I need a new pc for 400$

[bobthepersonman]

i don't know that much about computers but i would like to find the best computer that i can get for around 400$ it would be nice if it could run the game marine corps i think its also called soldner secret wars. but i can not build it myself or any thing like that but i would love it to not run on windows vista i have only herd bad things about vista and its not compatible with the game and i figured if it could run the game smooth it would be a nice pc. here are some of the requirements Intel Pentium IV or AMD 1.8 ghz umm at least 400 mb of ram but i want as much as i can get a 8.1b-compatible graphics card with 64 mb of graphics memory and a 8.1-compatible sound card or something like that. I am guessing that that is not a good description of what i need but umm i guess you can ask me moor questions. i would also like to be able to burn dvds and cds if i cant get a computer like that for around 400$ than tell what the closest thing i can get is. well i am sorry fo r the bad grammar im bad with spelling and grammar but i would appreciate your help.

 

[SNGX1275]

If you can't build it yourself you are really really limiting what you can get. I really suggest dropping that requirement and doing it yourself, it really is almost impossible to screw up, back in the old days it was slightly more complex, but really it has been pretty easy since I've been doing it, which was 8 years ago.

Here is a build I made a month ago for $314 before shipping. You can't game on it, but for $85 I bet we could find you a video card so you could game.

Western Digital Caviar WD800BB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM
Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E4500 - Retail
MSI P4M900-X LGA 775 VIA P4M900 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
FSP Group ATX400-PA ATX12V 400W Power Supply - OEM
Sony NEC Optiarc 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model AD-7190A - OEM
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Desktop Memory - Retail
Rosewill R624-P BLK Black SGCC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Now, that isn't the nicest case, but when you are putting together something for as cheap as possible, the case is an easy place to cut costs.

I didn't bother to calculate the costs of all that currently, but in late November that came out to about $314. For $88 more (close to your $400 mark) you can get a XFX PVT73GUGF3 GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

So... there you go, hopefully you decide you can build it yourself, otherwise, you aren't going to get specs near that good for $400.

Although, having said that, that price doesn't include a KB, monitor, mouse, or operating system. So in that respect, you may be better off getting a lower spec'd machine from Dell or something, where you get everything included.

Edit: Actually, that motherboard won't let you add a PCIe graphics card. So you'll have to find a different motherboard, which will cost more, so you'll have to drop off your video card specs some.... At least what I have listed should give you some ideas though.

Edit2: Actually I found another cheap motherboard that will let you use a PCIe video card: Foxconn 945G7MC-KS2HV LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail. Its probably a better board than that MSI anyway.

 

[bobthepersonman]

thanks

o thanks i will have to think about building it i always thought it was very hard to build a pc. thanks for the advise!!!!!

 

[pcnthuziast]

SNGX put a good list together for you and I'd have to agree with him that building a PC is easy... heck I bet a 10 year old could it!!!

BTW: The parts he suggested will build a PC that will actually run most new games quite well i.e. HL2/E1 & 2, F.E.A.R, Oblvion, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Call of Duty 4, etc.

 

[bobthepersonman]

o i had been under the impression you had to buy every single little tiny part and solder them all to each board and basically assemble every single little part and know were to put every single little tiny computer chip and other things like that at an exact place.

 

[SNGX1275]

Nah, its not that difficult.

You've got your CPU, it can only go in one place. Next is the Heatsink for it, most people suggest using an aftermarket thermal compound/paste, but in all honesty, if you aren't overclocking then just slap that thing on with the supplied thermal material.

Then you have the RAM, that can only go in 1 spot, same with the video card. Hard drive is next, you just put that in the only spot it fits too (sata has a few, put it in the lowest number you see - make sure the bios is set to ide emulation or whatever that bios is calling it, don't worry its not hard).

Motherboard manual tells you where to connect the wires, it is likely written on the board itself too, that really is the most difficult part, and if you just look at the diagram and the board it is easy.

You can do it, and you can always post here if you have problems.

 

[mailpup]

There are a lot of PC building guides on the internet. Read a few to get a feel for how to do it. Post back if you have questions regarding the details. It's not that hard and it is quite rewarding when it's all up and running.

 

[bobthepersonman]

i think i mite have found an ok and cheep pc check it out and tell me if it looks good http://www.ibuypower.com/ibp/store/configurator.aspx?mid=182

 

[bobthepersonman]

my budget has increased to $750 encase anyone is still looking at this thread

 

[ShipMaster]

SNGX put a good list together for you and I'd have to agree with him that building a PC is easy... heck I bet a 10 year old could it!!!

I did it when I was 10. If you intend on building your own read this: http://www.pcmech.com/byopc/

 

[jimmy870]

Hi to all,

Is it true that the p4m900 mainboard won't let you add a pcie graphics card?

Best wishes to all.

 

[Quantex_rox]

I have built my computer for around 300 dollars, I just bought a cheap, rosewill 25 dollar case bundled with a 350w psu, and a cheap, ECS elitegroup motherboard bundled with a amd athlon 64 3200+, i got the ram from my friends computer (i told him his ram was broken :haha: ), they 2 hd's, i got one 80 gig cheap from craigslist, and the other 80 gig from a dead computer at a repossessed house. The video card i also got a deal from newegg, a 8600gt 512m, for only 99.

All this is enough to easily run games like far cry and painkiller at near full settings.

 

[32842]

I have just bought a new computer ($2000) with vista and i am seriously considering putting xp back on my computer because vista causes massive lag and is crap in general in my opinion.

 

[SNGX1275]

Hi to all,

Is it true that the p4m900 mainboard won't let you add a pcie graphics card?

Best wishes to all.

Yes, I said it wouldn't. I linked it, so you could have looked.

 

[raybay]

An impressive setup for the money, SNGX1275. Pretty much all acceptable quality components.

 

[Beanbag]

It's really not that hard to build a PC- last year I decided to build one and prior to doing to I borrowed PC building books and read up on how to build a PC, afraid that I wouldn't be able to get it to work. But in the end all I really had to do was connect everything to the mobo and then mount it on the case...really not difficult