lost the rebate.