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New build: Needs to be cost efficient

Matt18

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Hello all,

I am trying to build a rig for my parents for xmas. I don't want to go to cheap but I would like to keep it under $400.00.
It will mostly be used for web browsing, aol, minor(very minor) photoshoping etc...
It needs to be upgradeable to vista.

So far I have decided on this:
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6750 - Retail
It seems for the price it wouldn't make sense to save a bit and go w/ the slower model.

I am mainly looking for a suggestion on a mobo, hopefully w/ a decent built in sound and video card since they won't be doing any gaming.

I also need some memory and PSU suggestions.

I haven't done my last build since May, funny how fast things/prices change....
 

panchoman

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i think amd is a better bet if you aren't gonna be clocking and you want cheap. and then a biostar tf7050 w/ an epower 500w, that should do you some good
 

zekrahminator

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...Isn't the E6750 like $250 by itself? You do NOT need all that power for AOL.

Including OS, here's a much more reasonable configuration, assuming you live in America. It comes out to about $420 shipped. Considering that you say something about Vista compatibility, I assume you have an operating system.

Case ($20)
80GB hard drive ($42)
17" widescreen LCD ($150)
Gigabyte Motherboard with onboard graphics ($46)
DVD-ROM ($18)
300W PSU ($25)
Keyboard/mouse ($6)
1GB (2x512MB) DDR2 533 RAM ($25)
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ ($46)

Subtotal: $380
Shipping: $40
Total: $420

If you want an operating system, XP Home SP2 adds $90 to the final cost, and Vista Home Basic adds $95 to the final cost. Considering you're building this for reliability, I'd go with XP home if I were you...

Adding XP brings the total cost of this build to $510USD.
 
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Looks good, but I'd swap the mobo to ASUS M2A-VM (AMD 690G) and maybe even opt for a cheap X2.
 

Ketxxx

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Ketxxx

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celly ITX mobo $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121317
1GB DDR2 533 $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145525
case rosewill mATX with 300w PSU $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147098
HD Western Digital Caviar 160GB IDE $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136210
LITE-ON Black 20X DVD IDE $26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106228
Card Reader $8
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820609198
GFX card x1550 low profile PCI $95 [The case doesn't say low profile but it looks to be]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161074

This is based on a low power/space system I was thinking about building for web browsing. I can't find the sweet ITX case I wanted to use though. The price is $309 without shipping,the MOBO has on board GFX so you could drop the x1550.
I know this is probably not what your looking for I just think it's a cool setup:)
 

Matt18

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I was hoping to stick with the C2D for this build because I love mine so much. I know AMD is the cheaper route. The processor isn't that expensive, $189.99. I can even go with the e4400 for $134.99. I will probably OC it a bit but I want the system to be stable on stock cooling.
 
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Not much use blowing 50% of your budget on a c2d chip as the rest of your components will be total crap. Hell, I'd even look at a mini-ITX setup for what you said it would be used for.
 

Matt18

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Matt18

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Processor C2D E6600 @ 3.1ghz stock voltage
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Not much use blowing 50% of your budget on a c2d chip as the rest of your components will be total crap. Hell, I'd even look at a mini-ITX setup for what you said it would be used for.


Agreed, it didn't make much sense. I am just going to go w/ a cheaper C2D, which will still be overkill for what they are going to use it for.
 
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why not get an e2140/e2160? even wait for dual core celerons in january, about a month away, will be enough for what you need it for

imo the 8500gt should be dropped too for 8400gs or hd2400
 

newtekie1

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I just built this machine for a friend:

Core 2 Duo E2180
OCZ 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
EVGA NVIDIA nForce e-7050/610i Micro ATX Motherboard
FSP Group 500w PSU
160GB Seagate PRT SATAII Hard Drive
20x Sony/NEC DVD Burner
Rosewill Mid-Tower ATX Case

Total comes to $389.24 after shipping.

The E2180 does 2.4GHz in that motherboard, which isn't a terrible overclock for a cheap motherboard. The motherboard did have decent overclocking controls. It has good CPU Voltage control, but only lets you go up to 2.2v on the memory. The chipset also has decent voltage control, I was really surprised for the price of the board how much overclocking control it had. However, integrated graphics always hurts overclocking numbers, and this board isn't a great overclocker because of it. However, an E2180@2.4GHz is still a damn respectable processor, and will do everything they need and more.
 

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buying anything AMD related atm is like flogging a dead donkey.

:roll: I can't agree more.

If I was gonna do it, I would build an Intel system that ketxxx and newtekie1 have done. Either an e21x0 or e4x00 will do the trick, and both will overclock to compete with the mainstream C2D's on the stock cooler if you need more speed. Any P31 or cheap P35 will support Penryn and allow a good overclock. So yea, go with something like what they cooked up for ya. Just make sure you get 2 gigs of RAM! Oh yea, kits of 2x1gb of DDR2 800 are cheap as chips now, and if you're going to run Vista, then that's definitely a priority.
 

Matt18

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Any idea why the C2D e4400 is more expensive then the e4500(newegg)? the e4500 is faster. Is it just a new model and cheaper?
 
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Any idea why the C2D e4400 is more expensive then the e4500(newegg)? the e4500 is faster. Is it just a new model and cheaper?

usually when you see something like that its because its got a different fsb or cache size
 

Matt18

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usually when you see something like that its because its got a different fsb or cache size

That was my first thought as well but they both have 2m-shared and 800mhz fsb. I thought maybe there was something else I was overlooking.
 

panchoman

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it just the speed.
 

Ketxxx

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why not get an e2140/e2160? even wait for dual core celerons in january, about a month away, will be enough for what you need it for

imo the 8500gt should be dropped too for 8400gs or hd2400

Theres no point in doing that. The performance difference is huge, your stuck with crummy GDDR2 and a useless 64bit memory bus. To run Vista and have enough power for photo editing duties etc a 8500GT is a minimum. If anything I would change the E4500 I originally picked and go with an E2180, but even doing that your not saving much vs. performance difference as the E2180 is still $90. Its often well worth spending a few extra $$ to get a quite noticable difference. For example that Intel setup I picked out for the price far and away blows other configs out the water if you think about when the system may need to be OCd. No additional expenses needed as all the tools for the job are already there, which means no need to go out and buy another mobo or the like.
 
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Ketxxx

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I was hoping to stick with the C2D for this build because I love mine so much. I know AMD is the cheaper route. The processor isn't that expensive, $189.99. I can even go with the e4400 for $134.99. I will probably OC it a bit but I want the system to be stable on stock cooling.

With OCing in mind, I cant see where you can save in my original Intel config then, all the tools are there for the job, good mobo, independent graphics, clockable CPU etc. The E4500 even on the stock cooler should be able to hit 3GHz, add an aftermarket cooler and the thing will likely do 3.4-3.6GHz. Couple that with a high-ish FSB, PC6400 and a clocked 85GT, and thats some serious firepower out a sub $450 pc :cool:
 

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Theres no point in doing that. The performance difference is huge, your stuck with crummy GDDR2 and a useless 64bit memory bus. To run Vista and have enough power for photo editing duties etc a 8500GT is a minimum.

Photoshop isn't graphics card intensive, onboard video handles it just fine, as does pretty much any dedicated card, even with Aero going.
 
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