My First Attempt - Budget Build

Aznlotus161

New Member
Hi guys, I'm looking into building a budget comp (~$500).
Present System: Pentinium Duo @ 2.8Ghz w/ Radeon 1600x graphics card and 3.5GB DDR2 ram
What do you think of my probable build here:
•NZXT Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer
•Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB hard drive
•AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core
•ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
•SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 512MB
•LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive
•Rosewill Stallion Series 500W ATX12V Power Supply
•G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Total cost ~ $515
I am very new at this, but I am currently researching & learning.
Your advice would be great so I appreciate it and thank you.
Any alternatives for lower prices are always great :)
-Mike
 

linkin

VIP Member
Hi guys, I'm looking into building a budget comp (~$500).
Present System: Pentinium Duo @ 2.8Ghz w/ Radeon 1600x graphics card and 3.5GB DDR2 ram
What do you think of my probable build here:
•NZXT Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer
•Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB hard drive
•AMD Athlon II X3 435 Rana 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core
•ASUS EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
•SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 512MB
•LITE-ON Black SATA DVD-ROM Drive
•Rosewill Stallion Series 500W ATX12V Power Supply
•G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Total cost ~ $515
I am very new at this, but I am currently researching & learning.
Your advice would be great so I appreciate it and thank you.
Any alternatives for lower prices are always great :)
-Mike

That is a problem. it will most likely pop like a firecracker after a while... Rosewill is not known for good quality. get this instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7341012&cm_re=ocz_500w-_-17-341-012-_-Product
 

mihir

VIP Member
what would you be using it for if gaming then i think you should go with an amd system.
 

Aznlotus161

New Member
Wow, thanks for all of the replies. Appreciate it and definitely good suggestions.
Questions:
•Does 600w PSU have to be necessary? I was considering something more cost effective.
•Also, is DDR3 memory necessary? DDR2 is only a little slower, no?
Trying to save as much money as I can :p
Thanks
-Mike
 

bomberboysk

Active Member
Wow, thanks for all of the replies. Appreciate it and definitely good suggestions.
Questions:
•Does 600w PSU have to be necessary? I was considering something more cost effective.
•Also, is DDR3 memory necessary? DDR2 is only a little slower, no?
Trying to save as much money as I can :p
Thanks
-Mike
Not specifically necessary, but a good 500W unit will save you ~$10, and won't be anywhere near the quality of the 610W silencer. Plus again, it will allow for future upgrades not only by power capacity but also allotting for capacitor aging. PSU is definately not the area to try to save money on, plus that recertified unit is about as cheap as they come for a quality unit of that caliber.

DDR3 will save you some money in the long run, for 4gb your talking a $20 difference or so, but when amd's next generation of processors come out(bulldozer) they will be AM3 only, and therefore DDR3 only.
 

Aznlotus161

New Member
Not specifically necessary, but a good 500W unit will save you ~$10, and won't be anywhere near the quality of the 610W silencer. Plus again, it will allow for future upgrades not only by power capacity but also allotting for capacitor aging. PSU is definately not the area to try to save money on, plus that recertified unit is about as cheap as they come for a quality unit of that caliber.

DDR3 will save you some money in the long run, for 4gb your talking a $20 difference or so, but when amd's next generation of processors come out(bulldozer) they will be AM3 only, and therefore DDR3 only.

You make good points and I see where you are coming from.
How about this PSU?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
Also, I was considering using some of my old memory (Being DDR2) to cut back on costs. I have 3.5GB of DDR2 in this computer that I currently use.
Would a difference between 2GB & 4GB be significant? (Savings of ~$50)
Thanks again. :)
-Mike
 

bomberboysk

Active Member
You make good points and I see where you are coming from.
How about this PSU?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
Also, I was considering using some of my old memory (Being DDR2) to cut back on costs. I have 3.5GB of DDR2 in this computer that I currently use.
Would a difference between 2GB & 4GB be significant? (Savings of ~$50)
Thanks again. :)
-Mike

Great unit, but the pc power and cooling unit i gave a link to was cheaper, and better value for money, especially considering once you factor in shipping and such they will cost the same. (Also a better unit overall). The pcp&c will also save a bit on electricity costs due to higher efficiency rating.
 
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Aznlotus161

New Member
You still haven't told us the primary use of your computer. Will it be for gaming?

Sorry, I never realized it because I had to re-post prior.
The computer will probably be used for school and some gaming/video editing.
I'm not sure what heavy gaming actually consists of, but I do have interests in playing first person shooters/etc. Thanks
-Mike
 

Aznlotus161

New Member
With the previous suggestions in this thread, you seem to be on the right track :good:
Thanks for your replies! :) More insight the better
Fortunately, I have found out that I am able to stretch my budget a little further
than previously expected so I'll probably consider some modifications.
-Mike
 
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