May
28
Build a PC For $150 (The CCM PC)
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The Web gave us the opportunity to look at bargains with so many online stores available online. This PC that we will build is called CCM PC (Coupon Codes Mall PC) which is built in a Linux Powered PC. This Guide will give you all the information from online stores & their unique prices (note that the prices were written when this guide was made but you may be can find it with a better price because online stores always are giving promotions with the PC Pieces products).
By getting this CCM PC you are not getting the best PC in the market. It is very basic and does not include keyboard, mouse, monitor or a copy of windows because it is based on Linux operating system which is free (open source). But if you are curious on how a computer works, there is a immense satisfaction in building your own design too. It is a great starter project, and the beauty is that you can customise it as much as you want and your wallet allows.
CCM PC Components
MotherBoard Intel D201GLY2 motherboard with CPU (Best Price: Buy.com Price: $67.24 with Free Shipping.)
Description: D201GLY2 Desktop Board is an innovative solution for the sub-value market segment. With an Intel Celeron processor and graphics integrated on the board, this board enables easy system integration and helps you to achieve a lower system cost. This board has 10/100 LAN, support up to six Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports and 2 SATA (1.5 GB/s), providing both connectivity and ease of use for your computing needs such as email and Internet access, instant messaging and Voice Over IP (VoIP).The Intel Desktop Board D201GLY2 is built in smaller uATX-Compatible form factor providing lower power consumption and passive thermal solution.
URL/Link: Intel D201GLY2
RAM: Crucial Technology 512MB 240-Pin PC2-4200 533Mhz DDR2 RAM. This time we found that Amazon.com have the best price if you want to buy it new you will find it at the price of $16.72 you save 48% but you can buy it even less for $10 used but good and new. So we will take the bargain for $10. (Best Price: Amazon.com $10)
Description: 512MB PC2-4200 DDR2 533MHZ 240PIN DIMM 1.8V CL4 UNBUFF. Crucial Technology offers customers a number of clear advantages over its competitors. As the only consumer memory upgrade supplier that’s part of a major DRAM manufacturer, Crucial sells high-quality memory that has been qualified and approved by all major original equipment manufacturers. That’s important to customers who need quality-assured memory for mission-critical applications.
URL/Link: Crucial Technology 512MB 240-Pin PC2-4200 533Mhz DDR2 RAM
Hard Drive: Seagate ST380215AS 80GB Hard Drive. We have found the best price this time (again) in Buy.com which cost $20 less comparing to amazon.com (at the time of writting of this guide). Best Price: Buy.com With A Price Of $49.24 + Free Shipping and if you use for the first time Google Checkout you will get an extra discount of $10 so in this case this is our first time we use the Google checkout there so we will get it at $39.24 (In case you already used the Google checkout you can use any other family buy.com account to get extra $10 OFF.
Description: The Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 drive is the industrys first 3.5-inch disk drive to utilize revolutionary perpendicular recording technology, and is the worlds most proven and established desktop disk drive. Standard Warranty 5 Year(s) Limited.
URL/LINK: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Hard Drive - 80GB, 3.5″, SATA, 2 MB, 7200RPM - Internal Hard Drive
CD-ROM Drive: The CD-ROM drive is not really an important factor when you are trying to find a cheap “bargain” PC like CCM-PC. We have decided to go with a CD-ROM Drive which is quick (52X) and is really a cheap. We have found 2 cheap CD-ROM drive which cost less than $10. One is from Buy.com (ASUS CD-S520/A5 52x CD-ROM Drive - EIDE/ATAPI - Internal - Beige - 90-D10100-UAY8Z) which cost $9.89 & Amazon.com (52X CD-rom Beige
Case: With the case we had an issue finding the best bargain online, but it seems that major online stores are not selling “old” cases or may be cheap cases. We have found the best case “offline” in a PC Store which cost us $15 came with the power supply of 275W. You can find even with less. Sometimes Online stores gives cases for free if you buy something else from them, this time we did not found any bargain online so we decided to go offline.
Operating Systems & Softwares:
Linux: As we mentioned before the system will be based on Linux Operating system which you can download it free. There are many “versions” or Linux distribution that you can choose depends on your needs. If you are new to Linux we will recommend to read before about this great operating system which is very lite. Here is a list of the latest Linux Distribution we will choose this time “Red Hat Linux”. You can read more about Linux Here & Here.
Office Software: If you are creating a cheap PC I am sure that Office softwares like Word, Powerpoint, Excell, etc.. are a MUST in your PC. Don’t worry those you can find them for free as well. Check out OpenOffice.Org (is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.).
At the end of this guide you will find some Online Stores that you can search for “Current” PC hardware bargains with its respective coupons so depends on the day or month that you are searching for the best bargains you will find and build your OWN PC for much less than this one.
Putting All Together
Putting all together can be sound like the most difficult part but in 6 easy steps you can do it and start your new pc bargain hunter PC which we called CCM (CouponCodesMall PC). At the end of this guide we added in the help section two books that can teach you how to build your own pc (step-by-step guide and easy to understand). So let’s begin?
Step 1: First you will need to remove the case default back-plate. Use a pair of pliers to carefully pull it out, and be careful of the sharp edges when you remove it. The D201GLY2 comes with its own specific back-plate in the box, which just pushes into the hole. The motherboard needs to be placed in the case with all the ports lined up snugly with the backplate.
Step 2: If your case includes gold hexagonal spacers, fit them between the motherboard back-plate and the motherboard. With or without the spacers, secure the motherboard with four screws — one at each corner. The case includes a small bag of three different types of screws. Two types of screws have a lip, while the screws that have uniformly smooth head are the ones to use on the motherboard.
Step 3: The system refused to boot when we did not attach the four-pin 12V connector that feeds the CPU. Make sure it is attached and the motherboard power connector is also in place. A clip indicates which way round the power adapter should fit.
Step 4: The motherboard comes with a diagram to point out the headers for attaching the power and reset buttons and extra USB and audio ports. It has a sticky backing so you can put this diagram conveniently on a side-panel’s inner face. On modern motherboards like the D201GLY2, getting the polarity of the power and reset jumpers the right way round doesn’t matter.
Step 5: Fit the optical drive and hard disk into the 5.25in and 3.5in caddy and use four screws for each drive. Screws with a thin lip and the finest thread are best for drive fittings. Our cheap CD drive uses a Pata data cable, which must be firmly inserted into the motherboard and drive. The hard disk uses a Sata cable, which can be routed around the bck of the drive caddy for neatness.
Step 6: We did not connect the system (case) fan because fans generally increase dust build up in PCs and the CPU in our PC runs at such low temp. that it is not worth the hassle or extra power draw. Now you are ready to connect your keyboard, mouse and monitor, power it up and start installing the Linux operating system.
Help Section
Books
If you are worried about how to build your own PC (better one) don’t worry there are many books in Amazon.com that will teach you step-by-step on how to build your own PC. Is a one-investment in your life to learn something that can save you a lot of money for future PC-Needs. Check them out our best choices:
Included are instructions for the following types of system enhancements: * Adding new USB, serial, parallel, and FireWire ports * Adding bigger hard disks and more system memory * Upgrading to better mice and keyboards * Upgrading to new printers, faxes, and scanners * Upgrading to bigger monitors and more powerful video cards * Upgrading for digital photography and digital video editing * Upgrading for TV and DVD viewing * Upgrading for digital music playback * Upgrading for enhanced game play * Installing a wired or wireless network * Speeding up your Internet connection * Upgrading your operating system to Windows XP — Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Upgrading and Fixing Your PC (Absolute Beginner’s Guide)
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September 24th, 2008 at 2:39 am
This is really a Great post, well i was searching for some ideas to do small business from home. I hope i can do this and sell this pc for $300, 50% profit i will get from this kind of work. thanks for sharing it.