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Need a cheap computer - with potential
ArcSyn
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So this morning my wife tells me that the laptop is acting funny. It just keeps rebooting. It's an older laptop that has had issues periodically for a while now. The laptop was the last functioning computer in the house. Which is ironic, considering my job is IT work.
So here I am at work, surrounded by computers, and I don't have a working computer at home.
I'm thinking that for Christmas, I will probably get something in the ballpark of $300. I could probably toss in another hundred, maybe two, depending on how finances go and how much we spend on Christmas presents.
What would you guys consider to be the minimum specs for a decent computer (gaming would be pretty much limited to the Sims and Popcap style games. Perhaps Viva Pinata, but it wouldn't run on the laptop)? I'd like to run Vista, and I'd like the motherboard to have the potential to move into the gaming realm (so while I don't need 4GB of RAM or a really nice PCI-Express x16 graphics card now, I'd like the option).
I don't care if it's a prebuilt or if I build it, it just needs to be cheap. I already have all the peripherals I need, as well as a 500GB SATA drive, I just need the box.
So here I am at work, surrounded by computers, and I don't have a working computer at home.
I'm thinking that for Christmas, I will probably get something in the ballpark of $300. I could probably toss in another hundred, maybe two, depending on how finances go and how much we spend on Christmas presents.
What would you guys consider to be the minimum specs for a decent computer (gaming would be pretty much limited to the Sims and Popcap style games. Perhaps Viva Pinata, but it wouldn't run on the laptop)? I'd like to run Vista, and I'd like the motherboard to have the potential to move into the gaming realm (so while I don't need 4GB of RAM or a really nice PCI-Express x16 graphics card now, I'd like the option).
I don't care if it's a prebuilt or if I build it, it just needs to be cheap. I already have all the peripherals I need, as well as a 500GB SATA drive, I just need the box.
ArcSyn on
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I'd say Dude, You're Getting (Her) A Dell - and then you can just swap the PSU and drop a shorter card (9800GT) into it.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I guess I'll go peruse Dell's site. Fortunately I get a Dell discount through work, but I thought that there might be an option to go custom built but from what I'm hearing it's probably not feasible on such a budget.
Not for $300, but the Bang-For-The-Buck box in the first post of the Computer Build Thread might be moddable to your ends if you can convince another Benjamin to join the party.
Downgrade to an E5200 (save $30), get a motherboard with onboard video, lose the video card for the moment (save $170), bring your own hard drive (save $75) and you're left with a system at around $375-$400.
But really, if you've got a Dell discount, I'd go that route - since that also gives you the OS, which you don't get free with a DIY.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Here's what I was able to put together - not refurbed - looking there next:
Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor E7200 (3MB L2, 2.53GHz, 1066FSB)
Vista® Home Premium
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz (2 DIMM)
Dell Entry Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
250GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM)
Dell 19 in 1 Media Card Reader
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
I could have done it $80 cheaper, but I really don't want to settle for less than a Core 2 Duo. Those are already old enough tech-wise, seems stupid (unless tech has really changed where it doesn't matter?) to go with a Celeron or Pentium Dual Core.
I also tossed in a media reader just because. I can always remove it if it becomes the breaking point. I just would rather not have to keep my huge USB adapter plugged in all the time.
Total after s/h and discounts and tax: $489
Looking at reviews, I now see the 518 is not capable of 64bit Vista. This kinda irks me.
What models are 64bit capable? Anything on Dell's site? It seems stupid they keep making computers that aren't compatible with 64 bit.
EDIT: Apparently there is a version of the 530 which is 64 bit capable.
It does use a standard PSU, but not a standard mobo layout. The 350w PSU that comes with the Core2 Q6600 (listed as Core 2 Quad 2400) can handle a 8800gt/9800gt pretty easily without upgrading. Your real worry with the Dell will probably be temperatures since the inside is pretty cramped.
$500 is average for a 530 new with 3GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and no monitor. If you don't need one until Christmas, you should be able to at least get down in the $400 range - especially since 15-30% coupons are pretty common, including for refurbs.
Some things to consider
Dell's 10 days of deals promo
Microsoft's Live.com search cashback pays up to 30% back on eBay purchases.
Anyway.
On a real budget, you can nab a very full featured AMD motherboard for 50 to 90$ (expect 75$ or so) that will have a built in IGP along with a PCIx16 slot and four memory slots. Usually support for blu-ray decoding, too, and lots have HDMI (this is nice cause you can turn your system into a media center pc one day if you get a new faster one.) It'll also support the lowest and highest end AMD cpus being offered right now, and future releases (as coming AMD cpus will be backwards compatible with AM2+ --though you won't get to take advantage of DDR3.) Note however that the highest end AMD CPUs right now match up with the lowest end Intel quad cores in terms of performance. Price too, pretty sure.
A CPU for the board will run you 30$ and up.
Here's just some quick newegg work:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131318 (I prefer the M3N78-PRO, but newegg has it kind of overpriced.) 82$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103256 is a 60$ dual core cpu in a retail box (saves you buying a HSF.)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103189 is a 33$ single core CPU in a retail box if you want to spend just that much less. But I would recommend you dual core it.
Either way you should always tack on a 10$ BIOS fan for these things and stick it over the chipset heatsink, because ASUS likes to passively cool them, but they get hot as hell AND your IGP is under there too.
So anyhow if you spend 80$ on a mobo and 60$ on a cpu, you're at 140$. Tack on 60$ for 4gb of memory and you're at 200$. That leaves you 100$ to get a PSU+case, hard drive, and optical drive if you weren't able to scrounge any of those things from your non-working computers.
What you end up with is a dual core 2.3ghz-ish machine with 4 gigs of memory and an integrated 8200 chipset (enough to play WoW at lowish resolutions) with considerable room for upgrades through a video card or a faster CPU. If you like overclocking, you'll probably be able to push the CPU to roughly 3ghz on stock cooling, getting that much faster of a machine for the same price.
People will tell you that AMDs stink for gaming, and they definitely lag behind Intel's offerings in that category, but gaming is so GPU-limited right now that it hardly makes much of a difference --your video card will be what makes or breaks your system. My 'little monster' secondary rig is an oc'd (3.1ghz) Athlon X2 with 8 gigs of memory and a 4850, and trust me, people don't complain about it's gaming performance. When I put the same card in my primary (intel) rig, I'm hard pressed to say I can actually tell the difference the cpus bring to the table.
EDIT: I have Vista (legit) now, so the OS no longer matters.
So I guess what I have now is Monitor, peripherals, DVDRW, HDD.
Just need mobo, proc, and RAM. (possibly PSU)
Yeah, you might want to go AMD then. I'd recommend a 780G-based motherboard over the GeForce6200-based one that the other guy recommended, but either way it's still the best choice for a budget non-gaming rig.