A PC for dad's birthday.

N

Niksa

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
228
Hi folks, my dad's birthday is December 11th, and the siblings and I have decided to chip in to build him a good computer. His current one is a 1999 Dell with Windows XP. I don't mind building him a PC, but wouldn't mind buying one if there's a good deal going on. However we already have a monitor and I didn't see any good deals at Dell.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Work stuff (PPT, word/pdf processing), web browsing, watching & burning movies, some gaming (everquest 2) and voice chat
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~600 flexible, not including shipping or tax
3) Where do you live?
Near Washington DC
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.
CPU, RAM, Video card, PSU, Mobo, Case, Harddrive, DVD writer
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
25.5"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Before December 11 (his birthday)
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Can't think of anything he'd need/use
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes, Windows 7 64bit


Additionally, I'd like to have the ability to expand his RAM to 4 to 6+ GB since EQ2 needs 2GB or more.

Thanks very much guys!
 
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I'd go with the following:
$194 - AMD Phenom II X3 720 CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AMD 790GX HDMI ATX Motherboard Combo
$93 - G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$145 - XFX HD-575X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$27 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$80 - Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 332 RC-332-KKN1-GP ATX Case
---
Total: $650 plus tax. Free shipping on all items.

Went DDR3 RAM since DDR3 RAM prices will be lower in the future so you can easily upgrade to 8GB of RAM for cheap. Went with a slightly beefier PSU just to handle any additional upgrades.
 
This is a flawless build for your budget. I would have configured something like this also but, Danny did it.

Almost free shipping on everything except the mobo. But, shipping will only be $7-$10

Danny Bui said:
I'd go with the following:
$194 - AMD Phenom II X3 720 CPU + Gigabyte GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AMD 790GX HDMI ATX Motherboard Combo
$93 - G.Skill F3-10666CL9D-4GBRL 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$145 - XFX HD-575X-ZNFC Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$27 - LG GH22NS50 DVD Burner
$80 - Antec Earthwatts 650W PSU
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 332 RC-332-KKN1-GP ATX Case
---
Total: $650 plus tax. Free shipping on all items.

Went DDR3 RAM since DDR3 RAM prices will be lower in the future so you can easily upgrade to 8GB of RAM for cheap. Went with a slightly beefier PSU just to handle any additional upgrades.
Click to expand...
 
lol, this would walk all over his old computer...and I bet back then that Dell was 2-3 times the price of this one.

That CPU/Mobo combo is a pretty sweet deal. I remember paying that for 512 megs of RAM. lol

I also agree that it's a flawless build, but I would add a 120mm fan for the front intake. Proper hard disk cooling is extremely important.
 
You guys are the best. Dad is going to be so thrilled! He's been saying, "Oh... my computer is ok..." as he'd chugging away, programs crashing left and right due to low memory, etc. He's a patient guy, but it's time for an upgrade, pops!

Oh yeah, I don't know exactly how much he paid for it back then, but it was at least $1500. He was so proud of it! And to Dell's credit, it did last a long time.

Mom's birthday is in March, so I'm going to build her a new one in February.. her computer is even older than his... lol. =/
 
lol Nighted! Well this is his big 55 birthday, so we decided to give him a big gift from all of us. =)

Hmm, ok - after consulting with the other siblings, we're thinking we should get a cheaper video card for now and upgrade his video card in January, just to save a bit on the build.

Is there a good video card for this build that's around $50? It just has to be able to let him watch movies til January (he will be too busy for his EQ time til then anyway).

What about this one?
Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit PCI express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829
 
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Actually, if it's just watching movies, no need to get a video card. Just use the onboard video that's on the mobo which has the ATI Radeon HD 3300 graphics.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Actually, if it's just watching movies, no need to get a video card. Just use the onboard video that's on the mobo which has the ATI Radeon HD 3300 graphics.
Click to expand...

Awesome thanks HardwareGuru - we're going to upgrade his vid. card in Jan, so that'll be great til then.
You guys rock!
 
Niksa said:
lol Nighted! Well this is his big 55 birthday, so we decided to give him a big gift from all of us. =)

Hmm, ok - after consulting with the other siblings, we're thinking we should get a cheaper video card for now and upgrade his video card in January, just to save a bit on the build.

Is there a good video card for this build that's around $50? It just has to be able to let him watch movies til January (he will be too busy for his EQ time til then anyway).

What about this one?
Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit PCI express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102829
Click to expand...
Dude, you linked to the HD 4650, not the HD 4750.

Anyway, as HardwareGuru said, if it's just movie watching, the onboard video of the motherboard I chose will be more than enough. In games, considering the fact that he has a PC from 1999, the onboard video of the motherboard I chose would be a major improvement.
 
Yah, have him try the onboard and if its not enough for something, let us know what that something is and we can help you figure out the best choice for your budget and needs. If it works fine, then there will be no need to even upgrade in jan. ;)
 
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