[The Colonel]

Hello all,

My friend is a bit hard up at the moment, as his parents are going through a divorce. His dad won't buy him a new computer and he only has $100 and a few parts to sell. He has a monitor, speakers, hard drives, mouse, keyboard, and OS. This is a challenge for all of us. I couldn't find it. He wants a computer that will be able to run HL2 well until DX10 comes out, when he is going to be able to afford a really good computer. If any of you can build a computer that will meet recommended or above specs, please help. I managed to make $600. Can anyone do it cheaper? His current PC is:

P4 1.6 GHz WillaMette (sp?)
GeForce FX 5700 LE 128
728MB of PC2100 RAM (1 stick is 512MB PC2700 RAM)

His other computer:

P4 1.3 GHz WillaMette
Radeon 9200 SE
128MB RD RAM

If any of you can find a good computer for really cheap, please post back.

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Hello all,

My friend is a bit hard up at the moment, as his parents are going through a divorce. His dad won't buy him a new computer and he only has $100 and a few parts to sell. He has a monitor, speakers, hard drives, mouse, keyboard, and OS. This is a challenge for all of us. I couldn't find it. He wants a computer that will be able to run HL2 well until DX10 comes out, when he is going to be able to afford a really good computer. If any of you can build a computer that will meet recommended or above specs, please help. I managed to make $600. Can anyone do it cheaper? His current PC is:

P4 1.6 GHz WillaMette (sp?)
GeForce FX 5700 LE 128
728MB of PC2100 RAM (1 stick is 512MB PC2700 RAM)


His other computer:

P4 1.3 GHz WillaMette
Radeon 9200 SE
128MB RD RAM

If any of you can find a good computer for really cheap, please post back.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119047

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: CAC-T05-UB
Item #: N82E16811119047
$49.99 -$5.00 Instant
$44.99
AMD-compatible Motherboards

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128268

Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-K8NF-9
Item #: N82E16813128268
$76.00
Video Cards

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130283

eVGA 256-P2-N553-AX Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 256-P2-N553-AX
Item #: N82E16814130283

$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$179.00
Power Supplies

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153023

Thermaltake TR2 W0070 ATX 430W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: W0070
Item #: N82E16817153023
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$39.99


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145440

Memory - System

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT400
Item #: N82E16820145440
$72.00


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103537

Processor

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3000BPBOX
Item #: N82E16819103537
$117.00


Subtotal: $528.98 + $80 lets say for a harddrive. I forgot to add a harddrive so add $50-$90 depending on how big of a drive..


Thats everything You said that he needed but You didnt say if he needed a cd rom drive of some type.

This is a killer deal that I made for you guys..

Fast machine for the money.. He could even upgrade the processor to the venice 3200+ which is $152.00.

Edited by jrm20, 17 April 2006 - 12:05 PM.

[jrm20]

Hello all,

My friend is a bit hard up at the moment, as his parents are going through a divorce. His dad won't buy him a new computer and he only has $100 and a few parts to sell. He has a monitor, speakers, hard drives, mouse, keyboard, and OS. This is a challenge for all of us. I couldn't find it. He wants a computer that will be able to run HL2 well until DX10 comes out, when he is going to be able to afford a really good computer. If any of you can build a computer that will meet recommended or above specs, please help. I managed to make $600. Can anyone do it cheaper? His current PC is:

P4 1.6 GHz WillaMette (sp?)
GeForce FX 5700 LE 128
728MB of PC2100 RAM (1 stick is 512MB PC2700 RAM)


His other computer:

P4 1.3 GHz WillaMette
Radeon 9200 SE
128MB RD RAM

If any of you can find a good computer for really cheap, please post back.

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811119047

COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UB Black /Blue Aluminum Bezel , SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Model #: CAC-T05-UB
Item #: N82E16811119047
$49.99 -$5.00 Instant
$44.99
AMD-compatible Motherboards

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128268

Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-K8NF-9
Item #: N82E16813128268
$76.00
Video Cards

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130283

eVGA 256-P2-N553-AX Geforce 7600GT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 256-P2-N553-AX
Item #: N82E16814130283

$15.00 Mail-in Rebate
$179.00
Power Supplies

http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817153023

Thermaltake TR2 W0070 ATX 430W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: W0070
Item #: N82E16817153023
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$39.99


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145440

Memory - System

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
Model #: VS1GBKIT400
Item #: N82E16820145440
$72.00


http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819103537

Processor

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 1GHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA3000BPBOX
Item #: N82E16819103537
$117.00


Subtotal: $528.98 + $80 lets say for a harddrive. I forgot to add a harddrive so add $50-$90 depending on how big of a drive..


Thats everything You said that he needed but You didnt say if he needed a cd rom drive of some type.

This is a killer deal that I made for you guys..

Fast machine for the money.. He could even upgrade the processor to the venice 3200+ which is $152.00.

Edited by jrm20, 17 April 2006 - 12:05 PM.

[The Colonel]

That's nice. He is going for cheap as possible. Here is the cheapest we found.

-Gigabyte GA-K8NS Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3
-AMD Sempron 64 2800+ Palermo 800MHz HT 256KB L2 S74
-Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
-GeForce FX 5700 LE or Radeon 9200 SE (AGP 8x 128MB) [Have Already]
-APEX PC-115 Beige Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply
-SeaGate Barracuda 160 GB



The total is: $209.

[jrm20]

Hmmm you said that He has a monitor, speakers, hard drives, mouse, keyboard, and OS. You said nothing about him keeping his current video card.

That system that you posted above wont help much at all if any from this system of his. P4 1.6 GHz WillaMette (sp?)
GeForce FX 5700 LE 128
728MB of PC2100 RAM (1 stick is 512MB PC2700 RAM)
Maybe just a hair really.

Just changing the pentium 4 1.6 to a sempron wont be much difference. Even though the sempron is a 2800+ its fine but if you get a cheap cpu like the sempron You will have to pick him out a higher end video card around $150-$190 like I picked out for $170 or there will be no noticable difference at all. Going from 768mb to a gig of ram wont be any difference in hl2. The only way you will see a difference with what you selected above on the sempron is to get a higher end video card around $150-$200. You selected an older socket mobo which is a socket 754 and it only has agp doesnt it and not pci express.


Its a waste of money as you will not be getting any greater performance unless you add a $150-$175 video card along with it. I suggest saving his money up until he can get atleast $600 for the system that I picked out. $600 is very cheap for a quality gaming pc that I picked out.

[The Colonel]

2 others people have given me:

"BAH!!!!!!!


I can do better than recommended specs for Half Life 2 with that much. First, use the 5700 LE, that's fine.

Mobo 54.99

Processor 117.00

Case and PSU 39.99

Crucial 1GB 2x512MB memory package 79.00

Grand Total = 290.98. That's 9.02 to spare as well for a cheap thumb drive. ;-)"

"-2.8GHz Intel P4 S478
http://www.compuvest...ion.jsp?iid=259

-MSI 865PE NEO2-V Socket 478 Intel 865PE ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.co...82E16813130467R

-RAIDMAX Scorpio ATX Mid-T 420watts
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811156135

-Thermaltake P4 SPARK7+ 70mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16835106032

-Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
http://www.tigerdire...20&Sku=ULT31664

-256MB Sapphire Radeon 9550 AGP 8x DVI/TV 100577
http://www.compuvest....jsp?iid=108628

OR

-256MB PNY Geforce FX5700 VE DVI VGA TV-out 4x / 8x AGP
[url="http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp?iid=187054""]http://www.compuvest.com/Description.jsp?iid=187054"[/url]

Which of those 3 do you think is best? Keep in mind the ones without a video card are using a GeForce FX 5700 LE 128MB AGP 8x.

[The Colonel]

Yeah, but he gets VERY low FPS now. He just need a cheap solution to play it at like 30-40 FPS or more. Will those 2 solutions better?

[jrm20]

Yeah, but he gets VERY low FPS now. He just need a cheap solution to play it at like 30-40 FPS or more. Will those 2 solutions better?

I have been trying to tell you, it wont increase his fps unless you get a better video card around $150-$200.

[jrm20]

The way hl2 is coded you dont need that fast of a pc at all really. Its more video card related on hl2 more than anything. You have to get a better video card or it wont get any better man. For hl2 top priority comes first a VIDEO CARD!

[warriorscot]

Considering DX10 is out in a couple of months he should just wait, I played Hl2 on a system much crapier than that one, Athlon 1600+ 512 of ram and a FX5200, it was awful but it got the job done and the system he has now is better than that so he should be able to play it reasonably well now.

Besides what would he do with his cheapo system you couldnt really sell a mish mashed system like that for much at all.

Edited by warriorscot, 16 April 2006 - 04:43 PM.

[The Colonel]

The way hl2 is coded you dont need that fast of a pc at all really. Its more video card related on hl2 more than anything. You have to get a better video card or it wont get any better man. For hl2 top priority comes first a VIDEO CARD!

Ok. But, is there anyway he can get that for under $300? He knows about DX10, but he has a computer that barely runs HL2 at 30FPS and usually it is around 15FPS. Also, a LAN center around me has old AlienWares that run it at 60 FPS and they have 2.8GHz P4s, GeForce 5900 Ultras, and 512MB of RAM. If it is all video card:

AMD Athlon64 3000+ Socket 939
http://www.compuvest....jsp?iid=137219

Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX
http://www.newegg.co...82E16813128268R


eVGA GeForce 6800 GS / 256MB GDDR3 / PCI Express
http://www.tigerdire...1647240&CatId=0


Power Up Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with Ultra X-Finity 500-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...2145394&CatId=0


Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
http://www.tigerdire...20&Sku=ULT31664

That brings the total to: $448

I believe I could get him a better processor and a bit better GFX card. But, if it is all video card, then why does a 5900 Ultra vs 5700 LE have a 45 FPS difference? That is why I believe one of the bottle necks is the CPU.

He could pass it to his sister, who currently has the P4 1.3, Radeon 9200 SE, 128MB RD RAM system.

Edited by The Colonel, 16 April 2006 - 04:59 PM.

[jrm20]

Ok. But, is there anyway he can get that for under $300? He knows about DX10, but he has a computer that barely runs HL2 at 30FPS and usually it is around 15FPS. Also, a LAN center around me has old AlienWares that run it at 60 FPS and they have 2.8GHz P4s, GeForce 5900 Ultras, and 512MB of RAM. If it is all video card:

AMD Athlon64 3000+ Socket 939
http://www.compuvest....jsp?iid=137219

Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX
http://www.newegg.co...82E16813128268R


eVGA GeForce 6800 GS / 256MB GDDR3 / PCI Express
http://www.tigerdire...1647240&CatId=0


Power Up Silver ATX Mid-Tower Case with Ultra X-Finity 500-Watt Power Supply
http://www.tigerdire...2145394&CatId=0


Ultra 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory
http://www.tigerdire...20&Sku=ULT31664

That brings the total to: $448

I believe I could get him a better processor and a bit better GFX card. But, if it is all video card, then why does a 5900 Ultra vs 5700 LE have a 45 FPS difference? That is why I believe one of the bottle necks is the CPU.

He could pass it to his sister, who currently has the P4 1.3, Radeon 9200 SE, 128MB RD RAM system.

The 5700le is Light edition or stripped version. Its a very slow card...

here is charts of the speeds...

http://www.playtool....idth/width.html

the 5900ultra is actually a pretty fast card still by todays standards..

The 5900ultra is about 3.5 to 4 times faster than a 5700le...

Also, a LAN center around me has old AlienWares that run it at 60 FPS and they have 2.8GHz P4s, GeForce 5900 Ultras, and 512MB of RAM. If it is all video

Its very simple, the video card itself is 4 time faster and it depends what video card settings they put it to in the video card options...

[warriorscot]

Well the 5900 is an altogether better card its the difference between a 6600GT and a 6800Ultra in more recent understandable terms, LEs are also the cheapo versions, so it would be more like a vanilla 6600 in that comparison, big difference, the cpu is a factor just not a huge one. Also alienwares are usually equiped with liquid cooling for gfx cards even the old ones had it.

Has your friend tried it in DX7 mode, but 30FPS is totaly playable, also if he turned of the FPS monitor it would probably only hit about 20 the actual monitoring of FPS actually uses quite alot of resources.

Like i said i would just wait.