I'm finally getting a new computer. I think I'm getting a killer deal here, but I want to find out from all you experts. My budget is $700. With tax, the parts I've chosen will run $713. It's pushing it, but that's my limit. Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 2.13ghz 1066 fsb Motherboard: msi p6n sli-fi nforce 650i fsb1333 512 mb ddr2 800 dvd+-r/rw 160gb sata-ii 3gb/s 8mb cache geforce 7300LE 256mb pci-e usb 802.11g adapter I know it's not the ultimate rig, but it looks like something I could at least expand upon later. Right now I've got a 1000 mhz celeron with 64mb memory and 50gb of disk space. cd/rw, 448mb sdram. There's not much I could do to my current system to improve its performance. The other option I had was to get a 2.66ghz pentium D and the nvidia 7600gs graphics card. But I was advised to get the better processor and scale down the graphics card to the 7300LE. what do you think?
Yikes. 512mb of memory and a 7300GS is incredibly bad and both will prove a huge bottleneck to a great processor. At $700, you'd be better off going for an AMD Athlon 64 X2 system, in my opinion... they still rule the budget market, and that way you can afford a decent amount of memory and a nice video card (1gb and a 7900GS for example). If you were willing to go $1k to upgrade the memory and video, the system you listed would be quite nice.
512MB of ram is far far too little and a 7300LE is a pretty damn poor card. Try and E6300 or 4200+ X2 on AM2. Don't get ripped off with harddrives either, a 160GB is what, $50ish now?
No, I think he should stay with the core duo setup but get some cheap 1-2gig ddr2 memory and buy a secondhand gfx card. Good luck.
where do you live? i assume here in the states...do you not need case, keyboard, mouse, etc?? cause you can do much better... with case and power supply: lite-on dvd burner model lh-20a1p-186 - $32.99 cooler master centurion model 534 rc-534-kkn2-gp - $49.99 western digital caviar se 160 gb model wd1600js - $52.99 evga 7600gt 256 mb model 256-p2-n615-tx - $109.99 xclio 500 w modular model x14s4p3 - $79.99 pqi turbo 1 gb ddr2 667 model pqi25400-1gsb - $78.99 same mobo - $109.99 intel core 2 duo e4300 model bx80557e4300 - $169.00 total - $683.93...no tax unless you live where newegg does business...shipping probably around $35, so same amount, under $720...much better rig... if you dont need case, spend that on a better card...chances are, after 7 years, you do need a better power supply though, so grab that
I second trig's proposed system, with the only caveat: stick with the lower end gfx card and get a top-end CPU to start. I can't remember exactly when the 8600's will go on sale, but when they do, their prices should be rather moderate and you could find it easy to upgrade then. In any case, get a good Conroe processor at the beginning. And stick w/ at least a gig of RAM to start. You WILL notice the difference. What do you plan on doing with your computer exactly? This often will dictate what parts to get at the start and where to upgrade later.
MSI P6N: about $100 2x1gb DDR2: About 120 if you shop around 7600GS: <100 sunbeam nuuo 550: about 50 Intel Core2duo E4300: $169 (major price drops soon) That's $539; add a case, hard drive, cd drive, etc..
I'd have to agree with Bbq's setup. Newegg has the CoolerMaster Centurion series cases for pretty cheap, around $50, and they are nice cases for that price.
@RevolMidnight: Try this. Core 2 Duo E4300 (don't mind the low GHz, it's a great processor and the best OCer around) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115013 ASUS P5NSLI LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131032 Kingston 2gb DDR-667 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820134384 Samsung 18x DVD+R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827151133 Western Digital 160gb 7200RPM SATA 3GB/s http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144415 eVGA GeForce 7900GS KO (factory overclock) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130056 AMS Mercury 460W Power Supply (incredibly stable PS for cheap, exceeds its power rating with better stability than most 550W out there) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817101111 Rosewill R6426-P Case (yes, I know it's dirt cheap, but according to reviews it's excellent for its price. And low price means it's lightweight which means less shipping cost!) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811147068 MASSCOOL 80mm case fan (better add one with that $16 case) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835150007 GRAND TOTAL: $725 That's only twelve dollars higher than the build you listed above, and it will outperform it in every situation while retaining plenty of upgradeability (not that you'll really need to upgrade for a long while if you overclock that E4300).
I suggest droping a few more for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813130082, like in the original post. Nforce 570 is bad bad bad.
Thanks for all the input on this. I'm going a little over budget, but here's my revised setup: NEC 18X DVD+-R $30.99 Rosewill case (I'll probably paint it later) $15.99 WD 160GB hardrive $52.99 USB 802.11G (Need this anyway) $19.99 EVGA 7900GS 256mb pcie video $159.99 -$15 mail-in Apevia key/mouse (don't need mouse but comes with) $20 1gb ddr2 667 memory (I can always add a stick) $64.49 E4300 core 2 duo (never overclocked, gotta learn) $169 Case fan $1.99 ECS nforce 570 slit-a & coolmax 550w power supply $129.98 With shipping/tax: $749.80
sorry for double post...but i wouldnt go with this setup at all...but hey, its your money...thing is...ecs mobo's are crap, and add to the fact its 570 and its double crap...and the power supply is meh...the ram you chose has to be value ram with no heatsink...again, not a good choice...and why drop $40 on things you dont need like the usb and the mouse? if you dont care about stability and dont mind spending more money to upgrade soon, have at it...
I'm just looking to get something better than what I have now (Celeron 1000mhz) but get the best deal I can for the little I have to spend. I do plan on upgrading a few things later on. I'd upgrade what I have now, but it's too old to bother with. This will give me a system that I can work with for a few years, adding more ram as necessary or upgrading processors, running sli.
if you buy a retail cpu, it comes with it...i understand what your saying. but if you dont build pc's normally, then its hard for you to have a good understanding of what is going to result in a stable pc...it wont matter how little you spent on it if it is always crashing or freezing...something to think about