Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Dragonlich
Given that you already have optical drives, I'd suggest you get a bigger harddisk; 500GB shouldn't be a problem. And perhaps you could get an Antec Sonata III case with 500W PSU; that's probably the same price as Lasereth's case+PSU, but might be better.
|
That case is WAY more than my combo. $150 usually but on sale for $130 at newegg. If he has the money then he can get it, but when you're on a really small budget, putting a lot of money into the case is unreasonable if you have to sacrifice performance because of it. In my opinion, unless you have a huge budget, your biggest budget allocation should go into the absolute best CPU and videocard in your budget range.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by robot_parade
Darn, wish I'd seen this thread a little earlier. I had essentially the same constraints - around 600-800 (including monitor). The only difference is that this is specifically a system 'for the kids'. I fiddled around on newegg for awhile, then came across this dell one:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellsto...=DDDWDD3&s=dhs
Which seemed pretty good for $700.
Damn you, dell.
(The link probably won't work forever, so here's the specs:
Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E4500 (2MB L2 Cache,2.20GHz,800 FSB)
20 inch E207WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
2GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz- 2DIMMs
320GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100
I probably could've done better self-building, but I'm no longer 'up' on the hardware enough to be certain of not screwing it up. I didn't even think of asking here on TFP. The CPU could be a little faster, and the video is of course just intel. But the kids aren't into the 3d games yet, so anything more at this point would be a waste. Plus, 20" monitor - damn.
I probably could've gone with lasereth's wishlist, pulled back on the video card a bit, and slapped a decent monitor on there and still stayed under $700. Ah well. |
If it's not for gaming, a Dell is superior if you ask me. Dells are only unreasonable when you try to build a gaming PC with them.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by LoganSnake
I have a 420W power supply, but I was told that it will not work in the new system because the connectors are different. If I can use it, then subtract that from the cost as well as the optical drive. I would like a faster CPU. Less upgrading in the future.
Will Antec Sonata III provide adequate cooling? It doesn't seem to have any side or top fans.
|
You will run into multiple connector issues if you don't buy a new PSU. Your old one most likely doesn't have 6-pin PCI-E connectors. It may not have an auxilliary CPU connector. The motherboard main power connector may be 20 pin instead of 24 pin. It may not have SATA power. The list goes on! Even if it had all of that, it may just not be up to the task, especially if it's not really high quality.
If you want a faster CPU, get the 6400+ 3.2 GHz powerhouse:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103191
Still better than the Core 2 Duos in that price range. You will be over budget and will have to find money elsewhere though.