help me build a new computer

[keanej6]

so recently i wasn't paying attention and in my carelessness i blew up my power supply. hoping that replacing the ps would be a quick fix, i soon learned that the ps also took the motherboard with it. the more reading and researching i do, i realize that i pretty much have rebuild my computer from scratch; i need a new motherboard, a new processor, RAM, and video card. i've been out of the loop with computers for quite a while so some help be much appreciated!

firstly let me just say that i was perfectly content with my computer before, and as far as performance goes, i don't really need or want to spend money on an 'upgrade'. if my computer were still running, i wouldn't be interested in building a new one. i'm also not interested in buying a new entire desktop computer; i have things like my case, sound card, etc. that i can salvage. lastly, i'm on a tight budget so price is important. that being said i'm willing to pay the extra dollar if it is necessary or recommended, but the more it is, the longer i have to wait because i'm poor

ok so my motherboard was a 754 socket Asus K8N4E- Deluxe. i understand that most motherboards are like AM2(?) sockets now. like i said i'm looking for an equivalent or something similar in performance to that. i'm not sure what my processor was. AMD something. RAM is self explanatory so i can purchase that myself. i also understand that video card slots are no longer AGP, theyre PCI now? so i guess i have to get a new one of those which i think i can shop on my own. i guess i only really need help with the motherboard and the processor. i was talking to some dude at fry's today and he told me i was looking to spend something in the neighborhood of $500, but that seems really high for me after doing some browsing on newegg and tiger direct.

so that's where i'm at...sorry for the long post, but any help or suggestions would be much appreciated as i want to get my computer together again asap!! thanks.

 

[keanej6]

ehh,can somebody maybe at least direct me to a good computer forum??

 

[compuryan]

[H]ard|Forum has a pretty big community
I highly recommend Newegg.com. The absolute best place to buy parts.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by keanej6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok so my motherboard was a 754 socket Asus K8N4E- Deluxe. i understand that most motherboards are like AM2(?) sockets now. like i said i'm looking for an equivalent or something similar in performance to that. i'm not sure what my processor was. AMD something. RAM is self explanatory so i can purchase that myself. i also understand that video card slots are no longer AGP, theyre PCI now? so i guess i have to get a new one of those which i think i can shop on my own. i guess i only really need help with the motherboard and the processor. i was talking to some dude at fry's today and he told me i was looking to spend something in the neighborhood of $500, but that seems really high for me after doing some browsing on newegg and tiger direct.

AMD processors are AM2 socket, but I'd recommend going for an Intel Core 2 Duo which is Socket 775. For the motherboard, a well renowned budget one is the Gigabyte GA-EP31-DS3L and for the CPU, pick a Core 2 Duo which is in your budget. The EP31 only has one IDE port so if your planning to use your current (most likely IDE) hard drive as well as your old IDE CD/DVD Drive then you may need to consider buying a new SATA one of either. SATA DVD drives are very cheap these days.

Tom's Hardware: Hardware News, Tests and Reviews has some good charts comparing graphics cards and also processors.

 

[Arainach]

Definitely go Core 2 Duo. Far better performance.

For reference, here's the machine I just built for my dad a few weeks ago:

Intel C2D E7300 CPU - $120
Asus P5QL-E Motherboard - $107
Corsair 4GB (2GBx2) DDR2 800 RAM - $55
eVGA GeForce 9400GT GPU - $60
Antec Sonata III Case w/ Antec 500W PSU: $100
LG 20x DVD-R SATA drive: $23*2 = $46
Samsung 500GB Hard Drive (2): $55*2 = $110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115132
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131322
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130389
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136149
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152052

That came to a grand total of $598. If you didn't need things such as the case, hard drives, DVD burners, etc. that pulls it well in your price range, and the performance on the machine is simply stunning.

 

[Arainach]

Double Post

 

[keanej6]

hey thank you all for the responses.

arainach - i really like your setup, i'm definitely using it as a point of reference. thank you for that. one question though, the mobo you got for your dad says it uses ddr2 1066, but you got him ddr800. i'm not sure how RAM compatibility works, but will that work?

 

[DestradoImpulse]

2x post

 

[DestradoImpulse]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arainach /img/forum/go_quote.gif Definitely go Core 2 Duo. Far better performance. For reference, here's the machine I just built for my dad a few weeks ago: Intel C2D E7300 CPU - $120 Great pick since anything below it is marginal in price and performance difference is notable between them Asus P5QL-E Motherboard - $107 I prefer Gigabyte since their boards around this price range is hard to beat but ASUS is solid nonetheless especially for OCing. Corsair 4GB (2GBx2) DDR2 800 RAM - $55 Probably cheaper with an MIR but why not a 2GB pack if it's for daily usage? Antec Sonata III Case w/ Antec 500W PSU: $100 Nice lower-end sound dampening case but I'm very weary of Antec PSUs that aren't in the TruePower or Signature series. Hands down Corsair has some of the best PSUs I've seen. At the store I work at (Fry's) I've yet to see any of their PSUs get RMAed, blow up or just plain defective. As for the case an Antec Three Hundred is a solid little brother version of the Nine Hundred. It has fans galore and fairly spacious for it's size. Samsung 500GB Hard Drive (2): $55*2 = $110 Samsung Spinpoint F1 HDDs are great (I'm running a 750GB model right now) but since this is a budget build a WD Caviar 640GB is extremely hard to beat on the $/GB ratio at $75 on NewEgg. IIRC a test showed that it beats out the 150GB Raptor cleanly in just about every category imaginable.

E7300: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...5132&Tpk=e7300

EP45-DS3L: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128345

XMS2 2GB PC6400: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145590

Three Hundred: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042

550VX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9004&Tpk=550vx

HD4650: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814129124

WD 640GB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136218

CPU: $120
MB: $100
Memory: $33 ($20 after MIR)
Case: $50
PSU: $100 ($80 after MIR)
GPU: $100
HDD: $75
ODD: $30?

Any ODD will do but expect to pay more for quieter ones or whatever bells and whistlers they attach to it.

Total out of pocket costs: $608

You can shave another $30 off with the 450VX model but likewise it's always a good idea to leave headroom for future upgrades.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

overclock.net

 

[balderon]

X2 for newegg.

I built a similar system for my wife last summer. The Wolfdale CPU core is amazingly fast and produces minimal heat. I installed an Antec energy efficient PSU. My wife does not run graphics/cpu intensive applications and remarkably the computer is very silent and generates virtually no heat. Heat is one of the worst enemies for electronics and I would recommend looking at an energy efficient PSU. I have had very good luck with Antec PSU’s over the years.

Newegg.com - Antec 500W

Newegg.com - Antec 650W

 

[Uncle Erik]

Since you need a new power supply, I highly recommend one from PC Power & Cooling. Yeah, they cost more, but they don't blow up. I've used them for years and they're as reliable as they make themselves out to be.

You can justify a good power supply because you should get 10+ years from it. Every time you build a new system, you can use it again, unlike motherboards, procs, graphics cards, etc. A quality power supply is worth the investment.