Computer Steal or Deal ?

[Ace195]

I was looking into computers and I came up with this design. Being as I'm a poor college student and my parents won't buy me a computer because they are "paying" for college I thought I'd shoot for a barebones system. Tell me what ya think of this system and if you could make a better one for the price :)
PRICE $372.00
SOCKET A GIGABYTE 7VKML VIA KM266 DDR W/V,S,L
AMD XP AMD ATHLON XP-2400+ - BOX
MEMORY DDRAM 256MB DDR RAM PC-2100
STORAGE DRIVE 40GB HITACHI/IBM IDE - 7200RPM
OPTICAL DRIVES 52X24X52 MITSUMI BLACK CD-REW. INT. IDE
FLOPPY / ZIP DRIVE 1.44MB 3.5
FAX-MODEMS 56K CONEXANT V.92 PCI INT. W/VOICE
CASES DIT A012 MIDTOWER BLACK ATX W/PS & F-USB
MICE DIT 3-BUTTON SCROLL BLACK PS/2 MOUSE
KEYBOARDS DIT 2028 STREAMLINE BLACK PS/2 KEYBOARD
SPEAKERS DIT NIC120 BLACK MULTIMEDIA SPEAKER
ACCESSORIES DIT LOGO MOUSE PAD
MISCELLANEOUS DIT ALL-IN-ONE SHIPPING BOX
AMD VISION 2000
OPTICAL DRIVES OPTIONAL OPTICAL DRIVE
MONITORS OPTIONAL MONITOR
SOFTWARE OPTIONAL O.S. SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE OPTIONAL SOFTWARE
SERVICE 1 YEAR PARTS AND 90 DAYS LABOR WARRANTY

thanks all..
P.S. if you can beat the deal for close to the price please send me a link so that I may look at it :)

[ominub]

ohh damn i would at least get a real video card
dont use that onboard ****
its not good but its ok

[Null]

yea i dunno bout that. need a real vid card. IMO need a real mouse and keyboard. the mouse sounds cheap. Dunno bout its sound system. Low on RAM, and a tad low on HD Space.

Sounds like they're cheaping out on a lot of it. IMO you'd need to spend a bit on upgrading the rest of it aside from the processor.

Depends on what you want it for.

[Jason1]

yea i dunno bout that. need a real vid card. IMO need a real mouse and keyboard. the mouse sounds cheap. Dunno bout its sound system. Low on RAM, and a tad low on HD Space.

Sounds like they're cheaping out on a lot of it. IMO you'd need to spend a bit on upgrading the rest of it aside from the processor.

Depends on what you want it for.


You fail to remember he's on a BUDGET, and getting a BAREBONES system...Id say its a great deal.

[Jonbo298]

Computer threads go in the Computer forum, remember that next time;)

To me, keep looking around for better deals. The mobo is blech. 4X AGP and 2 USB 1.1 ports:Puke: I can search later for a better deal. This one isn't worth it, IMO.

*Edit*
If you want to use eBay, they have some good deals. I'll put up a few links with some that are around your price range.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2750925099&category=38114

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2750676390&category=38114

This one is pretty good, but you'll need a few extra things. ie: CD(R/RW drive) or DVD-Rom drive, mouse, keyboard.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2751388701&category=38114

This is a good deal. Only small problem I see is that its only 4X AGP, but overall, its good priced for a barebones system.

[Null]

You fail to remember he's on a BUDGET, and getting a BAREBONES system...Id say its a great deal.


as i said, depends on what he's looking for. but IMO, they're putting a lot of cheapo parts in it. and id be very iffy spending the money even if i wanted a bare bones system.

i can find a better deal on the Dell or Gateway site after custamizing some of thier systems. Will cost more, like more around $500, but would get a lot better hardware with it. Im sure there are other deals elsewhere, ( I dont go looking much cuz im not a fan of buying prebuilt systems)

And i have a tough time trusting ebay for something like a Computer. if just one thing is wrong when you get it. it could blow the whole thing.

Plus on ebay, much of the time they Overclock them to make them at a higher speed when they sell them. However they arent worried about if thier overclocking overheats and fries it for you. Always should check what the Default speed is when you buy one like that.

[Jewels]

i am also a college student and know what its like to be "strapped for cash" and it really sucks, but from what i read, it sounds like a pretty good deal for under 400

[Jason1]

That middle one Jonbo posted looks like an awsome deal.

[MasterMind]

Are you going to build one from ground up, or do you have other parts from an old PC that you could use? If you don't need those cd drives because you already have ones that work, then don't buy them unless you really want a new one.

But if you are buying everything new, then good luck. There are plenty of good deals to be found, just don't rush into buying something that you feel is a good buy. Do some research on parts that come with your purchase. For instance, that motherboard that you found isn't exactly cutting edge. If you were to upgrade in the future, you would have to buy a new mobo again.

{edit} Consider shipping charges if you are buying off the net. Usually shipping a system with a case costs way more. I would recommend buying your own case, that way you know that you will like it.

I've built computers out of ebay parts, they work just fine, but there is always that possibility of receiving a bad part.

I'm blabbing, but anyways just do some research, research, and research....Or you can just ignore me and buy whatever.

[Ace195]

Sorry so late on the reply. I'm going to build it from the ground up. latley I've been surfing the net and stopping at sites like newegg.com and pricewatch and this is what I've compiled so far.

So here starts the list : (all prices include shipping)

Motherboard: Aopen MK79G-N Micro ATX for AMD Socket A $101
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 2500+ BARTON 512K 333FSB $85.00
CDRW: MSI Black CD-R/RW 52x32x52 w/ Anti-Bumping System Technology,
Model CR52-M Black -Retail $44.00
Ram: KINGSTON KVR333X64C25/256 256MB 32x64 PC2700 DDR RAM (better than
2100 2400) $47.00
Case: AOpen Model# QF50A (Beige) ATX MID - TOWER CASE w/ 300W ATX HIGH
EFFICIENCY POWER SUPPLY $54
Floppy Drive: NEC 1.44MB Floppy Drive FD1231H-304/FD1231H-305 - OEM,
DRIVE ONLY $12
Hard Drive:HITACHI/IBM 60GB 7200RPM Model #, Part # 08K0833 - , DRIVE
ONLY DESKSTAR 180GXP
$ 69

Grand Total: 412..


It's above my total but my parents have so kindly have decided to donate 100 to my cause so 400 isn't out of the budget yet :)


[edit]
Albatron Nforce2 Motherboard for AMD Processors, Model KM18G PRO 2.0 Retail *With TV out function* $99


$2 dollars is better than nothing :)

[Null]

smart move.