Build Advice? (Budget, non gaming) - Overclock.net

pbn sean · 03-23-08

The forum I frequent let me down in terms of help with my upcoming build, so I'm hoping maybe you kind folk would take a second to throw out some suggestions and such.

Now, I'm currently running on a terribly old computer. It has served me well, but it's a tad slow for my purposes (P4 1.7ghz, 768mb, 18gb HD

, jic you were wondering). I'm not into the latest games, but it would be nice to be able to play games such as CS reasonably. In all, I'm mostly going to be using it for Firefox (with usually ~8 tabs open), Photoshop, and other such programs.

What I always do is think about building a computer, then decide that it's not worth the cost and just reformat my current one. I have, however, finally realized how slow this thing is, so I've been looking out for the "best bang for the buck", in terms of processors and such. This is what I have come up with -

CPU / MOBO: AMD Phenom 9600 Quad-Core Processor + GFORCE6100PM Motherboard- $169.99 (Fry's Sale)
Case: Antec Solo Mid-Tower case - $39.99 after MIR
PSU: Basiq 500w ATX - $9.99

HDD: Maxtor 500gb SATA - $89.99
Graphics Card: 8800GTS? - 229.99 (maybe a little much for my purposes - may look at a 8800GT for 170)
RAM: ????

I have no idea what kind of optical drive to get, but the above pretty much covers all of the bases. Is there anything there that is just complete crap? Anything better for the money you'd suggest? Any help is greatly appreciated

pbpenguins412 · 03-23-08

That motherboard supports DDR2 memory, so get the set on the left.

Are you sure that you want to go Phenom/8800GTS for a "budget" build? You could go with a cheap Intel dual core, P35, and a 9600GT for around $500-600, save yourself a bit of cash.

GeekMan · 03-23-08

You will get better performance at this time with a cheap Intel build rather than AMD

pbn sean · 03-23-08

Hmm, maybe Intel would be the way to go. I've been looking for good deals and happened to stumble across that cpu/mobo and card. If a nice Core 2 Duo build will suffice and not become obsolete any time soon, I'll go that route.

Any suggestions, or shall I browse through the Intel build logs/make a thread there when I get home?

Thanks guys

pbpenguins412 · 03-23-08

Hi,

Post a new thread in the Intel section and the gurus there will be happy to help you.

GeekMan · 03-23-08

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbn sean

Hmm, maybe Intel would be the way to go. I've been looking for good deals and happened to stumble across that cpu/mobo and card. If a nice Core 2 Duo build will suffice and not become obsolete any time soon, I'll go that route.

Any suggestions, or shall I browse through the Intel build logs/make a thread there when I get home?

Thanks guys

You can Instant Message me for private help if you wish

jameskelsey · 03-23-08

This will even play Crysis for about $280
AMD X2 4000 Brisbane
Gigabyte 780G MB
HD 3650 video card
Crucial ballistix DDR2 800 2GB

ZealotKi11er · 03-23-08

Any system aout there will perform better thenthat you have now. Going Intel or Amd with be like day and night from your system. The difference will be so much for both. If gaming is not your thing then sent as liitle as you can and upgrade more often.

Truambitionz · 03-23-08

If you just want to play CS then a 8800 anything is overkill. If you do go down that route a 8800GT is the way to go. For cheaper options look into a 8600GT.

Choggs396 · 03-23-08

Do you already have any components/software (like a monitor, speakers, OS, keyboard/mouse, etc.)?

I have a couple of saved "wish lists" on Newegg that were either builds or prospective builds for friends/coworkers. I could modify them for what you need.

03-23-08	#1 (permalink)
pbn sean New to Overclock.net Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6 Rep: 0 Unique Rep: 0 Trader Rating: 0	Build Advice? (Budget, non gaming) The forum I frequent let me down in terms of help with my upcoming build, so I'm hoping maybe you kind folk would take a second to throw out some suggestions and such. Now, I'm currently running on a terribly old computer. It has served me well, but it's a tad slow for my purposes (P4 1.7ghz, 768mb, 18gb HD , jic you were wondering). I'm not into the latest games, but it would be nice to be able to play games such as CS reasonably. In all, I'm mostly going to be using it for Firefox (with usually ~8 tabs open), Photoshop, and other such programs. What I always do is think about building a computer, then decide that it's not worth the cost and just reformat my current one. I have, however, finally realized how slow this thing is, so I've been looking out for the "best bang for the buck", in terms of processors and such. This is what I have come up with - CPU / MOBO: AMD Phenom 9600 Quad-Core Processor + GFORCE6100PM Motherboard- $169.99 (Fry's Sale) Case: Antec Solo Mid-Tower case - $39.99 after MIR PSU: Basiq 500w ATX - $9.99 HDD: Maxtor 500gb SATA - $89.99 Graphics Card: 8800GTS? - 229.99 (maybe a little much for my purposes - may look at a 8800GT for 170) RAM: ???? I have no idea what kind of optical drive to get, but the above pretty much covers all of the bases. Is there anything there that is just complete crap? Anything better for the money you'd suggest? Any help is greatly appreciated

		Overclock.net - Overclocking.net > AMD > AMD - General > AMD Build Logs
Build Advice? (Budget, non gaming)

03-23-08	#4 (permalink)
pbn sean New to Overclock.net Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 6 Rep: 0 Unique Rep: 0 Trader Rating: 0	Hmm, maybe Intel would be the way to go. I've been looking for good deals and happened to stumble across that cpu/mobo and card. If a nice Core 2 Duo build will suffice and not become obsolete any time soon, I'll go that route. Any suggestions, or shall I browse through the Intel build logs/make a thread there when I get home? Thanks guys

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)