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The Official Budget-Conscious Dream Machine!
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Praetor
Moderator
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5. July 2004 @ 18:43 |
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Well we have a no-expense spared thread for the same concept, now let's have a more down-to-earth variant for those of us not swimming in gold! :) A couple of thoughts to start this thread off:
CPU
AMD AthlonXP 2500-2800
Intel Pentium4C 2.6Ghz-2.8Ghz
MOBO
ASUS A7V8X-X -- an ideal mobo for the highly budget conscious; an excellent all-around motherboard that comes with a surprising amount of extras considering it's a budget board.
ASUS A7N8X-X - a small step from the Via version; although this motherboard typically costs $20-$30 more than its smaller brother, users might make up for this cost by not having to buy an additional sound card considering the Soundstorm is superb audio platform (of course, there isnt anything wrong with Via's sound chip per se). The nForce2 chipset allows users to get a relatively cheap configuration and jack it up via overclocking and performance tuning.
ASUS P4P8-X
This mobo runs off the i865P chipset -- nothing to balk at when we consider that we are making budget systems that make use of the 800Mhz FSB -- something commonly associated with more premium systems. This mobo offers all the basics required to get up and running.
ASUS P4P800
This bigger brother offers a crapload more performance and runs on a superior i876PE chipset which really in all respects is the same thing as the benchmark i875. And for roughly $20 more, a worthwhile investment if you want the most performance for your buck.
VIDEO
Radeon9200/Radeon9200SE/GeForceFX5200 - The cheapest of the cheap, these cards get the job done -- just dont expect to play any of the recent games at an appreciable quality or framerate
Radeon9600/GeForceFX5600/GeForceFX5700 - For roughly $70 more, you can get a major performance leap -- with any of these cards you can play recent games at both a respectable quality and a respectable framerate
RAM
512MB PC2700/PC3200 -- 512MB is arguably the lowest you should have on a system, budget or no budget: you can skimp out if you need to by running the older/slower PC2700 memory (and potentially overclocking it).
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 5. July 2004 @ 19:05
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matty8887
Senior Member
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6. July 2004 @ 13:34 |
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You forgot to put a hdd and psu. Hard drives can be expensive but you can pick one up for £50 for a 80gb
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB |
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Praetor
Moderator
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6. July 2004 @ 14:22 |
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I didnt spec a PSU because for most budget oriented uses, a "stock" PSU will be adequate ... a "fancy" PSU is only really required when one starts adding aftermarket stuff to the system and when overclocking and stuff :) ... in either case, what PSU did you have in mind?
As for HDD I left that out because it's such a variable with budget systems :)
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matty8887
Senior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 01:46 |
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I was thinking about quite a few psu's. I like this one though. Thermaltake Xaser Silent Purepower 560W PSU.
Application for AMD? and Intel® ATX 12V
Intelligent Cable Management
Dual Serial ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) power connector
Dual fan:
80x80x25mm, Ball Bearing.
1400~3000rpm, 17dBA~30dBA
80x80x15mm, Ball Bearing.
1400~3000rpm, 17dBA~30dBA
SILVER Side Badge
Active PFC: PF>0.98
115~230V Automatic Switch Housing.
Bit on the expensive side at £80, but a very good psu.
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB
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matty8887
Senior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 02:11 |
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CPU = AMD AthlonXP 2500
MOTHERBOARD = A7N8X-X, very good budget mobo up to date with 400mhz fsb,ddr400, and 8x agp. This has the nforce chipset to so good for you people with a budget.
VIDEO CARD = I agree with praetor the radeon 9200 is 1 of the best cards if you want to spend the least amount of money on one. you can pick one up for £40.
RAM = 512MB pc 3200, A system can benifit alot just from having alot of fast ram. Pc 3200 is the way to go i think ram is a little expensive but it will do alot for your budget sytem.
HARD DRIVE = 80GB MAXTOR 7200RPM IDE HDD ATA133. Hard drives are getting cheeper as they get bigger, 80gb should do for a budget sytstem.
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB
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Praetor
Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 09:11 |
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Quote:
A system can benifit alot just from having alot of fast ram
Indeedy, just make sure to get 2 sticks of 256 if you dont intend to updgrade the memory anytime soon .... two sticks of PC2700 running in Dual mode is real-world-faster than a single stick of PC3200 .... 'sides you can OC the ram :)
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Junior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 18:04 |
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Been doing some reading of the other threads and think I would like to put together something like this for my dream machine. I want to venture more into video capturing/editing from my camera, DV Cam, and old VHS tapes.
Case: RaidMax 668WSP, 420 W PSU, full Tower, Tons of room and cooling, Easy Access, Bays; 5x5.25 7x3.5 (Trays w/bushings), Front ports; 2 USB, 1 1394, 2 Audio, Aluminum, Cool Looks and all for $84.00. check it out - http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproduct.asp?description=11-156-148
MOBO: Asus P4C800-E Deluxe - I875P + ICH5R, FSB 800, DDR 400 Max 4 GB Dual Channel, This is the splurge piece. I will use the firewire and USBs right off and I just love all the room for growth this board offers. I might even learn what over clocking is.
CPU: Intel P4 / 2.8E MHz, 88 FSB, 1MB L2 Cache, HT
RAM: Kingston ValueRam Dual Channel Kit 1G (512MBx2) DDR PC 3200. On the MoBo qualified list.
Video Card: ATI AIW Radeon 96+00 Video Card,128 MB DDR, 128 Bit, CATV/Video Out/Video In, 8X AGP w Remote
I found some good deals on this stuff on newegg. I haven't decided on my HDD as yet - have more work to do on the research end. What do you guys think?
JV
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Praetor
Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 18:18 |
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1. The AIW9600 wouldnt quite qualify as "budget" oriented now would it?
2. You're running a Prescott chip in a BUDGET system?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. July 2004 @ 18:19
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Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 18:33 |
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Hi,
Looks like a nice system in the making! You've done your homework and made some wise decisions in my view :)
The Asus P4C800-E Deluxe is a very, very nice mobo indeed with lots of expansion potential as you noted.
The only addition I might suggest would be to get a high performance heatsink since you'll be running a Prescott chip - the Prescotts have gained a rep for creating quite a bit of heat. I just installed a Thermaltake POLO 735 ($32 @ newegg) and it is the best HSF I've ever used. My P4 3.06 GHz idles around 32ºC and doesn't break 48ºC under heavy load which is good considering the room my PC is in stays pretty warm (I wonder why).
The case is a bit flashy for me but that's just because I'm getting old :)
My killer sig came courtesy of bb "El Jefe" mayo.
The Forum Rules You Agreed To! http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
"And there we saw the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" - Numbers 13:33 This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 7. July 2004 @ 18:35
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Junior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 18:35 |
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While it's not really cheap I think thats it'a an inexpensive way of capturing old VHS tapes and The AWI 9600 I choose was much less than the more expensive AIW models. Newegg has it for 168.00 - not cheap but definity a budget item in it's arena. Whats up with the Prescott chip. All I know about it is it is exactly the same price as the Northwood but is later and I read it runs hotter? Newwegg has both chips for about $175.
JV
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Junior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 18:48 |
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Thanks Nephilim, I read that about the heat as well. Those Temps you have with the Thermaltake POLO 735 are great. I will chek out that Heat Sink. I have never installed an aftermarket HSF; 1. Is it more difficult, 2 Does it mess with warranty. JV
JV
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Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 19:01 |
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Quote:
I have never installed an aftermarket HSF; 1. Is it more difficult
It's no harder than installing a factory HSF and usually the hardware is better made. The aftermarket HSF won't affect the warranty on the chip although overclocking definitely will :)
My killer sig came courtesy of bb "El Jefe" mayo.
The Forum Rules You Agreed To! http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
"And there we saw the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" - Numbers 13:33
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Junior Member
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7. July 2004 @ 19:28 |
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Thanks again Nephilim, I did check out the HSF and am impressed with the reviews. I am a little confused by all the controllers included with the fan. Do you know if I just toss them and plug into the MoBo? I know I'm taking this off topic but thought I'd ask since I have your attention and you have the product. By the way - I'm a little old for that case as well but think it offers a lot on the practical side. Back to topic - I've budgeted about a G for my Dream Machine and this config would put me back about ($800) so that leaves about $200. for the storage. I'm playing with video capturing / editing from my camera, DV Cam, and old VHS tapes for the storage. Does anyone have suggestions for the HDDs. Can do a 320 GB Stripe SATA-RAID (2x160GB) for approx $200 or go with one large HDD. Is transfer rate an issue with video. Is any one config better for handling video?
JV
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Praetor
Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 20:03 |
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Quote:
I am a little confused by all the controllers included with the fan
You have an option to either plug the mobo directly for full power, or indirectly through either the PCI controller or the 5.25" controller. For further discussion on fans, visit the cooling thread :)
Quote:
Is any one config better for handling video?
Yep! High clock speed memory, 64bit support and other stuff will be all in favor for video production
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Moderator
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7. July 2004 @ 20:37 |
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It comes with two different options for a manual speed control - one that uses an empty PCI slot in the back and another that uses a 3.5" bay up front. The speed control is nice since the HSF tends to be fairly loud running at full speed. I crank it down at night so I can sleep in peace.
It also has a connection for a temperature sensor you can attach to the bottom of the heatsink that controls the fan RPM depending on the temperature of the CPU. I find it useless myself and don't use it.
You don't have to use any of these if you don't want, just latch down the HSF, plug in the power for the fan and you're good to go.
My killer sig came courtesy of bb "El Jefe" mayo.
The Forum Rules You Agreed To! http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/2487
"And there we saw the giants, and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" - Numbers 13:33
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matty8887
Senior Member
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8. July 2004 @ 02:28 |
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I thought this thread was called the official budget-concious dream machine, LOL. You have quite a high budget dont you jvwheel. I think you should get 1 big hdd, 7200rpm or 10,000rpm but they will be a bit on the expensive side and you might end up going over your budget.
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. July 2004 @ 10:20
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Praetor
Moderator
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8. July 2004 @ 09:39 |
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He's got some good ideas however it might be wise to (for further posts), try to keep the system within $1000USD? I would imagine that to be a fair appraisial of budget system.
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Junior Member
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8. July 2004 @ 10:16 |
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I agree - it's very easy to go over the top with this thing. I've had to scale way back from what I wanted and what I could afford. When I first walked in a computer shop and told them what I wanted to do and what I had to spend - well, they laughed very loudly. I guess one could spend a small fortune on home videos - all I want is some way to put all this old stuff together in an interesting format on DVDs. DVDs like that would make really nice Christmas gifts for the kids. Anyway, so i guess budget is a relative thing and a $1000.00 is stretching mine. After my HDD i expect to be at a G but I am fortunate in that I am upgrading and have a monitor, key board, mouse, ext card reader, and DVD burner. Oh! And matty8887 was that a typo or ? lol. And Praetor thanks for, "He's got some good ideas." To be totally honest i got a lot from reading your post and others on Afterdawn hardware forums. In fact I thank everyone that has offered help. So is that $1000. guide for everything or just what's in the case?
JV
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matty8887
Senior Member
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8. July 2004 @ 10:26 |
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you dont really need a high end spec pc like what you want for what you want to do. My uncle only has a 1ghz p2 with 256mb ram and he does the same thing as you want to do. He does it ok, maybe a bit of slow down but it gets the job done. You could go for something like what i suggested at the beginning of the thread. A barton 2500 would do the job with maybe 512mb/1gb of ram and firewire ports. A 120gb 7,200 or 10,000rpm hdd would do, you dont need to keep the recordings on the hdd you can keep them on temporarely until you copy them to dvd. This would cost under $1000 and then if you find you need a bigger hdd or better processor then you can get one later on.
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. July 2004 @ 10:27
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Junior Member
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8. July 2004 @ 10:49 |
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Thanks, I appreciate your input. I currently have an AMD 1600. Yes, it is very slow with video processing and that in it's self is frustrating but worse I am droping frames and currently don't have a way to capture the old VHS tapes. I'm trying to build a new system that will do a much better job - I don't want just a little better. I think with a little help and research that I can do that for under $1000.00. That's what makes this a Budget Dream Machine.
JV
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. July 2004 @ 11:57
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Praetor
Moderator
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8. July 2004 @ 18:12 |
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CORE
Western Digital 160GB 7200 8MB - $120USD
Chenming601AE+450W Enermax - $75USD
Thermaltake SilentBoost/ExtremeVolcano12 - $45USD
OCZ PC3200 2x256MB - $160USD
LiteOn 52x32x52 or LG CDRW/DVD ComboDrive - $30USD
-- Core Cost - $430USD
OPTION 01
AMD Athlon64 3500+ 1MB Socket939 - $460USD
ASUS K8B Deluxe - $175USD
Radeon9200SE 128MB - $45USD
OPTION 02
AMD AthlonXP 3200@400 Barton - $125USD
Abit NF7-S - $100USD
Radeon9600Pro/GFX5700U - $145USD
Option 01 leads to a net cost of $1110USD which is over the "magic" boundary of $1000 but fuck.... there's a crapload of performance there and is more oriented for "serious" users. To meet the $1000 boundary (by any means), swap the ASUS board out for a budget board and drop the memory from OCz to stock. Alternatively, one could drop the A64-3500(1MB) either to the 512K version or hunt down a slower 1MB version (reccommended, but i didnt have time to look for it).
Option 02 gives a net cost of $800USD, well under the boundary line and offers quite a competitive system easily able to destroy similarly prices systems advertised on TV or in stores. The extra $200 could go towards upgrading the memory to 1GB+ and/or to add more harddrives. By dropping the CPU down to the Barton2800+ (and OCing to make up for it), about $50USD can be saved and go towards something else.
NOTE
- The Chenming601AE comes with two 80mm (stock I believe) fans.
- Prices based on 1.32/0.75 conversion rate (USD-CAD)
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 8. July 2004 @ 18:13
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Junior Member
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8. July 2004 @ 21:22 |
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That AMD Athlon64 3500+ 1MB Socket939 with the ASUS A8V Deluxe MoBo is one heck of a system start. Definitly a serious user's choice.
JV
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Praetor
Moderator
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8. July 2004 @ 22:34 |
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Quote:
That AMD Athlon64 3500+ 1MB Socket939 with the ASUS A8V Deluxe MoBo is one heck of a system start.
Especially so when we consider this to be a "budget-oriented" system :)
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matty8887
Senior Member
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9. July 2004 @ 07:13 |
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I think you should go for the barton 3200. I have it and it runs very fast and will be fast enough for your needs. I dont see the need in paying the extra $300 for a cpu a bit faster, after all it is a budget system. You can put more ram in instead which will save you mone. Ou tof praetor options i would like to have option 1 but seen as you have a budget i would go for option 2.
-Xbox v1.0, X-ecuter2 lite, EVO-X DASHBOARD,
-PS2 V4(gap), PS2 V5, duo2
-BARTON 3200+, wInDoWs XP(sp2),
asus A7V600-X,120GB
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Praetor
Moderator
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9. July 2004 @ 08:13 |
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Quote:
I dont see the need in paying the extra $300 for a cpu a bit faster
A bit faster? Hehe
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