Building a cheap computer

mystix · 2010-05-13 16:29:28

Hi everyone. I'm currently planning to build a cheap computer, and I'd like to know if the following parts will work well with Arch Linux, and whether they're good parts in general:

Biostar MCP6P3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813138180

AMD Athlon II X2 ADX245OCGQBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6819103687

Kingston KVR1333D3N9/1G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6820134657

Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6811119161

Corsair CMPSU-400CX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6817139008

ASUS DRW-24B1ST
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6827135204

Has anyone had success with this motherboard when using linux? Are the onboard graphics enough to play 1080p media? This computer is not for gaming, so HD playback is probably the most intensive task it'll do. Also if I use an old IDE hard drive (instead of buying a new SATA drive) connected to the IDE port on the motherboard, will I run into any problems when installing linux? It should be the same as with my old computer, but there the optical drive was IDE as well.

Another question I have is with regards to ATI onboard video. There are several good candidates for motherboards that have the ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics processor, but I'm concerned about driver problems. A few threads on this forum indicate that 2D acceleration is fine on ATI cards, and that this is enough for video playback. Does anyone use a motherboard with the HD 4200? If so, how problematic has it been?

I should mention that my budget is $300 based on newegg prices. Note that this only includes the components mentioned above. Any suggestions about the build are appreciated. Thanks a lot!

I'm sorry if I posted this in the wrong place; I based this thread on another build thread in this forum.

.:B:. · 2010-05-13 17:29:47

I'm not sure why you would pay 20 USD more for 100 MHz more, so I'd take the Athlon II X2 240 instead of the 245. The nVidia chipset is an old chipset - old doesn't mean bad - so it should not really be a problem.

I'm generally not fond of Kingston, and it's a reseller, so I would pick another company - but that's just my opinion. I tend to buy Corsair memory. I'd also go with 2 GB RAM just to have enough headroom; that's plenty.

You could get a less powerful CPU too, unless you plan on building extra stuff into it (don't know how many HDs you are planning on using). I see Newegg has some sub-400W Seasonic models, apparently that's a good brand, I don't know how the Fortron (FSP) stuff performs.

daneel971 · 2010-05-13 17:34:59

I have a CM elite 335 for a cheap PC too: it's not bad (considering it's price) but it has cutting edges and the covers for the pci slots could really be better. The front fan does it's job well and the mesh look is good. For my tastes, the blue led is too bright.

mystix · 2010-05-13 20:07:05

.:B:. wrote:

I'm not sure why you would pay 20 USD more for 100 MHz more, so I'd take the Athlon II X2 240 instead of the 245. The nVidia chipset is an old chipset - old doesn't mean bad - so it should not really be a problem.
I'm generally not fond of Kingston, and it's a reseller, so I would pick another company - but that's just my opinion. I tend to buy Corsair memory. I'd also go with 2 GB RAM just to have enough headroom; that's plenty.
You could get a less powerful CPU too, unless you plan on building extra stuff into it (don't know how many HDs you are planning on using). I see Newegg has some sub-400W Seasonic models, apparently that's a good brand, I don't know how the Fortron (FSP) stuff performs.

I'll actually be buying from local shops, so the prices on newegg are more like guidelines, hence the 245. I'll take your advice on the Corsair memory, although I might try using just 1GB to begin with. Unfortunately, I don't think I can use the RAM you linked to as the motherboard only seems to support DDR3. The 400W power supply is mainly there because I might end up getting a video card later on.

daneel971 wrote:

I have a CM elite 335 for a cheap PC too: it's not bad (considering it's price) but it has cutting edges and the covers for the pci slots could really be better. The front fan does it's job well and the mesh look is good. For my tastes, the blue led is too bright.

About those cutting edges: how sharp are they? Also does the mesh attract a lot of dust?

Thanks for the replies. I'm still open to suggestions about the motherboard and the HD 4200 dilemma.

nawitus · 2010-05-13 20:11:33

Buy a graphics card with NVIDIA vdpau support so you'll have flawless playback. I think even cheap cards have it.

.:B:. · 2010-05-13 22:22:18

My bad, I overlooked the DDR3 requirement. If the price tag on the 240 is better than on the 245 I'd still not pay more for just 100 MHz more though.

mystix · 2010-05-17 01:52:24

I'm reconsidering my choice of motherboard. Instead I'm looking at the following:

M3N78-VM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813131318

GA-M68M-S2P
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813128424

N68-S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813157158

M2N68-AM PLUS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813131613

M4N68T-M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813131626

The first motherboard has a Geforce 8200 IGP, which supports VDPAU. The rest of them have the Geforce 7025 IGP, which does not. Ideally, I think the M3N78-VM would be the best choice, but I'm curious how well it actually works. Has anyone used this board before, and how good is it overall?

Also, even though these are AM2+ boards except for the M4N68T-M, I've read that they support the AM3 processors I have in mind, after flashing the BIOS.

What are your opinions of these boards? Should I instead stick with the one in my original post?

Thanks again.

daneel971 · 2010-05-17 04:41:56

mystix wrote:

About those cutting edges: how sharp are they? Also does the mesh attract a lot of dust?

Dust is normal, nothing particular to be worried about. As for the edges, I was referring to the inside: I cut my finger when assembling the PC - knowing it, you just have to pay attention.

davidgreem · 2010-05-20 14:10:43

As pe rme You had taken a good challenge of making the Cheapest computers but you must take care the parts you should use in order to minimize the cost must be not loose their quality otherwise this will not work for a long run and proved to be defective soon.

testube_babies · 2010-05-20 14:15:39

mystix wrote:

I'm reconsidering my choice of motherboard. Instead I'm looking at the following:
M3N78-VM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6813131318

I think this is your best bet. You won't get acceptable 1080p playback with any of the other boards. That being said, you could always get one of the cheaper boards now and get a video card later if budget is the most important factor.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-05-13 16:29:28

Building a cheap computer

#2 2010-05-13 17:29:47

Re: Building a cheap computer

#3 2010-05-13 17:34:59

Re: Building a cheap computer

#4 2010-05-13 20:07:05

Re: Building a cheap computer

#5 2010-05-13 20:11:33

Re: Building a cheap computer

#6 2010-05-13 22:22:18

Re: Building a cheap computer

#7 2010-05-17 01:52:24

Re: Building a cheap computer

#8 2010-05-17 04:41:56

Re: Building a cheap computer

#9 2010-05-20 14:10:43

Re: Building a cheap computer

#10 2010-05-20 14:15:39

Re: Building a cheap computer

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