Help with a really cheap computer

[chuwawa]

My current computer is almost 6 years old and I wouldn't replace it other than the fact that it suddenly died this afternoon. Somehow it turned on and it works again. I believe the video card is toast and since it's so old (AGP!), I'd like to replace everything if the PC decided to not turn on again.


- The PC will be used for browsing the net, chatting and playing incredibly old games and WOW for the time being.


- The budget = 150 - 300$ CAN

I can use my current hard drives + case so all I need is a CPU, motherboard, RAM and videocard.

My power supply is ANTEC 380W so I'm hoping it will be ok but let me know if I need to replace it.

Thanks for the help


edit: forgot to mention that I'd prefer it's AMD.

 

[brblx]

look into a phenom x2 + mobo combo, 4gb ddr2 and a 4670. antec EA380 will be fine.

if that's too much, downgrade to an athlon chip. in that price range, though, the c2d e5200 is a decent chip with lots of potential for an easy overclock. lga775 mobos are also cheap.

try this-

e5200 + foxconn p45 - 160
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/P...x?Item=N82E16819116072
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/P...x?Item=N82E16813186153
4gb ddr2 - 52
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/P...x?Item=N82E16820231122
4670 - 78 minus 10mir.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/P...x?Item=N82E16814121274

if you want amd, try an x2 250 or 550. though that'll run about $200 or so on newegg unless you use a cheapo microatx board. though this asrock seems decent and supports 8gb of memory-
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/P...x?Item=N82E16813157160

pair it with the x2 250 for about the same price as the e5200 setup.

 

[chuwawa]

By 550 you mean this: AMD Phenom? II X2 550 Dual-Core Black Edition 3.1GHz w/ 6MB Cache (Retail Box, Socket AM3)? It looks like I can get it for about $119

I don't have access to that motherboard. Is there an alternative? This is the place I would buy it from: http://www.memoryexpress.com/P...oards(ME)/Default.aspx

Also can't get that exact video card, but I can find this: Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E w/ DVI, HDMI for 95$

Also, can't find that memory but there's this: Corsair 4GB XMS2-6400 TWIN2X Dual Channel DDR2 Kit (2 x 2GB) for 80$

So, I'm already at 300$ w/o a mobo!! Is there a cheaper setup since us Canadians can't get it so cheap over here?

 

[brblx]

why can't you order from newegg.ca?

 

[chuwawa]

G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel Memory Kit 55$

AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail $123

APEVIA ATX-CW500WP4 500W ATX Power Supply - Retail $45

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID 1394 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard $90

EVGA E-GEFORCE 9800GT 55NM 600MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ 256BIT GDDR3 Dual DVI-I HDCP HDTV Out Video Card $135

Is that card decent?

For some reason that motherboard is very popular and had good feedback so considering getting that over that Asrock; it's only 30$ more


Also it looks like I'll need to get a new power supply for the new video card. Will it go in my old case for sure in place of the 380W antec powersupply.


Finally is everything compatible? It looks like total is $450 which is a lot more than I planned to spend but not sure where to cut. If you have suggestions that'd be great

edit #2: I didn't realize Canadians could order from newegg now. So these items are from newegg or ncix depending on prices.

 

[chuwawa]

Actually just read this review and this one is rated decently. Thoughts? That would save $40. Prices on newegg are CAN, right?

MSI R4830-T2D512 Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail $87

 

[Eeqmcsq]

You said you're reusing your old hard drives, right? Are they IDE hard drives? Do you have a CD/DVD reader as well? Is that IDE? How many total IDE devices do you plan to reuse from your old computer?

 

[chuwawa]

You know I'm not sure about that. My newest 500GB hard drive is SATA...the other one (200gB) may or may not be, but worst case scenario is I'll transfer everything to the 500gb. Not sure about the cd/dvd reader..I'll ask my friend but those things are relatively cheap, aren't they?

 

[Eeqmcsq]

If you have 1 IDE HD and 1 IDE CD/DVD reader, that should be OK. Most motherboards come with 1 IDE connector still, so they should still work. I thought maybe your old PC might have more than 2 IDE devices, like maybe 3 HDs + 1 CD/DVD, in which case, you would have to decide whether to buy new SATA HDs or not.

 

[vj8usa]

Is that an Earthwatts 380W PSU? If so, it might be enough to power a 4830/PhII X2.

 

[brblx]

your psu should be fine, that apevia would be a downgrade.

the 4830 for 87 CAD is a good deal, that will be at least as fast if not faster than a 9800GT.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

I recently upgrade my Rig to a Phenom x3 720/Biostar 790GX 128MB combo with 4gigs of Corsair DDR2 and a Sapphire HD4830 for ~$270 U.S. after MIR. This thing has been great to me for the cash.

RAM prices aren't as bottomed out as when I bought mine, but I believe the CPU/MB combo I purchased is the same.

 

[chuwawa]

Originally posted by: brblx
your psu should be fine, that apevia would be a downgrade.

the 4830 for 87 CAD is a good deal, that will be at least as fast if not faster than a 9800GT.

Can you explain how it would be a downgrade? I'm not sure what earthwatts are but its an antec powersupply at 380W that's all I know.

I am also likely to buy another hard drive later on so that would be 3, would my current power supply still be able to power them up?

IF the apevia is crappy, please suggest another one if I need it.

 

[Blain]

The goal for this PC is "cheap".
He's probably saying the build quality of the Apevia is lower than that of your current Antec.
If your focus is "cheap", why worry about upgrading your PS now if your Antec can handle the load?
Do you feel like you should spend more money or what? :roll:

 

[RebateMonger]

Easy.

Newegg (and others) have combos with G31-chipset motherboards, an Intel E5200 processor, and built-in video for $110 or so. If you want a higher-end video card, Newegg has Asus 9600 GSO cards for $35 After Rebate right now. Twenty bucks for a 2 GB DDR2 memory module and you are done.

Hopefully, the offerings to Canadians are close to these prices.

 

[chuwawa]

Thanks for the help everyone. I just thought I'd update on what I purchased.

Gigabyte GA-MA770-UD3 ATX AM2+/AM3 AMD770 PCI-E16 2PCI SATA2 RAID 1394 HD Sound GBLAN Motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 7550 Dual Core Processor Socket AM2+ 2.5GHZ 3MB 65NM 95W OEM
Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 575MHZ 512MB 1.8GHZ GDDR3 HDMI DVI TV-OUT PCI-E Video Card
G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK PC2-8500 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1066 CL5-5-5-15 240PIN Dual Channel

With taxes, shipping and all that stuff it came out to just slightly less than 350$ CAN. Will stick with my current PSU if it's sufficient.

P.S. I am very partial to AMD so that intel stuff was a no go RebateMonger Thanks anyway

 

[Lunyone]

As long as your PSU isn't too old, you should be just fine with that setup. The Antec Earthwatts 380w PSU has 27A on the combined 12v rails, so it'll handle the 4830 pretty well. I currently have a x1800xt powered by the Antec EW 380w PSU and it should consume about the same about of power from the 4830 maybe a bit more than it. You should have a nice setup there for little $