My $500 Gaming PC

[Furashu]

well im on a budget as i am an unemployed teen...lol
heres the parts that i have chosen and i would appreciate alot of feedback for better parts, better bang for the buck then those that i have chosen :)

Please dont tell me what ive chosen will be obosolete or i should wait for some other CPU because i currently have a pentium 4 with a MSI i845 MObo with stock everything so this is a big time upgrade for me :)

i already have OS(XP pro) and moniter,mouse,keyboard,dvd reader/writer

this is what ive chosen

AMD athlon 64 3500+ Am2 Socket 89$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103633

BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro 75$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138027

Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YD 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM 67$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136009

1GB GSKILL RAM - $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231085

PSU 400w 42$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817104953

APEX midtower 350w 31$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811154054

for the graphics card im willing to wait on it because i only have around 400 right now
the total for the above comes out to 389$ w/out tax/shipping
if there area any better things for cheaper or things i should change please tell me

[sheptr]

none of the links work.

[saphalline]

What will this new computer of yours be used for? And what's wrong with your current case that you want to buy a new one?

[Furashu]

fixed links
BIOSTAR TForce 6100 AM2 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro 75$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813138027

1gb Gskill ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231085


AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Orleans 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103631


Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3250824AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Driv
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148111


Athenatech A3603BB.400 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case ATX 2.01v 400W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190072

should work..
well this comp is gonna be for gaming ( i dont have enough for a GPU right now)
but its also for a MAJOR upgrade ive been using stock computers for 16 years and decided i wanted to upgrade my comp alone w/out my dads help!
i currently have an MSI i845 mobo w/ pentium 4 with stock everything and its real slow :(

the total of the above = $450 shipped +taxed

oh yeah major question
should i switch mobos just because i cant find any good cases with a good PSU?
lol its really bugging me because ive never heard of the case im gonna buy but it has great reviews... and i dont plan on buying a GPU more then 110$
so do u think im safe?

[azzey]

The rig sounds fine to me. I would, however, recommend that you spend much more on your graphics card if the system is to be used for gaming purposes.

[saphalline]

You are seriously over-spending on the CPU for a "budget" rig, not to mention the RAM is a bad configuration. Modern systems use dual-channel RAM, which requires the RAM to be installed in pairs. That single stick of RAM you picked out is going to kill your performance, especially with the onboard video taking a chunk with it. If I had your budget, this is what I would do:

$89 + 0 - Athlon64 3500+ Orleans retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103633)

$77 + 6 - MSI K9N Neo-F NF 550 retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130050)

$88 + 5 - 1GB DDR2-667 dual-channel kit Patriot Signature retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220070)

$54 + 6 - 160GB Hitachi T7K250 SATA 300 OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145088)

$44 + 13 - same Athenatech case & PSU retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190072)

$57 + 6 - Asus Radeon X550 256MB PCIe x16 retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121544)


TOTAL = $409 parts = $445 including shipping (where are you getting the tax from?)

[Furashu]

You are seriously over-spending on the CPU for a "budget" rig, not to mention the RAM is a bad configuration. Modern systems use dual-channel RAM, which requires the RAM to be installed in pairs. That single stick of RAM you picked out is going to kill your performance, especially with the onboard video taking a chunk with it. If I had your budget, this is what I would do:

$89 + 0 - Athlon64 3500+ Orleans retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819103633)

$77 + 6 - MSI K9N Neo-F NF 550 retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130050)

what is a heatspreader(for ram)??

$88 + 5 - 1GB DDR2-667 dual-channel kit Patriot Signature retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820220070)

$54 + 6 - 160GB Hitachi T7K250 SATA 300 OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822145088)

$44 + 13 - same Athenatech case & PSU retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811190072)

$57 + 6 - Asus Radeon X550 256MB PCIe x16 retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814121544)


TOTAL = $409 parts = $445 including shipping (where are you getting the tax from?)


haha dont be so harsh! i just got into computer hardware a week ago!
i just chose the pieces i thought were the best so i donno much about compatability yet.. but im learning thanks for the tips and suggestions
lol i got the tax from newegg's site i just clicked what i wanted added to the cart and got the tax and shipping added in :)
oh yeah i had chosen the amd 3500 previously but i thought the 3800 would be better.. so yeah

well i decided to buy an antec case from Frys so i dont buy crappy PSU and screw my whole PC up...
or i can add that 50 dollars to my GPU and get a 100$ gpu?
what do u think?

[saphalline]

Oh, they tax you? You must live in CA or near one of their distribution warehouses.

[Furashu]

Oh, they tax you? You must live in CA or near one of their distribution warehouses.


yup CA
WHAT THEY DONT TAX OTHER PEOPLE?
its like 30 dollars tax ahhh lol :mad:

[saphalline]

Current online/mail-order tax laws in the US forbid taxing across state borders. For instance, I live in MN, so I don't pay tax on Newegg stuff.

[Furashu]

i think ill go with this HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822148149
5 dollars more with a 5 year warranty

[Furashu]

shouldnt i go with a mobo with onboard video?
its cheaper then getting a 75$ mobo + not so great gu $50 = 120
where as i can save 20/30$ buying a mobo with onboard video...?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131014
is that board any good? made by asus has onboard video and 1 pcie slot x16 and x1
2 other pci slots
i dont plan on SLI stuff so yeah

or this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128010

[mjc]

shouldnt i go with a mobo with onboard video?
its cheaper then getting a 75$ mobo + not so great gu $50 = 120
where as i can save 20/30$ buying a mobo with onboard video...?

Not quite...because the quality/performance of onboard video will soon pale and you will be still shelling out the $50++ for a graphics card and THEN disabling the onboard crap...unless all you EVER want to do is use Office and surf.

[Furashu]

Not quite...because the quality/performance of onboard video will soon pale and you will be still shelling out the $50++ for a graphics card and THEN disabling the onboard crap...unless all you EVER want to do is use Office and surf.


yeah but i plan on buying a BETTER graphics card later on because i dont have enough money right now so if i get one with onboard video ill just use it temporarily till i get enough for a 100$ one cause the other guy told me to get a 75$ mobo + a $50 gpu = 125$ i can save $30 if i get a 90$ mobo with onboard and keep that $30 and save up only 70 for an even better one
get it?
or am i still making a mistake because i can overlook things as this is my second week after learning about pchardware =)

[pwoznic]

I just bought the Asus M2NPV-VM motherboard (socket am2).

It's $84 on newegg, and has the 6150 onboard video. I dont need it for games, but i hear the 6150 will run games like bf2 on low-mid rez decently.

Im getting it tomorrow and I can let you know how it does on certain games if you'd like. I recommend investing in a good video card rather than buy a crap one now and a great one later.

With a mobo like mine, you can play with what you have and THEN upgrade the vid card.

Here's a link to the thread I made with the specs of my system. cost me about $360 (WITH FREE SHIPPING) from zipzoomfly

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=49062

[madad2005]

If you penny-pinched here and there, you might of just been able to fit in a 7600GS, which is actually pretty impressive for a low-mid range card. Great price-performance ratio.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130020

[saphalline]

I guess it depends on how you want to spend your money. I shoved a vid card in there because you said you wanted to play games, so I also picked out a better mobo. But if you want onboard video, then you may as well drop down to a Sempron 64 to save even more money. You just can't build a good gaming core with that budget, so why bother? Cut corners where you can and get a decent vid card later. Judging from your current hardware, you don't really need to worry about optimizing an AM2 system.

[Furashu]

i just want onboard video temporarily not forever
i plan on upgrading the video card later on

[saphalline]

Ok then, cut it down where you can. You say you have $400-450 right now? Why spend it all at once? Stick with the 3200+ if you can, get the mobo with onboard video, get whatever hard drive you want, get that case and PSU (just know that you'll want to upgrade the PSU as soon as you can), and get the dual-channel RAM kit. If you keep everything as cheap as possible now, you're that much closer to upgrading your vid card.

As for the vid card, shoot for $100 at the very least. You can't buy a decent vid card for any less. $150 would be better, $200 even better, etc. So $100 is your starting point, and performance just increases after that.

[Furashu]

but why would i have to down everything?
im patient and am pretty sure i can get a video card within a month
as for the PSU
im getting this case u think itll be good i heard rosewill has good psus?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811147001

heres what i reconsidered... not much of a diff but i think i changed some stuff and i took ur other suggestions

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160811AS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148149

Patriot Signature 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit System Memory -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820220070

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Orleans 2000MHz HT 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103633

Gigabyte GA-M55plus-S3G Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813128010

that total is $435 w/ tax and shipping

[Furashu]

If you penny-pinched here and there, you might of just been able to fit in a 7600GS, which is actually pretty impressive for a low-mid range card. Great price-performance ratio.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130020

im putting ur idea into consideration
but the only thing i refuse to change is my CPU lol

[Furashu]

ok lol CHEAPER build about 40$ shaved off
need advice on ram theyre all about hte same price...

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160811AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148149

ASUS M2V Socket AM2 VIA K8T890 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131024

Rosewill RD450-2-DB ATX 2.2 450W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817182022

OCZ 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model OCZ25331024VDC-K - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820227006

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Orleans 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3500CNBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103633

total = $393.56 shipping and tax =)

[Dr Dmoney]

Well, wait untill you have the money for everything becuase by then you maybe even have a better system!

[Furashu]

well this is my FINAL build...
can anyone tell me if any of my parts will conflict with one another?
i will be using this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811154012

but this is what im buying
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3160811AS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822148149

ASUS M2NPV-VM Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6150 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813131014

FSP Group (Fortron Source) AX450-PN, 12cm FAN, version 2.0, 2 SATA, PCI Express, 450W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16817104954

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM Unbuffered DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit System Memory -
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820145566

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Orleans 2000MHz HT Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA3500CNBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103633

total is $417.07
and im going for this card LATER on
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102688

please help thanks =)

[saphalline]

Your main system looks good, but the vid card you picked out is old. The X800's and X850's are fairly powerful, but they don't have SM 3.0, which is pretty much required for all the latest games. And it doesn't quite have the sheer number of shader units that the latest vid cards tout.

madad2005 suggested a GeForce 7600 GS, and I agree. It's the best performing vid card for the price right now, with the 7600 GT being more expensive but with higher clock speeds.

[Furashu]

Whoops LOL
i didnt even look at the card i was planning to get that i just saw the price
oic thanks for the tip!! thanks alot for everything ill be starting my first build in two weeks (outta town)

Hey how do i know if i can use windows VISTA on with my mobo?

[saphalline]

Oh don't worry about Vista. You're building a native 64-bit system on new hardware. It will definitely be Vista capable.