Playaa October 12, 2004 Share Playaa Member October 12, 2004 so, like...5 months ago my computer broke...even before FF04 actually. I have since that day, played computer video games 3 times... I'm not 100% sure what broke on my pc...let's just say I tested quite a few options and never could figure it out...now that CS:S is out...I just don't care...I want a new pc. So here's the thing...I work alot now and don't have the time to go browsing and building a pc while at work...that's where you come in mainly, all I really need are a Motherboard, Processor and Hard Drive (the 3 things I narrowed down my pc problems to). I don't really care about getting my old one working anymore as it was a 1.4ghz that would overheat if I looked at it wrong (even though it had 2 front fans, 2 back fans and 1 side fan (and 1 big ole video card fan)). So yep...I kinda want Athlon...but not necessary really. My budget is $200...no more, and less is better. Heck, 64bit wouldn't be horrible either...unless that means I can't use my ram from the old pc. so yep...get to work kiddies...build away and maybe soon you'll see Playaa online playin games again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All Kill3r October 12, 2004 Share All Kill3r Member October 12, 2004 (edited) hdd = 50 leaves 150 for cpu/mobo Amd Athlon XP is about your only choice. a 2500+ is close to 100 so that leaves 50 for a cheap board. Your other choice is Intel Celeron, and i wouldn't recommend that for gaming, go with Athlon XP. An Intel chip worthy of gaming starts at around $150. AMD 64's start at around $140, so pair either of those with a mobo and your budget's toast without a hdd. Edited October 12, 2004 by All Kill3r Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConGregation October 12, 2004 Share ConGregation Member October 12, 2004 I seen a 'deal' at outpost (don't know if you trust them or not, no bad experiences here) for an AMD 2800+ with motherboard for $100. Now the motherboard was ECS which is VERY cheap and not a sure bet. But neweggs price on the chip was still more than $100. Not sure if they still have it or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penty October 12, 2004 Share Penty Member October 12, 2004 (edited) I like shopping with Newegg, there are cheaper deals out there but I've never had any problems with them. Processor $116 P4 2.26Ghz Motherboard $42 CHAINTECH "SPT800 Summit" VIA PT800 Chipset Motherboard for Intel Socket 478 CPU -RETAIL Model# SPT800 Item # N82E16813152046 Specifications: Supported CPU: Intel P4 Celeron/Northwood/Prescott Processors Chipset: PT800 + VT8237 FSB: 533/800 MHz RAM: 2x DIMM support DDR 266/333/400 Max 2GB Slots: 1x AGP 8X, 5x PCI Ports: 2x PS/2, 2x COM, 1x LPT, 6x USB2.0(Rear 2), 1x RJ45, Audio Ports IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices SATA: 2x SATA supports RAID 0,1 and JBOD Onboard Audio: AC97 Codec 6-channel Onboard LAN: VIA VT6103 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet Form Factor: ATX HD $48 Maxtor Capacity: 40GB Average Seek Time: 10 ms Buffer: 2MB Rotational Speed: 7200 RPM Interface: IDE ULTRA ATA133 Features: Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) Motors Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year Packaging: OEM Drive only Total $206 Lets see going AMD Processor $ 128 AMD Athlon XP 3000+ "Barton", 333MHz FSB, 512K Cache without heatsink Note: over by $19, with heat sink $147 over by $40 Processor 2 $107 AMD Athlon XP 2700+, 333MHz FSB, 256K with heatsink Motherboard $ 45 BIOSTAR "M7NCD" nForce2 400 Chipset Supported CPU: Socket A AMD Athlon/Athlon XP/Duron/Sempron Processors Chipset: NVIDIA nForce2 400 + MCP FSB: 400/333/266/200MHz RAM: 2x DIMM for DDR400/333/266/200 Max 2GB IDE: 2x UltraDMA 133 up to 4 Devices Slots: 1x AGP 4X/8X, 5x PCI, 1x CNR Ports: 2xPS2,2xCOM,1xLPT,6xUSB2.0(Rear 4),1xLAN,Audio Ports Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC650 6-Channel AC97 Codec Onboard LAN: MCP + Realtek RTL8201BL PHY 10/100Mbps Form Factor: ATX Same hard drive. Edited October 12, 2004 by Penty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa October 13, 2004 Author Share Playaa Member October 13, 2004 alright, let's say we ignore the hard drive for now. And heck, we'll even ignore the motherboard. Reasons being, I have 2 80 gig HD's, one IBM, one Western Digital...and even though all signs STRONGLY point to it...I have a hard time believing that BOTH of them fried at the same time...but like I said...all signs point to it. As for ignoring the mobo...well, like I said, signs pointed to the hard drives...and I have a Biostar M7NCD Pro that's nearly brand new. Mainly, the ONLY weak parts of my pc...were the 512mb pc2100 DDR Ram chip and the 1.4ghz Athlon XP 1600+ processor. So maybe I'll just start with a processor, and see if I can get a HD working...if not then I'll get me a new one of those (cause you can never have too many hard drives anyway) and then if it STILL don't work, I'll see about a mobo. so, you think the 3000 Barton would be the best bet? (I already have a good heatsink) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowbar October 13, 2004 Share Crowbar Member October 13, 2004 (edited) 2500+ will run you $80, you can get an OEM if you've got the hs/fan already. I believe that's what Fatty's running, as well as a million other gamers out there. That leaves you enough for either a good 180gig hard drive, or a higher quality mobo. also, IF the mobo is the problem, you could try getting a refurb board from newegg. A refurb for socket A (Athlon XP) won't be missing anything you don't have already. Edited October 13, 2004 by Crowbar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penty October 13, 2004 Share Penty Member October 13, 2004 Yes, especially if you want to stick with the curent MB and RAM. If you are willing to drop the HD and go a little more expensive. You can get: Processor $141 AMD Athlon 64 2800+, 512KB, with heatsink Motherboard $72 GIGABYTE "GA-K8NS" NVIDIA nForce3 250 Chipset Motherboard For AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL Model# GA-K8NS Item # N82E16813128259 Specifications: Supported CPU: AMD Athlon 64 processor Chipset: NVIDIA nForce3 250 RAM: 3x DIMM Supports DDR266/333/400 Max 3GB Slots: 1x AGP 8X/4X, 5x PCI Ports: 2x PS/2, 1x COM, 2x LPT, 8x USB2.0(Rear 4), 1xRJ45, Audio Ports IDE: 2x ATA 133 up to 4 Devices SATA/RAID: 2x SATA RAID with 0,1 Onboard Audio: Realtek ALC850 8-Channel Codec Onboard LAN: ICS 1883 LAN PHY chip Form Factor: ATX Memory $90 ($45x2) Kingston ValueRAM 184 Pin 256MB DDR PC-3200 Total $303 Hmmm overshot, but this is a tempting system...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Playaa October 13, 2004 Author Share Playaa Member October 13, 2004 it is VERY tempting Penty. I'm assuming my pc2100 ram won't cut it for now...just until I get enough for that new ram? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penty October 13, 2004 Share Penty Member October 13, 2004 pc2100 = DDR266, so it will work. It will reduce how efficently the processor runs however. Remember the big atvantage with the Athlon 64s is the integrated memory controler. But as a stop-gap sure why not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralstairs October 13, 2004 Share spiralstairs Member October 13, 2004 it is VERY tempting Penty. not that i know much about computers, but i would spend the extra 100 bucks for that set-up. probably will be worth it in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman October 13, 2004 Share Batman Member October 13, 2004 Im using the AMD2500+barton and its a good chip, but i feel im rdy for faster now.. BFV could be better on my pc, so i figure its my cpu.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear^ October 13, 2004 Share bear^ Member October 13, 2004 I cannot stress enough to get an Abit or Asus mobo, which ever CPU u choose... I werk'd as a comp tech for a couple years, and had the fewest problems with those brands Might I suggest e-bay? You can get darn good stuff for cheap prices these days... stuff thats plenty good to run cs:S n e way... and cs:s is all you are going to need/want ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zerodamage October 13, 2004 Share Guest zerodamage Guests October 13, 2004 (edited) I would say go with 939-pin but they are harder to find right now and prices are still high for the processors. The mobo's are about the same as the 754-pin mobo's. Now if you want to go 754-pin, you can get a Sempron processor for like $100 dollars which is basically an Athlon XP with onboard Memory controller like the A64's and they work on A64 mobo's. You can get one for $100 here. http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc....roprocessors+PC Here is a Biostar 754-pin mobo with the same chipset as myself with the built in Nvidia Firewall. http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc....-138-240&depa=1 You can't beat this price at all. Edit: Nothing on the Biostar board about it supporting Sempron but it should. Edited October 13, 2004 by zerodamage .gc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penty October 13, 2004 Share Penty Member October 13, 2004 I cannot stress enough to get an Abit or Asus mobo, which ever CPU u choose... I werk'd as a comp tech for a couple years, and had the fewest problems with those brands Might I suggest e-bay? You can get darn good stuff for cheap prices these days... stuff thats plenty good to run cs:S n e way... and cs:s is all you are going to need/want ! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have had as many Asus and Abit boards die on me as anything else. I've found the power supply is much more important to stability than the MB. I'm not sure I would trust a used MB off of eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear^ October 15, 2004 Share bear^ Member October 15, 2004 i've also bought several used mobos off e-bay all asus and abit no problems... still use'n a couple of actually... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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