Super Small Budget/Computer

[bkh2]

Hi, my sister's computer broke so I'm thinking of building her a new one. I'm planning on the following:

Gigabyte H55N-USB3 ITX mobo - NCIX.com - Buy Gigabyte H55N-USB3 Mini ITX LGA1156 H55 DDR3 1PCI-E16 DVI HDMI Sound GBLAN eSATA USB3.0 Motherboard - GA-H55N-USB3 In Canada.

Core i3 530 - NCIX.com - Buy Intel Core i3 530 Dual Core Processor Clarkdale LGA1156 2.93GHZ Hyperthreading 4MB Cache Retail Box - BX80616I3530 In Canada.

Corsair XMS3 4GB RAM - NCIX.com - Buy Corsair XMS3 CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB DDR3 2X2GB DDR3-1600 CL 9-9-9-24 Core i5 Dual Channel Memory Kit - CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 In Canada.

Antec 650W PSU - NCIX.com - Buy Antec Earthwatts 650W Power Supply ATX12V V2.2 EPS12V Active PFC 80PLUS 120MM Fan - EA650 In Canada.

500GB WD Black - NCIX.com - Buy Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Dual Proc SATA 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM 5YR MFR Warranty - WD5001AALS In Canada.

Mobo: $117.74
RAM: $94.99
CPU: $122.99
PSU: $69.99
HDD: $56.99

$462.70 before tax.

I don't need anything else, since I will be reusing the other stuff. Main tasks are internet, MSN, Toon Boom, GIMP... mostly 2D animation software, and some games like L4D. Looking to buy locally from NCIX.

As a side note, I'm thinking about messing around with it before I let her use it, like OCing it, and I am looking into submerging it in oil, which is why I'm looking at an ITX board. Also, I might give her my GTX 275 in the future and upgrade my card.

Let me know what you think. Thanks!

[_dangtx_]

small budget= 775 e3300 or amd 240/250 :) hell an amd quad is cheaper than that intel dual

ddr2 from your stash. fill in the rest. huge psu you selected there lol

[Bond007]

If you want to save a few bucks go for an athlon II x3 and 880g motherboard. Not sure how demanding 2D animation is, but you could up the processor to a x4 if you feel you need a little more. If you plan on giving the gtx275 to this build then the PSU is fine, but if you are going to stick with integrated or a lower end card then it is overkill. Excellent HDD, but I would swap if for a Seagate to save some $ (an excellent drive for the money). LINK

[jcmaz]

You don't have a case...

[bkh2]

I have everything else that is not listed on my list. I picked the i3 because I was hoping that this would last a very long time, and I picked the PSU to account for future upgrades. Also, the 1156 platform would allow me to upgrade later on. Though I guess an AM3 board with an Athlon chip would also be very upgradable in the future, even more so than the 1156 platform... Western Digital is kind of my personal preference, so I'll most likely spend a couple extra bucks for a WD than a Seagate or Hitachi.

Thanks for the AMD suggestions. I will take those into consideration before purchasing. How is the overclocking on the AMD side of things though? Does anyone have some numbers they'd like to share?

[jcmaz]

Well... my Phenom 945 is OC'd from 3.0GHz to 3.3 on stock volts.

I suggest a nice AMD mobo w/ Sata 3.0 and USB3.0 and a cheapo Athlon Quad or a Phenom II quad for $50 more..

[Prolab]

My 965 is OC to 3.8 on 1.47 volts, with auto config on DDR2 800 ram.

[xlilmissmjx]

If you decide to stay with an intel build, I would check out this motherboard instead...

NCIX.com - Buy Gigabyte H55M-USB3 mATX LGA1156 H55 DDR3 1PCI-E16 1PCI-E4 2PCI HDMI Sound GBLAN USB3.0 Motherboard - GA-H55M-USB3 In Canada.

It's a mATX board and offers more expandability for about the same price!