Cheap PC

[Hex]

I put together this PC the other night, which I might use for myself (probably) or give to my sister for her 10th birthday (doubtfully). I wanted something cheap, $350+shipping, that was reasonably high end. So, here's the laydown, list anything you think I might need, or just give your opinion on it.

Foxconn TM163 Black Steel ATX Mini Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811154016) - $37.00

LITE-ON SOHD-16P9SBLK Black IDE DVD-ROM Drive - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827131410)
- $19.99

EPoX EP-P4MKI Socket 478 VIA P4M266A Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813123228) - $35.75

HITACHI Deskstar 7K250 HDS722516VLAT80 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822145061) - $80.00

pqi POWER Series 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 266 (PC 2100) Unbuffered System Memory Model MD6412UOE - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141173)
- $34.15

intel Celeron D 320 Prescott 533MHz FSB Socket 478 Processor Model BX80546RE2400C - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819112190) - $72.49

Amigo Radeon 7000 64MB DDR AGP 2X/4X Video Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814166001)
- $31.00

Total is $377.46. Whaddya think?

[Moxio]

Ouch, those are pretty low specs. That Radeon 7000 won't get you ANYWHERE in gaming today, I'm afraid.

Try checking out cyberpowerinc.com or ibuypower.com. You can get a pretty good PC there for a good price.

[Hex]

Ouch, those are pretty low specs. That Radeon 7000 won't get you ANYWHERE in gaming today, I'm afraid.

Try checking out cyberpowerinc.com or ibuypower.com. You can get a pretty good PC there for a good price.

The graphics card was my one problem. If I were to get it for my sister, the 64megs is okay for the Sims, but not for my Battlefield and MoH gaming.

[Moxio]

I'd suggest getting at least a 5500 or a 9600 in Radeon.

[Hex]

I'd suggest getting at least a 5500 or a 9600 in Radeon.

I've thought about it, but that ibuypower.com has some damn fine deals. I might look into those.

[guyver2077]

remember guys he did say its for his 10 yr old sister.....shit i wish i had type of computer at that age...

[Kayden]

I dont think theres one component on your list I could, in good conscience, recommend anyone put in a pc.

The only part I would consider is the hard drive... but its kinda small as far as storage and it could be faster if you wanted it to be the main drive for your OS and main games.

As for high end for $300... A high end video card or processor would cost more than $300 alone.

From a PC gamer's standpoint, skimping on components is the worst thing you can do. Its not bad to find deals, but don't use second rate stuff. If you want a PC that will run modern games at a good clip and do so for a year or two more, its best to just pony up the dough.

Cheep ram can cause a multitude of errors.

Cheep hard drives can degrade system performace inducing slow load and boot times. They can also physically break and destroy the platters.

A budget CPU while having the same clock rate as the flagship line, has nowhere near the same power.

Crappy motherboards can cause component imcompatibility.

Worst of all- A cheap powersupply can short out easily and destroy every component in your case.

As for the case... thats about the only think you should ever skimp on. Go with a basic beige tower. If you want it to look pretty, use a can of spray paint.

[Hex]

remember guys he did say its for his 10 yr old sister.....shit i wish i had type of computer at that age...

eh. She could use one. I'm not seriously thinking aboutit, but it's a possibility.

I dont think theres one component on your list I could, in good conscience, recommend anyone put in a pc.

The only part I would consider is the hard drive... but its kinda small as far as storage and it could be faster if you wanted it to be the main drive for your OS and main games.

As for high end for $300... A high end video card or processor would cost more than $300 alone.

From a PC gamer's standpoint, skimping on components is the worst thing you can do. Its not bad to find deals, but don't use second rate stuff. If you want a PC that will run modern games at a good clip and do so for a year or two more, its best to just pony up the dough.

Cheep ram can cause a multitude of errors.

Cheep hard drives can degrade system performace inducing slow load and boot times. They can also physically break and destroy the platters.

A budget CPU while having the same clock rate as the flagship line, has nowhere near the same power.

Crappy motherboards can cause component imcompatibility.

Worst of all- A cheap powersupply can short out easily and destroy every component in your case.

As for the case... thats about the only think you should ever skimp on. Go with a basic beige tower. If you want it to look pretty, use a can of spray paint.

That's why I figure that I'll go for a computer from Ibuypower.com. THen I can decide what do for the brat's birthday.

[red flare graf]

Those Prescotts are known as one of the hottest CPUs as well, not necessarily a bad thing. You'll just need to invest a few bucks into some cooling.

[shrike4242]

One random one I pieced together on ibuypower.com:

Case ( Raidmax Scorpio-868 ATX Mid-Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Silver )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 6-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Beige )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( AMD® Athlon-64 3000+ CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink + 2 Extra Case Fans )
Motherboard ( [939-pin] Abit AV8 w/LAN, 5.1 Sound, IEEE-1394, USB 2.0 8x AGP Motherboard )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Memory ( 512MB DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( [Special !!!] ATI Radeon 9600-PRO 256MB w/DVI + TV Out 8x AGP Video )
Case Round Cable ( None )
USB Port ( Build-in USB 2.0 Ports )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
Hard Drive ( 80 GB HARD DRIVE Western Digital 80 GB 7200 RPM Ultra ATA-100 8MB Cache Hard Drive )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Controller ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( 16x DVD-ROM + 52x32x52 CD-RW Combo Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
Speaker System ( 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Fax Modem ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Network Card ( 10/100 Network Onboard )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Zip Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( PS/2 104 Key Windows 98 Keyboard Beige )
Mouse ( Microsoft IntelliMouse 1.1A USB Internet Mouse Beige )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $614.00

[Hex]

One random one I pieced together on ibuypower.com:

Case ( Raidmax Scorpio-868 ATX Mid-Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Silver )
Meter Display ( None )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 6-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Beige )
Case Lighting ( None )
Power Supply ( Standard Case Power Supply )
Processor ( AMD® Athlon-64 3000+ CPU w/ Hyper Transport Technology )
Processor Cooling ( Certified CPU Fan and Heatsink + 2 Extra Case Fans )
Motherboard ( [939-pin] Abit AV8 w/LAN, 5.1 Sound, IEEE-1394, USB 2.0 8x AGP Motherboard )
Operation System ( None- Pre-formatted Hard Drive Only )
Memory ( 512MB DDR-400 PC3200 Memory Module Corsair-Value or Major Brand )
Video Card ( [Special !!!] ATI Radeon 9600-PRO 256MB w/DVI + TV Out 8x AGP Video )
Case Round Cable ( None )
USB Port ( Build-in USB 2.0 Ports )
IEEE-1394 Fire Wire Card ( None )
Hard Drive ( 80 GB HARD DRIVE Western Digital 80 GB 7200 RPM Ultra ATA-100 8MB Cache Hard Drive )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
Raid Controller ( None )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
Raid Configuration ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( 16x DVD-ROM + 52x32x52 CD-RW Combo Drive Beige )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Power Protection ( None )
Headset ( None )
Speaker System ( 600W PMPO 3 PCS Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Fax Modem ( None )
Printer ( None )
Printer Cable ( None )
Network Card ( 10/100 Network Onboard )
Floppy Drive ( None )
Zip Drive ( None )
Monitor ( None )
Keyboard ( PS/2 104 Key Windows 98 Keyboard Beige )
Mouse ( Microsoft IntelliMouse 1.1A USB Internet Mouse Beige )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty )
Rush Service ( Rush Service Fee (not shipping fee) No Rush, Ship Out in 5~10 Business Days )
Sub Total: $614.00

That's hot. I think I'll build one, uh. Totally unlike that one.

By the way, I saw this stuff that Newegg was selling, it was like a syringe, and it did something to cool the system. What is it?

[GreenMonkey]

A Radeon 7000 isn't going to run the Sims 2 very well if at all...if that is the Sims you are talking about. Minimum spec is a T&L capable card (7500 or newer in this case) or a LOT of CPU power. I tried booting Sims 2 on a 1.1 T-bird Athlon and a 7200 with absolutely 0 luck (won't even boot graphics properly).

IMO if you want a super-cheap Sims card, grab a refurb Radeon 9100 from crucial.com:

http://www.crucial.com/store/refurb.asp

$35 + a few bucks shipping. Hell, a 9100/8500 will run Doom 3 sorta (albeit at 640x480)

I had to replace my wife's Radeon 8500 cause it was toast...a 9100 was as close as I could get. Other good cheap options would be a Geforce 4 ti4200/4600/4800 if you could find one. Works decently for the Sims with some Graphics options on.

And a good budget PC at this point should be an Athlon XP IMO...but that Celery D is cheap...still, you could do better with an XP IMO

[HeadRusch]

The stuff in a syringe was just Thermal Paste I'm guessing. It goes in between any component that has a heat sink on top of it, like your CPU, or your videocard's GPU, or your ram and other motherboard chips (sometimes).

You put a TINY TINY dab of this stuff on top of the CPU, smear it around with a razorblade until its just barely coated, scrape off the excess, and then slap the heat sink down on the chip and lock it down.

Its designed to fill in the microscopic gaps in the heatsink's bottom surface and the top of the CPU, so that heat transfers more easily between the two, resulting in better cooling.

All components already have a substance like this on them, but it isn't always the highest quality. With people overclocking their systems, the first they they usually do is take off the "stock" HeatSink/Fan combos, wipe off the old thermal paste or thermal tape, apply some of that good stuff that NEWEGG was selling, and then plop a better heatsink/fan on top.

[Hex]

The stuff in a syringe was just Thermal Paste I'm guessing. It goes in between any component that has a heat sink on top of it, like your CPU, or your videocard's GPU, or your ram and other motherboard chips (sometimes).

You put a TINY TINY dab of this stuff on top of the CPU, smear it around with a razorblade until its just barely coated, scrape off the excess, and then slap the heat sink down on the chip and lock it down.

Its designed to fill in the microscopic gaps in the heatsink's bottom surface and the top of the CPU, so that heat transfers more easily between the two, resulting in better cooling.

All components already have a substance like this on them, but it isn't always the highest quality. With people overclocking their systems, the first they they usually do is take off the "stock" HeatSink/Fan combos, wipe off the old thermal paste or thermal tape, apply some of that good stuff that NEWEGG was selling, and then plop a better heatsink/fan on top.

That's the stuff. Good to know.

[red flare graf]

You put a TINY TINY dab of this stuff on top of the CPU, smear it around with a razorblade until its just barely coated, scrape off the excess, and then slap the heat sink down on the chip and lock it down.

Arctic Silver suggests you just put the dab on the CPU and lock your heatsink down on it without spreading it. The pressure is supposed to spread it as evenly as possible. I've had better results with this as well.

[2poor]

http://firingsquad.com/deals/

there's probably some nice deals on computers here.