I was at Microcenter today and I was trying to pick up a motherboard for an older Dell computer. It had DDR2 memory and an older AM2 socket. So anyway I go walking around and I get the help of one of the guys there (they always know the best inside deals and are happy to let you in on them). I ended up building a kickass rig. What did it cost me? Less than $250! :!
The thing is downright amazing. Let's go over the parts and what I paid for them:
1. AMD II X4 640 Processor (3.0ghz Quad-Core) - $94.99
2. Biostar Motherboard (Max 16gb DDR3 memory) - $40.00
3. Crucial 1066 DDR3 memory (2 x 1gb) - $32 (they had another 4gb for only $50 but I didn't have the cash at the time)
4. Ruby Red gaming case with window, 480 watt PSU, and a blue lighted case fan - $34
5. 1tb 7200rpm Samsung Spinpoint drive - $59
6. Lightscribe Dual Layer DVD Burner - $20
Total cost was $249 exactly. With the extra 4gb of ram (for a total of 6gb) it would only cost $299! So anyways, on with the video. This video shows the boot time as well as more explanation of the parts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r5fqCMn-aYHere's a quick picture. I should mention that the case is NOT bright red in real life. That's why I can handle it. It's more like the second picture than the first.
A comparable HP model would run $600 and would only be expandable to 8gb of ram and have a slightly slower processor! This was an EXCELLENT deal!
