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Building a pc for MOM

X

XxMe_LoCoxX

Gawd
Joined
Apr 19, 2002
Messages
561
well, my mom asked me to build her a new pc, and she said she wanted something simple for word procesing, internet browsing (on 56k, she refuses to get broadband)

so i have compiled a list of all the parts, since im trying to build a decent low end system, like i said nothing fancy, here are the parts i have picked, and currently the price is up to 358.00 + shipping, but after she decides if the price is cheap enough or not, i have to add on 2 extra sticks of ram (sd ram) and a pci card under 100 dollars for my computer.

so here are the parts for her computer.

CASE
MOBO
PROCESOR
MONITOR
HARD DRIVE
RAM
MOUSE & KEYBOARD (combo)

like i mentioned, this is a system for word procesing and internet browsing, nothing graphical, so im giving her my old tnt2 32mb pci vid card, since for my payment i will get a new vid card. i was thinking of getting THIS vid card for my pc and Two of THIS ram sticks for my pc.

so i would apreciate some input on any of the parts. by that i mean if you know of something cheaper.

thank you.
 
WOAH do NOT get that video card. whatever you do, its crippled it wont run anything the way you want it too. if you want a good video card, go for a 5900 or a 9800 series series card.. anything would be better than a 5200.. if you cant go that high in price, tell us your budget and well find a good card for you. also, what are your specs? mobo/proc ect.. knowing this will help us

also- for your moms pc... id go with an xp2000+ or even 1800+ over that 1.7 celly. it will be a major performance boost(even when surfing), my mom LOVES her xp2000+

EDIT: took out a bunch of stuff, it related to AGP..
Edit: i just took another look at that 5200 you had linked, and noticed it was PCI... dude if you are still running PCI and SDRAM you need an upgrade, you must have something like a p3 or a thunderbird Athlon right? if you want the best perf you can get on pci, go with this..http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=14-102-360&depa=1

edit2: does she need a cdrom, floppy, anything like that?
 
Mobo - 42 bux

XP2000 - 60 bux

1x512 pc3200 LT Warrenty - 69 bux

No need for a Vid card if she never games - sell your old one, or save it as back up.

And do not go near the 5200 - if you are held to that $90 budget - try to get a Ti4200-4800 used or maybe swing a killer deal or save up for a 9600XT or 5700+. I have heard no reviews of the 5600XT that Nvidia has out now - it is also in your budget range {90 bux}.

-=M=-
 
lithium726 said:
etc.
Click to expand...

He needs a PCI video card. You're recommending cards that exist in AGP form only. Plus, like he said, vid card must be under $100.

XxMe_LocoxX, what will you do with the new vid card? Are you much of a gamer? The FX5200 is, I will agree, not an amazing card.

Also, if it can be helped, I'd prefer you not get a powmax case with a powmax PSU. Think, $22 for a PSU with case? Yeah... I know it's for you mom, but still, having a crappy PSU f your system is not fun at all for everyone.

I'd start recommending an Athlon system, but it'd be a little more expensive from the prices I've been seeing for Duron 1800s and such (mostly because they're OEM and don't come with HSFs).

edit: ehhh, nevermind about the PCI thing. :)
 
Im with the others - upgrade your box and just give her your old box. Maybe add a stick of ram for her to your old one.

You definitly need a mobo/cpu/ram - a GF5200 is NOT a bandaid for your box - you would hate us if you bought it. o.0

EDIT: I reccomended he buy his mother a mobo with on-board GPU - thus letting him use his old PCI card until Santa drops a new system in his lap.

Could always go this route too: Complete Computer: $254.

Thats:
AMD ATHLON 2000XP+ CPU & Fan
ECS SIS741GX
256MB DDR Memory
OnBoard Video Card, AC 97 Sound & 10/100 NIC
52x CDRom Drive
Maxtor 40Gig. 7200 rpm Hard Drive
MidTower Case & 350 watts Power Supply
PS/2 Keyboard & PS/2 Scroll Mouse

$329 CAD = $254 USD @XE Currency converter

My link is Canadian - I can only assume you can get better deals than I. I just moved here from Sacramento - I miss warehouse prices. =/

-=M=-
 
man, you arent joking, the nearest place here is fry's in austin, and i dont have the time to go to austin. if i only had the cash for a new rig.

eh... eny way My system specs are Dell L933r with a P3 933/133fsb
currently 191 mb of ram and max this pc will take is 512 of those ram sticks, all pci, no agp slots. 32 MB nvidia riva tnt2 (and yes i game on this pc) i dont want to get rid of it just upgraded, im just gona wait till income tax comes around once again and get my own rig. and give this one to my wife. maby she will get in to gaming again if she has a decent pc to play on. another thing, i have been actually trying to run maya on this pc, i can officially make askelleton, but i lack the power to give it life.

also, i wold like to stick to just a basic intel system, i see the amd system is a bit more pricy, and and the vid card and ram are just a payment for this pc so i also would like to keep it cheap, and the ony cards i see cheap are the FX 5200, bit i think ill take your advise and stay away from them, i gues i could switch to ati if i see nothing better on the nvidia side.

just wondering, what exacly is so bad about the 5200 FX?
i have been searching through google and i found some user review sites, they all seemed to give it a good review.

and as far as a cd drive, yea i did forget, but it doesnt have to be a burner. so i will ad on one. but no floppy drive, if she does want floppy drive then i will give her mine because i dont use it.

BillLeeLee said:
Also, if it can be helped, I'd prefer you not get a powmax case with a powmax PSU. Think, $22 for a PSU with case? Yeah... I know it's for you mom, but still, having a crappy PSU f your system is not fun at all for everyone.
Click to expand...

so what case and psu would you recomend me.


Update: I just found This case andThis vid card, this is as high as ill go on price (wouldnt mind lower) and i still have to find cheaper ram if posible.
 
The AMD parts in my opinion post are /good/ parts. You could game and surf with near 0 probs.

That Cely/Intel set-up will make you/mom hate computers. ='(

-=M=-
 
Why are you going to get a full size case for your mom?

Check out the athenatech slim microATX cases. They are not expensive last time I checked.

I'd also say get her an athlon xp based rig. I know I saw a retail athlon XP for about $60 at newegg.

I'd also get a ASROCK motherboard, most (if not all) come with a 56k modem included (not to mention onboard VGA).

As for the HDD, I'd get the 40gb seagate hard drive myself. And I'd get some other memory, like A-Data PC3200 for $38. You won't be running it at PC3200 speed, but it may come in handy in the future. There's really no reason to buy PC2100 anymore in my opinion, especially if it's more expensive.

Last but not least...

Do you not love your mother? Why are you getting her a ball mouse???
 
ok, here is my list updated.

CASE
Hard drive
KB & M Combo
RAM
MONITOR
MOBO
PROCESOR

The price went up a bit with the procesor, but its the best i could find and the mother board looks prety decent, and like i said, no gaming of sort will be done on this rig, maby some chess master now and then, but this mobo has intergrated 64mb video so its more than enough, if it ever fails i have a vid card for it.
the current price for all this right now is
Shipping & Handling: $39.96
Grand Total: $ 440.20

so now all i have left to do is add on the ram and vid card for my system and see what the damage is.

EDIT: Also i cant decide wich vid card to get.
ATI
OR NVIDIA, i would not mind the nvidia because its just a bit cheaper, yet eavery one tells me to stay away from it.
oh yea THIS is the ram i need for my pc, if any knows if newegg has this type of ram cheaper please post the link.

again, thank you.

EDIT: i just found some Crucial ram cheaper than This stick here. looks to be the same, just cheaper.
 
Why the celeron proc? I believe you can find the same priced athlon XP and it will run much faster for the same price.(somebody correct me if i'm wrong)
 
well, like i said, i have allready explored the option of handing this pc down to her and building me a new one, and she did not go for it.

if i were to build a gaming rig i would defenatelly make it an athlon rig, but i was told to build a computer like the one she has right now, and what she has right now in her office if really slow, she has a p2 400mghz, 256 mb of sd ram and a 30 gig hdd, with onboard video and that is sufrficient enough for her since all she does is word procesing and internet browsing, so im stiking with a basic intel system, she also does not need a 17 inch monitor, i was told to do this cheap, so im doing it as cheap as posible but you guys are just making me drool over parts i can not get for my self.

and like i told you guys before, im gona wait till tax season comes round agian next yr to build me a decent gaming rig and give this dell to my wife, but for now i would like to overclock my P3 933 mghz to maby a 1.0, you think that would be posible? if so how would i go about doing this? i have loked for overclocking guides and havent found much.
 
The mobo and cpu I suggested are cheaper {$6 cheaper for the mobo, and $10 cheaper for the AMD}.

This way when your computer breaks down - or if by some chance in hell you can set up a LAN with a bud and wanna frag each other her computer iscapable of doing it.

The cely is like having one big 3 lb testical.

I think we all understand your budget, and we definitly ALL know how it is building someone a better computer while your own lacks - but trust us, in the long run you will be happy you spent the same amount of money on a AMD combo rather then that Cely. My uncle HATES that his 2.4 {or 2.8} Cely gets trounced by my mom-in-laws 1400 Bird I build her. :)

-=M=-
 
If you are going to go the Celeron route, then at least get the Celeron-D for Gods sake.

Why can she not used an integrated video card?
 
i take back what i said bout amd, i just found a mobo procesor that droped the price down, along with that case you recomended me Benny. thanks.

also, i dont live with my mom so as far as me ever using her pc to lan up and game, thats pretty far fetched.

so any way, i found this MOBO and this Athlon XP and it droped the price considerably, so im happy i took the time to look in to AMD.

oh and by the way, that 15' in monitor, well i found a CTX 17" in for the same price 105.00$
i saw it on a small picture add on the side of the screen, so im goin to offer her my 15"inch monitor to see if i can keep the 17"inch.
all i need now is a stick of 256 DDR400/333/266 and i think ill be set to do this.
 
/phew

We dont care about your reasons - we just dont want to see another bastard child Celeron take the place of a good'ol XP chip. ;)

-=M=-
 
I would recomend that celly chip, i replaced 3 XP machines with those 1.7 cellys just last month, i actually have one that was burnt to a crisp, i have pics at work, ill try and post them later, i have had 0 prob with the cellys...
 
bignasty said:
I would recomend that celly chip, i replaced 3 XP machines with those 1.7 cellys just last month, i actually have one that was burnt to a crisp, i have pics at work, ill try and post them later, i have had 0 prob with the cellys...
Click to expand...

yea right. :rolleyes:

If you will consider an integrated video solution, I have used several of the ASRock K7S41 boards and like them a lot. Even have one of my 1800+ chips running at 2.3GHz in one.
 
that motherboard you linked won't fit in the case I linked, just so you know... :rolleyes:

Anyway, tell me this....

HOW IS SHE GOING TO KNOW WHAT'S INSIDE THE BOX?

With that in mind... on the one hand, I say get parts for yourself and pass your stufffs to her. She won't ever know.

On the other hand, you're a grown man dammit, buy your own parts :p
 
hey, like i said, a video card and ram is just a payment.
she offered to pay me, i said no at first but she talked me in to accepting something for me building the pc.

btw thanks for the notice bout the mobo and case.
 
That second motherboard does not have video onboard.

For cheap micro ATX motherboards with Video, look for VIA KT400M chipset motherboards or SIS 741GX motherboards.

For cheap PCs you cannot beat the Athlon + KM400A or 741GX combo.

Here's my take...

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=914606

370 for everything except WinXP.

While she may not "need" a 17" monitor, you can get decent 17" monitors for the same price as that 15" you are getting. Why NOT get a 17" unless she does not have the room for it?

And don't forget to add in the cost of WinXP Home.

If you want to give her a surround sound system too, grab the Abit VA-10 - it has all necessary jacks for 5.1 sound on the backplane, and is only 52 bucks to boot. :)

BB
 
BB Gun said:
That second motherboard does not have video onboard.

For cheap micro ATX motherboards with Video, look for VIA KT400M chipset motherboards or SIS 741GX motherboards.

For cheap PCs you cannot beat the Athlon + KM400A or 741GX combo.

Here's my take...

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=914606

370 for everything except WinXP.

While she may not "need" a 17" monitor, you can get decent 17" monitors for the same price as that 15" you are getting. Why NOT get a 17" unless she does not have the room for it?

And don't forget to add in the cost of WinXP Home.

If you want to give her a surround sound system too, grab the Abit VA-10 - it has all necessary jacks for 5.1 sound on the backplane, and is only 52 bucks to boot. :)

BB
Click to expand...

best looking suggestion so far!

Cheers,
 
bignasty said:
I would recomend that celly chip, i replaced 3 XP machines with those 1.7 cellys just last month, i actually have one that was burnt to a crisp, i have pics at work, ill try and post them later, i have had 0 prob with the cellys...
Click to expand...
No insult intended, but that sounds like your own incompetence rather than an inherent problem with the Athlon. :rolleyes:

Anyway, that last spec sheet looks OK; I would go ahead and spend a few dollars on going nForce2 rather than SiS741GX, but that's just me. (It's much faster in the graphics department, and most of the people I build for do a little bit for gaming.)

Are you sure that she wants a CD-ROM as opposed to a CD-RW or DVD-ROM? A combo drive is only about $30~$35 more than the CD-ROM you're looking at, and might come in handy one day. (Or not. Your call.)
 
Yeah - for slightly more capable boards that push the system price just over 400 bucks, I go with nForce IGP boards and a cd-rw/DVD combo. I also almost always put in 512 MB of RAM and a Barton2500+ as well. The above list is an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM configuration.

BB
 
BB Gun said:
That second motherboard does not have video onboard.

For cheap micro ATX motherboards with Video, look for VIA KT400M chipset motherboards or SIS 741GX motherboards.

For cheap PCs you cannot beat the Athlon + KM400A or 741GX combo.

Here's my take...

http://secure.newegg.com/app/WishR.asp?ID=914606

370 for everything except WinXP.

While she may not "need" a 17" monitor, you can get decent 17" monitors for the same price as that 15" you are getting. Why NOT get a 17" unless she does not have the room for it?

And don't forget to add in the cost of WinXP Home.

If you want to give her a surround sound system too, grab the Abit VA-10 - it has all necessary jacks for 5.1 sound on the backplane, and is only 52 bucks to boot. :)

BB
Click to expand...


wow man, thanks, i really apreciate that, you just droped the price again.

as far as that 5200FX, well they seem to be all out of stock, so i dont know what to choose now, i was looking at this other 5200FX , and also this ATI 9200.
wich would you think would give me best performance. :D

(PS) just a reminder, the pc being build is for my mom, not for me.
i was asked nothing fancy, so nothing fancy i will deliver, its goin to be an office pc so no surround sound or gaming boards.
but dont worry in a few months i will be asking for your hellp again when i have the money to build me a gaming rig. :D
 
The 9200's actually a bit less slow than the FX5200, so I'd suggest 9200.

Or just get a motherboard with integrated graphics, since your mom won't care.
 
Benny Blanco said:
Don't they both equally suck? LOL

Is this for you or for mom?

I'd take the 5200.
Click to expand...

Stiletto One said:
The 9200's actually a bit less slow than the FX5200, so I'd suggest 9200.

Or just get a motherboard with integrated graphics, since your mom won't care.
Click to expand...


ok, IM GOIN TO SAY THIS ONE MORE TIME.

I Am building a pc for my mom NOT FOR ME.
SHE ASKED FOR NOTHING FANCY OR "BAD ASS" JUSR REALLY REALLY SIMPLE AND CHEAP STUFF< CHEAPEST POSIBLE. SHE WELL NOT BE PLAYING GAMES ON IT, ALL SHE WILL BE DOING IS WORD PROCESING WITH ADOBE ACROBAT MOSTLY AND INTERNER BROWSING.

As a payment for building this pc, i will receive 2 STICKS OF RAM FOR MY PC AND A VIDEO CARD OF MY CHOICE FOR MY PC.
she needs only intergraded video.

thats why i NEED a PCI VID CARD.
 
Feel da <3

We all know where you are headed with this build - well most of us do. But what the majority of us are trying to help you with is -

If you have 300 bux to spend WHY build a computer that is casterated when for that SAME 300 bux you can build a good gamer/surfer/editor/etc etc.

THEN - in 5 years when she wants a DELL or what ever and she gives you the old box you will have some decent goodies there - as well as it being a good back-up if your box fails OR a good salvage box for your next build.

Majority of us dont want you blowing your budget - but its silly to build a brick when you can build a good box. God knows when ever I blow a stick of memory Im at the mom-in-laws house scalping DDR out of her box, and adding SDRAM to hers until mine is repaired {her board has 2 slots DDR, 2 SDRAM (not simultaneous obviously)}.

You ever spend time at your moms house during the boring holidays? Wouldnt it be cool to be able to slip away and play some FarCry on a system that will do everything your mom wants, plus game for the same cost?
 
Subtract vid card - cube system already has it. Add monitor for a hundred bucks. Cost is now over 400.00.

Still not bad, though. The hassle of dealing with 3 different copmanies for parts and shipping though..... not sure its worth it. :)

Thanks for the reminder on the modem though... Updating my list as I type.

BB
 
well, i apreciate that you guys want to hellp me build a good long lasting box, but the problem is that down the road, i will never get that box handed down to me so im not really worried about it.

but here ill tel you what, take a look at this new list i have compiled.
(and by the way could some one hellp me out iwth the wishlist thing, i cant get it to save right to show people for viewing)

CASE
Motherboard
Procesor
RAM
Hard Drive
M&K
Monitor
CD Rom

thats for my moms computer.

and like i said, if in the future i do get this computer and she gets another one, i know i can upgrade it because it had decen components. but for now all this will do just fine for her.
as for me, well im not worried about building a gaming rig just yet, since im goin to wait about 5 more months to build one for my self. but the reason i want to upgrade this computer right now is because i want it to be topped off so when i get mine my wife can have this one.
man i tell u what, we PCI gamers got screwed in the video card department, there aint shit for pci when it comes to video cards. so i think im gona stick with that 9200 for my pc. i mean how bad can it be, its 256/128, and even tho it only suports opengl 1.3 and DX8.1 hey i can make it work.
 
Well the only things I personally would change is get a slim mATX case with a single 5.25" bay, and I would also get a CD-RW just because they are so cheap, its not worth it in my opinion to skip it. In fact, it will probably either come in handy, or even end up being a necessity. The last thing I would try to do is get the fastest proc the budget will allow. XP2000 is good, XP2400 or 2500 would be nice, XP2800 would be sweet.
 
ASK her if she wants a DVD drive, CD-RW or CD-RW/DVD combo drive - and tell her the difference in price.

MicroATX [edit]cases[/edit] work ok, but then you have to worry if your modem card has the 1/2 height backplane to plug into it. Plus, the only quality MicroATX cases are about 10 bucks more.

I've used:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-129-139&depa=1 (too expensive)

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-130-105&depa=1 (43 bucks)

I've looked at but have not yet used: http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=11-127-041&depa=1 (available in several designer colors, 53 bucks)

For basic computers they work fine, but add to the cost.

Barton's are also better than the older tbred because they run cooler. Its why my basic PC for office work always comes with a barton2500.

But, ripping my original list works just fine as well for a really basic system.

BB
 
PS - forgot the help on the wishlist thing...

At newegg, when you have an account, you can save your wishlist.

Once you have saved it, click the link next to the wishlist that says "email to a friend" then email it to yourself.

Cut and paste the link you then recieve in the mail to the forum, and voila!

BB
 
Don't forget the modem. And get a good one. My dad suffered with a $20 modem for along time, then I had him get a US Robotics, and even though it was a winmodem, it was like night and day. Then he got high-speed through Cox and now he doesn't need the modem.
 
$35 USR WinModem will be fine, just not one of the $8 ones. I have a stable connection for 12 hours with one.
 
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