Please Suggest a CHEAP Mobo & CPU

[mattydies]

My father has an old socket 775 Dell computer. It's rather old tech. I would like to buy a new CPU and Mobo for him. I am looking for something cheap that offers good bang for your buck, and should serve him well for a few years or more. I don't really have 'EXTRA' money to spend on this so cheap is very important. My father reads on the internet, types letters and is wanting to get back into the stock market again (using some software to monitor prices and what not).

The old Dell has a 600W power supply (Good brand) and a 7800GT video card because I gave him some of my hand me downs. I plan to use these in the new PC. I also plan to reuse my old Raptor 74 (OS) and the 320gb Dell drive for storage. This is MORE than enough space for my father. The Dell only has 1GB of ram BUT I have 4X2GB Sticks of DDR2 Ram @ 1066-5-5-5-15. This ram was in my old PC when it was fried, but some components survived. I am hoping all or some of the ram survived so I can re-use it. The Dell and my other old ECS mobo cannot use 2gb sticks (or sticks of this speed) so I have not tested them.

I like the idea of buying an ATI CPU and mobo for a change (if there is a comparable price and performance). I like Gigabyte very much, but being cheap is also important. I am willing to spend a bit more to on ATI and GB (I like them) but I am open to all suggestions. The old 7800GT can support 2 monitors. I would like to have on board video ALSO. We have moved the security system onto a 3rd monitor to allow permanent onscreen display. The computer runs 24/7 if that matters.

What could I do for $200? or $300 or $400?

Any thoughts comments or suggestions would be GREAT! Thanks in advance for your time.

[mattydies]

I just remembered the CPU of the old Dell is an e2160 Core 2 Duo (1.8 GHz)

[3.0charlie]

I'd choose to go the 'new' path for 400$, to be honest. If the case, PSU and HDD are still sound, then a FM2 chip / board combo (120$), add 4Gb DDR3 (20$) and slap Win7 - that would be my choice.

[mattydies]

3.0 Charlie - Thanks for the input. Windows 7 - Will I not be able to reuse the Windows XP Key that came with the Dell? (or any of the other handful of XP keys I have LEGITIMATELY aquired with over the years?). My father is 70 & VERY cheap. If I can reuse a copy of XP I know he would much rather I do that.

I forget the brand of the PSU but it looked great in a review on this site. I think its about 4 years old now. The Raptor 74 and the stock Dell drive test fine with scandisk. I had installed a Raptor 74 but it had started clicking lightly. So I installed the other one I had and it seems great. The Case is ok. I added a couple fans. My father would be a bit upset if I bought him a new case (he is super cheap).


******SIDEBAR
WOW the PSU roundup reviews on HWC give generous amounts of detail (Testing the voltage consistency and the quality of the power output). A few months ago I needed to buy myself a nwe PSU. I read many reviews on various other sites. Most were very good but not as in depth!

KUDOS HWC

[mattydies]

I actually cracked open the PSU a couple years ago to install a slightly quieter fan (I had in a drawer). The irony is that I was using 2 X Raptor 74's in Raid 0. My current 4 X Raptor 160's seem noticeably quieter than 2 Raptor 74's.

[3.0charlie]

You sure can try and re-use the XP key, but if it came with the Dell, there is most probably a proprietary link with the board. Best case it works. Worst case, you can try your other keys. End game, Windows 7.

[mattydies]

Thanks Charlie. I was guessing that the Dell (or other keys) may or may not work.
I am not seeing socket FM2 on NCIX. I found 2 CPU's in a search but no category. Does socket FM2 have another name?

[Bond007]

They show up as fm2 on ncix for me. You also have to remember that the integrated graphics in those CPU support multimonitor and are faster than your 7800 gt. 4gb ram will do for his uses, bu given the minimal cost 8gb would help it last that much longer.

[Bond007]

I see you mean CPU. A4/6/8/10 3xxx are older fm1 CPU and 5xxx are fm2

[3.0charlie]

MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 mATX FM2 A75 DDR3 1PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 1PCI SATA3 HDMI DVI USB3.0 Motherboard

AMD A4-5300 APU Dual Core Processor Socket FM2 3.4GHZ 1MB 65W Retail Box