Please Help: Need super budget rig ($500 or less)

[Cheezeit]

Hi,

I am building a computer for my friend, and he only has 500 or less to spend.

He dosen't really game, but i guess once in a while he will play somehting, so just in case i want to avoid integrated graphics.

He will mainly just surf the internet or do homework on it.

My idea is something based around an athlon xp

Im new to the lower end of computers, as i have only been looking at midrange, so im a newb to this. Please suggest some rigs/parts to me.

THanks for looking and any help will be greatly apprechiated.

 

[overst33r]

http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/Wis...Show.asp?ID=1537439&WishListTitle=SDAF
$426 +shipping
I dont know if you need OS, Accesories, or monitor. If yes then you're better off with dell, they have some pretty good deals on the low end.

 

[Cheezeit]

thanks alot for the response.

i do need an os and monitor, though.

any other opionions?

 

[overst33r]

dude, i think you have to consider dell for that because they have great deals, especially with monitor, look

 

[Cheezeit]

yea, ill definatly look into the dells, but i really want to see if i can build him one, so any suggestions?

 

[KoolDrew]

Originally posted by: mariok2006
dude, i think you have to consider dell for that because they have great deals, especially with monitor, look

I agree.

 

[stimpy1]

You can save money on a monitor buy reusing an old one. A lot of people chuck their old monitor in the basement or garage when they get a new Dell, HP, Compaq, etc.

I can't recommend a Dell in good conscience. I had one and it was a complete POS, as is their customer/tech support.

 

[ingeborgdot]

I totally agree. Dells are really pretty low, low end computers. I hate celeron processors. I tried to get it below 500 on the dell site and it was pretty hard if you want some optionsthat I feel are necessary. I can't even see having a computer if you don't have anything on it. I am building 5 right now with amd 64 3000+ w/a 939 board and 128mb pci-e. It will have a cd/dvd combo, floppy dd and 512 mb. These will have no monitors and I can get them done for under 500. This is a pretty dang good computer and will not be out dated for many years. If you can talk him into another 150 bucks you could get a crt and some other things that will make an awesome computer that others will be jealous of.

 

[knothead34]

ive seen some bad capacitiors on soltek boards.

 

[airfoil]

Link to another similar thread from yesterday.

 

[mshan]

How about a Biostar M7NCG rev. 7.2 mATX mobo and mobile Athlon XP cpu?

I just bought the M7NCG and am using it with a regular AMD Athlon XP 2500+ with it's integrated Geforce4 graphics. I am not much of a gamer, but am able to play Unreal Tournament 2004 with some of the graphics settings turned down a little and it still looks quite good.

If you use integrated graphics, just make sure you use dual channel memory as this is one situation where wtih Nforce2 you will actually see a significant improvement (I think I read somewhere like 40% over single channel).

For budget memory, there are a couple sets of 2 x 256 MB Buffalo Tech PC3200 with Winbond CH5 chips in the for sale forum. Probably won't be able to o/c them much (fsb 220 unless you give it a lot of volts), but these chips are supposed to be very compatible with Nforce2 chipsets. You could probably extract a lot more overclocking potential with memory with Winbond BH-5 chips, but these tend to be a lot more expensive.

Reviews Newegg.com, but usually cheaper at ChiefValue.com

The above being said, the secretary in my dad's office just picked up a Dell 3000 with 2.8 gHz P4 533 fsb with a 17 inch flat panel for $399 via a Dell Small Business Outrageous deal of the week which expired a couple days ago. It has integrated graphics, but I think it includes an AGP port (someone else will have to verify) (there was sales tax and she added a dial up modem for $20, so her delivered cost was around $460)

 

[overst33r]

they dont include an AGP port^^

 

[2cpuminimum]

Abit NF7-M motherboard has good enough integrated nforce2 graphics for most games, and an AGP slot in case he wants to upgrade graphics later, as well as integrated LAN and sound. Athlon xp-m 2500 has great performance/watt/dollar (only uses 45W at stock speed), and is a mean overclocker. thermalright xp90c heatpipe is not socket A compatable, so SLK-900-U is your best choice. You can probably find betterprices than these if you look hard enough, this is just a cursory search.

NF7-M: $92 (newegg)
Athlon 2500 xp-m:$89 (newegg)
SLK-900-U heatsink: $30
90mm fan: $10
Case and PSU: $60 (check budget system guide arstechnica or anandtech)
Used monitor: $20-100 (ebay)
HD after rebate: $30 (hot deals forum)
512MB value RAM: $40 (tigerdirect/newegg)
DVD burner: $50 (tigerdirect)
Arctic Silver 5: $10
Linux OS: free download
OpenOffice: free download
Total:$431-511

After the dells at the university, I can't in good conscience ever recommend a Dell to anyone. They might be cheaper, but if you shop around for parts you can end up with a much higher build quality. The real savings on a dell though are in the copy of OEM windows XP home. Of course I'd sooner geta used duron computer off ebay for $120 and then replace it when it wasn't fast enough than get a dell.

 

[NiKeFiDO]

Originally posted by: Cheezeit
thanks alot for the response.

i do need an os and monitor, though.

any other opionions?

ouch. time to go here


ALSO, try out the f/s, f.t forum here!

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Yeah, Dell is pretty much the only way to go if you're on a $500 budget with monitor/OS.

 

[dclive]

Originally posted by: Cheezeit
Hi,

I am building a computer for my friend, and he only has 500 or less to spend.

He dosen't really game, but i guess once in a while he will play somehting, so just in case i want to avoid integrated graphics.

He will mainly just surf the internet or do homework on it.

My idea is something based around an athlon xp

Im new to the lower end of computers, as i have only been looking at midrange, so im a newb to this. Please suggest some rigs/parts to me.

THanks for looking and any help will be greatly apprechiated.

You gotta be crazy to not go Dell:

DellSB - Dimension 4700 with 2.8Ghz Pentium 4 520 HT, 256MB DDR2 SDRAM, 40GB HD, 48x CD-Rom for $499 after Rebate with FREE 19" LCD Monitor! (Posted by: Apex)
Huge $599 worth of total savings on Dell`s Outrageous Deal Dimension 4700, bringing the price to $499 after rebate, with free shipping, with a FREE Dell e193FP 19" LCD ($429 value). You get the the new Intel 915G Express chipset based motherboard with 1 PCIe x16 slot (the replacement for AGP), 1 PCIe x1 slot, 2 PCI slots. It comes with a 2.8Ghz Pentium 4 520 HyperThreaded processor with 800mhz system bus, 256MB DDR2 SDRAM (in 1 stick, so upgrading is easy and cheap), 40GB 7200RPM S-ATA hard drive, 48x CD-Rom, 10/100 networking, Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio, and Windows XP Home.

Start here through the following link to Dell Small Business Outrageous Desktops: DELL DIMENSION 4700 COMPUTER DEAL
Now click on Customize It under Dimension 4700 $499
All of the options for the lowest possible cost should already be selected. Be sure to double check to make sure it has the free 19" LCD monitor checked (it should)
Upgrade whatever options you may want, though they may raise the cost. Here are a couple that you may want to consider:
512MB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz (2x256M) [add $40 or $1/month]
Discounted 2 Year On-site Economy Plan [add $59 or $1/month] or 50% OFF! 3 Yr On-site Business Standard Plan after $122 Mail-in Rebate [add $244 or $6/month]
80GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) [add $20] or 160GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) [add $60 or $1/month]
Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
Scroll to the bottom and click on Continue
Scroll to the bottom and click on Add to cart
Finish checking out. Ground shipping for the computer is free. Send in your $100 rebate. This deal is set to expire 6/12/05.
Update: The high end Dimension 8400 is just $629 right now, thanks to a $549 total savings! It comes with a 3.0Ghz Pentium 4 630 HT processor, 512MB of DDR2 SDRAM, 40GB HD, 48X CD-ROM, 10/100/100 networking, 1 year warranty and FREE 17" LCD! Just follow the same link above.


$499 WITH 19" LCD monitor!!!!

 

[ChiBOY83]

I would have to recommend couch breaking the law(i.e. dl windows) cough, before getting a DELL. Honestly, its worth the risk, rather than have to use a Dell computer. Realy tho, see if u know anyone who goes to school at a major university, because they usually have contracts w/ microsoft to get windows XP and office XP for about $5 !!

 

[dclive]

What's wrong with Dell? Reliable, standard Intel designs that are compatible with any hardware you throw at it due to 33% or so market penetration, AGP port (in this model) - AND a 19" LCD monitor - for $499. How can you beat that?

 

[Jakebrake]

This site is worth taking a look at. It walks you through a few low cost builds. Link

 

[hurtstotalktoyou]

Originally posted by: dclive
What's wrong with Dell? Reliable, standard Intel designs that are compatible with any hardware you throw at it due to 33% or so market penetration, AGP port (in this model) - AND a 19" LCD monitor - for $499. How can you beat that?

Well, it's actually $599 before rebate, which is $99 over-budget. And if he lives in a taxable area, it's $637.54, which is $37.54 over-budget even after rebate. Yes, a 19" LCD is really amazing, but it comes at a hefty price: no CD burner or even a DVD ROM, and no modem. While a modem isn't essential for everyone, this guy may need it. And everyone should have at least a CD burner, to back up important data.

Instead, I suggest this, less flashy, but ultimately much more useful setup....

Athlon XP 2600+
256 MB DDR333 memory
integrated graphics
40 GB hard disk
DVD burner
stereo audio
10/100 LAN
56K v.92 modem
15" CRT display
keyboard & scroll mouse
Windows XP Home SP2 OEM
GRAND TOTAL: $498.70 (shipping included, tax only applicable in CA)

links...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16824116329
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16837102151
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819103417
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16822162003
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827101632
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811144098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813185036
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141168
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823157012
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835103160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16825134006