Maximum PC

hi guys. A friend of mine wants me to build him a pc. He can only spend 700 including monitor, keyboard, mice and speakers.

this is what I came up with.

proc http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6819103486

mobo http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6813130449

ram http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6820145479

video card http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6814140051

floppy http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6821152001

hard drive http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6822148015

cd burner http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6827135019

case http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6811182532

speakers http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6836138202

monitor http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6824197001

keyboard + mouse http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6823126151

fans http://www2.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6835129009

I was reading the reviews on those hardwares and they seem great. I dont know for sure. Can u guys recomend something else. Also, I really dont want to go with ATI. Thanks.

if you can manage it get a s939 proc/mobo, it will allow for more upgrades in the future.

First, try to convince your friend to go ahead and drop a couple of hundred more and go with an nForce 4 Ultra motherboard and a socket 939 AMD 64 and buy a memory kit, like 2x256MB of corsair and he'll have himself a way better system than a processor wihch socket has been put out for good.

As for the original choice of video card, you or him can do a lot better with a regular GeForce 6600 which cost around $109 for the least expensive. Now, with all that in mind persuade him to invest in a more faster and future proof system.......CHEAP is not ALWAYS better.
He may say it's only going to be use for e-mail, photos, video the occasional porn but it does make a difference between a so-so system and a nice one.

Don't forget Windows XP Pro $83-$140.

That videocard is worse than life itself.

thanks guys. My friend doesnt know how to use the computer well. He just wants it to e-mail, chat and maybe do some photowork. He doesnt play games at all. Also, he cant affort more than 700. He was looking to spend about 500 for everything but I convinced him to drop about 200 more. More than 700 is not an option. he has a child on the way and he just can affort at the moment to go any higher. I will search for a better video card then. I thought about a 6600 but I heard those are gaming cards so thats why I didnt search for it.

Frank4d I forgot about xp. I will get him home edition for about $85. I thought about future compatibility but I know he is not going to upgrade the machine ever. Besides video card, what else would u guys change?

I'm assuming you want to use Newegg exclusively? Prices include shipping:

AMD 2500+ Sempron Retail - $75
Chaintech 7NIF2 w/ IGP - $75
Muskhin 1gb (2x512mb) PC3200 - $82
WD 80gb 8mb - $61
Floppy - $11
Lite-On 52X/16X CDRW/DVD Combo - $36
Logitech Keyboard/Mouse - $17
Antec Case w/ 350w PSU - $65
Viewsonic 17" Flat - $142
WinXP Home - $92

TOTAL (before speakers) = $656 shipped

Some points to consider:

• For what he's doing and lack of upgrade plans, a Socket A/Sempron platform is sufficient
• By going with Socket A, you can afford better overall components (Antec PSU, 1g RAM, Viewsonic monitor, CDRW/DVD combo drive). With shipping and adding WinXP Home, the original s754 configuration comes to $786.37 with not much room left to cut corners.
• Going with integrated video will save a chunk of change, considering he doesn't play games (I've used that very mobo on my son's build and it handled just fine, including edutainment gaming titles)

Finally, when you say "more than $700 is not an option," does that include $715? At that pricepoint, you can go with the set of speakers you chose and substitue a Barton 2800+ processor in place of the Sempron 2500+. It's worth the $15 extra in my opinion, but not critical if it simply can't be done.

thanks One4u2c. I think he can manage an extra 15. That sound like a better configuration. I dont know much adm so I didnt really know socket will give me the best deal. Thanks.