$400 build.

953 Views 22 Replies 9 Participants Last post by onoz, Dec 4, 2009

Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · Dec 3, 2009

2

So my buddy has been out of the hardware for a bit and he's got 400 to build a pc. He wants the best AMD he can get. He has DDR2 ram he can recycle so that should save $70, He has a case, monitor, and peripherals. He is in love with Asus but if you can give a good case for another brand I'll pass it on to him. He doesn't like his Gigabyte board so none of those sadly.

He has an ASUS 9600gt and wants to get another for sli if possible. My advice was to sell the gt and use the cash for a better single card solution. Is there a market in folding for this card?

This is his psu. Its not the best but I think it can handle this build if he stays single card.

Phenmon 2 x4 is a must I should be able to convince him to OC so a good cooler is needed. What's a good cooler that Newegg carries? Rebates are acceptable. I've been working on it but I'm struggling on the right combo. Any and all help would be appreciated!

TL

R PHII x4 DDR2 mobo HSF and HDD (if you get a DDR3 mobo substitute ram for HDD)

This is my best case budget fitting build I can find.

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1 - 20 of 23 Posts

youra6

· #2 · Dec 3, 2009

ok so all he needs is a cpu, mobo, hrddrive, dvd rom drive, case, and... what else am i missing?
Edit: possibly a aftermarket HSF if it can be afforded...

I dont think he really needs a P2 II X4, especially with a quad, its gonna be tough on his budget

Already have:

-GPU
-RAM
-PSU
-CASE

Needed:

-CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-680-_-Product

This is 103 dollars

-MOBO http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-243-_-Product

This is 57 dollars

-HRD DRIVE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152181

48 dollars

-DVD DRIVE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118032

this is 34 dollars

-SOUNDCARD (if necessary)

-HSF (if necessary) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

this is 37 dollars

-Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236032

this is 120 dollars

-OPERATING SYSTEM?

I might be forgetting something... lol Remind me if I am

So far it totals to: 398

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tNok85

· #3 · Dec 3, 2009

Okay... the cheapest AMD SLi board I know of is about $110, I believe. That is over 1/4th of his budget.

19" monitors go for $80-100, depending on quality and if you wait for a sale. That's half his budget.

Processor will have to be the cheapest reasonable one - so we're looking at a Regor 240/245 for $50-$60.

Down to $150, tops. 9600GT is about $60-70 on sale. So even if you wait for a sale, down to $90 if you were careful with the above.

Still need hard drive, case, keyboard, and mouse.

CAN be done. CAN NOT RECOMMEND IT.

Tell him to be smart. Sell the 9600GT, trying to SLI that will kill his budget.

Also, PHII X4 is a little unreasonable with that budget. $140 for the cheapest PHII X4 alone.

Bottom line... this is silly. If he's got $400, a 9600GT, and a 500W Raidmax, I could put together a usable system with no possibility for SLI, but a possibility to sell the 9600GT and get a better single card when he has some cash.

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tNok85

· #4 · Dec 3, 2009

Just worked it out in NewEgg. IMPOSSIBLE to get all that.

You can do the PHII X4 925, the cheapest SLI AM3 Mobo (MSI G55), the cheapest KB/M (ugly green $13 shipped), cheapest decent monitor ($110 Asus 19"), and that just goes over $400. Still need a HDD and another 9600GT.

youra6

· #5 · Dec 3, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by tNok85

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Just worked it out in NewEgg. IMPOSSIBLE to get all that.

You can do the PHII X4 925, the cheapest SLI AM3 Mobo (MSI G55), the cheapest KB/M (ugly green $13 shipped), cheapest decent monitor ($110 Asus 19"), and that just goes over $400. Still need a HDD and another 9600GT.

lol forgot about monitor: with my config, it totals out to be 325 excluding some shipping. Looks like I need to scale back on the processor and mobo

Anyways AMD quad and SLI for 400 ...????? Your right its impossible

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MeatloafOverdose

· #6 · Dec 3, 2009

Keep the single 9600gt for now, get a crossfire board..when the new 5600 series ATI cards are out sell the 9600gt and get the ATI.

He has a case, but is it Matx or ATX?

Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 3, 2009

Sli board your forgetting sli is as easy as a driver hack. He wants sli only cause he likes his card. If i get him to sell it he will be much better off. His case is a smilodon so space should be fine I just talked to him again and have some new info. He is gaming on a 19 in @ 1440x900 so I guess a new vid card is not needed. SO in light of this I say we go with a 965 4 gigs ddr3 a mobo HSF and a big HDD. I just want to give him as many options as possible.

Also OS not needed

If a 965 can't be swung a lower quad is acceptable.

youra6

· #8 · Dec 3, 2009

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drackula2000

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Sli board your forgetting sli is as easy as a driver hack. He wants sli only cause he likes his card. If i get him to sell it he will be much better off. His case is a smilodon so space should be fine I just talked to him again and have some new info. He is gaming on a 19 in @ 1440x900 so I guess a new vid card is not needed. SO in light of this I say we go with a 965 4 gigs ddr3 a mobo HSF and a big HDD. I just want to give him as many options as possible.

you CANT do that LOL

We have already told you a 965 c3 is already half your entire budget. My setup for you is the best you can do right now. you are still missing a monitor which costs over 120 dollars easily for a good one.

If you chose to ignore it, thats your prerogative, but for 400 dollars, its impossible. I spent a decent amount of time editing and coming up with ways to fit within the budget.

the next quad down from a 965 within your budget is the Athlon 620 which has no l3 cache and is a farcry from the capabilities of a 965

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onoz

· #9 · Dec 3, 2009

Hello!

I saw that you said a PhenomIIx4 is a must... would you/he mind getting a PhenomIIx3 instead? There's a chance he could unlock the cores. Or maybe even a PhenomIIx2? These would give you more money to work with for purchasing other parts (like the MoBo).

Good luck!

Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 3, 2009

2

Quote:

Originally Posted by youra6

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you CANT do that LOL

We have already told you a 965 c3 is already half your entire budget. My setup for you is the best you can do right now. you are still missing a monitor which costs over 120 dollars easily for a good one.

If you chose to ignore it, thats your prerogative, but for 400 dollars, its impossible. I spent a decent amount of time editing and coming up with ways to fit within the budget.

the next quad down from a 965 within your budget is the Athlon 620 which has no l3 cache and is a farcry from the capabilities of a 965

Yes you can.
And there is the 925 I kow a 965 prolly won't work but he wants the best and I cant blame him. Also I said no vid card cause hes currently happy with his current monitor/ gfx setup.

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youra6

· #11 · Dec 3, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drackula2000

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Yes you can.
And there is the 925 I kow a 965 prolly won't work but he wants the best and I cant blame him. Also I said no vid card cause hes currently happy with his current monitor/ gfx setup.

you just said he has no monitor on the first post. No monitor peripherals means monitor lol

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-iceblade^

· #12 · Dec 3, 2009

you cannot buy a 965 C3, or the previous one and the rest of the stuff you need, monitor included, for $400.

the monitor and CPU alone are $300. not to mention the mobo, etc.

tell him to drop his expectations, or buy used, or increase his budget.

Reactions: 1

Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 3, 2009

I meant don't include monitor or peripherals. Sorry for the mix up. OP edited to reflect clearness.

BenRK

· #14 · Dec 3, 2009

Actually, I got my build for $400 originally. I recycled some parts from my older computer, but I don't think a DVD-RW drive is all that expensive. So it's not impossible to get all the parts. However, I did have to replace the PSU from before. So the Corsair isn't part of the original $400, fyi.

youra6

· #15 · Dec 3, 2009

if he has a monitor then, the 965 is a viable option, however in my opinion is not necessary. I would go with a X3 720 and if you are successful in convincing your friend to sell the 9600GT, get a ATI 5770 or a 250 GTS instead

TheJack

· #16 · Dec 4, 2009

An X3 720 will do what he needs. If he wants more cores then he should wait til Q1 or Q2 of 2010 and go for a six core processor.

I am still over budget but at least you get a good card. I WOULD NOT SLI the 9600gt because it's not worth it. Get a newer card. I'm not saying you have to get the card I have designated, but the 9600gt won't cut it much longer. It also doesn't scale as well as newer cards either.

If you want to drop the card from my proposed build then you are well under budget. The X3 processor saves you quite a bit of money and doesn't sacrifice much performance. He may get lucky and be able to unlock the 4th core on it anyway.

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Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 4, 2009

Right now I'm trying to convince him to sell his 8 Gigs of DDR2 to finance the better processor. It would add around 130 to his budget.

youra6

· #18 · Dec 4, 2009

he could sell 4 out of the 8 gigs. 8 is overkill

Drackula2000

Discussion Starter · #19 · Dec 4, 2009

It really is but he only piad for 4 gigs of it. and I figure he sells that and can have the money to go ddr3.

TheJack

· #20 · Dec 4, 2009

DDR3 is great, but it'll be even better if he can get it to utilize it with the six core processors coming out next year. That's why I say he should get a tri-core for now. It's great for gaming and IF anything comes out needing more cores, the six core processor will be ready or just around the corner.

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