blisterpac

Whatever that means. I am old, and need to build one again, after retiring 4 years ago. My last build, was the one I am using. AMD 3400, 2.2gig CPU, Asus A8V MB. Anyway, I am out of touch with the new hardware. I know that the dual proc Intels have been out for awhile, and wish to build using one of those, or an AMD, if they have reached a price point comparable. I want to buy one that is, "middle of the road" priced, not a new quad or anything.

I purchased some memory on sale last summer, so I want a proc that is compatible with this "impulse" buy. The memory is 2 - 1 Gig sticks of OC PC2 6400. I would like a mid-priced dual proc that is compatible, as well as a nice motherboard to front the whole thing. I am open to AMD, if they have came back to the front.

Thanks for helping out an Old Dude. (young at heart)

TheMatt

Please take the time to answer these questions and include them in your next response.

blisterpac

Budget: How much money are you willing to spend on the new build?

I don't know. I am not hip to current prices. I don't need the best. A good quality mid-priced part is fine.


Brands: Are there any brands of components you want or don't want? NO


Multitasking: Will you be multitasking with this computer and if so, how much? Yes, with internet type apps while running musicmatch, playing music, burning, multi page downloading, etc


Gaming: Will you be gaming and if so, how much and how new are the games? NO


Calculations: Will you be doing any intense calculations or media encoding? NO


Overclocking: Do you plan on overclocking and if so, how much? NO


Storage: How much storage will you need and what will you be storing? I am going to use the storage I have now. External 1 terrabyte


Legacy Support: Will you need support for older hardware like parallel, serial, or PS/2 devices? NO


Operating System: Do you want Windows XP or Vista, or Linux compatibility? XP


Case: Do you want help selecting a case and if so, how big do you want it? NO


Accessories: Do you want a keyboard, mouse, or other items included? NO


Recycled Components: Will you be reusing any components you already have? Yes.


Monitor: If you want a monitor, what size do you want and should it be widescreen? N/A


Stores: Do you have any online stores that you prefer to purchase from? NO. I use them all. I like NewEgg, Tiger, etc.


Location: What country do you live in? US

I mainly need advice on a processer/motherboard to go with this memory and perhaps a low priced video card with 256meg memory.

TheMatt

Take a look at something like this:

ASUS P5K-E LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131225

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115030

MSI RX2400PRO-TD256EH Radeon HD 2400PRO Support up to 512M(256MB onboard) 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127299

That would be your core platform there, and it will work with your RAM. If you are more leaning toward AMD as you suggested, here is an alternate build:

MSI K9N Neo-F V.3 AM2 NVIDIA nForce 560 MCP ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130123

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103778

Although at this time I would stick with Intel personally because they are in the lead and have the best technology IMO.

blisterpac

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me these recommendations. I would also like a video card in the 100 dollar range. Do you have any suggestions on that?

1 g0t 0wn3d

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150258 i dont know what power supply you have though

TheMatt

If you won't be gaming or doing CAD then the more expensive graphics card will be pointless. You will probably need a good power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371002

blisterpac

I'm back. I have been waiting for better price points on some of the parts you suggested. What is your opinion of the Intel Pentium Dual Core E2180 Processor, Allendale, 2.0GHz, 1MB Cache? The price is $59.00 and the claim is an easy overclock to 3 Gig. Any Good?

TheMatt

For that price it is a very good deal. The P5K-E supports FSB-1333 processors so you should be able to overclock that CPU very easily with few motherboard stability issues.

simpswr

I just built a low cost AMD system to meet the requirements you state:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103198

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128043

If you need/want dual core: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103214

No need for a Video Card . . nice performance for the price

blisterpac

Great! Now I will have two pieces, as I mentioned the memory purchase before. I am not in a big hurry. The next step is a good MB for the price. So, with these you are suggesting the MB, The P5K-E?

Thanks Matt, for timely reply, and thanks to all who did.

TheMatt

This would actually be my personal preference:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128083

blisterpac

Thanks, The Matt, I'm saving this page. Getting closer.

blisterpac

The Matt, first thanks for all your help. This is a great site, that I am beginning to rely on, and I can't say that for all. Anyway, I just got a good price point for a video card, The XFX GeForce 8600 GT Video Card. I can get this card with a rebate from Tiger or NewEgg for 67-69 dollars.

That is the range that I am looking for. Being an old timer, I am not looking for gaming power, just need some video power to run multiple Internet screens while I surf and research. I had a decent card that lasted a year, and the cheap, 5 dollar fan went down, and burned it up. It was a 128meg Radeon Sapphire 9800SE that I paid in the 75 dollar range. I am now using a cheapo fan-less card. Don't these video cards have a great effort on how fast a screen will load once you are running multiple screens?

I keep 7 to 10 windows open. Is this a decent performing card for that price? Thanks.

TheMatt

Thats a good price. To be honest, most modern video cards can do multiple monitors with ease.

blisterpac

Actually I misstated my intent for having a decent video card. I run "Multiple Internet Pages", not Multiple Internet Screens. I tab out as many as ten pages on my one monitor as I am into sports recruiting. I just want a card that will paint a faster picture than the one I have, and I was looking for a decent one under a hundred dollars. Thanks.

TheMatt

The graphics card won't be the problem there. Any modern or semi-modern computer with almost any graphics solution can handle an enormous amount of tabs. Its your internet speed or the server that you are connecting to that will make the pages appear to load slow. Thats where the bottleneck lies.

blisterpac

Thanks The Matt, I was aware of these bottlenecks, but I always wondered if the video card played a part in it. Have a cold one on me.

TheMatt

You're welcome. This service is complimentary.

blisterpac

Sorry this has taken so long, but that is the way I usually do things. Plan long, etc. I have decided on the AMD 4400 processor, and I have the aforementioned OC PC2-6400 memory-2 1gig sticks. Will this still be compatible with his processor, and now what type of board will most effectively drive this chip?

Thanks in advance!