Possible Computer I may build. Looking for Advice.

[Husky]

Okay, so I was thinking with the Warranty money I get from my Xbox 360 that got stolen, I could build a new computer instead.

My budget (if all goes well) would be approx:

$860 US Dollars. Which is equal to $1000 Australian Dollars ($700 Aus Dollars for console plus around $300 for games that were stolen).

If I can get past stage one (the biggest obstacle) persuading my Brother and Dad to get a Comp instead of 360.


Anyway i've been looking around and my aims were to buy:

A Monitor, 17-20 inch Wide, preferably 20inch. There are some decent priced 20 inchers around. Cheapest 20inch: $260USD
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=143&&bid=2&sid=18678

8800GTS 640MB Graphics Card (if I get a, say, 17 inch screen I would drop to the 320MB Model). Cheapest Found: $430 USD

http://www.itestate.com.au/products_detail.asp?code=PD00004306


Motherboard: I'm not an expert on these, preferably Dual Core. I'd actually really want Dual Core as i'm on Dualies at the moment. PCI-E and PCI Slots, and Min 2 RAM slots. Something preferable under $200USD.

1GB RAM: I have a a 512 stick, and can get another 512 stick from a friend for about $20USD. If I could grab another $1GB RAM and had 3 Ram slots, that'd be a good 2GB, but 1.5GB would be okay too.



My Uncle gave me an old computer of his. It had a broken Motherboard, but that was all. So I was planning on building off that. It has a Sound Card, Graphics Card (an old AGP card though) and 512 RAM. The Tower is fairly damn ugly. But I could live with it. I have spare Mouse/Keyboard, and I would probably just use Headset on it and get some decent Sound system for it later.

The Warranty money could either be more or less (probably max $1000 US, or minimum $600US). In the 600 case, it'll prolly be a new 360.

 

[enouwee]

Anyway i've been looking around and my aims were to buy:
A Monitor, 17-20 inch Wide, preferably 20inch. There are some decent priced 20 inchers around. Cheapest 20inch: $260USD
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=143&&bid=2&sid=18678

8800GTS 640MB Graphics Card (if I get a, say, 17 inch screen I would drop to the 320MB Model). Cheapest Found: $430 USD

http://www.itestate.com.au/products_detail.asp?code=PD00004306

I wouldn't recommend a cheap LCD screen. Either picture quality is bad or the monitor is unsuitable for gaming (trail artefacts).

You said you have a ~800$ budget and you're considering an almost 500$ video card? You'll never have enough money to buy the other components.

Motherboard: I'm not an expert on these, preferably Dual Core. I'd actually really want Dual Core as i'm on Dualies at the moment. PCI-E and PCI Slots, and Min 2 RAM slots. Something preferable under $200USD.

My Uncle gave me an old computer of his. It had a broken Motherboard, but that was all. So I was planning on building off that. It has a Sound Card, Graphics Card (an old AGP card though) and 512 RAM. The Tower is fairly damn ugly. But I could live with it.

You can't. Most components won't fit in newer systems. And buying an older model in order to keep some components is a waste of money on the long term. DDR-1 memory won't fit in newer mainboards (P965, P35, ...).

Nowadays, better have 2GB to run all that fancy Windows stuff. Take out what you don't want/need. Parts are selected for quality and durability, not price. Buy cheaper and you may have to pay twice.

Example configurations, based on gaming systems, prices in EUR, not the cheapest online shop, so parts can be found 20% cheaper:

144EUR  Intel Core 2 Duo E6320      
114EUR  Corsair 2GB PC800-CL5 
139EUR  Gigabyte DS3P
289EUR  GigaByte NV8800GTS - 320MB RAM
 72EUR  Seagate ST3320620AS - 320GB SATA
 40EUR  LiteOn SH-20A1S DVD burner
214EUR  Samsung SyncMaster 740B - 17"

169EUR  Intel Core 2 Duo E6420
129EUR  Corsair 2GB PC800 CL4
154EUR  Gigabyte P35-DS4
499EUR  many brands ... NV8800GTX - 640MB RAM
 84EUR  Seagate ST3400633AS - 400GB SATA
 69EUR  Plextor PX-810SA DVD burner
489EUR  Asus PW201 - 20"

 

[Husky]

Thanks for the reply dude, but I don't think i'm going to be getting enough money as I originally intended so I doubt I will get the computer at all .

 

[Demi666]

you could buy a whole new computer for that kind of money :O mine costed 11 000 kroner ( 7 kroner = 1$ )

 

[Miz]

You do know it cost more to get more to put ram into your already working computer then it is when you put it in when you make it

So You might want more ram I say more R.A.M. The better but thats up to you

 

[Lord_Phoenix]

Okay, so I was thinking with the Warranty money I get from my Xbox 360 that got stolen, I could build a new computer instead.

My budget (if all goes well) would be approx:

$860 US Dollars. Which is equal to $1000 Australian Dollars ($700 Aus Dollars for console plus around $300 for games that were stolen).

If I can get past stage one (the biggest obstacle) persuading my Brother and Dad to get a Comp instead of 360.


Anyway i've been looking around and my aims were to buy:

A Monitor, 17-20 inch Wide, preferably 20inch. There are some decent priced 20 inchers around. Cheapest 20inch: $260USD

8800GTS 640MB Graphics Card (if I get a, say, 17 inch screen I would drop to the 320MB Model). Cheapest Found: $430 USD


Motherboard: I'm not an expert on these, preferably Dual Core. I'd actually really want Dual Core as i'm on Dualies at the moment. PCI-E and PCI Slots, and Min 2 RAM slots. Something preferable under $200USD.

1GB RAM: I have a a 512 stick, and can get another 512 stick from a friend for about $20USD. If I could grab another $1GB RAM and had 3 Ram slots, that'd be a good 2GB, but 1.5GB would be okay too.



My Uncle gave me an old computer of his. It had a broken Motherboard, but that was all. So I was planning on building off that. It has a Sound Card, Graphics Card (an old AGP card though) and 512 RAM. The Tower is fairly damn ugly. But I could live with it. I have spare Mouse/Keyboard, and I would probably just use Headset on it and get some decent Sound system for it later.

The Warranty money could either be more or less (probably max $1000 US, or minimum $600US). In the 600 case, it'll prolly be a new 360.

1. If you already have a monitor, don't bother with buying a new one yet. It's expensive, and you don't really need it.

2. Good motherboards will end up costing $200+ (American Dollars) depending on what processor you want (Intel or AMD) will change your motherboard. I personally went with an Intel mobo and processor due to that the Intel motherboards just had plenty of space, and ended up working better. Mine has 3 PCI 16x, 2 PCI, enough for 4 SATA Drives, and can support all Intel processors from P4 to Quad Core. However this particular board has NO onboard video, so you would need to put a video card in it to see anything. The model number is D975Xbx2. Oh, and it has 4 RAM slots

3. Save money and wait for good video card priced to drop. Just with the mobo and video card, your already looking at $600+

4. 4GB ram (two 2Gb sticks) costs about $250

5. Just because a product is cheap doesn't mean it's good. A cheap mobo can ruin a computer, as well as a cheap power supply. Make sure you know ALL of your system specs before buying, and make sure they're compatible with each other.

 

[chris]

I wouldnt recommend you build one yourself unless you want a really powerful system.... your best bets to find a mid range tower and buy monitor seperate.

That way you only really need to consentrate on the GHz of the chip and not things like the graphics card which i would upgrade when i could afford it