AfterDawn > Forums > Building a new PC > New computer - Under $550

New computer - Under $550

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#1 27 Jan 2010 @ 0:58
lazyfulne
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Hey, I'm pretty new to building computers and I wanna start with something that won't cost me more than $550... so far I have these parts in mind... All I need to know is if the parts are compatible with each other, and if I'm missing anything needed for a computer(Already have OS ready)

I'm going to be using Windows 7 on this and use it mostly to watch movies/play old games like Warcraft 3..

CPU - AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103687

Motherboard - ECS IC780M-A AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135240

Video Card - GIGABYTE GV-R435OC-512I Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125251

Casing - HEC 66RCBB Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121096

Power Supply - hec HP485D 485W ATX12V Power Supply - Power Cord Included - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817339020

Hard Drive - Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

RAM - Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996684 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226048

CD/DVD Drive - LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136144
This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 27 Jan 2010 @ 1:08
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#2 27 Jan 2010 @ 1:07
lazyfulne
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Oops.. raise the budget to $550.
forgot to add a monitor/speakers.
#3 27 Jan 2010 @ 1:09
lubricant
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looks pretty good dude. might i suggest considering a 500 gig hdd also, you may find as time goes on that 4 gigs of memory would be a good upgrade.
#4 27 Jan 2010 @ 7:19
Jkyr12
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It's better to spend a little extra now to get the larger HD and more RAM now, than have to spend it now and again later.
Im new here, spend most of my time in the PC Hardware forums, and am working on my first build.
#5 28 Jan 2010 @ 18:50
sammorris
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CPU: 10/10 - Very good value, reasonably efficient
M/B: 3/10 - ECS stuff is very poor quality. Would recommend a Gigabyte alternative.
GPU: 5/10 - Reasonable for the price, basic video functionality, but nothing better. No real reason to buy it, as AMD boards come with onboard graphics anyway, and this is no better, it can't play any recent games.
Case: 2/10 - Very poor for the price. $60 is a lot for a cheap tacky HEC. Get this instead:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
PSU: 0/10 - deathtrap. Get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008
HDD: 10/10 - Decent cheap drive.
RAM: 9/10 - Normally 1066mhz memory is way overkill for a budget system, but since it's cheap, there's no reason why not. 4GB of RAM would be better though.
Example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#7 28 Jan 2010 @ 21:10
sammorris
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I certainly don't. They're cheap for a reason. Look at the stuff that comes in the three you've posted. Low grade potentially unreliable memory (1), a poor quality case and PSU, which is not only unreliable, but also extremely dangerous, and parts that perform so poorly you'll wish you hadn't bought a PC at all.


Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#8 29 Jan 2010 @ 3:31
Xplorer4
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Originally posted by AfroKidd:
 Does no one here like barebones kits??? check these out

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...81&Sku=B69-0166

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...67489&CatId=332

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/...tId=332

Whats to check out? Sam summed it up pretty well, but lets not over look the Hitachi Deskstars. I would but a Seagate drive before I bought a Hitachi.
Thermaltake Mozart TX Case - Core i7 2500K - MSI P67A-GD45 - 2x4 GB DDR3 Corsair Gengance - Sapphire 4890 1 GB Vapor X - 2xIntel X25-M G2 SSDs RAID 0 - 1x1TB WD Caviar Black - 1x1TB WD Caviar Green - 1x2TB WD Caviar Black - 1x2TB WD Caviar Green - Corsair HX520 PSU
#9 29 Jan 2010 @ 10:43
sammorris
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They're far from ideal, but they're not the worst bit about those barebone "deals", not by a long way.


Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#10 30 Jan 2010 @ 19:45
AfroKidd
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Originally posted by sammorris:
 I certainly don't. They're cheap for a reason. Look at the stuff that comes in the three you've posted. Low grade potentially unreliable memory (1), a poor quality case and PSU, which is not only unreliable, but also extremely dangerous, and parts that perform so poorly you'll wish you hadn't bought a PC at all.
That is true but u can swap out some of the parts and still come out cheaper

My first computer was a bare bone and it lasted 5 yeas wit me messin wit it and not dusting it regularly
#11 30 Jan 2010 @ 19:50
sammorris
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Not the point, they're only cheap because the parts are crap. By buying better stuff you're just making it less crap and more expensive, you may as well do the job properly.


Afterdawn Addict // Silent PC enthusiast // PC Build advisor // LANGamer Alias:Ratmanscoop
PC Specs page -- http://my.afterdawn.com/sammorris/blog_entry.cfm/5036
updated 25-May-11
#12 01 Feb 2010 @ 18:34
AfroKidd
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your right


im just sayin crap parts dont usualy last for a while with me doing supid things to them
#13 01 Feb 2010 @ 18:59
Xplorer4
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Theres an exception to every rule, and besides that you havent mentioned the parts in your barbone.
Thermaltake Mozart TX Case - Core i7 2500K - MSI P67A-GD45 - 2x4 GB DDR3 Corsair Gengance - Sapphire 4890 1 GB Vapor X - 2xIntel X25-M G2 SSDs RAID 0 - 1x1TB WD Caviar Black - 1x1TB WD Caviar Green - 1x2TB WD Caviar Black - 1x2TB WD Caviar Green - Corsair HX520 PSU
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