What is the best barebones system under $200

I am considering buying a barebones system to replace my aging computer. I have seen a lot of barebones options on tigerdirect, geeks.com, and newegg but am not sure which is the best manufacturer to get (msi, asus, pcchips, etc).

I want to get the best bang for my buck and would prefer to get one that includes RAM.

I don't need hard drives or CD and CD/RW drives, just the box with processor and RAM.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Mitch

 

Stay away from systems with PC Chips, ECS and Jetway motherboards. If you see a system within your price range do a search for reviews about the motherboard. Even some of the name brand motherboards used in barebones systems are known to be problemic.

 

Thanks Whiskeyman, I will heed your warning and follow your advice.

One thing I forgot to ask is whether I should go Intel or AMD? or does it make a difference?

 

I bought a barebones system 4 months ago. Had some problems but everything has been running great since. I went with AMD dual core 64 bit. Make sure you get a pci-express slot. I would also check how many IDE connections there are and RAM slots. Ohh, I went with a gigabyte motherboard. I like AMD but go here a do some comparing between the chips. http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu_2007.html

Good luck.
ps: check who the chipset maker is. Nvida have good chipsets.

 

I can't recommend a barebones system but I can recommend some parts with amazing BFB (bang for the buck). Prices are from Newegg:

Biostar MicroATX Socket LGA775 board for $45-50 (they have two)

Intel E21XX cpu (XX=40, 60, 80) for $75-85 (I actually own the 2.0Ghz E2180 and can overclock it to 3.5Ghz on air, if you're into that) Oh, and even though it says Pentium, they're really Core 2 Duos.

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - this item. America's favorite RAM sticks (1313 customer testimonials plus customer award to prove it) $47

I have no case recommendations aside from getting one that only uses 120mm case fans - not 80mm ones. Makes for a quieter PC.

 

Ok, I think I found something I can afford. But as you can see by my profile my experience is somewhat outdated. The last time I built a computer was in 1995. So I need some guidance.

here is the link to what I think I want. I can probably afford something 50-100 dollars higher. www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3584475&body=MAIN

I have two harddrives, a cd-rom, and a DVD/CDR I want to transfer to the new system. A lot of the Barebones systems I have looked at only have one IDE header and two SATA headers.

Now, if I could find a preassemble system with a hard drive and ram that I could afford, I could probably transfer my data files from this old system to the new.

I'm so confused.

Mitch

 

Personally, I think you can do better. You're looking at what one might call (in todays world of good deals) marginal. I would strongly recommend you do some more shopping and thinking. As mentioned earlier, seek out something with an NVidia chipset and look at the cache size on your CPU, not just the speed.

You selected a board with a VIA 800 whch (in today's world) is marginal. The memory is marginal and you can do much better re: the CPU. Chiles4 made some recommendations which you should consider. I've always found that staying one generation behind the "Latest & Greatest" gives one the most bang for the buck. Then again, if a tank of gas costs $50+, is staying under $200 the smartest way for you to proceed?

 

Mitch...according to that link, your case with 450W PSU costs only $40! (in other words, it's of poor quality) The RAM in that set up is not up to today's standards of speed. Also, you'd be better off with two 512MB sticks instead of one 1GB stick for "dual channel" performance (but that's not critical).

You should be looking at parts that are close to being "quite current" but still offer great value. With PCs, this can always be done. The parts I recommended above are just one of many, many ways that you can get a "modern" (not bleeding edge) system for very little money.

I think you're greatly limiting your options by looking for a barebones system. I think you'd be much better off hand-picking every single component including the case and power supply. If you're interested in part recommendations, I'm sure you could get a ton. PC guys love providing part recommendations. And yeah, I'd stick with a mainboard with either an Nvidia or Intel chipset.

 

Yes, I know I have been limiting myself. I do think I am better off buying a whole (preassembled) system - if just to reduce possible headaches.

I will definately take all the suggestions to heart. However, my budget is limited so I will have to shop around for a while. Time is not critical - the slow, severely outdated system I have is working and doing what it needs to do. I am not a gamer. I do use CorelDraw quite a bit and it is slooooooow. My daughter just uses it for MySpace and CD-Burning (which is very slow).

The other things that annoy me about this system is SpyBot S&D, Adaware, and AVG Free run slow (takes over an hour for Spybot and AVG to scan my computer).

In summary, I'll keep shopping. I'll come up with a list of systems and refer back here for best advice.

Thank you all for your help.

Mitch