Assembling new PC on a tight budget

C

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Generic answers will not work. Be exact and avoid the word 'et cetera.')

Ans:Web design and web building(online and offline) with PHP. Running LAMP and Linux as a second OS, Windows 7(pprimary), Browsing multiple browser windows at a time. HD Movie, occasional gaming, internet,you tube.

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.

Ans: Max 22k.

3. Planning to overclock?

Ans: No

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?

Ans: windows 7, Redhat, Debian(basic).

5. How much hard drive space is needed?

Ans:500gb

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.

Ans: Thinking of LG 20" E2041 or LG 16" E1641

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?

Ans: have to buy each & every component excluding speaker.

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: In a month.

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: Not yet but i can.

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?

Ans: Udupi/Mangalore(Karnataka). will buy online (flipcart may be)

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: I did bit of research and finalized the following config. Please guide me with the same.

AMD 3.2 GHz AM3 Athlon II 260 Processor : Rs. 3366*
ASUS M5A78L-M LX Motherboard: Rs. 2677*
Seagate Barracuda 500 GB HDD: Rs. 4320*
iBall Compact 1161 Mid Tower Cabinet: Rs. 1500*
Kingston ValueRAM 2 GB RAM (KVR1333D3N9/2G) : Rs. 755*

*(as advertised at Flipcart)

Thank you.

Why cant you go with Intel Pentium G620 in this budget?

Intel PENTIUM G620 @ 3.5K
ASUS P8H61 M LX @ 3K
4 GB Value RAM @ 1K
SEAGATE 500 GB HDD @ 4K
ASUS DVD ROM @ 1K
CORSAIR CX430 V2 @ 2.2K
Generic Cabinet @ 0.8K
Microsoft combo @ 0.7K
Numeric 800 VA UPS @ 1.8K
ACER 15.6 LED @ 3.9K
TOTAL @ 21.9K

^^Updating the above config with actual prices & specific model numbers.

Component Make Price
CPU Intel Pentium G620 3300
Motherboard ASUS P8H61-M LX 3050
RAM Corsair 4GB DDR3 1150
HDD WD Caviar Blue 500GB 4270
Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B3ST 1135
Case Generic 600
PSU Corsair CX430 V2 2450
Monitor Acer H166HQL 3950
KB + Mouse Amkette Classic Duo 380
UPS Intex 600VA 1400
Total 21685

C

Thank you for all for your reply and guidance. AMD Athlon II 260 is 3.2 ghz so I'm thinking of that. But Pentium G620 looks good. I didn't knew about it.

ASUS P8H61-M LX Motherboard: Rs. 3283(FlipCart)
Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (KVR1333D3N9/4G): Rs. 1276(FlipCart)
WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD: 4297(FlipCart)
Asus DRW-24B3ST: 1135(FlipCart)
Intex 600VA: 1400(Online Shopping India - Shop online at lowest prices. Buy gifts, mobiles, electronics & more - Rediff Shopping)
Intel Pentium G620 2.60 GHz Processor: 3750(Theitdepot - India's First IT Online Shopping Store)

I am located in mangalore. I think i have to buy online to get the best offer and the above is the best i can get.

Any place you suggest where I can get best rate that you mentioned?

Thank you.
Chethan

C

One doubt. Can I buy any 1333 speed DDR3 (Kingston, Corsair, etc) and use it with ASUS P8H61-M LX LGA 1155 Mother Board? Or even in DDR3 1333 there is compatibility problem? because I checked Asus website for the supported DDR3 1333 RAM for this MB and there only some RAM with specific model number are mentioned.

My question is: If a Mother Board supports DDR3 (1333) , can we use any DDR3 (1333) RAM ?

A

Yes go ahead. Motherboard manufacturers don't have the time to test each and every RAM.. go with corsair 4gb value ram.. it will work for sure..

chethanr said:
Thank you for all for your reply and guidance. AMD Athlon II 260 is 3.2 ghz so I'm thinking of that. But Pentium G620 looks good. I didn't knew about it.

ASUS P8H61-M LX Motherboard: Rs. 3283(FlipCart)
Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (KVR1333D3N9/4G): Rs. 1276(FlipCart)
WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD: 4297(FlipCart)
Asus DRW-24B3ST: 1135(FlipCart)
Intex 600VA: 1400(Online Shopping India - Shop online at lowest prices. Buy gifts, mobiles, electronics & more - Rediff Shopping)
Intel Pentium G620 2.60 GHz Processor: 3750(Theitdepot - India's First IT Online Shopping Store)

I am located in mangalore. I think i have to buy online to get the best offer and the above is the best i can get.

Any place you suggest where I can get best rate that you mentioned?

Thank you.
Chethan

Buying Online could be a bit tricky.
I 'd rather suggest you to check for the prices locally before making any online purchase decisions.
As far as Flipkart is concerned, (No doubts their service in terms of shipping are the best as far as I've seen) I used to suggest it to people a few months back, but now, for me things at Flipkart have changed.
I've seen prices of things being raised by an unjustified margin. I've myself seen 2-3 incidents. What I've observed that if you purchase an item from flipkart at a price, the same item will be available at a higher price, and also their prices change overnight. So, please beware.
If you're planning to buy online, go in with a detailed research for prices at various websites and also consider doing a research on their reputation on forums like that of www.mouthshut.com. Please don't be fooled by the comments in the websites like flipkart or letsbuy. The negative comments/feedbacks are promptly deleted without any delay.

All the best for your research/purchase.

I'd suggest you to postpone the plans by a month or so if possible in view of weak INR against the USD. Given the current scenario, you could end up paying much higher than you could have paid a month back as Import prices are higher which will affect the PC market very substantially.

A few weeks back had suggested a config to someone. Though this exceeds your budget and the prices were as per the prices of a popular store in Nehru Place, in Delhi, your local prices should be also near these. The system had an overall User Experience Rating of 5.3 on Windows 7.

You could consider replacing a few things like the Processor (for a cheaper Intel core i3), the 20" Monitor with a sub 5K 18-18.5 inch one, the Wireless Kit (with a cheap but good wired kit) to bring it considerably down. Also, since I had applied uniform vat @ 12.5%, there are some things like the RAM and the HDD thich are chargable @ 5%:

Part--Model --Unit Price--Price(Incl. Vat@12.5%)
Processor--Intel Core i3 2120--6190--6963.75
MB--Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2H--2890--3251.25
RAM--2x2GB Kingston--1332--1498.5
HDD--500 GB Samsung--3800--4275
DVD--Samsung SATA DVD-RW--890--1001.25
Cabinet--Any ATX--1300--1462.5
Monitor--AOC LED 20" (E2050SN)--5500--6187.5
Keyboard/Mouse--Logitech Cordless Kit MK2--962--1082.25
SMPS--450 Watt--600--675
GRAND TOTAL: 26397

HEY , why are you suggesting OP a crap PSU.
@OP Get a Quality PSU from CORSAIR , seasonic etc.

Sainatarajan said:
HEY , why are you suggesting OP a crap PSU.
@OP Get a Quality PSU from CORSAIR , seasonic etc.

I know that the PSU is the most vital part of a PC.
Suggested, it just because of the budget (remember 22K). Crap? There are brands like Zebronics also, which people trust.
Go in for a CORSAIR/VIP/ANTEC/SEASONIC etc. and he'll be spending about 3000-4000 just for the 450 watt PSU. Good Idea.

He can get PSU like FSP SAGA II 500 or Corsair CX 430V2 @ 2.2K which can vene handle cards like HD 6870. So stick with a good PSU which will help to any upgrade in future.

cilus is rite

@cyberkid
Then How did I suggest him everything within 22K.

CyberKID said:
Crap? There are brands like Zebronics also, which people trust.
Go in for a CORSAIR/VIP/ANTEC/SEASONIC etc. and he'll be spending about 3000-4000 just for the 450 watt PSU. Good Idea.

All Zebronics PSUs are very bad. Those who trust don't have any knowledge about that exactly they are buying & the quality of products.
Same goes with all VIP and very low end (i.e.<500W) Antec PSUs.

@OP: Buy Corsair CX430V2 @2.3K
There is no other good PSU at the price range.

C

Thanks for all your reply and guidance. I already placed order for the following in flipcart and expecting the delivery shortly.

WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD Intern... Rs. 4082
Asus DRW-24B3ST Internal Optical... Rs. 1135
Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watt... Rs. 2536

I will go with Pentium G620, ASUS P8H61-M LX and Corsair 4GB. Not yet decided where to buy. My cousin told he has some parts and will give Processor(Pentium Duel core socket LGA775), MB(Gigabyte socket LGA775), RAM and Cabinet from one of my friend for free :))

.

Thanks.

C

One more thing. I will go for 20 inch LED monitor or 16 in LED. I have seen LG 2041T. How about other brands like AOC, Philips, Benq and Viewsonic. Every brands are same? any suggestions? Thank you.

@d6bmg and @iclus

Guys , please tell me where can I get Corsair CX 430V2 for around 2.2-2.3k as you've mentioned . Online method will be much better. But I can get it from any locality in India if online methods are not available.

Also tell me which one to go for as both these PSUs come in same price range:
Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watts PSU
Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 460W 460 Watts PSU

Have no idea about Philips, but other mentioned brands are very good, specially Benq.

chethanr said:
One more thing. I will go for 20 inch LED monitor or 16 in LED. I have seen LG 2041T. How about other brands like AOC, Philips, Benq and Viewsonic. Every brands are same? any suggestions? Thank you.

didn't hear about philips...but all are good...I'm using viewsonic 19" for 5 years no troubles

bittutora said:
@d6bmg and @iclus

Guys , please tell me where can I get Corsair CX 430V2 for around 2.2-2.3k as you've mentioned . Online method will be much better. But I can get it from any locality in India if online methods are not available.

Also tell me which one to go for as both these PSUs come in same price range:
Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watts PSU
Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 460W 460 Watts PSU

In Kolkata, check M.D. Computers

C

Thank you all for your replies. Please let me know which monitor I should go for "Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM" or "LG 20 inch LED - E2041T".
Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM : Rs. 6050 (more contrast ratio, speakers, Antiglare)
LG 20 inch LED - E2041T : Rs. 6426 (most used monitor and in my office more than 50 newly installed)

About UPS. I need cheap UPS. How about Luminous 600VA UPS (Black)(Rs. 1,968) and iBall Nirantar UPS-621 (Rs.1,858 ). Or I should go for Intex 600VA?

Don't go by DCR or Dynamic Contrast Ratio as there is no universal definition for it and different companies use different metrics to measure it or to highlight their product. However, the Viewsonic product is slightly better than the LG one.

M

chethanr said:
About UPS. I need cheap UPS. How about Luminous 600VA UPS (Black)(Rs. 1,968) and iBall Nirantar UPS-621 (Rs.1,858 ). Or I should go for Intex 600VA?

Apc 600 VA ups will cost around 2k

intex 600va ups will cost u around Rs 1250/-

C

I already purchased this Configuration:

Processor: Intel Dual Core G620 2.6 GHz LGA 1155: Rs. 3477
Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LX: Rs. 3101
RAM: Corsair 4 GB RAM (CMV4GX3M1A1333C9): Rs. 1300
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD: Rs. 4082
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watt: Rs. 2536
Display: Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM Rs. 6050
DVDRW: Asus DRW-24B3ST Internal Optical Rs. 1135
UPS: Intex 600va Rs. 1550

Why you have gone for the viewsonic product???
Anyway nice build . Post some pics.

chethanr said:
I already purchased this Configuration:

Processor: Intel Dual Core G620 2.6 GHz LGA 1155: Rs. 3477
Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LX: Rs. 3101
RAM: Corsair 4 GB RAM (CMV4GX3M1A1333C9): Rs. 1300
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD: Rs. 4082
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watt: Rs. 2536
Display: Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM Rs. 6050
DVDRW: Asus DRW-24B3ST Internal Optical Rs. 1135
UPS: Intex 600va Rs. 1550

Congrats bro, really nice config and good pricing too. Just add a Graphics card in future and you will have a pretty decent gaming rig.

@chethanr : Congratz mate. Nice purchase, do post some pics

C

Thanks... sure!!

chethanr said:
I already purchased this Configuration:

Processor: Intel Dual Core G620 2.6 GHz LGA 1155: Rs. 3477
Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LX: Rs. 3101
RAM: Corsair 4 GB RAM (CMV4GX3M1A1333C9): Rs. 1300
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500 GB HDD: Rs. 4082
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-430CXV2UK 430 Watt: Rs. 2536
Display: Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM Rs. 6050
DVDRW: Asus DRW-24B3ST Internal Optical Rs. 1135
UPS: Intex 600va Rs. 1550

You have bought a very good configuration. If you add a graphics card like HD6850 later, specially when you wish to play game in PC, it will be a good gaming config.

C

I cancelled delivery of Viewsonic 20 inch LED - VA2038WM Rs. 6050 (Saw one bad customer service and review about viewsonic monitor here)

Going for Samsung 20 inch LED - S20B300B at 6800 I also have in mind LG E2041T. It will be final. Everything else set-up. Any thoughts or suggestions?

T

You're getting it quite expensive. Better get Dell IN2030M priced around 5800.

It is priced @ 6.1K .

chethanr said:
Going for Samsung 20 inch LED - S20B300B at 6800 I also have in mind LG E2041T. It will be final. Everything else set-up. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Going for such a costly 20" LED is not a good idea when you're getting a Full HD LED @7500. You may look into Acer S200HL.

C

Im going for Dell IN2030M monitor. It is priced 6700 and 6500 in Flipcart and Infibeam. But One concern is that they do not provide DVI cable. But it looks like DVI port is there. Does that mean I can purchase DVI cable outside and use it if DVI required in future?

Yes you can always go in to buy a separate DVI/HDMI cable. But, I suppose that the ASUS P8H61-M LX doesn't have a DVI port, instead it sports a VGA port. The support page @ asus india site ASUS - Motherboards- ASUS P8H61-M LX suggests this too.

chethanr said:
Im going for Dell IN2030M monitor. It is priced 6700 and 6500 in Flipcart and Infibeam. But One concern is that they do not provide DVI cable. But it looks like DVI port is there. Does that mean I can purchase DVI cable outside and use it if DVI required in future?

Both are overpriced.
I saw Dell ST2220M is being sold @7.3K.
So, going for this full HD model makes more sense than your choices.

d6bmg is rite . Spend 500 bucks more and get it. But in Chennai it is priced at 8K