The $300 Super Cheap Challenge :p

Any comments, anyone? Does anyone think that I need a cheap GPU for this (and if so, any recommendations)? What improvements could be made?

It's pretty much good except for the HAF 912. I would get a cheaper case than that since it's a waste of money to get an expensive case for just watching vids and farmville.

A 300 watt would be best.

1 single stick of 4gb would be cheaper but not much difference.

All right; check out the current build. I think I even got it a bit better for cheaper (Yay!)

Total Cost: $309.95

Cooler Master Elite 311 ATX $40

Rosewill 350w ATX PSu $30

G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 1333 $42

Asus Micro ATX Motherboard $70

Intel Core i3-2120 3.3GHz CPU $127

Any ideas on how to make it just a bit better? Could I change the motherboard for a bit more bang for the buck?

Also, does anyone know where to get a cheap copy of the most basic version of W7?

Case + PSU: 50 pounds
http://www.ebuyer.com/220863-coole [...] 30-kkpl-gp

RAM: 16 pounds
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMX4GX3M1A1333C9-XMS3-D...

Motherboard: 60 pounds
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-p61-usb3-b3-...(x16)-atx

Processor G840: 50 pounds
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/processor...


All these prices are in pounds sorry but I'm sure you can find these in the US ( probably even cheaper).

Will definitely be enough for your friend's requirements with expansion ability for the newest graphics cards.

Microcenter scares me. I went to a Microcenter in Cincinnati for the first time last week, and it was like walking into a Chinese knock-off market. Can I really trust what I buy there?

alternatively, you could go AMD

FX 4100 Black Edition 3.6GHz Quad-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor $99
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml...

ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS Socket AM3+ 760G mATX AMD Motherboard $59.99 - $50 bundle savings - $10 rebate (Free)

All else equal, that's a total price of $226 - $30 in rebates.

I guess the FX4100 is poor in gaming but that's not a stated use (can it really be that bad?) And if nothing else, it's quad core so multi threaded apps should perform decently.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml...

at least here in Silicon Valley, Microcenter is probably better trusted if not as well known as Fry's, Best Buy, etc and it helps that I work about 5 min away. I've never been to another store so I don't know what they're like.

I buy my stuff there since they're often cheaper than Amazon even with tax, especially full builds because they have awesome deals on CPU/mobo combos. I asked a sales guy about it once and they said they're an Intel Launch Partner, whatever that means (Intel's headquarters is about a mile away) so they get killer deals on the CPUs. Also their staff is pretty knowledgeable here in SV, unlike any other big retailer. I'd say they were a pretty reputable outfit.

microcenter isnt a "chinese knock-off market". they carry all the big brands just like the other stores do. it just so happens that they also carry quite a few of the lesser known cheap brands. just because its cheap doesnt mean its crap.

bliq's build seems to be alright. you dont need 8gb of memory though.

If you're looking at something with that little usage, I'd consider AMD's E-350 platform or their new APUs (A-series). If they need added graphics power then they can throw in a cheap AMD GPU to couple with the integrated GPU.

Man these kinds of computers are popular! Here is a build which keeps the price in mind!


Case+PSU: APEX TM-302-3 Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Mid Tower + 300W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$39.99

Motherboard: ASRock A55M-HVS FM1 AMD A55 Micro ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$58.99

CPU+GPU: AMD A4-3300 Llano 2.5Ghz FM1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$64.99

Ram: Patriot Signature 4GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$17.99

HDD: HITACHI 500GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
79.99

CD/DVD Burner: LG 22X Super-Multi DVD Burner Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$17.99


Total: $279.94 Before Tax.


The only thing I would look at upgrading is the case/psu. The PSU will do in terms of Watts, but in terms of quality it is probably pretty bad. - Still $39.99 for a case+psu is great!

I recently built an AMD A Series computer and I'm extremely happy with it. They are perfect for budget builds, especially if you are not building this PC for serious gaming or 3d modeling/rendering.

(If you want to be surprised, you can find youtube videos of people playing BF3 on an AMD A8. I tested this and yes, it is playable!)

-Madreag

Best answer selected by Wyko.

Thanks for your help everyone! I appreciate all your comments.

If I was you I would go with APU / FM1 solution. These chips blow the heck out of intel integrated graphics

Really? I've heard so much good about the Sandy Bridge series.

I would only go sandy bridge if you plan on buying a discrete graphics card.

The AMD 6330 graphics are definitely more powerful. I have an E-350 build myself but for the cost of the Brazos platform, you could get a quad core FX4100 with motherboard. The big win for E-350 is power consumption (which could be important). given the stated uses, I went with more CPU power and adequate GPU power. actually, to make the machine feel really zippy, I'd invest any remaining budget on a small SSD.