Reliable help on building computer

[mt0wnballa]

ive been reading alot of posts on here about building computers, but it seems like everyones budget is alot higher than mines. i am looking to build a computer and my budget would be around $400. i am not a gamer, but i do make graphics. i want a good motherboard and processor. the big HD and plenty of RAM can come later. i have 2 computers that are less than 3 years old but both motherboards have died on me. but the other parts work. i need someone to steer me in the right direction.

my friend said he got all of this:
AMD XP3000+ (equal to 3.0ghz) processor with a 512kb cache
512mb ram
120 gig hard drive
128mb XFX 5600LE video card

for $400....does anybody know where i can get the same deal?

 

[Joefox]

Try Pricewatch.com. Newegg.com. Be sure you know what you're looking for on Pricewatch; sometimes things that seem too cheap aren't the real things. I suggest looking at Newegg first, it's my website of preference for all purchased goods, but you can find another of similar range no problem. Also if you have any specific questions on getting started, or what to look for, I'm only an IM away. PM works also. I'll check your post to see how you're progressing

 

[nomav6]

how much and what kind of ram do you have from the computers that died? also what aobut the hard drives from those computers, if they're not enough to put in the new one then just sale them one ebay, this will increase your budget

 

[Praetor]

AMD XP3000+ (equal to 3.0ghz) processor with a 512kb cache
512mb ram
120 gig hard drive
128mb XFX 5600LE video card
for $400....does anybody know where I can get the same deal?

You can get those pretty easily at local small computer shops, usually as an upgrade rather than directly (although I did manage to get a similar setup last year as a direct purcahse). Note that the mobo wasnt spec'd out quite possibly because its some cheapo low quality board (as well as probably being a 2MB hdd)

- ASUS A7V8X-X - $55USD
- XP2500 - $80USD
- 512MB Stock Memory - $75USD
- Maxtor 120GB 8MB - $85USD
- GFX5700 256MB - $130USD
That comes to $425USD... you can drop the video card down a notch and up the CPU to match what you'r friend got. That's with about 3 minuites of searching and calling people up; with more searching you can get some neat prices

 

[mt0wnballa]

ok i was browsing on newegg.com and i picked out a couple of things, please let me know if these were good picks or i could do better with something else thats the same price or cheaper.....

--ASUS "A7N8X-VM/400" nForce2 IGP Motherboard for AMD Socket A CPU -RETAIL
--AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333 FSB, 512K Cache Processor - Retail
--Rosewill 184-Pin 512MB DDR PC3200, Model RW400/512 - Retail

dont forget im a beginner, so go easy on me.

 

[Praetor]

The mobo's decent, the CPU is decent if you dont want to dabble with overclocking (if you do, grab something like the XP2500 or XP2800 and save some money), the memory is decent.

Something you might want to consider: getting a non-stock CPU fan .. AMD chips run nice and warm so you'll definitely want to consider an aftermarket cooler

 

[mt0wnballa]

praetor it feels like im bugging you, but is the stuff you recommended earlier real good or decent like the products i picked out. i want somehting i can be proud of.

 

[Praetor]

The machine that you 'specd' out was ok but a lot of somewhat important information was missing noteably:
- mobo
- specs on the HDD
Also, the video card could have been better (as i eventually spec'd). Now that i've reread your post, a couple more thoughts:
- Replace the video card with a 5200 since you dont play games
- Use the money to put into both another 512MB and a solid case+PSU
- Something you want to consider also is a good HSF (~$30USD)

 

[entrepreneur7]

One word....eBay

If you only have $400 to spend and don't need to buy another monitor, then this can easily be achieved by looking on eBay for all your parts. First check out which parts you want by looking at some hardware review sites, then find those parts on eBay. Whether or not the parts are new depends on the seller on eBay. Just make sure they have good feedback and you should be able to have no problem building a good dependable computer.

If you need help building the computer I have a free website I just finished building. I hope this isn't deemed as SPAM or advertising since it's a free site. You should check it out if you ever run into problems.

Learn to Build A Computer