Want to build a system for $900 - Suggestions?

[Mr. Robo]

This system is for my nephew. I want to build a system for under $900. This system will be use for internet chat, watching movies, a bit of gaming (but not much), and for school work.
I'm not going to overclock and I'm looking at the new C2D processors. Can anyone please recommend parts?

[preelude]

take a look at directcanada.com, free shipping on orders over 300$ and no PST if outside BC

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 1.8GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail -$133
ASRock 4COREDUAL-VSTA ATX LGA775 Conroe PT800 Ultra DDR DDR2 AGP PCI-E16 4PCI SATA Sound Motherboard - $76
2x Crucial Rendition 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2-667 240PIN Dimm Memory - $43 x 2
Bfg Geforce 7600GT Oc PCI-E 256MB 128BIT GDDR3 Dual Dvi Hdtv Out Sli Ready Video Card - $114 After $30 MIR
Sparkle Power SPI ATX-400PN 400W ATX12V 20/24PIN Power Supply W/ 120MM Fan P4 AMD Ready OEM - $35
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 250GB SATA 3GB/S 7200RPM 16MB Cache Hard Drive 5YR MFR Warranty - $84
LG GSA-H54N DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 10X DVD Writer IDE 2MB Black OEM W/ SW - $37

Benq FP92W 19IN Widescreen Lcd Monitor SILVER/BLACK 5MS 1440X900 700:1 300CD/M2 Vga DVI-D - $190

total = 755 + GST

+ATX CASE, KEYBOARD, MOUSE and your good for 2-3 years without upgrading. great potential for overclocking too.

[willy]

Just curious ... Why do you want "ASRock 4COREDUAL-VSTA" ? OP has no 'old' components to transfer to the new. The budget allows a slightly better mobo.

I would probably go for a mobo with onboard video to start. If 'real' 3D card is required, add it later.

[preelude]

no point spending 100+ on a motherboard on a budget system IMO.

755total doesn't factor in the remaining 3 parts which could be another 50-70 dollars

then add GST and it would be pretty damn close to the $900 budget :)

[Jon Lai]

no point spending 100+ on a motherboard on a budget system IMO.

755total doesn't factor in the remaining 3 parts which could be another 50-70 dollars

then add GST and it would be pretty damn close to the $900 budget :)

He's not going to get a $100 case. A $50 case will be sufficient, bringing it to $800. Mouse and keyboard, he can either reuse his current set, or a new wireless set can be easily obtainable for $30. That leaves us with $12 to spend extra on the mobo. Personally, I would reuse the mouse+keyboard and get a P5B.

[Evil Baby]

Does the OP need a monitor with this machine? If so that could change dinamics a fair bit.

edit: Also do you need an OS in this? Is it 900 before or after taxes?

edit 2: Best I could do was $945.46 after taxes assuming you don't live in B.C.

Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 160GB ATA100 7200RPM 8MB 8.5MS Hard Drive OEM RoHS 5YEAR MFR Warranty - 65.68

ANTEC SLK1650B Black MID-TOWER 3X5.25 5X3.5 ATX12V 350W - 68.92

Corsair Value Select PC3200 1GB 2X512MB DDR400 184PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory Kit - 91.52

EVGA E-GEFORCE 7300GS 550MHZ 256MB 650MHZ DDR2 PCI-E VGA DVI-I HDTV Out Video Card - 91.31

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition 32BIT DVD OEM - 136.36

ASRock 4COREDUAL-VSTA ATX LGA775 Conroe PT800 Ultra DDR DDR2 AGP PCI-E16 4PCI SATA Sound Motherboard - 75.60

LG GSA-H54N DVD+RW 18X8X16 DVD-RW 18X6X16 DL 10X DVD Writer IDE 2MB Black OEM W/ SW - 36.50

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 1.8GHZ 800FSB 2MB Retail - 135.20

Acer AL1916W Ab 19IN Widescreen LCD Monitor Black 1440X900 700:1 5MS Analog VGA - 187.95

Sub Total - 894.94
Tax - 53.52
Total - 945.46

Free Shipping.

[cereal83]

www.dell.ca and look for a Dimension C521. Way under $900 and you won't have to worry for a long time

[Mr. Robo]

Thanks for the response guys.

Addition info - the system I'm looking to build would be under $900 that includes taxes. I won't be needing an OS because I won't be going to Vista anytime soon and I have XP. The keyboard/mouse/monitor are additonal expense that would be later added down the road.

[CdTriX]

I just currently built a system. actually.. last nite! =)

E4300
2 gb ( 2x1gb) ocz vista upgrade
P5B
Antec P150 with 450W neoHE PS
320 gb HDD
Saphire ATI X1950GT
DVD +/- DL RW ( NEC )

came out to be $971 ( was $830 before tax i think )

i cleaned out the mississauga canada computers =)
runs very nice =)

[Evil Baby]

Thanks for the response guys.

Addition info - the system I'm looking to build would be under $900 that includes taxes. I won't be needing an OS because I won't be going to Vista anytime soon and I have XP. The keyboard/mouse/monitor are additonal expense that would be later added down the road.

If you don't need the OS or the monitor you can do a lot to the system I built. Up the motherboard to the DS3 or P5B and go from 1 gig to 2 gigs of ram. Everything else should be ok. Doesn't sound like you need a major video card so the 7300 should do. Might want to add in a card reader as well.


Hopefully you have a XP cd that can be intalled on any machine, if not I'm sure you find a OEM XP from directcanada as well. If you don't live in B.C. I'd recommend buying your parts from DirectCanada or NCIX as you'll avoid paying PST which can save you a fair amount of money. You get free shipping from DirectCanada as well.