Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550

Phædrus2401 · 09-01-2009, 07:08 PM

Case:
CoolerMaster Centurion 541 Black Aluminum MicroATX mini tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119088
$39.99

Motherboard:
Asus P5QPL-AM LGA775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel GMA X4500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131394
$64.99

CPU:
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116072
$62.99

RAM:
G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 CL5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098
$31.99

Power Supply:
SeaSonic SS-350ES Bronze 350w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151075
$45.99

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200RPM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074
$49.99

Optical Drive:
LG DVD Burner GH22NS50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136167
$29.99

------------------------------------------

Operating System:
Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511
$89.99

------------------------------------------

Monitor:
Hanns-G HB-175APB 17" 8ms widescreen LCD monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254032
$99.99

Keyboard:
Microsoft ZG6-00006 Black PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard 500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823109164
$11.99

Mouse:
Microsoft N71-00007S Black 3 button USB optical mouse
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826105026
$9.99

Speakers:
Creative Inspire 245 2.0 Speakers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836116030
$19.99

Cost of tower: $325.93
Cost of OS: $89.99
Cost of tower+OS: $415.92
Cost of peripherals: $141.96

TOTAL COST:
$557.88

**emosun** · 09-01-2009, 10:54 PM

Not bad , not bad... pretty good considering everything is included even speakers.

Although I find that when it comes to budget building , that prebuilt systems pack more bang for the buck then building your own. This is of course my opinion in budget systems , not with high end or gaming systems which are better built your self. Something like this is a good example

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...334&CatId=2639

Teamed up with that monitor you chose it would be 50$ more , but you do get a lot for that 50$.

Phædrus2401 · 09-01-2009, 10:59 PM

Yes... Drat those OEM bulk discounts! Especially on the OS: MS practically hands out Windows licenses to OEMs, at least compared to what they charge for a single copy. Still, the satisfaction of building a computer yourself has to count for something, right?

**emosun** · 09-01-2009, 11:43 PM

Yes building is a good experience... But I think in terms of a home/office pc , people would be more comfortable with a prebuilt. In the sense that it even has payment plans and various levels of warranty options.

**Tyree** · 09-02-2009, 06:41 AM

Very nice home/ofice build from a reliable source Phædrus2401!

There are some people who can't/shouldn't attempt to build a PC.
With prebuilts, "what you bought is what you got". They have a lot of eye candy but use medium to low quality hardware to keep the prices at an appealing price.
With the custom built, you have MUCH higher quality parts you can always upgrade.

**emosun** · 09-02-2009, 10:17 PM

I suppose but with a home an office pc quality isn't as important since it's not really used for heavy tasks like a higher end pc. Generally oem machines work fine even 10 years down the road so long as you don't mess with it's stock configuration . It's only when you start adding parts or changing os's ect that it starts playing up.

**Tyree** · 09-03-2009, 06:34 AM

I would have to question 10 yrs. an an OEM PC in the home. From what comes into my shop, I would put that at 3 to 5 yrs. being more the norm.

Phædrus2401 · 09-03-2009, 07:57 AM

^ That's about my experience as well. Occasionally you'll get one that lasts ten years, but most only make it five or six years at most. My eMachines only lasted fourteen months (just long enough to take it out of warranty) before the PSU blew up, which is why I feel an urge to spit on their display any time I'm in Best Buy (for whatever reason), though apparently their quality has come up in recent years.

**emosun** · 09-03-2009, 11:13 AM

I must just have good experiences with oem pc's. We got a gateway in 2001 with the worst 160w power supply ever seen , and it still works perfect.

**Tyree** · 09-03-2009, 12:41 PM

Sometimes, folks get lucky.

09-01-2009, 07:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,828 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Case: CoolerMaster Centurion 541 Black Aluminum MicroATX mini tower http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119088 $39.99 Motherboard: Asus P5QPL-AM LGA775 Intel G41 Micro ATX Intel GMA X4500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131394 $64.99 CPU: Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116072 $62.99 RAM: G.Skill 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 CL5 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098 $31.99 Power Supply: SeaSonic SS-350ES Bronze 350w http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151075 $45.99 Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 7200RPM SATA http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074 $49.99 Optical Drive: LG DVD Burner GH22NS50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136167 $29.99 ------------------------------------------ Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home SP3 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116511 $89.99 ------------------------------------------ Monitor: Hanns-G HB-175APB 17" 8ms widescreen LCD monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824254032 $99.99 Keyboard: Microsoft ZG6-00006 Black PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard 500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16823109164 $11.99 Mouse: Microsoft N71-00007S Black 3 button USB optical mouse http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16826105026 $9.99 Speakers: Creative Inspire 245 2.0 Speakers http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16836116030 $19.99 Cost of tower: $325.93 Cost of OS: $89.99 Cost of tower+OS: $415.92 Cost of peripherals: $141.96 TOTAL COST: $557.88 __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

09-01-2009, 10:54 PM	#2 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,988 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Not bad , not bad... pretty good considering everything is included even speakers. Although I find that when it comes to budget building , that prebuilt systems pack more bang for the buck then building your own. This is of course my opinion in budget systems , not with high end or gaming systems which are better built your self. Something like this is a good example http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...334&CatId=2639 Teamed up with that monitor you chose it would be 50$ more , but you do get a lot for that 50$. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

09-01-2009, 10:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,828 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Yes... Drat those OEM bulk discounts! Especially on the OS: MS practically hands out Windows licenses to OEMs, at least compared to what they charge for a single copy. Still, the satisfaction of building a computer yourself has to count for something, right? __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

09-01-2009, 11:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,988 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Yes building is a good experience... But I think in terms of a home/office pc , people would be more comfortable with a prebuilt. In the sense that it even has payment plans and various levels of warranty options. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

09-02-2009, 06:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,662 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Very nice home/ofice build from a reliable source Phædrus2401! There are some people who can't/shouldn't attempt to build a PC. With prebuilts, "what you bought is what you got". They have a lot of eye candy but use medium to low quality hardware to keep the prices at an appealing price. With the custom built, you have MUCH higher quality parts you can always upgrade. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently. Last edited by Tyree; 09-02-2009 at 06:42 AM.

09-02-2009, 10:17 PM	#6 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,988 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 I suppose but with a home an office pc quality isn't as important since it's not really used for heavy tasks like a higher end pc. Generally oem machines work fine even 10 years down the road so long as you don't mess with it's stock configuration . It's only when you start adding parts or changing os's ect that it starts playing up. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

09-03-2009, 06:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,662 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 I would have to question 10 yrs. an an OEM PC in the home. From what comes into my shop, I would put that at 3 to 5 yrs. being more the norm. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.

09-03-2009, 07:57 AM	#8 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,828 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 ^ That's about my experience as well. Occasionally you'll get one that lasts ten years, but most only make it five or six years at most. My eMachines only lasted fourteen months (just long enough to take it out of warranty) before the PSU blew up, which is why I feel an urge to spit on their display any time I'm in Best Buy (for whatever reason), though apparently their quality has come up in recent years. __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

09-03-2009, 11:13 AM	#9 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 6,988 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 I must just have good experiences with oem pc's. We got a gateway in 2001 with the worst 160w power supply ever seen , and it still works perfect. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

09-03-2009, 12:41 PM	#10 (permalink)
Tyree Mentor Hardware Team Join Date: May 2009 Location: Illinois Posts: 5,662 OS: XP Pro-7RC-Mandriva My System	Re: Home Office Computer + Peripherals: $550 Sometimes, folks get lucky. __________________ Posting your PC specs will help us to help you quicker and more efficiently.