Stuff for my bro-in law

[blzaugg]

blzaugg = chavalcito's bro-in-law

 

Wow, I feel so popular.

 

Thanks for your current suggestions/comments. I will look into your suggestions.

 

A little about my 'situation':

I tend to play games a few years after they come out (cheaper). I don't need the latest system to play them. Also I'm fine with turning down the graphics to get a good frame rate. I played some 'current' titles (Doom 3, Quake 4, Riddick, & Half Life 2) with 'tweaked' graphic settings and I still found it 'enjoyable'. But of course I'd like to play them with pretty eye candy...who wouldn't.

 

I'm currently finding that my current system has reached its limits on playing 'newer' games even with tweaking them down. I'm not going to shell out the money for a new AGP card in a dated machine when its not going to last me 2+ years at most. I looking to take the next step in technology (PCI Express, 64bit, Dual Core) so I can last the next 5 years.

 

My current PC:

AMD Athlon XP 2200+

1GB of DDR RAM

nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 8X

PS 450W generic i think...

 

This may be a flawed idea, but i want to keep the motherboard, CPU, RAM, & PS under $100. The video card will come later and I'm willing to spend up to $200...I think.

 

'Ideal' Motherboard:

• Onboard video - I know, its lame, but I'm going to need to save up for a video card and I'd rather not get a motherboard with an AGP slot just so I can put in an old card. Besides, wouldn't the current onboard video 'chips' be faster than my current Ti 4200? Suggestions please.
  
• 4 memory slots - I'd hate to pull out good 'smaller' sticks just to put in new 'larger' ones later down the road. I'd rather add to the ones I have in the system when i first build it. 2 now, 2 later.
  
• Dual Channel Support
  
• At least 1 PCI Express x16 & 1 PCI Express x1
  
• PATA & SATA 3Gb/s
  
• I'm looking at:
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813130065
  

CPU:

• I'm looking at this chip:
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103046
  The slightly faster ones of the same 'type' are also on my mind (3600, 3800, 4000, etc). But if I can cut a cost here thats fine I may plan to upgrade this later...not sure...any suggestions?
  
• 64 bit
  
• Dual Core
  
• low watts/cooler?
  
• stock fan/retail box - 'Quiet'? I may need to upgrade the retail CPU fan/heatsink.
  
• Looking between $50-$100(intel & amd)
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....6752+1263016683
  

RAM:

• 2 GB total (2 1GB sticks) for now
  
• What ever would be a good match to the CPU/motherboard
  

PS:

• I'm willing to stop buying them at $30 to 'ensure' my system's 'stability' but I don't know if I can justify spending $100+ since this isn't a 'hardcore' system. There's got to be quality PSs out there for 'low end' systems. If you find this idea flawed let me know. I'm sure it is.
  
• 'Quiet'...not a fan of jet turbines.
  

Video Card:

• Suggest away. This was the last thing I was going to look at since I can't buy it right now anyway.
  
• Price range - $100-$200
  
• DX9 - Since I'll be playing older games I won't be needing DX10
  
• Current Shader Model (Shader Model 3?) I'm not up-to-date with the new stuff.
  
• Current Open GL?...I'm also not up-to-date on this.
  
• More that 256MB RAM? I'm sure this is low. Suggestions welcome.
  
• 'Quiet'...not a fan of jet turbines.
  

I based the system off the CPU then motherboard then RAM. The Intels seamed to cost more money and I'm going budget/cheap system to get me through the next 5 years. Just like I did with my current machine.

 

Thanks for the help.

[iKillSteal]

You're definitely looking at the wrong stuff. You've got DDR ram and the CPU and Mobo you picked out are AM2 so they use DDR2 ram. I'm also sorry to say that there is no way you're going to be able to keep the cost for a mobo, CPU, rRAM and PSU under 100 bucks. You're basically going to have to either upgrade your current hardware(vid card would probably be best for you) or scrap that rig and build a new one. Expect to pay at least 400 dollars.

 

Best thing for you to do would be to either bite down and save cash for a whole new build or save as much as you can and upgrade your CPU and vid card to hold you over for a while more. The latter option I would recommend against because it won't buy you much time. But if you do decide to go with that path, the x1650pro is a pretty good card for the price and it'll blow your 4200 away.

 

Edit: A budget system also isn't going to last you five years. At least not now. Games are becoming so much more demanding and older hardware is having a really tough time keeping up. Even my OC'd 7600GT(which not too long ago was basically the kind of cards at or under $170US) is showing it's age. It's barely even over a year old!

Edited July 10, 2007 by iKillSteal

[bigred]

Asrock makes a motherboard for the C2D that supports DDR and AGP.

 

 

 

drop in your current AGP card and DDR, and when the time comes simply replace them with DDR2 and a PCI-Express card.

[kendellrt]

blzaugg = chavalcito's bro-in-law

 

Wow, I feel so popular.

 

Thanks for your current suggestions/comments. I will look into your suggestions.

 

A little about my 'situation':

I tend to play games a few years after they come out (cheaper). I don't need the latest system to play them. Also I'm fine with turning down the graphics to get a good frame rate. I played some 'current' titles (Doom 3, Quake 4, Riddick, & Half Life 2) with 'tweaked' graphic settings and I still found it 'enjoyable'. But of course I'd like to play them with pretty eye candy...who wouldn't.

 

I'm currently finding that my current system has reached its limits on playing 'newer' games even with tweaking them down. I'm not going to shell out the money for a new AGP card in a dated machine when its not going to last me 2+ years at most. I looking to take the next step in technology (PCI Express, 64bit, Dual Core) so I can last the next 5 years.

 

My current PC:

AMD Athlon XP 2200+

1GB of DDR RAM

nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 8X

PS 450W generic i think...

 

This may be a flawed idea, but i want to keep the motherboard, CPU, RAM, & PS under $100. The video card will come later and I'm willing to spend up to $200...I think.

 

'Ideal' Motherboard:

• Onboard video - I know, its lame, but I'm going to need to save up for a video card and I'd rather not get a motherboard with an AGP slot just so I can put in an old card. Besides, wouldn't the current onboard video 'chips' be faster than my current Ti 4200? Suggestions please.
  
• 4 memory slots - I'd hate to pull out good 'smaller' sticks just to put in new 'larger' ones later down the road. I'd rather add to the ones I have in the system when i first build it. 2 now, 2 later.
  
• Dual Channel Support
  
• At least 1 PCI Express x16 & 1 PCI Express x1
  
• PATA & SATA 3Gb/s
  
• I'm looking at:
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813130065
  

CPU:

• I'm looking at this chip:
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819103046
  The slightly faster ones of the same 'type' are also on my mind (3600, 3800, 4000, etc). But if I can cut a cost here thats fine I may plan to upgrade this later...not sure...any suggestions?
  
• 64 bit
  
• Dual Core
  
• low watts/cooler?
  
• stock fan/retail box - 'Quiet'? I may need to upgrade the retail CPU fan/heatsink.
  
• Looking between $50-$100(intel & amd)
  http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....6752+1263016683
  

RAM:

• 2 GB total (2 1GB sticks) for now
  
• What ever would be a good match to the CPU/motherboard
  

PS:

• I'm willing to stop buying them at $30 to 'ensure' my system's 'stability' but I don't know if I can justify spending $100+ since this isn't a 'hardcore' system. There's got to be quality PSs out there for 'low end' systems. If you find this idea flawed let me know. I'm sure it is.
  
• 'Quiet'...not a fan of jet turbines.
  

Video Card:

• Suggest away. This was the last thing I was going to look at since I can't buy it right now anyway.
  
• Price range - $100-$200
  
• DX9 - Since I'll be playing older games I won't be needing DX10
  
• Current Shader Model (Shader Model 3?) I'm not up-to-date with the new stuff.
  
• Current Open GL?...I'm also not up-to-date on this.
  
• More that 256MB RAM? I'm sure this is low. Suggestions welcome.
  
• 'Quiet'...not a fan of jet turbines.
  

I based the system off the CPU then motherboard then RAM. The Intels seamed to cost more money and I'm going budget/cheap system to get me through the next 5 years. Just like I did with my current machine.

 

Thanks for the help.

Bro, I think it is totally worth it to pay attention to what has been said here. These are the cold,hard, facts. I had no idea you wanted onboard graphics, that will work about as well as the card you have. make sure to PM cchalogamer about his stuff like I said. In the PM he sent me, it sounds like a really good deal. If you don't like what he's got in mind, wait for the Intel price drop on the 22nd and pick up an E4300 and the board that bigred suggest. Feel free to keep posting new ideas for components with links to them and we'll get you hooked up.

 

Welcome to OCC, and stay a while. You can learn a lot, and thee are plenty of guys here who will appreciate your experince in photography and web design.

 

BTW, "You've got mail!" I'll make sure you get in touch with cc. (No, not Circuit City!)

[Verran]

OK, that was a long post But basically, you want to build a system now with integrated graphics just to get it up and rolling, but you plan to upgrade to a stand-alone video card later? That's not too crazy, really.

 

My question is, what's your budget? What are you willing to spend now for your video-card-less system, and what do you plan to spend later for video cards or anything else you hope to add? I think limiting each part to a certain cost is silly. Just decide how much you want to spend total and then build accordingly. I'd be more than happy to build a suggested system from both AMD and Intel parts if you can list budgets.

[kendellrt]

OK, that was a long post But basically, you want to build a system now with integrated graphics just to get it up and rolling, but you plan to upgrade to a stand-alone video card later? That's not too crazy, really.

 

My question is, what's your budget? What are you willing to spend now for your video-card-less system, and what do you plan to spend later for video cards or anything else you hope to add? I think limiting each part to a certain cost is silly. Just decide how much you want to spend total and then build accordingly. I'd be more than happy to build a suggested system from both AMD and Intel parts if you can list budgets.

[coolcat97]

if I remember correctly you use some sort of very weak video or onboard. Most rigs will not be able to use a 200W supply. My rig is FAR from top of the line these days, and even it pulls 260W DC. I've tested it myself.

Radeon X300SE, cause I'm poor But you guys konw those mini PSUs? They are the size of the atx plug and use a brick to power it... They said one of those can power a P4 system... And I am testing all the bins and piles of junk in my basement and all of my Socket 7 Pentiums had like 2+ volts... Is a modern CPU more efficient? And If I hooked up a giant HS to a PI where a very small HS was, could I make it go from 200 MHz to like 250 or 300?

[kendellrt]

Radeon X300SE, cause I'm poor But you guys konw those mini PSUs? They are the size of the atx plug and use a brick to power it... They said one of those can power a P4 system... And I am testing all the bins and piles of junk in my basement and all of my Socket 7 Pentiums had like 2+ volts... Is a modern CPU more efficient? And If I hooked up a giant HS to a PI where a very small HS was, could I make it go from 200 MHz to like 250 or 300?

This thread isn't about what you are doing that could cause damage or fail. He needs to find a system that meets his needs, and we have established that what you are talking about is not it. I will not recommend something to anybody that is not a known good practice just to save them some money, especially family. If you have questions about what a PSU can and can't do under a certain platform, please, make a new thread.

[coolcat97]

This thread isn't about what you are doing that could cause damage or fail. He needs to find a system that meets his needs, and we have established that what you are talking about is not it. I will not recommend something to anybody that is not a known good practice just to save them some money, especially family. If you have questions about what a PSU can and can't do under a certain platform, please, make a new thread.

well, i was replying to someone else's post. and the reason I am saying this isn't to kill any parts. Its to save money.

[blzaugg]

Sorry i wrote that oddly. I want to keep each of these: motherboad, RAM, CPU, PS under $100 each...so $400 at most for all of them.

 

Also I will be buying new DDR2 RAM for this system. I was just saying, when i upgrade it later, I don't want to have to throw out the old sticks just to put in more later.

Edited July 10, 2007 by blzaugg

[Verran]

OK, well the memory and PSU will probably be the same for both the intel and AMD builds. You can actually afford to use slower memory for the AM2 chips, but there's not much savings in doing so, so I'll stick with the DDR2-800 kits. So for memory for either build, I'd go for something like the G.Skill PK 2x1GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 for $95.

 

For power supplies, I'm not sure I'd spend $100 on a PSU for a $400 budget, so I looked in the $50-75 range. I found a few that I liked:

Fortron Source 450W ($58) (build about 5 PCs with this, and really like it)

Fortron Source 500W ($65)

Mushkin 550W ($70)

 

Then for the AMD Build:

6000+ AM2 3Ghz ($169 after price cuts)

GA-M61SME-S2 ($51) (I've built one of these before, and I was actually pretty impressed with it, and I'm not sure how much better you can get and still have integrated graphics)

Total: $385 w/ Mushkin PSU and G.Skill PK

 

For the Intel Build:

GA-945GCM-S2 ($54)

E4500 2.2Ghz ($133 after price cuts)

Total: $352 w/ Mushkin PSU and G.Skill PK

 

There are better chips than that for Intel, and they'll be priced very competitively after the cuts, but it'll cost you too much to get a motherboard that supports them, and it'll be very hard to find one with onboard video. So for that reason, I probably go AMD on this one.

[kendellrt]

OK, well the memory and PSU will probably be the same for both the intel and AMD builds. You can actually afford to use slower memory for the AM2 chips, but there's not much savings in doing so, so I'll stick with the DDR2-800 kits. So for memory for either build, I'd go for something like the G.Skill PK 2x1GB DDR2-800 4-4-4-12 for $95.

 

For power supplies, I'm not sure I'd spend $100 on a PSU for a $400 budget, so I looked in the $50-75 range. I found a few that I liked:

Fortron Source 450W ($58) (build about 5 PCs with this, and really like it)

Fortron Source 500W ($65)

Mushkin 550W ($70)

 

Then for the AMD Build:

6000+ AM2 3Ghz ($169 after price cuts)

GA-M61SME-S2 ($51) (I've built one of these before, and I was actually pretty impressed with it, and I'm not sure how much better you can get and still have integrated graphics)

Total: $385 w/ Mushkin PSU and G.Skill PK

 

For the Intel Build:

GA-945GCM-S2 ($54)

E4500 2.2Ghz ($133 after price cuts)

Total: $352 w/ Mushkin PSU and G.Skill PK

 

There are better chips than that for Intel, and they'll be priced very competitively after the cuts, but it'll cost you too much to get a motherboard that supports them, and it'll be very hard to find one with onboard video. So for that reason, I probably go AMD on this one.

This may be the best advice so far. It is easier now that we really know more detail about what you are looking for. I'm sure others may have similar components to suggest in the same ballpark. Then, it's up to you.