Phædrus2401

I was surfing on newegg, when I wondered, "Just how cheap a computer can I make without it being total junk?" After all, I could spec out a $2500 gaming rig or $5000 server/data storage computer if I wanted to, but what about something that would be comparable to today's low-end pre-built computer, but cheaper? An email/word processing/minesweeper machine, in a sense.

I was aiming for less than $300, going as cheap as possible without completely sacrificing quality. This would be a computer that is on an extreme budget while not sacrificing performance to save five bucks. After searching around a bit, I came up with this:

Case:
Cooler Master Elite 360 ATX Mini-tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119195
$39.99
Cheapest mini-tower case I could find on Newegg that wasn't complete garbage. This could probably be replaced with a generic mini-tower to save a few bucks.

Motherboard:
Zotac GF6100-C-E AM2 GeForce 6100 Micro ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813500023
$44.99
Zotac is an "eh" brand, but this is a low-end computer. For something that will just do what it's supposed to, this is good enough for the job. Also has onboard video, sound, and networking, so all those are taken care of. With a GeForce 6100, this will *not* be a gaming machine.

CPU:
AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103255
$54.99
This is the second-cheapest dual core AMD CPU on Newegg. It has good reviews and looks like it has nice specs, so I figure it's a fairly good choice.

RAM:
Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 667
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145098
$27.99
Corsair is a good brand, and this looks like good RAM for a good price. I was considering Kingston 2GB DDR2 533, but for $2 more I figure it's worth it to get the better brand and speed.

Power Supply:
PC Power and Cooling Silencer PPCS370X 370W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703018
$49.99
I almost went for an iffy 350 watt Rosewill PSU, but after looking at its specs I just had to pick this one. It ups the price a little, but this computer will never have power problems.

Hard Drive:
Seagate Barracuda 160GB 7200RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148397
$39.99
Very nice little drive. It can be hard to get by with an HDD under 100GB nowadays, so I had to raise the price some, but the 80GB models were only about five or ten bucks less expensive. I figure that was a worth-while upgrade.

Optical Drive:
Samsung DVD burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151188
$28.99
I would have picked LG, but almost all of their models on Newegg are out of stock, and the ones that were left had terrible reviews, so I just chose this one. A decent drive with decent R/W speeds.

Operating System:
Linux (Ubuntu/Debian/Fedora) or XP would probably be best for this computer. I'll just say whoever makes this can at least use Ubuntu, so OS is free. Ok, ok, you can add $0.40 for a blank DVD if you're picky.

TOTAL PRICE:
$286.93

There was an earlier iteration of this that was $260, but I felt that it sacrificed too much quality for too little reduction in price. I figure this is a good compromise for a budget home PC.

So, if you were to build an ultra-budget home PC, how would you configure it? I'm curious to see what the experts can put together on a tight budget. Most quality for the lowest price is the goal.

linderman

personally my cut off is $400.00 but to each his own

Phædrus2401

Me too, generally, but I was curious to see how low you could go and still have a worthwhile computer.

linderman

Dummie Needs Advice On New PC Purchase


see post #6


that spec will really put a world of improvement and dependability into the build.....well worth the $100.00

linderman

IMHO the $300.00 levels cuts into the quick rather deeply


the 370 watt power supply leaves no room whatsoever for the future need of a dedicated video card, for most onboard system buyers this really puts a bite in the butt at a later date

Ageclipsegt

Interesting exercise, though a budget computer doesn't need 2GB of RAM...

linderman

dropping it down to one gig saves how much $$$ >>>>why try to run a dual core on one gig ? especially not with with vista or higher

Cannibalsnail

Cheaper case definetly. No overclocking no dedicated gfx card and no intensive use. Why is cooling an issue? Also the HDD is WAY to small. Beef it up to 250gb at least.