How did I do?

[carrot]

I just bought a computer for my friend. I wanted to see if I could build a good one by myself and not screw it up, so here is what we bought him.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811144026

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130490

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102670

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819112186

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820141423

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822135106

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827106997

He wanted a "budget" computer. How did I do?
Any input is welcome.

[SufferWell1396]

you must have been on a real budget, whats with the 533 Celeron D?, but i do like the 1 gig ram, well, i would say you did do a good job for a *budget* computer

[Boxo]

Its good for a budget computer. Don't expect to play games on it really. But yeah, you did well for a budget machine, it'll be good for basic use.

[carrot]

thanx!

whats with the 533 Celeron D

Whats wrong with a celeron D? (really, cause i dont know...)

[saphalline]

Wow, yeah, that must have been a tight budget! Not too shabby for such a tight budget, but an extra $100 or so would have been nice. I'm not too keen on the mobo or PSU myself, but as long as this system isn't expected to play the latest 3D games, then it will probably be fine. The 1GB of RAM is good to get in there, but the use of AGP could have been avoided. But again, not too bad for such a tight budget.

Nothing wrong with a Celeron D! It's cheap, it's cool, and it's more than adequate for all but the most demanding tasks. If you're on a budget, a Celeron D or Sempron 64 is more than enough. And honestly, how would you all compare them if a Celeron D system with a 7600 GT were pitted against an Athlon64 system with onboard video? Performance is dependent on so many more things than just CPU power. Think about that.

[jlreich]

Yeah not bad at all for a tight budget. Nothing wrong with a Celeron D for a budget.

I agree with Saph you could have gone with a PCIe x16 system for not much more. But then again if you had, you would definitely need a better PSU to power a modern system, so the cost would go up even more by adding at least $70-$80.

[carrot]

Ya, we had it orginally priced at like 430 and it ended up 460 which was to much for him. he payed it anyway. HA!
well, anyway, saph, what do u dislike about the mobo and PSU.... wait, the PSU is included w/ the case.... oh well. same question.

On my "gaming" machine, I have an AGP card. It is a Radeon 9800 PRO 256 MB. I think it kicks butt, but thats probably just because I own one. ;)
I run doom III and quake 4 on the second from the top settings. I know there are much more advanced games, but i dont have the cash to get them anytime soon, so its all good.

Last question, why is PCIe x16 so much better than AGP. I thought that AGP was only for graphics cards which made it faster than, say, a PCI card because PCI is for any kind of extension.
Does that make sense to anyone but me?

[mjc]

PCIe is the new replacement bus architecture. PCI/AGP is being phased out. It is a much faster, better laid out sytem without many of the restrictions that are present in a PCI system.

[carrot]

thats what i thought. i just wasn't sure.

[saphalline]

well, anyway, saph, what do u dislike about the mobo and PSUThe mobo uses a SiS chipset, and an older one at that. I've had more problems here on the forums trying to get SiS-based systems to play games just fine than I care to count. They just don't like to be gaming machines. The AGP is also a big negative, but like I said, this was necessary to get within the budget.

The PSU is likewise older, being of the ATX 2.0 variety instead of the new ATX 3.0 variety. This means that a core upgrade on that system later will also mean a new PSU.

Then again, it's hard to imagine your friend wanting an upgrade anytime soon! That was a really small budget! Honestly, I wouldn't have done it myself. I have a certain level of expectation for the systems I build. If I wouldn't use the new system personally, I'm wary of building it. The reason is that I don't want a poor quality component to reflect badly on my ability to design a quality system. I have ways to do this, but friends are different.

[carrot]

I have a certain level of expectation for the systems I build. If I wouldn't use the new system personally, I'm wary of building it. The reason is that I don't want a poor quality component to reflect badly on my ability to design a quality system. I have ways to do this, but friends are different.
wow. well put.
I had no idea it was such a small budget! What would you reccomed for an affordable, but still respecable machine?

[saphalline]

An extra $100 would have been nice. But if I were building it, I would have suggested another $150-200.

Upgradability and platform quality are always my two biggest concerns. Right now, AGP in my mind is totally out. In the case of your friend, it may have been warranted as long as he knows that his new system isn't suitable for gaming of any kind. In terms of upgrade options for normal people, you never know what they'll end up wanting later, especially if they have pre-teens or teens in the family. There are a few things in the hardware world I like to avoid, such as poor quality mobo's, lack of RAM slots, gen mixing, proprietary traps, and SiS chipsets. ;) I always put a lot of effort into system/platform design, so that's my thing. That's why I always know what works with what, and why.

Your friend had such a low budget that I would have suggested waiting, but you did manage to build a decent system considering the price.