New Possible Build - Need Advice

[teambarnes]

Ok, so here is my problem: I have set myself an <$700 budget for a cheap gaming/multi-media PC. The requirements are that it must be AMD X2, it must have 2 GB of ram, it must have windows Vista Premium, and it must have an ATI 3850. I only need the box, no monitors, etc. If I could get a wireless card and a dvd burner, that would be best.

So, my plan is to buy an over the counter Dell or HP, but none of the deals are any good right now. I can get an AMD 4000, with all the above for anywhere between 399 to 499, then buy the Radeon 3850 from newegg for 179. I think that is the best deal, but I am worried about the fit of the radeon into the Dell or HP, since I am worried about how proprietary they might be. Im also worried that the PSU in the Inspiron or the HP A6250z is not strong enough to support the 3850. Also the tax and shipping charges always seem to get in the way of meeting my budget.

Another option is this Acer I found at Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?Item=N82E16883103113) but I am worried about wether this can support my plan. I have heard Acer is kind of cheap, and I also worry about an AMD 4000, I would like to get close to 5000.

So my question is this: Is what Im trying to do feasible and sensible? If not, does anyone have any better ideas how to get to my price point? I am tech savvy, but not hardware savvy. I know the stuff but I would break it if I tried to build it myself.

 

[skillyho]

I thought I would destroy all the parts from my first build too........I ended up taking the motherboard out of the case after mounting it 3 times on the very first time I built a PC, dropping it, bending a pin on the chip, etc..etc... I was certain that it was damaged and wouldn't work anymore, but sure enough it held out many years until a lightning storm got the best of it.

I'd advise you to take the chance on building your own with that same $700 price point....you could get the 3850, a X2, 2GB of ram, snappy HD, dvdrw, a case with plenty of working room and a solid PSU for your price range with ease. You could even have enough budget money left over for a nice keyboard/mouse combo or upgrade to Vista Ultimate.

This forum/community is great for helping out first timers (they helped me on my first one) just post back with your questions, take your time and do your research beforehand.

 

[MarcVenice]

60$ cpu (x2 3800+), 70$ mobo (pick one you like), 20$ HSF (arctic freezer 64 pro), 50$ 2gb ram (ddr2 800mhz 4-4-4-12), 60$ PSU(Corsair 450vx or Antec earthwatts 500w), 40$ case (some good deals to be had on pretty decent cases), 179$ videocard, 60$ HD, 30$ dvd burner, 100$ Vista Premium, adds up to 610$. Means you can invest extra money into a better CPU, bigger HD, better videocard and/or better HSF so you can reach a cooler overclock. I would most definately build myself.

 

[teambarnes]

I like the idea of building it, but I've never done it before and the potential hazards make me shy from the idea. However, you make valid points as to the better quality of the machine.

Still, the original questions stands, would I be able to put an ATI 3850 into one of these pre-made pc's?

 

[GuitarDaddy]

I would say you would need to change the PSU to be safe, but without knowing the exact specs of the PSU it's hard to give good advice. In general they put just enough power for the installed components and perhaps an extra hard drive or two.

I agree with the build your own advice if you are generally handy with assembling stuff, computers are really a peice of cake. The only real risk you take is that if you happen to get defective part(s), because troubleshooting can be tough without tools/experience and parts to swap. But if you stick with quality components from companies with known good QC then thats a pretty rare occurence.

 

[ThePooBurner]

If we went intel you would get even ore bang for buck. I've been rying to figure out what ssyem i want to go with and the intel box i would build if went intel instead of AMD would be the following (modified for lack of raid):

GA-P35-DS3(L,R,P variant) - 80 most places
2x WD1600AAJS 160gb - 100 (50ea, very good preformance.)
PSU mentioned previous - 60
Pentium Duel Core E2160 - 80 (can be overclocked from 1.8ghz to 3.2 with the stock cooler without issue)
Case - 40
2x1gb DDR2-800 - 50
Radeon 3850 - 180 (can also be overclocked)
DVD-rom -30
total $620
leaves rom for other upgrades if you so chose. Preforms when overclocked on par with a stock e6750 box, but cheaper. Definately a bang for buck box. Out preforms the similarly price AMD box suggested above quite handily, unfortunately. I'm waiting for AMD to show me something nice so i can upgrade my box. I would really rather not have to go intel.