Low Budget - High Desires

[Manoo]

Hi all

I think, I have found the right forum to post my question and I am very greatful for every response I might get. My last computer died with a harddisk failure and even though I have hardly any money, I want to get a new desktop, since I work as a freelancing sw-developer and the 133Mhz replacement I sit at right now just wont do it (the waiting is killing me).

Despite my poor credit, I managed to get 500 bucks out of the people from best buy and I have 300$ on the side. I figured, I buy the motherboard and chip off the internet with the 300 dollars and the rest from best buy. Now, I haven't been following the market and it seems everything is very proprietary nowadays.

Therefore, my question to you guys is: What motherboard/cpu would you buy (and where), if you wanted a fast machine, that can handle my development needs (running several databases, ide's and compilations all the time) as well as my gaming needs (and they are getting more and more urging) if you had just 300 dollars.

See, I really don't know, what the different types of memory are and why one is better than the other. It would be really great, if I had a system that would be upgradeable in cpu and memory in case, I do get some money sometime.

Does anyone see a chance for me to get a system with a pretty recent processor, 512 MB of memory, around 60GB of harddisk, 64 MB videocard and a cd-rw (so the next hd-crash wont be as bad). I figured, I could buy the case, the hd and the video card at best buy, maybe also the memory.

Thanks for any answer, even for telling me that I am asking for too much.
Manoo

 

[o1die]

Best buy doesn't sell many individual components. If they are your only source of credit, I suggest you buy a complete system from them. Also, check out Dell, and see if they can provide you with any credit. Their systems are cheaper. Otherwise, I suggest the following: the asus a7v-266vm mobo with built in sound, lan, and geforce 2 graphics $70-73. Athlon xp1600 $52, samsung 256 meg pc2100 $69 (you can get more later), chieftec dv-01 case $70 shipped, heatsink $10-12. All prices are from newegg.com. You can get the hardrive and windows at best buy. Any ata 100 will work fine. You can also get windows cheaper at a place called 9 software. They sell all versions without having to purchase additional hardware. I suggest the oem 2000 professional or xp home edition.

 

[Manoo]

Thanks for your reaction. I like it (pricewise), but off course it starts raising questions. Does the a7v-266vm mobo also support faster processors then the Athlon xp1600 and wouldn't it be worth to buy a faster one? I could buy the case at best buy and have an additional 90 for the proc. And does the 266 stand for the bus-speed? How important is the busspeed (and i understand the newer intel boards work at 533Mhz) and if it is very important are higher ones available for less expensive platforms than what intels are running on?

Thanks again

P.S. After reading the reviews on newegg to the suggested products, I understand a bit more what we are talking about here. It seems that overclocking is the way to go to save money and still have a great system. Isnt the 1700 easier to overclock than the 1600? And the heatsink/fan(?) seems to be an important aspect as well, right?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Manoo on 11/30/02 12:30 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[o1die]

What I suggested is one of the best "bang for the buck", not the fastest. I use the p4 1.8a overclocked to 2400, and recently acquired a 2.4b as the mobo that came with it was basically free. You're talking a $300 budget. If you save just a little more, I would recommend the 1.8a with an sis board and refurbished video card from newegg, but your money is tight. You can go with a 1700 or 1800, but the 1600xp actually may overclock better. Also, check Amd's website for their next tour stop. They're visiting several cities across the US giving away cpus, hats, shirts, etc. You can also investigate the pricewatch systems. I found a complete 2100xp system with everything but monitor for less than $300 shipped. Not the greatest, but you can always upgrade the video card and memory later when you have more bucks. Good luck.

 

[Manoo]

Thank you very much, 01die, for your informations. The guy at bestbuy told me, I couldnt upgrade the video card when I have on-board video, but according to you this seems to have been bs. I think, I will go with a complete system using pricewatch.com and buy the goodies (more ram, videocard) with my 500 bucks from bestbuy. Or, I will look into the 1.8a and sis-board you suggested, depending on how my creditors behave...
I just wish, I knew more about this stuff, but thanks to guys like you, at least I head in the right direction. Thank you.

 

[Manoo]

What do you think about this system? And if I spend that much, should I consider the p4 1.8a with sis? if yes, what model-nrs exactly? what's the benefit? I chose this, because I thought I can yank in a xp2800+ and a second 256MB stick to make use of the 333FSB in dual mode. Did I get this right?

From Newegg

$ 55.00 CHIEFTEC Mini-Mid Tower Model DH-01W w/450W PSU
$153.00 Asus A7N8X-DX, SPP/MCP-T
$ 51.99 AMD Athlon 1600+/266 FSB XP Processor CPU OEM
$ 70.00 Samsung Original DDR333 PC-2700 256MB CAS2.5 - OEM
$ 11.00 CPU FAN IGLOO 2320 PRO (AMD/INTEL) RTL
$ 9.00 Teac 1.44MB 3.5 Inch FDD (just in case)
$ 25.00 Shipping and Handling

$374.99 Total from Newegg

From Best Buy

$169.99 PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB DDR AGP VCGF4TI42A
$199.99 Western Digital 120.0GB Internal HD WD1200JBRTL
$139.99 Plextor 48x24x48 Internal CD-RW Drive PX-W4824TA
No Shipping costs

$509.97 Total from Best Buy

$884.96 Grand Total

Did I forget anything, do these comps work out together, are the BestBuy comps way overpriced, is this graphic card any good? and i am unsure about the fan...
Thanks a lot for more help.

 

[Crashman]

It looks like a solid combination of parts with pleanty of room to grow.

<font color=blue>You're posting in a forum with class. It may be third class, but it's still class!</font color=blue>

 

[mbetea]

i have that graphics card and have to say the gf4 ti4400(128mb) i did have has nothing on it, it's a good card.

also at bestbuy, get the universal buslink cd-rw drive. it's $69.99 (there might be a rebate going on still to, so it might be even cheaper). these are lite-on drives which are good drives and way less than plextors, plextor drives are overpriced.

if money is tight, i would look at a wd 80gb drive with the 8mb cache ($139 i do believe at bestbuy). you can always throw in another one later if need be.

recently local shop prices (bestbuy, compusa, microcenter, etc), prices aren't that bad compared to online, when you factor in shipping and everything. good thing is no waiting and no worrying about something being damaged in shipping.

cdrw, floppy drive, cd-rom? what are these strange words you speak of?

 

[Manoo]

Cool. Your suggestions just saved me around 130 bucks. Thanks a lot. So the Universal BUSlink are Lite-on's? After reading the forums about CD-RW I wanted to get one, seems everybody seems to be so happy with them, but as i mentioned in my first post, I HAVE to buy at best buy. Now, I can even check that off my wishlist.

Here my revised list:
From Newegg

$ 55.00 CHIEFTEC Mini-Mid Tower Model DH-01W w/450W PSU
$153.00 Asus A7N8X-DX, SPP/MCP-T
$ 51.99 AMD Athlon 1600+/266 FSB XP Processor CPU OEM
$ 70.00 Samsung Original DDR333 PC-2700 256MB CAS2.5 - OEM
$ 11.00 CPU FAN IGLOO 2320 PRO (AMD/INTEL) RTL
$ 9.00 Teac 1.44MB 3.5 Inch FDD (just in case)
$ 25.00 Shipping and Handling

$374.99 Total from Newegg

From Best Buy

$169.99 PNY Verto GeForce4 Ti 4200 64MB DDR AGP VCGF4TI42A
$139.50 Western Digital Caviar 80.0GB Internal HD WD800JBRTL
$ 69.99 Universal BUSlink 48x12x48 Internal CD-RW RW4848
No Shipping costs

$379.48 Total from Best Buy

$754.47 Grand Total

The DVD-Drive will have to wait, but maybe I'll get a set of cool speakers or a dig-cam for the money I saved. Or I'll just save it, so my payments wont kill me

So, what about the cooling? I can see myself wanting to overclock this thang and I want to make sure I am cool enough to do that. Any considerations?

 

[Spitfire_x86]

I like MSI GeForce4 Ti4200 128 MB. Costs little less than you selected PNY card and has very good cooling.

For $57, you can buy a LiteOn 48x/24x/48x CD-RW. I see no reason for buying the highly overpriced Plextor drives since the LiteOn's are very good.

If you want to buy a DVD-ROM, buy LiteOn 16x DVD-ROM. No other DVD-ROM's can touch the performance level that it offers. Costs $45 at Newegg.

WD's 80 GB (7200 rpm, 8 MB cache) costs $115 at Newegg.

For $15, you can buy Volcano 7 (Not 7+), a very good cooler for its price.

Let us know <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25703#25703" target="_new"> What File compression format you use? </A>

 

[Compubrian]

Here my revised list:
From Newegg

$ 55.00 CHIEFTEC Mini-Mid Tower Model DH-01W w/450W PSU
$153.00 Asus A7N8X-DX, SPP/MCP-T
$ 51.99 AMD Athlon 1600+/266 FSB XP Processor CPU OEM
$ 70.00 Samsung Original DDR333 PC-2700 256MB CAS2.5 - OEM
$ 11.00 CPU FAN IGLOO 2320 PRO (AMD/INTEL) RTL
$ 9.00 Teac 1.44MB 3.5 Inch FDD (just in case)
$ 25.00 Shipping and Handling

$374.99 Total from Newegg.com

So, what about the cooling? I can see myself wanting to overclock this thang and I want to make sure I am cool enough to do that. Any considerations?

Since you're shopping @ Newegg anyway, I'd recommend the AKURA 7528 for 22 bucks, since your on a budget. I'd seen it in a few different reviews before I bought it @ newegg.
It does cool really well, plus it's VERY quiet. I was really happy w/ it.
I noticed your getting over budget on the Newegg order, you might be able to save a few bucks by getting a cheaper case. Take a look @ the "Evercase" series @ Newegg. AMD approved Enhance power supplies and a screwless design to make putting it together alot faster & easier

 

[mbetea]

yeah, people at another forum have confirmed, those drives sport a lite-on sticker on the top of the drive. and their computers' bios's pick up the drives as lite-on. i've heard this is the name lite-on is under for retail boxed drives.

cdrw, floppy drive, cd-rom? what are these strange words you speak of?

 

[Manoo]

Thanks for that input, but due to cash shortage, I have to buy those components from BestBuy, where I got a 500$ credit. And they dont have the MSI GF ti4200 128MB, unfortunately. But they have the ATI RADEON 9000 Pro DDR 128. Is this the better card?

 

[Spitfire_x86]

No, GeForce4 Ti4200 is lot better than Radeon 9000 Pro 128 MB

Let us know <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=25703#25703" target="_new"> What File compression format you use? </A>

 

[Manoo]

Thanks. Well, meanwhile I managed to get an extra 100$, so that I am actually about 25 bucks under budget @ newegg. But the fan you suggest is twice as expensive as the igloo. is it twice as good? And would you (I mean, you) buy the chieftec or the evercase if you could choose? When reading those reviews about the evercase, the fan that comes with it seems to be awfully loud ans stuff.

 

[toss5000]

Nice looking system, that motherboard you selected will give you tons of headroom for future upgrades. I recently ordered the same one, I just don't have a CPU to put in it yet. Be sure to buy some thermal paste for your heatsink and fan, Artic Silver 3 is probly the best, and its not too expensive.

- - - -
Kill a man and you're a murderer;
Kill many and you're a conquerer;
Kill 'em all and you're a god.

 

[Manoo]

Thermal Paste, huh? Heatsink and fan? Is the Igloo I have a heatsink AND fan? Will I know how to install the paste? I would like to finally submit my order, but right now, I am trying to find a case w/ PSU, but it seems that 350W is only good for XP2100+ and I plan on getting the 2800+ once the price has come down. How many fans will I need to run my system cool even when oc'd and under heavy load?

So many questions, so little patience.
But thanks again to all you contributers who help me make this system a success.

 

[toss5000]

My guess is that the Igloo is a heatsink and fan, try looking at the picture of it. Yes, you'll know how to apply the paste if you have questions you can always post them here. I would recomend a 400+ watt ps, 350 would probly be enough, but you'll want a ps that will last you. Aluminum cases are always the best for cooling, but are more expensive...most of the quality cases have 4 case fans : 2 intake and 2 outtake. If you plan on overclocking then you definatley want a quality hsf(heatsink and fan). I am building a system with a 2700 and a Thermaltake Volcano 7+ (the plus sign is key) was recomended for me. If you plan on doing some heavy overclocking then water-cooling is the best option, though it is expensive.

- - - -
Kill a man and you're a murderer;
Kill many and you're a conquerer;
Kill 'em all and you're a god.

 

[Compubrian]

An extra 100 bucks always helps. Well, if you care about noise, then yes, the Akura CPU fan is well worth the extra 11 bucks. And yes, since you got the extra cash, stick w/ the Chieftec if you want. My opinion is, as long as it has a quality power supply, it's just a metal box....

 

[Manoo]

Ok. Thanks again to everybody who contributed to help build my system. I couldnt wait and ordered today. After all I heard about newegg quality, I will soon be the proud owner of a nice new system:
CPU AMD|1600+/266 ATHLON 1.40G XP % $51.99
DDRAM 256MB|32X64 PC-2100C2.5 CRL% $73.00
CPU FAN IGLOO 2410 PRO(AMD/INTE)RTL $13.00
CPU THERM PASTE|ARCTIC SILVER 3 3G% $6.00
MB NFORCE2 A7N8X DELUXE ASUS RTL $153.00
*CASE CHIEF|MINI TWR DH-01W 450W $55.00

with rebates and shipping for under $370.

I can't wait to assemble everything and finally have
a computer again, that waits on me instead of vice versa.

Again, this is an awesome forum/site, it's amazing what
I have learnt in only 3 days, from a total n00b to somebody
confident enough to hit "submit" in neweggs checkout procedure.

Thanks to THG and its members.
Manoo

 

[toss5000]

Good luck, be sure to post any questions you have while putting together your new rig.

- - - -
Kill a man and you're a murderer;
Kill many and you're a conquerer;
Kill 'em all and you're a god.