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Cheap Build for Relatives

G

GammaLyra

n00b
Joined
Jul 20, 2009
Messages
7
Esteemed HardForum Members,

I've been called on by the relatives to replace their ancient dinosaur of a current PC. The build is basically what you'd expect - something cheap with which they can browse the web, watch YouTube, do word processing, etc. Here's the rundown:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Web browsing, YouTube, email, word processing. The basics. No demanding apps like Photoshop or serious 3D games.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Cheap. $500 is my target, which could be stretched to $550 (tax and shipping included).

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US - Portland, OR.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, Mobo, RAM, optical drive, GPU (integrated, preferably), HDD, PSU, and case.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

Peripherals (mouse, keyboard, printer). Monitor, speakers, and OS.

6) Will you be overclocking?

No, never.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

I think it's 23". So either 1920x1080 or 1650x1050.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

I'd like to have the PC complete within three weeks.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Nothing special. USB 3.0 would be nice as I'd like to future-proof the PC as much as possible. It won't be another 5-6 years before it gets replaced.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Yes. Win 7 Ultimate x64.

I'd like to thank you all in advance for the advice. Your help is greatly appreciated!
 
For that kind of use, have you ever thought about a prebuilt from the likes of Dell?
 
E4g1e said:
For that kind of use, have you ever thought about a prebuilt from the likes of Dell?
Click to expand...
I thoroughly second that. You would be hard pressed to build for what a lower-end prebuilt costs.

Plus, if you build for a relative, they are going to expect you to provide tech support for anything and everything, even if it's not hardware related, like they got a virus.

With something like a Dell or HP, you can simply say that if you messed with it you'd void their warranty and then tell them to call the official tech support #. :)
 
I have, and that's exactly the type of thing I want to avoid. I can build them something that's more powerful for the same price, without proprietary nonsense, upgrade limitations, and bloatware. I do appreciate your feedback, but this is going to be a handbuilt PC.
 
GammaLyra said:
I have, and that's exactly the type of thing I want to avoid. I can build them something that's more powerful for the same price, without proprietary nonsense, upgrade limitations, and bloatware. I do appreciate your feedback, but this is going to be a handbuilt PC.
Click to expand...

Actually, you have to also figure in the cost of the other software, not just the OS.

Plus, at the $500 cost for the entire build you might either end up with extremely shitty quality components (especially the case and PSU) that would likely die out or explode after just minutes or even seconds of operation or you might end up with major components (such as the CPU and GPU and motherboard and RAM) that's so outdated and far past obsolete that the system would not be able to run anything even remotely recent at all whatsoever (assuming that you select the wrong parts) or you might end up with recent parts that have a poor performance-to-price ratio (especially the HDD: Those with less than 500GB of capacity do not cost all that much less than 500GB HDDs while also being significantly slower than the larger HDDs).
 
At that price point; your CPU will have to be something like a Celeron dual-core or a Pentium G620; it's doable but with a lot of research.
 
E4g1e said:
Actually, you have to also figure in the cost of the other software, not just the OS.
Click to expand...

What other software will the prebuilt have that the DIY setup not have?
E4g1e said:
Plus, at the $500 cost for the entire build you might either end up with extremely shitty quality components (especially the case and PSU) that would likely die out or explode after just minutes or even seconds of operation or you might end up with major components (such as the CPU and GPU and motherboard and RAM) that's so outdated and far past obsolete that the system would not be able to run anything even remotely recent at all whatsoever (assuming that you select the wrong parts) or you might end up with recent parts that have a poor performance-to-price ratio (especially the HDD: Those with less than 500GB of capacity do not cost all that much less than 500GB HDDs while also being significantly slower than the larger HDDs). .
Click to expand...
I hate to do this but I have to disagree with you. Since he already has the OS, that's not going to be a factor as with the numerous other times we've seen this exact same thread but not with an OS. Not to mention, at the moment, there aren't any major Dell deals going on AFAIK for a single desktop. $500 is more than enough for a solid build:
$125 - Intel Core i3-2120
$103 - Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Intel H77 mATX Motherboard
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner
$53 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
---
Total: $497 shipped.

With that said, there's an AWESOME deal right now for TWO Dell Vostro 260 Desktops for $380 each with free shipping:
http://www.gotapex.com/content/6093...-HD-DVD-Burner-379-05-Each-with-FREE-Shipping!

So in terms of bang for the buck value, the two Dell deals are the best.
 
Danny Bui said:
I hate to do this but I have to disagree with you. Since he already has the OS, that's not going to be a factor as with the numerous other times we've seen this exact same thread but not with an OS. Not to mention, at the moment, there aren't any major Dell deals going on AFAIK for a single desktop. $500 is more than enough for a solid build:
$125 - Intel Core i3-2120
$103 - Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Intel H77 mATX Motherboard
$38 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$18 - LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner
$53 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
---
Total: $497 shipped.

With that said, there's an AWESOME deal right now for TWO Dell Vostro 260 Desktops for $380 each with free shipping:
http://www.gotapex.com/content/6093...-HD-DVD-Burner-379-05-Each-with-FREE-Shipping!

So in terms of bang for the buck value, the two Dell deals are the best.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the component suggestions for a good-quality, decent-performing self-build. I had previously believed what I had stated based on the cost of the hard drives that were in existence three months after the flooding in Thailand.
 
 
They are trying to go cheap as possible but you have the most expensive OS option. The most common hacked OS I've encountered on client PC's is Win 7 Ultimate.

You may want to make sure they don't have a hacked OS.
 
Sorry to needlessly bump the thread, but I wanted to thank everyone for their input. Always informative and appreciated.
 
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