Computer for friend ; $500

[freedon]

A friend from Mexico wants to know if its cost effective for a new computer.

So I created this list
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=423509


Athlon XP 1800+ retail
Sapphire 8500LE 64MB
Epox 8RDA3+ (mostllty because it has 2 nic, 3 onboard usb2, and is upgradable)
WD 80GB 8cache
Logitech Z-340
Kingston 256MB DDR2700
Lite On 52x32x52 CDRW
basic MS mouse and Logitech Keyboard


He will not OC
Play some games.
Already has a monitor, the case he will buy at a local store. He currentllty has a p3 800 slot1 (IIRC they have external cache), 128MB, an Nvidia GPU (maybe Geforce 256 32 SDRam).

Will this setup play any current game at aceptable resolutions?

EDIT: corrected the wish list

[Ignitionator]

Can you swap that 1800+ for like a Barton 2500+ and not go way over the budget? It's worth it.

[freedon]

Haven't asked him yet.

I know its worth it, but I don't know his parents will be happy he'll spent $30 more

[Ignitionator]

Originally posted by freedonX
Haven't asked him yet.

I know its worth it, but I don't know his parents will be happy he'll spent $30 more

Ahh only $30 more... And he'll have a much faster system. Later on he might have to invest into a 2nd 256MB stick to run in dual-channel.

[freedon]

I've forgot to add. Being my friend from Mexico, his parents don't see it worth it, they would be happy if he bought a POS (and I mean POS! cheap gateway, HP would be better than this) for that amount of money

[Ignitionator]

Originally posted by freedonX
I've forgot to add. Being my friend from Mexico, his parents don't see it worth it, they would be happy if he bought a POS (and I mean POS! cheap gateway, HP would be better than this) for that amount of money

Well then, his parents are a different problem... You and him should sit down and talk to his parents
Show them some benchmarks and reviews.

[Racer^]

Well, you can always go with a cheaper mouse and not get speakers...I'm sure you can find both for nearly free locally if you look hard enough. Sometimes, local companies or schools throw out non-working computers with CD-ROM and floppy drives that are usually working.

As for comparing this new system to the old, I'd say that a Radeon 8500 LE with 64 MB of RAM is about on par with a good GeForce 2. This means that it will be faster than your old GeForce 256, but not much. Perhaps you should just use the old video card in the new one until you can afford a good Radeon 9600 which should drop down to around $100 by Christmas.

[XP1800]

Ok, quit trying to get him to go over budget, he can't do it. Instead, help him find a way to save

Here is what I think...

Drop the 8RDA3+ and see if you can get an 8RDA+. It has enough USB and firewire ports, as well as onboard NIC. I'm not sure of the prices, but look at some GF3 cards. I'm sure it will work out just fine.

Well see if that helps you out at all, and let us know how it's going

[gurutoo]

Originally posted by freedonX
A friend from Mexico wants to know if its cost effective for a new computer.

So I created this list
http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=423509


Athlon XP 1800+ retail
Sapphire 8500LE 64MB
Epox 8RDA3+ (mostllty because it has 2 nic, 3 onboard usb2, and is upgradable)
WD 80GB 8cache
Logitech Z-340
Kingston 256MB DDR2700
Lite On 52x32x52 CDRW
basic MS mouse and Logitech Keyboard


He will not OC
Play some games.
Already has a monitor, the case he will buy at a local store. He currentllty has a p3 800 slot1 (IIRC they have external cache), 128MB, an Nvidia GPU (maybe Geforce 256 32 SDRam).

Will this setup play any current game at aceptable resolutions?

EDIT: corrected the wish list

You've made some very focused picks IMO for someone on a budget. The answer is yes, that system will play at acceptable framerates with one caveat- you need one more stick of ram. Everything else is just perfect and DO stay with the Logitechs, for the $$ they are unbeatable! My .02 cents

[gurutoo]

Originally posted by gurutoo
You've made some very focused picks IMO for someone on a budget. The answer is yes, that system will play at acceptable framerates with one caveat- you need one more stick of ram. Everything else is just perfect and DO stay with the Logitechs, for the $$ they are unbeatable! My .02 cents

EDIT: I'm not talking about Doom3 or Halflife2.

It will play MOHAA,RTCW,Serious Sam,QuakeIII Arena,UT2003 and such...

[serotone9]

using some of your items, here's my picks:

AMD ATHLON XP 2500+ "Barton" 333 FSB PROCESSOR CPU - RETAIL
$90

Shuttle Motherboard for AMD processors Model AN35N-Ultra
$69.00

Buffalo Technology 512MB 6 Layer PC3200 DDR Memory Module CL 2.5 32X8 (Winbond Module)
$88.00

WD WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM EIDE HARD DRIVE MODEL # WD800JB - OEM, DRIVE ONLY
$79.00

ATI RADEON 8500LE 64MB DDR CRT/DVI/TV ,Dual Monitor support DVI-D + CRT only, BULK
$63.00

ASUS CD-S520 52X CD-ROM DRIVE - RETAIL BOX
$16.99

Logitech Z-340 3 Piece Speaker System
$48.00 - $10 rebate = $38.00

Microsoft Optical Wheel Mouse PS/2 & USB (New Color) Version 1.1a - OEM
$18.00

ORtek MCK-8000 Power Office Multimedia Keyboard. PS2. Built-in 52 Multimedia hot keys (5/12 Programmable keys) + Office functions via direct access
$9.99

Total (newegg):
$472

with that package, he gets the barton -- which with that ultra 400 mobo can probably OC to 3200+ even with stock cooling -- and also 512MB of ram. all he has to do 6 mos or a year from now is upgrade his video card, maybe add another 256/512 of ram, and he's still in business. still going strong, even.

if he needs to swap out the CDR for a burner, add $25 for the lite-on, but does he really need a burner to start out for a gaming PC? (that kills the shipping budget, too ) but if shipping's not included in the $500, it would work.

>edit to add, i'd take an 8RDA+ if you can find one. i just didn't see one on newegg, and imo the 8RDA3+ isn't worth the $110 when you can get the shuttle for $69, and OC it (or not, if he doesn't want to) probably just as well.

[Flama22]

If you don't have the money to run the system with dual channel memory why not look at the Soltek SL-NV400-L64 motherboard. It's a single channel nForce400 board with an optimized memory controller that outperforms many dual channel nForce400 boards.

[serotone9]

dual channel is no great shakes. it doesn't add that much performance gain in AMD systems over single channel, if any. it's more of a marketing gimmick, like ATA 133 was.

[freedon]

thank you guys on your suggestions!!