+/- $300 build

[jointchief]

Hey everyone,
Looking to replace my old rig built in 2002:
Asus A7N8X
Athlon XP 2600+
2GB Ram
Radeon x1650 AGP
100GB IDE HD
Liteon iHAS324 DVDR DL
Case: Thermaltake XaserII
Obviously fairly old tech by today's standards. I have been playing around on newegg looking for some decent upgrades in the $300 range. This is what I have cooked up so far:

Mobo: ASrock M3A770 - $59.99
CPU:Athlon X2 240 - $56.99
Memory: A-data DDR3 1600 4GB - $47.99
GPU:HD5450 - $29.99 w/rebate
PSU: Corsair 500w - $39.99 w/rebate

$269.79 w/ shipping

Not really into computer gaming anymore, mostly going to be used for surfing the net, streaming HD videos, etc. My GF will be using it for schoolwork, I use ConvertX once in awhile and media sharing with xbox. All of this runs ok on my current rig, with the exception for HD video of course. Basically just looking for a solid refresh from the old. Any suggestions to what I have so far? Will this give me what I am looking for? Not sure about a new case, but open to suggestions.

Thanks for reading

 

[zooted]

Here is a thought


331.95AR
Gives you a better performing gpu (suitable for some gaming), a 80+ psu and a tri core.

 

[archer7282]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.563620

Pickup that combo deal from newegg, you will not have any problems with HD video with the integrated graphics.

add in the corsair psu you have picked out already. you will still be under 300 before rebates, have quad core, a nice motherboard, with DDR3 memory, and a sata rather than an ide drive (thats an enourmous performance boost in and of itself.).

I would steal then steal the DVD-rw from your current rig (assuming its sata, if not spend another 20 and get a sata one) and use your old pc as a backup/etc.



edit... for some reason i mistakenly thought this combo included a new sata hard drive. adjust what i said above to just use the provided power supply and use that money to pick up a 500-1tb sata hard drive.

 

[jointchief]

Both options sound compelling in their own right. The combo deal archer pointed out sounds great for the price, not sure how great the on board PSU is, not doing anything extreme on the rig but want to keep everything safe. But I think I should go with an X3 or X4 cpu instead, not much more expensive for more performance. What about the X2 black edition CPUs? Why are they they pretty much the same price as a base X4? Been out of the loop for awhile on the new tech.....And how easy is it to unlock an X3 to and X4, considering I would stick with the ASRock mobo?

Also if I went with the MSi board that was mentioned in archers combo, would the onboard HD5450 give me enough performance to run streaming HD? Or should I stick with zooted and get a 5670?

So many options..........The double edged sword of a new build

 

[archer7282]

this is also an extremely good combo, (especially if you dont mind re using your old case) (however after you add in a power supply your probably gonna be around 350$

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.548058

The integrated video will be absolutely fine for HD video streaming etc.. and in consideration of the fact that you dont plan on gaming.. it will do what you need it to.

 

[xailos]

Case: HEC 6T Series 6T10BB Black 0.7mm SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121071
$29.99
PSU: SeaSonic SS-350ET Bronze 350W ATX12V V2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151077
$42.99
Motherboard: BIOSTAR A880G+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138283
$59.99
CPU: AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103843
$75.99
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146748
$39.99
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
$69.99
DVD Burner: LITE-ON Black SATA CD/DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
$15.99

Give this a try, or at least a look. If you dont need 1TB of storage, you can get the 500GB F3 and save a few dollars. This build comes in at right about $350 with shipping because almost every item has free shipping.

But otherwise the deal that archer7282 mentioned is a good deal.

 

[archer7282]

also it seems like an overwhelming percentage of the X2 BE 555's unclock into quads with the 6mb L3 cache. I have one on order right now for a friends build and the intent is to try and unlock and overclock it. With that said he understands that there is a chance that it will not unlock. It's still a very strong processor.

 

[jointchief]

All these mobos being thrown out seem pretty much the same with the exception of a few extra slots of whatnot....So im looking at around $70 depending on which one I go with. Great looking build Xailos, but the only thing I really store on my HD is music, and my current 100GB drive is holding up fine, so 1TB is a little overkill for me, but will upgrade to SATA drive for sure.

Do you think 350w will run what im planning on building? Of course depends on what CPU I go with, but considering all the options that have been thrown out, what would be a safe and solid wattage to go with?

pretty much just have to decide on CPU. I want the computer to last awhile, upgrade wise, so i will def get at least an X3, just wondering whats my best performance to cost option? X3, X4, any of the X blacks? And is it just that some X3s or X2 blacks will unlock to quad and some will not, or does it depend on mobo/chipset being used?

Thanks for the help everyone

 

[moody89]

+1 to Xailos' build. Onboard video should be perfectly capable for your needs. I use onboard for my system since I don't game and it's more than capable of outputting full HD Video with no hiccups.

350W will be plenty for your build.

The X3 would be the sweet spot for your needs, but if the money stretches a little (you're looking at saving money by opting for a smaller HDD) then you could go for the X4 and get a four core processor which will be better for multitasking etc. Personally, I wouldn't depend on unlocking extra cores. If it were me, I'd just get the CPU I wanted and any unlocks are a bonus. Sometimes they aren't successful and when they are sometimes there can be stability issues.

 

[jointchief]

Best answer selected by jointchief.