Build me a computer for ~200

[Tijuana]

I need to build a new computer for my cousin, doesnt want to spend more than 200. He has everything, like keyboard/mouse/monitor/case/psu so he just needs a new mobo/cpu/ram. What is a good mobo that has built in video and so on? Should I go with intel or amd? Thanks

[theguy]

Hey, here's a recommendation:

XFX nForce 610i - $70 (This is when I bought mine, its probably cheaper now)
Corsair 2GB 240-pin DDR2-667 RAM - $20-$30 (You can probably get a 4GB for the same price)
Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 - $100? (This, i'm not sure, I think it may have been discontinued)

[Kwirky]

NCIX Value Bundle Deal AMD Athlon II X2 245 & Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H DDR2 Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42121&vpn=785GM-X2-245&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1120) - $149.99
(Kingston) 2gb Ddr2 800mhz Module (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001B7G410/ref=asc_df_B001B7G410957589/?tag=pricecanadaco-20&creative=380353&creativeASIN=B001B7G410&linkCode=asn) - $32.99

Total: $182.98

Or if you'd rather go Intel:

NCIX Value Bundle Deal Intel E5200 Dual Core CPU & Gigabyte G41M-ES2H Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=45816&vpn=E5200-G41M-ES2H&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1120) - $129.99
(Kingston) 2gb Ddr2 800mhz Module (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001B7G410/ref=asc_df_B001B7G410957589/?tag=pricecanadaco-20&creative=380353&creativeASIN=B001B7G410&linkCode=asn) - $32.99
Gigabyte Radeon HD 4350 (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=34811&vpn=GV-R435OC-512I&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1120)- $37.99 - $10 MIR

Total after MIR: $190.97

[terrybear]

NCIX Value Bundle Deal AMD Athlon II X2 245 & Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H DDR2 Motherboard (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42121&vpn=785GM-X2-245&manufacture=Bundle%20Deals&promoid=1120) - $149.99
(Kingston) 2gb Ddr2 800mhz Module (http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B001B7G410/ref=asc_df_B001B7G410957589/?tag=pricecanadaco-20&creative=380353&creativeASIN=B001B7G410&linkCode=asn) - $32.99

Total: $182.98


I'd go with this option cept i'd go 4 gigs or ram especialy when the onboard will be using some of it & if he could spend abit more grab a Athlon II X4 620 insted unless that dual core unlocks to a tri or quad. :)

[Kwirky]

I'd go with this option cept i'd go 4 gigs or ram especialy when the onboard will be using some of it & if he could spend abit more grab a Athlon II X4 620 insted unless that dual core unlocks to a tri or quad. :)

Yeah, the Athlon II X2 chips don't have any extra cores to unlock so it is kind of limited in that regard. The X4 isn't a bad idea, but the cheapest way I can see to get it built would cost $236 (CPU (http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/220889/AMD/ADX620WFGIBOX/) and Mobo (http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/218319/Gigabyte/GA_MA785GM_US2H_/)), and the X4 620 also has a lower clockspeed so will be a little slower for anything that doesn't use more than two cores.

[Tijuana]

Thinking about getting this

Mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-MA78LM-S2

Cpu:
AMD Athlon II X2 245

Ram:
Kingston KVR800D2N6/2G

Is it okay that the mobo is mATX? Will it still fit inside a normal case? I cant find a comparable ATX mobo from Gigabyte.

I get this all for ~200 shipped

[Kwirky]

mATX boards fit in ATX cases just fine - they use the same mounts, but being smaller just don't use all of the mounts. The board you've chosen is not as good as the one at NCIX though, it uses the older 760G chipset and lacks a few other features. Here's a comparison: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_ComparisonSheet.aspx?ProductID=3189,3141 (note that this page took a long time to load, at least for me).

[Tijuana]

Any other mobo suggestions that are abit cheaper, like around 70?

[CheapScotsman]

Any other mobo suggestions that are abit cheaper, like around 70?
The Gigabyte MA785GM-US2H DDR2 is only $88 as part of the bundle price above and its got a great set of features

you could check out this one for $65 but it definitely lacks some features compared to the gigabyte above. Good reviews ...
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157160&cm_re=asrock-_-13-157-160-_-Product ... When you add that to the 75 for the Athlon you are at $140 ... only $10 of the bundle.

Note there is a current promo for 10% off a newegg.ca

[Philx]

When you decide on a config run something like http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp just to confirm that your PS is OK for your new setup. Should be fine unless it is really old and low watts.

[Tijuana]

I can bump up the price to around 250, should I make any changes?

[apvm]

If you are going onboard video the Athlon X2 240 is plenty enough and is cheaper than the 245 plus you can use the savings to add to total of 4GB ram instead. I have a box with 240 and 4GB of ram, plenty fast for Windows 7. My main box is AThlon X4 620 overclocked to 3.25Ghz and 4GB of ram, plenty fast for video encoding which I do a lot with my box....i

[Tijuana]

How about this

AMD Athlon II X2 250 = 74.57

Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H = 82.77

G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-2GBPK = 45.08

Total = 202.42

Is there maybe a better mobo I can get for ocing, I can then probably buy a new heatsink and oc to get abit more speed?

[terrybear]

How about this

AMD Athlon II X2 250 = 74.57

Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H = 82.77

G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-2GBPK = 45.08

Total = 202.42

Is there maybe a better mobo I can get for ocing, I can then probably buy a new heatsink and oc to get abit more speed?

again if your using the onboard get the 4 gig kit & more so if your throwing a 64 bit os on it :D

[Tijuana]

again if your using the onboard get the 4 gig kit & more so if your throwing a 64 bit os on it :D

Just putting xp on it, what about an e5200 build? I can easily oc that?

[ultimatejester]

Edit: lol, wrong thread

[terrybear]

Just putting xp on it, what about an e5200 build? I can easily oc that?

why buy a not upgradable /dead platform ???

[Tijuana]

why buy a not upgradable /dead platform ???

So what should I get that is comparable to what the e5200 was for its time? The cheap[est oc build?

[Kwirky]

So what should I get that is comparable to what the e5200 was for its time? The cheap[est oc build?

So... what was wrong with my original suggestion?

[Tijuana]

So... what was wrong with my original suggestion?

Okay, I'll go with that!

[Brewmeanie]

you can't really OC the Athlon II cpu that much, but it's still the best value for what you get with your budget.

[Kwirky]

you can't really OC the Athlon II cpu that much, but it's still the best value for what you get with your budget.

Eh? http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/06/30/amd-athlon-ii-x2-250-cpu-review/10

In terms of the potential overclock, both CPUs are capable of running close to 4GHz - at which frequency the performance gap closes significantly. If you either get the E5200 or Athlon II X2 250 you're in for a good buy, but it depends on the "unknown factor" of the potential total frequency achievable. We never really thought the 7850 Black Edition CPU was that good - sure it was cheap, but it lacked overclocking headroom. The Athlon II 250 is £10 more expensive, but worth every penny thanks to its fantastic overclocking potential.

[Tijuana]

Would this cooler be okay for minor ocing?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42959&vpn=RR-910-HTX3-GP&manufacture=COOLERMASTER

[CheapScotsman]

Would this cooler be okay for minor ocing?

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42959&vpn=RR-910-HTX3-GP&manufacture=COOLERMASTERSince you are building a system from scratch ... rather than spending the $23 to buy a cooling solution to overclock (which may or may not work to some undetermined extent) ... why not just spend more on the processors. Example: X2 250 is $89, X2 550 is $111 or X3 710 is $118 or X4 620 is $120.

None but the x2 250 is going to keep you under $200.

[Tijuana]

This looks like it will be my final build. Ram prices are killing me.

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 3.0GHZ 2MB Cache
Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H AMD785G mATX AM2+ PCI-E DDR2 Video Sound
Kingston HyperX KHX6400D2LL/2G 2GB 1X2GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800
Coolermaster RR-910-HTX3-GP Hyper TX Series Aluminum 3-HEATPIPE CPU Cooler

~290 shipped and after tax