Budget Gaming System...

washe · November 26th, 2003, 11:42 AM

Guys... I have a friend that wants to rid of her old pentium II computer and wants to get a new system, she is not a gamer, I would say light gaming but the small problem I have her budget is $400......

I got the following system but maybe someone can give pointers for cheaper parts....

RainMax Silver Mid-Tower Gaming Case with 350W Power $46
Seagate 40GB 7200rpm EIDE Hard Drive $56
Crucial 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 $98
Shuttle Model MN31N Retail $87.99 (49.99 w/rebate)
AMD Athlon XP 2500+/266 FSB $90

So far 379 we made it, we are on budget, planning to salvage from other system the CD ROM and Floppy.....

Anyone had pointers on the parts...

edited changed mainboard from Asus A7V8X changed to Shuttle AN35N now changed to Shuttle MN31N..

Changed processor from a 2100 to a 2500

blubomber · November 26th, 2003, 11:58 AM

Instead of the Athlon XP 2100+, why not go with a Duron 1.6? You can get them from newegg.com for around $40. They run on a 133MHz bus and they are based on the Barton core, with the chache cut down of course.

Also, you might want to do some more research on the motheboard. I seem to have seen some bad coments about the A7N8X-X, but i could be wrong.

Optimus Prime · November 26th, 2003, 12:13 PM

A few comments.

Don't get that ASUS board, i had it, i had hell with it for a month, then it died and never came back, it'll be the worst mistake of your life if you get it.

bluebomber if it's a gaming system, don't ever advise anyone to get a Duron, unless you hate them. The 2nd level cache, which is castrated, is needed for gaming applications, Durons should only be used for office work and the like, compare them to Celerys.

washe · November 26th, 2003, 12:13 PM

Well to tell you the truth Im a little biased on the mainboard choice all my past boards have asus..... If she had a bit more I would go for the A7N8X Deluxe..... works wonderfull on my system, but its a little overkill for her... she doesnt need the SATA, 2 Nics and all the extras it has

washe · November 26th, 2003, 12:15 PM

Optimus what other Mainboard brand will be good?

Optimus Prime · November 26th, 2003, 12:15 PM

Microstar (MSI) is the brand i've now got, i'll post the full specs when i get back from work. She only set me back £50 and is absolutely stable, it detected everything and didn't need to re-install windows, only thing i had to change was the FSB. Not much potential for overclocking, but very stable.

woodbutcher · November 26th, 2003, 12:23 PM

This is a good mobo at a great price.

Shuttle AN35N-Ultra

WB

Edit, just noticed that your in Mexico. Not sure if Newegg ships there but this is a nice mobo (with MIR) if they do.

blubomber · November 26th, 2003, 12:25 PM

Optimus Prime, i am going to have to disagree with you on the Duron. washe specificaly stated "light gaming". I have a Duron in my home system and i can run current games at good frame rates, no skipping even during intense scenes. Games like AA and UT2K3.

Unless of course washe's friend is planning on playing HL2 when it comes out, then an Athlon XP would be the way to go.

PS....i am shocked

that you would compare a Duron to a Celeron. Shame Shame. The Durons will destroy the Celerons.

washe · November 26th, 2003, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by woodbutcher
This is a good mobo at a great price.

Shuttle AN35N-Ultra

WB

Edit, just noticed that your in Mexico. Not sure if Newegg ships there but this is a nice mobo (with MIR) if they do.

Well thats not a problem all prices are for new egg... I live 5 minutes from the border

woodbutcher · November 26th, 2003, 12:40 PM