Build me the cheapest Athlon system!!!!!!

[orlando847]

Ok guys this is the challenge....I'm planning on building a computer system for my cousin...after building my own super machine......he decided to finnally ask for my help....and in term I'll ask for yours. I need to put toghether an athlon system for under 350.00 US Dollars or in that neighborhood....He will use the computer to download and listen to MP3 files mainly...no gaming or anything like that.... He wants a 1.4 T-bird....the rest is up to you guys......Please give me ideas....thanx my friends.......

My own specs:

Epox 8K7A+
IBM Avero7 40G x 2 (Strpped Raid 0 )
ATI All-in-wonder 32 DDR
512 DDR Kingston
Wind Tunnel case with 431W Enermax

 

[smileybry]

go to

http://www.pricewatch.com

 

[paparazi]

Cheapest? not best for money?
PC Chips 810 moby: onboard shared graphics(up to 64mb)onboard sound, onboard lan and onboard modem doesn't half save you alot of dosh.In the UK they are about £60, $105?
1.4 Athlon $155,Coolermaster heatsink/fan $12, Standard midi 300watt case $45, Floppy $15,CDrom $42, 128DDR PC2100 $42, 20 gig HD 5,400 $102 TOTAL $313
That PCChips board makes it cheap. Martin

 

[estesflyer]

definately go to pricewatch.com .

Make sure you get a warrantee!!!!

Good GRIEF make sure you get a warrantee... There is nothing more irritating than a broken chip arriving at your door... (can't say that i speak from experience, but I can STILL imagine after i had one arrive "pre-fried" and the dealer said they didn't offer any warrantee's to fried chips.... hehe.... =( )

ANYways, just make sure you know what your buying... Some of the crap will break down in a matter of months, sometimes even weeks... Is it my mistake or are you planning on putting two 40 gig drives in that machine? WHY so much?

- Rusty - Rusty

 

[CitrixEngineer]

I agree. Be careful of false economy. A system that breaks down after a week or two and costs more money to fix is not worth it, IMO.

I think the original choice of Epox motherboard will give more reliability than PC Chips - those boards are trouble, IME!

 

[JohnS9051]

I don't believe you can build the kind of system you are talking about for $350.00, not even with components from pricewatch.com.
At least not any system I would want to admit that I built.
Remember, when your cousin has a big $350.00 headache, he is going to blame you.

The prices that paparazi listed are a little high for the U.S. market but they do not add up anyway.
Motherboard: $105.00
Processor: $155.00
20GB Hard drive: $102.00
Heatsink/Fan: $ 12.00
Case w/PS: $ 45.00
Floppy drive: $ 15.00
CD-ROM drive: $ 42.00
128MB Memory: $ 42.00
--------
TOTAL: $518.00

They must use the "new math" in the U.K. Just kidding.

Like I said those prices are a little high, but realistic. Do you think you could knock $150.00 off?
That also doesn't include a keyboard, mouse, or speakers.

And that is with a PC Chips motherboard which I wouldn't use if my life depended on it. Well, maybe if my life depended on it.

My point is for you and your cousin to decide what he really needs and to set a realistic goal.
Buy good components. They don't have to be the latest and best technology; just good quality parts.

If he is just going to download and play MP3s, then why does he need a 1.4GHz processor? It seems like a waste of money to me. Money that could be spent on a good sound system or broadband internet access.

Do like smileybry said. Go to

http://www.pricewatch.com

and price your ideal system. Then decide what you can cut corners on, without buying junk, and go from there. Keep in mind what your cousin really needs.

If you can salvage some parts from an older system that you or your cousin already have, that will save some money.
You can get a 900MHz Athlon for under $70.00 and a name brand motherboard for under $100.00.
You can probably build a good system for $350-$400, but not with a 1.4GHz Athlon.

Opinions are like a**holes; everybody has one and they all stink, even mine.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

John

 

[paparazi]

I did say cheapest and not best!!
And my math is crap!! missed out a couple of items, can't see for looking!!
I couldn't agree with you more about false economy, he should down grade his processor a little and buy better components!!
And lastly you lucky bleeders in the US get all your bits a third cheaper than us limey's Martin

 

[Visitor]

Another thing - after finding those 'great deals' on pricewatch.com, make sure to check out those companies at:

http://www.resellerratings.com

Sometimes those really cheap prices can cost you more in the long-run (returns, shipping, defectives, etc...)

 

[ceh4702]

$350.00 is a little unrealistic. If you like music and you want to download you have to have either a modem or a network card for a cable/dsl modem. You then want to listen to the music which requires a decent set of speakers and a nice soundcard. Either that or a nice MP3 player. A 1.4 G is going to cost at least $100.00 and a case and a motherboard another $150-$200. Then you have to have a monitor.

They make some integrated boards with either sound or sound and video. That might let you save some money.

The problem is that an Athlon CPU requires a power supply with special requirements. Most cheap cases dont meet these requirements. Enlight cases are pretty good. You might find a barebones starter system with a 1.2 Ghz Athlon that will cost around $450.00 when you get it put together if you dont buy the operating system. Even if you find a source for cheap parts you still have to pay for shipping and handling.

Look at some sites like:

http://www.computers4Sure.com

http://www.tigerdirect.com

http://www.dell.com

http://www.adamant.com

I like the

http://www.adamant.com

site. I purchased a computer from them. I still think that you are looking to pay about $600.00 for a basic computer. It is cheaper in the long run to pay the shipping cost once, and buy the monitor at a local store like Best-Buy.

I like the FIC AD11 motherboard with the built in Audio, but I don't know if it can handle a 1.4 Gig Athlon. If you want an operating system buy just enough computer to get the OEM price. It may be possible to pick up some parts locally like a hard drive or CDROM, but you may just end up paying more. Local small shops have to charge more to make up the shipping costs also.

The prices of CDROM RW's are really falling. You can get a TDK 24/10/40 for about $150.00. For about $65.00 you can get an older slower CDROM RW. It is a given that if a person likes music, they will want to make some Music CD's. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[tempo21]

seems like overkill to me.

80 gigs of storage? 512 DDR memory ? Athlon 1.4 to listen to music? ATI a.i.w ?

remember windows 9x is stable up to 380mb of RAM - more is likely to slow you down rather than the opposite. Is your cousin not having a monitor ?

If hes not playing games why not economise with a ATI xpert card for less than half the price ?

 

[orlando847]

Hello guys your response is amaizing.....What I ment by my own specs was my own machine (muscle machine AMD to the end). My cousing wants to imitate me but i realize it would be an overkill if he were to go with my specs.....Should I stay away from PC Chips?....Thax for youer amaizing response

 

[paparazi]

PCChips is low end but I have built 4-5 machines using this board and found them to be easy to set up, stable and reliable.
Trouble is people on these forums tend to be teckies and prefer high end big performers like Asus/Abit/Epox/Gigabite/FIC etc etc
Another cheap board that is getting great reviews is the ECS dual ram board from the Elite Group. It has the very fast SIS 735 DDR chipset that surprised a few people this year by beating both Via and AMD's chipset offerings.
This board has sound and LAN onboard but not graphics and modem. Martin

 

[CitrixEngineer]

Quote /"Trouble is people on these forums tend to be teckies..."/ Quote

...Maybe that's why this forum is called Tek-Tips...;-)

I can only go by personal experience, and I've seen more issues with PC Chips boards than just about any other - but, of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're all bad.

Check Tomshardware.com for some well tested and documented reviews.

Or you could try a remarketing company, who sell on computers after businesses have upgraded. You should be able to find a quality IBM machine for between £50 and £150 ($75-$200). The PC 300 series are perfectly capable of being upgraded to Athlon, via a motherboard replacement, and are good, solid performers without that upgrade. Obviously a P166 is never going to feel as fast as a 1.x Ghz Athlon, but it's a starting point.

All you'd need to do is insert a cheap modem, soundcard and a larger hard disc for MP3 enjoyment. It is perfectly feasible to do this <$350 all-in.

Good luck!

I hope this helps