View Full Version : Patrick $500 PC
Octavarium
05-23-2008, 09:39 PM
Hey guys,
New watcher of tekzilla btw, the last few shows I've heard Patrick mention a $500 PC he has built. I was curious to know what the specs of the PC are.
Cheers!
/Sam
computoman
05-24-2008, 10:43 AM
I bet you could get a lot more for the same amount of money today, than what he did.
I bet you could get a lot more from the likes of Dell than you could build yourself for the same money now days.
Thanks,
Mat.
james42519
10-03-2008, 09:12 PM
I bet you could get a lot more from the likes of Dell than you could build yourself for the same money now days.
Thanks,
Mat.
what are you talking about? you can buy the parts cheaper and build a better computer any day compared to buying one.
burkhartmj
10-04-2008, 12:08 AM
what are you talking about? you can buy the parts cheaper and build a better computer any day compared to buying one.
Agreed. Having just put together a computer on Newegg, a noticeably weaker Dell Studio [NOT the hybrid or the thin one] cost 200 dollars more. The convenience of buying a premade machine can't be denied for those busy enough to want and afford that route, but anyone who says a Dell or HP is cheaper is clearly out of touch with current component prices.
Ryudo
10-04-2008, 05:26 AM
I remember when he made that thing on TSS.
Then he had it on one of the eps of DL.tv.
I think if you search youtube you might find the ep he built it on TSS..Youtube has so many TSS eps.
It WAS a 500$ gaming PC 4-5 years ago..today it's nearly worthless.
xcorvis
10-04-2008, 12:15 PM
I like the Ars Technica system building guides. The "Budget Box" gaming PC is targeted around $800, but that includes an LCD monitor and you can easily slim it down. They just released an "Ultimate Budget Box" which isn't really a gaming PC, but is sub-$500 including a $170 monitor.
http://arstechnica.com/guides.ars
james42519
10-04-2008, 08:30 PM
I remember when he made that thing on TSS.
Then he had it on one of the eps of DL.tv.
I think if you search youtube you might find the ep he built it on TSS..Youtube has so many TSS eps.
It WAS a 500$ gaming PC 4-5 years ago..today it's nearly worthless.
still better then the one i am using i got from someone for free. a dell dimension 8200. P4 1.8 Ghz,256 Mb rdram,30 Gb harddrive, nvidia gforce 2 mx with tv out. winxp pro. though this thing is good compared to what i was using a few months ago. a P2 400 mhz,320 MB ram,1 GB harddrive that is over 10 years old,win98se. it actually wasn't as slow as you would think really. though i was using a pentium 200 mhz,64 MB ram around 2006 when i got the parts to build the P2 400 Mhz one from college for free when they upgraded the computers. wish i lived where people threw out computers after like 3 years. people keep everything here till it is no longer usable it seems.
sucks not having any money for stuff too. i can't even afford building a $300 computer right now.
therage800
10-05-2008, 12:59 PM
still better then the one i am using i got from someone for free. a dell dimension 8200. P4 1.8 Ghz,256 Mb rdram,30 Gb harddrive, nvidia gforce 2 mx with tv out. winxp pro. though this thing is good compared to what i was using a few months ago. a P2 400 mhz,320 MB ram,1 GB harddrive that is over 10 years old,win98se. it actually wasn't as slow as you would think really.
Nothing would seem slow after using that P2.
james42519
10-05-2008, 08:46 PM
Nothing would seem slow after using that P2.
said i used a pentum 200 mhz before the p2. the P2 didn't seem slow.
though i was using a pentium 200 mhz,64 MB ram around 2006 when i got the parts to build the P2 400 Mhz one from college for free when they upgraded the computers.
gta_bmx
10-05-2008, 09:52 PM
i can't even afford building a $300 computer right now.
Perhaps get it a piece at a time. Buy the mobo/case first for about $100 total. Then with your next paycheck get a CPU and RAM, then the next get a hard drive/video card. Hardware's cheap. You can build a nice system with 4 gigs of RAM, 250 gig hd, and an Nvidia 8600GT for like $350.
Newegg and Tiger Direct have some pretty great deals on combo kits (case, mobo, CPU) -- seen them for as low as $79. And if you can live with the onboard graphics until you buy a better video card, that'll save even more.
You can always upgrade it later piece by piece until you have a sweet box. PC's are like hot rod cars.
james42519
10-06-2008, 01:53 AM
Perhaps get it a piece at a time. Buy the mobo/case first for about $100 total. Then with your next paycheck get a CPU and RAM, then the next get a hard drive/video card. Hardware's cheap. You can build a nice system with 4 gigs of RAM, 250 gig hd, and an Nvidia 8600GT for like $350.
Newegg and Tiger Direct have some pretty great deals on combo kits (case, mobo, CPU) -- seen them for as low as $79. And if you can live with the onboard graphics until you buy a better video card, that'll save even more.
You can always upgrade it later piece by piece until you have a sweet box. PC's are like hot rod cars.
kinda hard. i have $250 a month after bills for food and gas and stuff. not like it's much extra.