~$300 mAtx build for little brother - Page 3 - Overclock.net

Nelson2011 · 02-26-09

I've seen 4650's go for 50-60 bucks that should last a while

ImmortalKenny · 02-26-09

I'm also quite surprised at what you can build for $300 nowadays.

My dad was originally going to buy my brother a $400 computer from Walmart. I had to step in and say, "NO!" I told him I could build a heck of a lot better computer for only $300-ish. I was planning on talking with him about buying a $100 video card to make the build an even $400, so if he says yes, I'll be getting a HD4830 for the rig.

wamubu · 02-27-09

I just tried my juiced HD3200 in Runescape and it looked like it ran 1024x768 with all settings maxed with AA set to 2x -- probably ran about 15-20fps (subjective test - I don't know if there is anything that can show fps in Runescape), without AA it can run about 20-25fps. I know it runs Crysis @ 1024x768 low settings smooth as silk (so minimum is at least 30fps and no hic-ups anywhere in XP).

Probably best getting a cheap mobo that can handle the AM2+ and the 4830. If you're going to run Vista or Win 7, I would really recommend getting 4GB RAM. 2GB runs XP great, but I get a bit of load times in Win 7 - serious HDD thrashing while playing Crysis - have to wait 30 seconds at times for everything to settle down again. Not a problem in XP.

Domino · 02-27-09

Ya, if your not overclocking, a simple mobo would run just fine. Even an ECS would do just fine. Might save you a few bucks. A 4830 would do great too! A slight overclock on that puts it in the performance area of the 4850.

Just another card to consider if you can't pull in a 4830. Everything from 8600GTS and lower are crap compared to these cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814140095

ImmortalKenny · 03-02-09

I'll probably be ordering everything this week, maybe next.

So to finalize everything, the budget will be pushed to $400 which would include everything in the first post along with a Sapphire HD4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102822

The 400w PSU does 30A at the 12v rail, that should be enough for the system at load, right? According to NeoSeeker, the HD4830 consumes 188w at 100% load.

Super Fly · 03-02-09

Glad you bumped up to a 4830, a real good choice.
And yes, your PSU will be just fine.

Domino · 03-02-09

Quote:

Originally Posted by ImmortalKenny

I'll probably be ordering everything this week, maybe next.

So to finalize everything, the budget will be pushed to $400 which would include everything in the first post along with a Sapphire HD4830: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102822

The 400w PSU does 30A at the 12v rail, that should be enough for the system at load, right? According to NeoSeeker, the HD4830 consumes 188w at 100% load.

Don't see a problem with it. 100 percent load for my system is around 400 Watts (1.4v cpu, 4 ram slots filled, 2 9600gt). However, the chances of this being on load all the time are very slim

ImmortalKenny · 03-10-09

I just clicked to order button for everything in the OP. Weeee!

I haven't built a comp in 2 years.

-gets out of chair and does happy dance-

Jrice00 · 03-10-09

Good luck!

wamubu · 03-10-09

lol Sounds like me, but I went like 8 years since I built my last system. Hope it goes together great - like mine did! Fire it up the first time - FTW!

Of course, the obvious question given this site, and I don't feel like digging for the answer - are you going to OC it, or just go for stable settings and let your bro kill it if he wants to?

		Overclock.net - Overclocking.net > AMD > AMD - General > AMD Build Logs
~$300 mAtx build for little brother

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