Cheap media/gaming build

I built a PC out of old parts to plug into the TV so my girlfriend could play point and click 'Big Fish' games and so we could watch downloaded media and have internet access through the TV.

The PC appears to have died. The original spec was;

Core 2 Duo E4400 @ 2ghz
2 GB DDR2 Ram
Nvidia GT520

It was working fine, but after moving it into a bigger case (it was running too hot and I needed space for a better cooler) it won't boot and I suspect that I've killed the mobo.

I was looking at replacement mobos but they all appear to be in the £40 range, and I'm not sure that spending more money on a dead socket type is worthwhile.

So as a replacement I was looking at this from Overclockers. Grateful for your views. I wouldn't want to spend much more then this, unless there was a good reason to. I have the rest of the components necessary for the build.

Is this a worthwhile buy or would I be better off looking at intel?; (with apologies - I don't know how to do that 'link your basket' thing)

AMD A8-5600K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor £83.99

MSI A55M-E33 AMD A55 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.99

Corsair Value 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low Voltage Dual-Channel Kit

1 x AMD A8-5600K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD560KWOHJBOX) £83.99
1 x MSI A55M-E33 AMD A55 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £25.99
Total : £150.97 (includes shipping : FREE).



for a £150 you get a good deal tbh

option 2 for £50 more you get a whole lot faster, but yes you may not need the extra with what your doing but it's an option only,

1 x AMD A10-5800K Black Edition 3.80GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD580KWOHJBOX) £99.95
1 x Gigabyte F2A85XM-D3H AMD A85X Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 micro ATX Motherboard £61.99
1 x Adata XPG Gaming v2.0 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AX3U1866GC4G9B-DG2) £44.99
Total : £206.93 (includes shipping : FREE).



or for the same price as a setup above you could go for a complete system?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-004-EP&groupid=43&catid=2478

Why Should You Buy This System?
- Includes the superb AMD E350 1.60GHz Dual Core Processor
- 4GB of high performance gaming memory guarantees the smoothest possible experience when multitasking and ensures you never have a break in the action
- 8 Hours stressed tested and quality controlled
- Precision built and cabled by Overclockers UK expert technicians
- Pre-built and read to ship out the same day

System Specification
- Case: OcUK IMP Case
- Power Supply: OcUK 500w PSU
- CPU: AMD E350 1.60GHz Dual Core Processor
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-E350N AMD Hudson M1 Chipset Motherboard
- RAM: TeamGroup Elite 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Single Channel Kit
- Hard Drives: 500GB HDD
- Graphics Card: Integrated AMD HD 6310 Graphics
- Sound: 7.1 Channel Sound (On-Board)
- Optical Drive: OcUK 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)

£149.98 inc VAT (yep it's that price)

just another option, dual core not quad like those 2 above but do you really use them anyway, and you can fit your video card in it as well for a power boost, but again also maybe not needed for what your doing as onboard would be enough for most

That A8 spec looks perfect. Im pretty sure fast RAM helps, depends whether the mono supports it or not.. Not really.a concern at in your situation.

Sounds like you shorted the motherboard on the case. You could try reseating and reset the CMOS battery.

Thanks guys.

That Kingston Ram is better then what I originally had specced. I think that's the build I'll go for.

The pre-build system looks ok - but the A8 processor will have better on-board graphics won't it?

Yeah - I tried reseating everything and I reset the CMOS battery. Looks like I killed it good

a8 yes and it's faster quad core, but if you use your card you already have the pre built would be fine, your choice tbh as same money either way

Im pretty sure the a8's on boards outperform the 520..

The a8 is a good choice..

Shame about your mobo, worth a try..

true m8, but i was on about the pre built onboard

Integrated AMD HD 6310 Graphics etc

Oh, sorry.. Very true..

Its still early..