[joowan]

i have a $500 budget to build my friend a pc, for browsing, movies, chatting, just general stuff.

he already has monitor/ speakers/ mouse/ keyboard, etc.

Newegg.com - ENERMAX PANDORA 185 ECA3070 Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 400W Power Supply - Retail

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Newegg.com - EVGA 256-P2-N445-LX GeForce 7300GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - GeIL 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-945P-S3 LGA 775 Intel 945P ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz 2M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - Retail

revisions and recommendations welcome.


--REVISED BUILD--

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 532 RC-532-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel, SECC chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

Newegg.com - FSP Group (Fortron Source) Green PS FSP300-60GLN ATX2.0 300W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CSA, VDE, NEMKO, TUV, CE, CB, FCC - OEM

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

Newegg.com - EVGA 256-P2-N445-LX GeForce 7300GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Extreme 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) System Memory - Retail

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

Newegg.com - LG Black 18X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 18X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe - OEM

[plumber4578]

get a dell

[Sora]

Originally Posted by plumber4578

get a dell

umm...how about NOT

Intel is still a bit expensive. If he's not a serious hardcore enthusiast then I recommend an AMD X2 3600.

I wouldn't go with a PSU that came with a case. I would get an Xclio 450BL for 37 bucks and then something like a 30 case. You can go with a stock one but the Xclio 450BL is a VERY good PSU for the money and will last for years.

I would get a 1GB stick of G.skill ram as well. Downgrade to AMD and you will have a much bigger budget. If he he only watches movies and doesn't game then the 7300GT isn't needed even. Onboard would be fine. If you dont want onboard though I would suggest a 7600GT for light gaming, the budget on an AMD would permit one.

[plumber4578]

Sora, that was a joke about a Dell. But hey, since I brought it up, if he gets a Dell, he would have a lot better PSU then you! Just kidding.

[Sora]

Lol your right he would heh but my PSU holds out well enough.

I just looked and for 500 bucks you can get an quite a powerful gaming PC with the 7600GT in it.

[joowan]

REVISED, how does it look now?

[b1gapl]

I think this is a better mobo choice:
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

And I'd get the X2 3600+, that Sora suggested, to save some money.
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Windsor 2.0GHz 2 x 256KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

And this Cooler Master Centurion 5 is a little better, because it comes with two fans:
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW Black Aluminum Bezel, SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail

[joowan]

ok, changed the mobo to the gigabyte, but i think i'll stay with the 2.2cpu

[b1gapl]

It's not that much of a difference...plus you can overclock the X2 3600+ past 2.2 easily.

[Sora]

I would get an X2 3600 and a Biostar T550 and overclock it to like 2.6ghz or something. This would be easily the most cost efficient however you still have to overclock a bit (which is very safe anymore)

if not then just get a cheap mobo like the ECS

here is the build I would go with if he isnt going to game.

Newegg.com - XClio 450BL ATX 450W Power Supply 115/230 V UL, CUL, TUV, CB - Retail
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory - Retail
Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Centurion 5 CAC-T05-WW Black/Silver Aluminum Bezel, SECC Chassis ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar RE WD1600YS 160GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Newegg.com - MSI K9NBPM2-FID Socket AM2 NVIDIA Quadro NVS 210S Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM2 Processor - Retail

The X2 5600 is very powerful for the price and you onboard video on the Quadro board is plenty enough.

SubTotal: $463.95

You could even downgrade to the X2 5200 and then add another gig of ram if needed...however 1Gb is plenty enough for most desktop activities.