What do you guys think?

[stevo1210]

This is going to sound a bit confusing but I need to assemble a PC for a friend of a friend whom I haven't met or don't even know about. So my friend is like the middleman but that's cool.... there's nothing wrong with that.
Anyway, he wants me to assemble a PC for less than $300AU. Taking into the fact that the Australian dollar is low due to the global crisis at the moment, it's going to be difficult. Anyway, I have come up for a list of stuff that I think should work and costs $301AU. $1 over the budget isn't going to kill anyone so here goes....

• Intel Celeron E1200 CPU (1.6Ghz Dual Core CPU) - $65
• Asus P5KPL-CM Motherboard (With onboard Video/Audio/LAN/USB)- $65
• Transcend 1GB DDRII 800MHz RAM - $21
• Samsung SATAII 160GB Hard Disk - $56
• 20X Samsung SATA DVD Burner drive - $25
• Cooler Master RC331 ATX case with 350W Cooler Master power supply - $69

Total Cost: $301

I know that the Cooler Master 350W PSU made by "thermal master" is dislike by many people here on badcaps, but I have no choice, the components I have chosen are the cheapest and most basic and even this goes over the $300 budget by $1.

So what do you guys think? I think all this stuff has a 3 year warranty as well.

Thanks.

[stevo1210]

Re: What do you guys think?

I have also come up with another system possibility. This time with AMD. But I dunno which one is the better choice. Personally I'm an Intel fanboy so I haven't touched on AMD as much. Anyway, here are the system specs.

• Asus M2N-MX Plus series motherboard (With onboard Video/Audio/LAN/USB)- $74
• AMD LE-1600 CPU - $45
• Transcend 1GB DDRII 800MHz RAM - $21
• Samsung SATAII 160Gb Hard Disk - $56
• 20X Samsung SATA DVD Burner drive - $25
• Cooler Master RC331 ATX case with 350W Cooler Master power supply - $69

Total Cost: $290

This time it's under $300 by $10 which is a good thing. But performance wise when compared to the Ceelron E1200, I'm not sure about.

As for the Intel system I specified earlier, three different types of motherboards from Asus are generally the same price. I chose the P5KPL-CM because it's the newest. But the other choices are P5GC-MX and P5N-MX. Both of which are also $65.

The store which I am getting the parts from is here: www.msy.com.au
Maybe someone can help me choose something from thier PDF price list that might be better than what I just chose?

In terms of exchange rates for today.... $1.00 Australian dollar = 62.5 cents American.

Yes, it's that bad.... I can remember a few months ago when it was like $1AU got me 95c US.

Thanks.

[Roadkill203]

Re: What do you guys think?

Don't ever skimp on the power supply! I just got a 700 watt Cooler Master (brand new) on Ebay for $29.00 U.S. (shipping included), and it works! There's deals out there, you just have to be patient... Another option is to look at whole computer systems on Ebay, and upgrade what you need to - it might just end up costing you less, and you'll get more.

[stevo1210]

Re: What do you guys think?

Don't ever skimp on the power supply! I just got a 700 watt Cooler Master (brand new) on Ebay for $29.00 U.S. (shipping included), and it works!

Unfortunately $29US (approx $50AU) down here will get me squat. A Thermaltake TR2 430W will cost me at least $55AU. I know your point on power supplies, I've been there too. I never ever skimp the PSU on my personal systems.

But my client only has $300 and it's very difficult to work with $300 especially with the crappy economy where prices are climbing by the minute. In terms of patience.... I dunno because if I take too long with this order I'm going to lose a client. I have approximately one week and that is it.

I've already checked ebay and for something similar to this it's going to cost at least $400. My client wants everything brand new, no second hand bits either so I have to follow the instruction and buy all new stuff. I was originally planning for a second hand Delta or Lite on PSU but I can't do that because they are second hand and if my client finds out I'll get sued (or something similar to that).

Thanks.

[i4004]

Re: What do you guys think?

tell your buddy he's too cheap to have a good machine: ie tell him you need xx more dolars to put a good psu.

there was recently a thread started by gianni where scenic gave good suggestions about components, your components are mostly ok, although i would't pick seagate but wd hdd, and lg burner. and offcourse, not that psu.
search for that thread....

like roadkill said don't skimp on thr psu(then again, he did, as he bought cooler master...hehe)

[willawake]

Re: What do you guys think?

bleh if its a cheapie why worry so much. specs are ok. i agree on the psu but coolermaster should last the warranty period.

imho burners are reeeeaaaaaaaally crap these days.

[i4004]

Re: What do you guys think?

>bleh if its a cheapie why worry so much.

because it'll still be dirty cheap even with a decent psu.
so it's not so much of a cost saving(difference of what, 10-20$?) (with this crap psu) as much as it's making thing unreliable amd potenitally dangerous.

stevo, you've put this crap into some pc already; i really wpoulnd't make it a habit....
if he has 300 but not 320$ just send him to hell....
i mean, i don't really know from which planet such characters appear(i mean this freind of yours and gianni's friend) but i really would like to discuss a thing or two with them...to see how their logic works etc.
how exactly does saving miserable amounts of money change their lives forever, and other garbage they think....

here's the gianni's thread
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=5941

[Fizzycapola]

Re: What do you guys think?

I managed to put together... (eclipse computer configurator - parts only)

ECS 7050M-M AM2, VGA, DDR2, Lan, 5.1Snd, mATX
AMD Sempron LE-1200 2.1GHz Socket AM2 Processor - Retail £16.95
1 x 2Gb DDR2 667Mhz PC5300 Memory Module £15
160Gb Maxtor DiamondMax SATAI/II 2Mb Cache Hard Drive £20.74
NEC AD-5200A-0B 20X+/-DVD-R Dual Layer Dvd Writer- Black £15.95
N-880D Silver ATX Case With 450W PSU £16.95

= 304 Australian dollars

So it makes your system look kind of generous, apart from that named but lower end wattage PSU, but maybe it will do, I'm sure you have a power meter to check it under load. Also what about a system fan and cables - these alone cost nearly more than the whole computer!! atleast 2 system fans with postage costs more than the CPU hehe.

[Per Hansson]

Re: What do you guys think?

Tell him to get a Dell
He does not deserve a good system if he is so cheap

And + on the PSU
The AMD based system you list is much better, that CPU has more cache and is 2.2Ghz, ontop of that only 45W TDP vs 65w for Intel

[zandrax]

Re: What do you guys think?

The $300 budget is too low: you can't get a good pc for that sum, unless the Asus EEE PC fits the friend of your friend's requirements or you can salvage some components from his actual computer, supposing he owns one. Moreover MSY's catalogue is unappealing: few components, mostly Intel oriented (no mention of Sempron LE 2x00 line, the dual core brother of the LE 1200 you picked) and old/troublesome motherboards. Don't you know any other pc shop with low prices?

If you can't have more money (say $50 more) nor get some old pieces (say the hard disk and the dvd burner) nor change shop, then I support the first configuration: the Celeron E1600 is slightly less powerful than the Sempron LE 1200 but it's a dual core, so single task programs can monopolize only one core and don't lock the computer for seconds. IMO the Celeron would have lost against a similar priced Sempron 2100, but MSY doesn't carry it
Moreover the Asus P5N-MX's integrated graphic has better performance than Intel based ones: not the best motherboard at all (nVidia chipsets have troubles with heat dissipation and Sata controller), only the best at price/performance ratio because you're always scraping the bottom of the barrel with $300.
Hard disk and dvd drive are a matter of personal preference: you can follow i4004's advice and buy a LG burner, both the WD Caviar and the Seagate are fine to me (Seagate Baracuda up to 7200.10 are reliable).
Cooler Master psus suck compared to decent ones, but at least the manifacturer don't skimp too much on components so they are better than cheapo Deers, Allieds or other chinese friends: the 350 W should last.

Zandrax

[kikkoman]

Re: What do you guys think?

can't really say anything against fizzycapola's 16.95 cpu, but if you decide to go with intel, why not a pentium dual core? they're cheap, they're fast, they've got decent overclocking potential.
intel boards generally are more expensive though (at least here).

no need to spend extra money on DDR2-800 ram, using cheap 533 ones won't have a huge impact on such a machine.

personally, i'd advise against seagate. i've had 2 of them fail on me (7200.9 and 7200.10, the refurbished replacement for the former is starting to show bad sectors after ~2500hrs of use. they're relatively slow and hot.)
can't say much about WD since i haven't had one in years.

local dealers' bargains (clearance sales, display items etc) can really make a huge difference, so that's where i'd start looking.

[Roadkill203]

Re: What do you guys think?

...like roadkill said don't skimp on thr psu(then again, he did, as he bought cooler master...hehe)

I'll take a new 700 watt Cooler Master for 29 bucks any day of the week! Besides, it's for a 'client' of mine... Been in the computer repair/building business part time for a few years now, and although I'm not making a killing, it's a way to justify my training at DeVry. BTW, I don't consider myself a 'Master Builder' yet, just a guy with a keen sense for acquiring and applying the right information.

stevo1210, sometimes you just gotta punt. Tell this guy $400.00 or no deal, then have the courage to walk away, dignity intact. Here in the states, you can get an HP box pre-loaded with XP or Vista (and a whole lot of other stuff) at Wal-Mart for about $300.00 (US). I don't know if there's anything like that where you are, but if he can't go up any higher, tell him to shop around elsewhere...

i4004, repeat after me, "Ebay is my friend, Ebay is my friend, Ebay is my friend..."

Cheers all!

[i4004]

Re: What do you guys think?

>I'll take a new 700 watt Cooler Master for 29 bucks any day of the week!

you should take them all, and rid world of one crappy psu mfr!
<wink>


i would also like to mod your sentence a bit:
"I just got a 700 watt Cooler Master (brand new) on Ebay for $29.00 U.S. (shipping included), and it EVEN works! "

hehe...but seriously, good psus are also cheap, so no need to save THERE!

[Roadkill203]

Re: What do you guys think?

>I'll take a new 700 watt Cooler Master for 29 bucks any day of the week!

you should take them all, and rid world of one crappy psu mfr!
<wink>


i would also like to mod your sentence a bit:
"I just got a 700 watt Cooler Master (brand new) on Ebay for $29.00 U.S. (shipping included), and it EVEN works! "

hehe...but seriously, good psus are also cheap, so no need to save THERE!

Where the heck is Hrvatska, Dalmacija anyway?

i4004, your thoughts on the Cooler Master PSU are correct, I would never put one in a system that I built for my own personal use. That being said, sometimes you have to 'deal with the Devil' in order to make a few extra bucks here and there to cover your vices.

Rock on, i4004. May no Cooler Master PSU ever cross your path

[PCBONEZ]

Re: What do you guys think?

In English Hrvatska = Croatia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia

[stevo1210]

Re: What do you guys think?

The $300 budget is too low: you can't get a good pc for that sum, unless the Asus EEE PC fits the friend of your friend's requirements or you can salvage some components from his actual computer, supposing he owns one. Moreover MSY's catalogue is unappealing: few components, mostly Intel oriented (no mention of Sempron LE 2x00 line, the dual core brother of the LE 1200 you picked) and old/troublesome motherboards. Don't you know any other pc shop with low prices?

If you can't have more money (say $50 more) nor get some old pieces (say the hard disk and the dvd burner) nor change shop, then I support the first configuration: the Celeron E1600 is slightly less powerful than the Sempron LE 1200 but it's a dual core, so single task programs can monopolize only one core and don't lock the computer for seconds. IMO the Celeron would have lost against a similar priced Sempron 2100, but MSY doesn't carry it
Moreover the Asus P5N-MX's integrated graphic has better performance than Intel based ones: not the best motherboard at all (nVidia chipsets have troubles with heat dissipation and Sata controller), only the best at price/performance ratio because you're always scraping the bottom of the barrel with $300.
Hard disk and dvd drive are a matter of personal preference: you can follow i4004's advice and buy a LG burner, both the WD Caviar and the Seagate are fine to me (Seagate Baracuda up to 7200.10 are reliable).
Cooler Master psus suck compared to decent ones, but at least the manifacturer don't skimp too much on components so they are better than cheapo Deers, Allieds or other chinese friends: the 350 W should last.

Zandrax

In regards to the EEEPC, that won't happen because my client wants an actual PC as they have a monitor, mouse and keyboard already. They need an optical drive and large hard drive sot he EEEPC just won't work. As for MSY, I can't find anywhere cheaper than them. If I was to go to another store, we'd have to add at least $80 more onto the price. Here in Australia, MSY is like the Walmart or Costco supermarkets. They sell stuff for ridiculously low prices which no one else can match up to. Though thier customer service isn't all too great and you have to wait at least an hour for your turn at the counter to buy something, but it's thier cheap prices which I stick to.

And I can't just simply turn away from helping my friend help his friend out. But yes, I am in strict competition at the moment because apparently one of the stores down the road can make a similar system (with Gigabyte motherboard and a DEER PSU/ Cheapo chinese made ATX case of course) for $305 and they even offer office software and a free printer. So my point is that.... friendship is the only thing that's holding this deal together. And I know that if they get the PC from the store down the road, I'm going to have to end up servicing it when something burns up due to the shit PSU or when it crashes etc.
In regards to DDRII 533 RAM, that costs more than the DDRII 800 RAM because it is apparently *rare* and hard to get. For example 1GB DDRII 667MHz RAM is $25 but 1GB DDRII 800MHz is $21. Go figure.

Thanks.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: What do you guys think?

Tell them to buy the one down the road and give them your card.
- Tell them they'll need it soon enough.

[Roadkill203]

Re: What do you guys think?

I just got a 700 watt Cooler Master (brand new) on Ebay for $29.00 U.S. (shipping included), and it works!

I just checked my Ebay account, and it seems I've made an error - It was a Raidmax P/S, not a Cooler Master P/S. Sorry for the Confusion!

Link HERE to see it...

In English Hrvatska = Croatia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia

Yeah, I know, just being facetious

[PCBONEZ]

Re: What do you guys think?

I can't pronounce it either.

[kc8adu]

Re: What do you guys think?

I just checked my Ebay account, and it seems I've made an error - It was a Raidmax P/S, not a Cooler Master P/S. Sorry for the Confusion!

Link HERE to see it...



Yeah, I know, just being facetious

too bad its not even worth the $11 you won it at.
raidmax=trash.
since you now own it we expect you to open it up and take pictures.
at least the community will see what they look like.
700w my ass!