Friends budget PC

[Pinchy]

Im building a computer for a friend. He has an approximate $1000 AUD budget, which includes the keyboard and mouse, the monitor and the speakers.

So, how does this sound:

Motherboard-Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 965P-DS3 Intel P965 Conroe (Core 2 Duo) S775 DDR2 Motherboard - $155

CPU- Intel Conroe Core 2 Duo C2D E4300 1.80GHz (LGA775) CPU Genuine Retail Box $169

RAM- G.Skill F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 2GB (1GB x 2) PC2-5400 DDR2-667 5-5-5-15 Dual Channel - $150

Video Card - 256MB Asus Nvidia Geforce GF 7300GT DVI GF7300GT PCI-Express PCI-E Video Card - $96

Hard Disk - Maxtor 160GB 7200rpm SATA or SATA II Serial ATA133 HDD Hard Disk $66

CD/DVD - DriveSamsung Black 18x DVD-RW DVDRW 18x OEM DL, DVD Writer RW Dual Layer DVD RW $39

Monitor - 17" LG 17" inch L1719S-SF L1719SSF 8ms 1xD-Sub LCD Monitor - $225

Keyboard/Mouse - Microsoft Retail MS 1000 Desktop Cordless (Laser Mouse, Keyboard)$47

Speakers - MAYA 1200 Watt PMPO 2.1 Sub-Woofer Speakers $15


Total - $962


Upgrades:
Upgrade to Samsung 250GB Hard disk w/8mb cache- $23
Upgrade to Acer 5ms 19" LCD Widescreen monitor - $20
Upgrade to MS 2000 Cordless desktop - $10
Upgrade to 5.1 2000 Watt Sub-Woofer Speakers - $20



Now these are the parts that i wasnt sure about/still deciding:

The motherboard, the DS3 with the 965 chipset. Im wondering whether to spend a little less and get the Ds3 with the 945 chipset. They look around the same, and he wont be doing much overclocking (I might put the CPU at 2.5-2.6 before i give it to him), so would it be a better buy?

The Video card. I was originally going to get a 7300GS or X1300 PRO, but when i noticed that a 7300GT was an old 7600, i changed my mind. The 7300GS/X1300 PRO is $76, so the $20 price bumb (for double the pipes), is well worth it IMHO. But, are there any other cards <$100 AUD that would be worth it?

Thats about it guys, tell me what you think . He will probably get all the "upgrades" too


(Case is undecided atm because he is going to pick one)

 

[Wile E]

If he isn't going to be overclocking or gaming, AM2 may be the better way to go Pinchy. He could save some money on the mobo, as really good AM2 mobos can be had for around $100AU. That would leave him with around $220 to spend on an AM2 X2 cpu, which should be faster at stock speeds than the E4300 in many cases. Or, you could spend the extra money on a better video card, ram or hard drive or something. He might just get more for his money.

If he plans to overclock tho, that all goes out the window. lol

 

[Joshmcmillan]

How much are you paying for the 7300GT?? How does it compare too say an X1650 Pro??

So basicly you have $38 to share on upgrades. If it was me I'd spend slightly more then the $1000 budget and get all of them, surely your friend wouldn't mind coz $35 extra on top of $1000 isn't much and all those upgrades are WELL worth it.

 

[Pinchy]

He never plans to OC, he wouldnt know where to start, but i will be ocing for him

See he wants to keep this PC for a while - a very long while. They would still be using their P2 if the mobo didnt fry

Thats why i thought C2D, as soon as it gets "older", i'll just OC it . He has his own PC (Pentium 4), and he is basically the only gamer in the house (warcraft 3/counter strike source; older games), so a 7300GT is great. He has an Xbox 360, so that does most of the gaming


Also, the 945P DS3 is around $115, so thats almost as cheap as an AM2 mobo.

Yeah Josh he is getting all the upgrades

The X1650 PRO isnt that great. Its $25 more (25% more), and it has less pipelines, just more shaders. 7300GT has 8 pipes and 8 shaders, x1650 pro has 4 pipes and 12 shaders. Not worth it IMHO, especially for older games. Ill look up revies later, when i get home (gotta go for now), and see if its worth it. But, for now:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=447&card2=431

 

[Wile E]

But that DS3 may cut into your overclocking ideas, find any overclocking reviews on it?

You could also save a little bit of cash by going to a wired keyboard and mouse, and downgrading to an 80GB hard drive. That might get you a better board.

EDIT: Oh, and how much are GF 8500s over there?

 

[Pinchy]

The 965P DS3 chipset is a great overclocker, i should be able to get 3Ghz out of it easily. Its like the ASUS P5B series.

Thats why i reckon its worth getting the P965 over the P945. Id say the 945 might get around 2.6, which is good, but the P965 will get a lot more

Also, memory bandwith and performance should be increased with the 965 over hte 945.

 

[Wile E]

Oops, check my edits above. And the DS3 is 965? Cause your post above my last says 945.

 

[Pinchy]

There are two DS3's; 965 and 945. Thats what im tossing up between

8500GT is $135.

The current price that is there, with a $100 case is fine for him, so i dnt need to cut down on anything . Just wondering if there are better "Bang for buck" products i can get him

I gotta go now, ill be back later .

Thanks for the fast posts guys!!!

 

[Wile E]

Well, if he can afford the 965P, then by all means. You consider my keybord/mouse and hard drive suggestions?

 

[tkpenalty]

There are two DS3's; 965 and 945. Thats what im tossing up between

8500GT is $135.

The current price that is there, with a $100 case is fine for him, so i dnt need to cut down on anything . Just wondering if there are better "Bang for buck" products i can get him

I gotta go now, ill be back later .

Thanks for the fast posts guys!!!

MSI X1650XT @MSY = $155...

 

[Pinchy]

Im considering the keyboard and mouse, but ill have to ask them what they prefer. The diff from 80GB to 160GB is $5


I would get an X1650XT if it was for me TK, but IF my friend uses the comp (which he may not, seeing as he is on Xbox most of the time and he has his own computer), he will be the only one gaming. As mentioned, the games played are Warcraft 3 and CS:S, which a 7300GT should do well .

The only other ppl that will use the comp are his parents (who dont know what game is ), and his younger sister, who uses MS word, myspace and MSN.

I would actually use onboard graphics, the only reason im not is so that Aero doesnt lag , and if he wants to do some light gaming.

So all in all, not much gaming will be happening on this comp, hence, i think a GPU above $100 wont be worth it . (I reckon the 7300Gt is too much, but for $20 over the 7300GS, its worth it)

 

[Wile E]

MSI X1650XT @MSY = $155...

I'd have to say that having a DX10 card would be better, seeing as his friend doesn't appear to be the upgrading type. At least then he could get Vista play some DX10 games when the time comes, even if it is at lower settings.

 

[Pinchy]

Hmmm the 8500GT is actually pretty good.

Only 128 bit, but 16 pipes and 8 vertex shaders ...plus we cant forget the DX10 part of it .

Ill have to look into reviews of it and see if he is willing to get it.

 

[Pinchy]

Well, the comp has been decided on, these are the parts that will be gotten tomorrow (besides the RAM, ordered and paid for, waiting in the mail )


Motherboard-Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 965P-DS3 Intel P965 Conroe (Core 2 Duo) S775 DDR2 Motherboard - $149

CPU- Intel Conroe Core 2 Duo C2D E4300 1.80GHz (LGA775) CPU Genuine Retail Box $165

RAM- G.Skill F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 2GB (1GB x 2) PC2-5400 DDR2-667 5-5-5-15 Dual Channel - $150

Video Card - 256MB Leadtek 8500GT PCIe 16x (better than MSI/ESC IMHO)- $132

Hard Disk - Maxtor 160GB 7200rpm SATA or SATA II Serial ATA133 HDD Hard Disk $66

CD/DVD - DriveSamsung Black 18x DVD-RW DVDRW 18x OEM DL, DVD Writer RW Dual Layer DVD RW $39

Monitor - Acer 5ms 19" LCD Widescreen monitor- $245

Keyboard/Mouse - Microsoft Retail MS 1000 Desktop Cordless (Laser Mouse, Keyboard)$47

Speakers - MAYA 1200 Watt PMPO 2.1 Sub-Woofer Speakers $15

Case - SHAW Sonata w/550W PSU $39

Total - $1046

Not too bad ey?

 

[Ketxxx]

You might want to consider the abit aw9d max if it isnt much more than the ds3, newer chipset and supports crossfire and sli (unofficially) but a sli bridge is bundled in anyway.

 

[Wile E]

Good budget build Pinchy. I think the 8500 was the right choice as well.

 

[Joshmcmillan]

Is that 8500GT the ddr3 one? Coz it's not much more but HEAPS better.

 

[tkpenalty]

Is that 8500GT the ddr3 one? Coz it's not much more but HEAPS better.

8500GT's performance is appaling... cant compare it to a X1650XT dude.

 

[Joshmcmillan]

lol???? Did I ever compare it to X1650XT?????? I said is it the dd3 one...coz the ddr3 8500gt is not much more then the ddr2 one.

 

[Pinchy]

Yeah i was reading reviews on the 8500GT....they apparently SUCK!

I havent got any parts besides the RAM yet, because we went to the store (30 minute drive both ways, and waiting in a 50 minute line....and they had NOTHING in stock besides the keyboard/mouse and speakers!

Anyways, the 8500GT is meant to take over the 7300GT, so i suppose its better than that, and its almost the same price (the ECS 8500GT is $112 )

Im willing to go for that ECS 8500GT ($16 more than 7300GT, has DX10 support and is better), BUT ive never heard of ECS. Are they any good?

 

[Wile E]

They're more known for mobos, Pinch. I had an ECS mobo. Rock stable (as long as you don't overclock it. lol). Had it for a year with zero probs. They can be thought of as the Sapphire of the nVidia world.

 

[Joshmcmillan]

Get the ddr3 8500gt I tell ya!

 

[Pinchy]

They're more known for mobos, Pinch. I had an ECS mobo. Rock stable (as long as you don't overclock it. lol). Had it for a year with zero probs. They can be thought of as the Sapphire of the nVidia world.

Ahh thanks for clearing that up. I might go for it then; its exactly the same as the Leadtek and MSI, just $19 and $15 cheaper (respectively)

Get the ddr3 8500gt I tell ya!

DDR2 and DDR3 are basically the same, its just DDR3 produces a lot less heat. He isnt even gonna OC, so i doubt he needs the DDR3

 

[Pinchy]

Computer has been build and given to my mate

What i got:


Motherboard-Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 PRO (Yeah, its got crossfire ) - $145

CPU- Intel Conroe Core 2 Duo C2D E4300 1.80GHz (LGA775) CPU Genuine Retail Box $155

RAM- G.Skill F2-5400PHU2-2GBNT 2GB (1GB x 2) PC2-5400 DDR2-667 5-5-5-15 Dual Channel - $150

Video Card - 256MB ECS 8500GT DDR2 PCIe - $99

Hard Disk - Seagate 160GB 7200rpm SATA II Hard Disk $72

CD/DVD - ASUS 18x Lightscribe DVD burner $45

Monitor - 19" BenQ Widescreen FP92W (5ms/DVI) - $238

Keyboard/Mouse - Microsoft Retail MS 2000 Desktop Cordless (Laser Mouse, Keyboard)$49

Speakers - 2.1 Subwoofer Speaker System CREATIVE SBS390 $49

Case Standard ATX case w/o PSU$27

And i chucked in my Thermaltake 430W PSU for him for $20


Total - $1048


I am amazed at the performance of the computer, expecially at the graphics performance of the 8500GT. You can read about it here:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=31432

 

[Flamingsupernova]

Motherboard-Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 965P-DS3 Intel P965 Conroe (Core 2 Duo) S775 DDR2 Motherboard - $155

If you're going to get that awesome board, spend the extra bit and get the GA-965P-DQ6
It's all the more powerful, and has excellent cooling