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Viveka
refutation bias


Registered: 10/21/02
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If you had $500 to build a computer
#5374368 - 03/07/06 02:11 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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What would you buy? Could you put together a whole system, case and all (no monitor) for that price? This system wouldn't have to be a serious gaming machine or anything but you'd want it to be solid, reliable and fast. What components, motherboard, proc, video card, etc. would you go for?
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Asante
Mage


Registered: 02/06/02
Posts: 86,792
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5374419 - 03/07/06 02:22 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Log in to view attachment
I'm no expert but I had mine built with a small HDD and a high quality DVD burner. I use DVDs as my storage medium. This lowers the cost of the HDD, which can then be invested in say a faster processor.
You don't need 100 GB of dead weight on a huge harddrive, just burn 25 DVDs and when your harddrive crashes, your data isnt lost.
I've got 160 GB and thats more than enough. 80 would be enough with a good burner.
This doesnt mean that the Terabyte harddrive didnt have me drooling over my shirt
-------------------- Omnicyclion.org higher knowledge starts here
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Viveka
refutation bias


Registered: 10/21/02
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Asante]
#5374676 - 03/07/06 03:12 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Actually, with the theoretical $500 system I'm talking about, don't include hard drives. I'm talking about all components except hard drive, monitor, mouse, keyboard.
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5375036 - 03/07/06 04:58 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Code:
1 LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-160P6S - OEM Model #: SHW-160P6S BK OEM Item #: N82E16827106014
$37.99 $37.99
1 Rosewill Value R103A Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ATX12V 350W with P4 support, 20-pin Main connector Power Supply - Retail Model #: R103A Item #: N82E16811147010
$29.99 -$5.00 Instant $24.99
1 BIOSTAR TForce6100-939 Socket 939 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail Model #: TForce6100-939 Item #: N82E16813138264
$69.00 $69.00
1 COOLER MASTER Real Power RS-450-ACLX ATX12V 450W Power Supply - Retail Model #: RS-450-ACLX Item #: N82E16817171005
$59.99 $59.99
1 CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GB400C3 - Retail Model #: VS1GB400C3 Item #: N82E16820145505
$69.00 $69.00
1 AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail Model #: ADA3700BNBOX Item #: N82E16819103539
$212.00 $212.00 Subtotal: $472.97
that is all from newegg.com. i put it together with upgradability in mind. the mobo supports the amd dual core chips, pci-16x, SATA2, etc.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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Chazzersize
Pokemon Master


Registered: 11/30/03
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5375037 - 03/07/06 04:59 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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You should look for yourself. No one knows what you want better than yourself.
Newegg.com
Check it out.
-------------------- Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars.
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: automan]
#5375057 - 03/07/06 05:03 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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btw, i added the power supply because the case isnt 24 pin and a beefier power supply will be appreciated in the future when you upgrade to things like a better video card (the mobo has on board video) and whatever else you decide you need.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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supercollider
superconducting


Registered: 10/13/00
Posts: 1,234
Loc: Waxahachie
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5375099 - 03/07/06 05:14 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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So you're talking about : case: ~ $40 PSU: ~ $60 ram: ~ $70 mobo: ~ $50 CPU: ~ $120 vid card: ~ $100 DVD-RW: ~$35 =========== total: ~$485
Those prices are rough estimates, but for that total, you can get an amd64 3000+, a geforce 6600, and a gig of pc3200. You'd have limited upgradeability, since you'd be using socket 754 and no PCI-E slot.
edit: well i clicked the 'reply' link awhile ago and didn't refresh the page when i typed this, so i didn't see automan's post. he did a way more thorough job than i did, but he didn't give you a vid card, just an onboard vid chip. your choice :P
-------------------- Supercollider? I just met her!
Edited by supercollider (03/07/06 05:19 PM)
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WhiteBunny
How deep doesthe rabbit hole go?


Registered: 07/29/05
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: automan]
#5375175 - 03/07/06 05:35 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
automan said: btw, i added the power supply because the case isnt 24 pin and a beefier power supply will be appreciated in the future when you upgrade to things like a better video card (the mobo has on board video) and whatever else you decide you need.
good job I was impressed I thought it would be a lot cheaper quality shit than the job you did.
WB
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Viveka
refutation bias


Registered: 10/21/02
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: supercollider]
#5375195 - 03/07/06 05:39 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Cool guys. Yeah, I would want a seperate video card, 256 meg just in case I wanted to play C&C Generals or something. Also, this system will be a music workstation so I plan to install an external USB soundcard, but of course that's not part of the $500.
My buddy wants me to buy his AMD 2ghz system with a gig of ram and no hard drives (not sure what other drives are in it) and a 256meg video card for $800. I don't see how any system like that could be worth that much. He is also going to install a bunch of producer edition music software, Soundforge, Acid, etc... that he pirated but that'd be pretty sheisterish of him to boost the price for that, considering that he's been one of my best friends since high school. So you guys think newegg is the place? I have been looking there and also TigerDirect. Thanks guys.
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



Registered: 01/29/03
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: automan]
#5376603 - 03/08/06 04:24 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Automan made some good suggestions. I would change the motherboard to this:
ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 Socket 939 ULi M1695 ATX AMD Motherboard
Because BIOSTAR has never been known to make good motherboards, ASrock has made a decent name for itself recently, this motherboard supports everything the BIOSTAR does but with pci-e video slot too, plus SATAII, and also the feature to upgrade to a s940 CPU, it's all around very nice.
Also I would switch the AMD 3700+ to a 3000+ because it will save you $72 that you could put towards a half decent video card, it can be overclocked to 3700+ speeds easily. CPU speeds above 2GHz( by AMD standards not Intel) really don't effect gaming performance(in modern games), unlss your dual core. You can have the fastest cpu in the world, with a crappy video card and you won't see any results in gaming.
Here are the best video cards you can find that will be in your price range
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130214 (notice the re-bate price)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102536
With this you'l be laughin at how nice of a system you have for $500
Also if you can squeeze out another $70 go with 2gb of ram.
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
Edited by bellylard (03/08/06 04:30 AM)
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5376605 - 03/08/06 04:28 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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--------------------
"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
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Chazzersize
Pokemon Master


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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5377200 - 03/08/06 10:51 AM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
bellylard said:
Also I would switch the AMD 3700+ to a 3000+ because it will save you $72 that you could put towards a half decent video card, it can be overclocked to 3700+ speeds easily. CPU speeds above 2GHz( by AMD standards not Intel) really don't effect gaming performance(in modern games), unlss your dual core.
With that logic, you could easily overclock the 3700 it to 3ghz and you would be set for awhile...and not JUST for gaming. For many other daily mundane tasks.
With newer games coming out every month...the reccomended specs are just getting higher and higher. So it's best to aim high and spend a little more to have a little leeway. Here's the specs for The elder scrolls oblivion, which comes out later this month.
Recommended: 3 Ghz Intel Pentium 4 or equivalent processor 1 GB System RAM ATI X800 series, NVIDIA GeForce 6800 series, or higher video card
-------------------- Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars.
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



Registered: 01/29/03
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Chazzersize]
#5377498 - 03/08/06 01:28 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Well no because not all 3700's can be clocked to those speeds, but thats beside the point....plus other daily tasks will never take advantage of speed like that, software has always been behind hardware technology. If you noticed he doesn't have a little more to spend ...he's on a budget and that is the best option for him if he wants a good all around system, without one it's compenents going to waste because he had to bottleneck the system for no reason.... By my logic he would be getting a CPU that would be sufficient for gaming for a pretty long time....If he were to cheap out on a vide card now just to get a a little more CPU speed(that he wouldn't be able to take advantage of anyways) I think that would just be a waste.....
A 3000+ would do him just fine and by the time that starts to become outdated it will be awhile, and whos saying hes going to be playing all of the newest games with the best settings anyways...
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
Edited by bellylard (03/08/06 01:30 PM)
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Chazzersize
Pokemon Master


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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5381496 - 03/09/06 02:03 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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I really dont see the point or purpose of lowballing your system just to save a few bucks. That's just me though.
But everyone's a critic
-------------------- Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars.
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



Registered: 01/29/03
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Chazzersize]
#5382363 - 03/09/06 05:53 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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It's not lowballing if you realize that he will not be able to take advantage of the extra cpu speed, especially when that means on his budget he would have to sacrifice a decent video card for the $$$ for that extra(wasted) cpu speed. He plays games and will need a half decent card, which won't be possible with his budget, especially if he gets the 3700+. The 3000+ is sufficient for all games out now and will be for all games in the near future. If his budget wasn't what it was I would say sure get the 3700+.
He is essentially lowballing his system in the first place by having a $500 budget
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
Edited by bellylard (03/09/06 05:54 PM)
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automan
blasted chipmunk


Registered: 09/18/03
Posts: 8,272
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5382425 - 03/09/06 06:07 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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if he games, he should go with a slower cpu and add a video card. he didnt give any parameters in his main post so i just threw together the computer i would build for myself at that price. i dont game so on board video has always been fine for me.
-------------------- No, no, you're not thinking, you're just being logical. ~ Niels Bohr
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



Registered: 01/29/03
Posts: 8,670
Loc: Canoodia
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: automan]
#5382478 - 03/09/06 06:21 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
automan said: if he games, he should go with a slower cpu and add a video card. he didnt give any parameters in his main post so i just threw together the computer i would build for myself at that price. i dont game so on board video has always been fine for me.
exactly...you put what I said straight forward without all the bullshit
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5382486 - 03/09/06 06:23 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Ask you friend what video card he has that he is willing to sell you, it could save you some money to put towards other things.
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
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Maverick
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5382514 - 03/09/06 06:30 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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I'd build a highspeed oldskool computer that still runs my voodoo5 5500, highspeed SDRAM, (if I can find one that takes DDR, and still holds that v5...)
Man I miss playing Unreal and Unreal Tournament at pure quality.
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barfightlard
tales of theinexpressible



Registered: 01/29/03
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Maverick]
#5383180 - 03/09/06 09:48 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
DRTMaverick said: I'd build a highspeed oldskool computer that still runs my voodoo5 5500, highspeed SDRAM, (if I can find one that takes DDR, and still holds that v5...)
Man I miss playing Unreal and Unreal Tournament at pure quality.
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"What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" - Bill Hicks
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Viveka
refutation bias


Registered: 10/21/02
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: barfightlard]
#5395627 - 03/13/06 03:32 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Thanks again for the advice. I don't remember the brand but the system has a 256 meg video card that my buddy says is sweet, retailed for $400. I also know it has a good motherboard (AMD) because he's a fanatic about not buying crappy mobos. It's a 2 ghz proc. At this point I've agreed to pay him $700 for his system with the afforementioned along with dvd and cdroms and a 15" flatscreen. Part of this price is him trying to recoup some of the hundreds he's spent on the highest editions of Soundforge, Acid etc... and all the plug-ins. I can appreciate this because I saw him go through the acquisition process. So it will be set up with a very sweet bundle of music software. He admits the system is worth $600.
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Chazzersize
Pokemon Master


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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Viveka]
#5395717 - 03/13/06 04:05 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Make sure you check out the prices to see how much you would've paid.
Poor guy pays for software?
-------------------- Take off my mask and leave the lies to the liars.
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Viveka
refutation bias


Registered: 10/21/02
Posts: 4,061
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Re: If you had $500 to build a computer [Re: Chazzersize]
#5395983 - 03/13/06 05:32 PM (17 years, 10 months ago) |
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Well, I know he didn't pay for all of it.... I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt 'cause he's my best bro. Yeah, I'll double check the values.
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