E8400 system still a best buy for light to moderate internet use?

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BoostFrenzy

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Building a box for my gf's parents, they'll just be using the web, itunes and other minor demand applications. They DO NOT need a dedicated video card.

For under $500 i'm thinking an E8400, intel 43GT board, 4GB ram, WD 6400AAKS HD and an optical drive... seem like the most economical package for the needs? I spose my second choice was a I5-750 box but needing dedicated video etc causes the price to go up a lot.

Will be running Windows 7 x64

thanks
 
yup, an i3 box is probably your best bet, the integrated graphics on it should be able to do HD if they wanted to, with a p55 board(i got the letter right didnt i? I'm more of an AMD guy desktop wise), and then the rest of what you said......plus 4 gig of DDR3 is goign to end up cheaper than 4 gig of DDR2.......power draw/heat will be better on an i3 too i believe.
 
The e8400 is overkill IMO.

Just get a Dell Vostro + Monitor for $500-ish, it should do the job fine.
 
I agree with 450 -

The Dell deals are hard to beat and any Core 2 Duo should be absolutely fine for any medium or light use PC.

http://www.gotapex.com/ has great computer deals listing - like slickdeals, but more computer related. The Dell deal on there today with a 24" monitor for $469 is exactly what your looking for IMO.


HOT! Dell Small Business - Dell Vostro 230 Slim Tower Desktop with Core 2 Duo, 3GB Memory, 320GB HD, and DVD Burner for $469 plus 23.6" Samsung LCD Monitor!
Posted on Monday December 13th, 2010 by Apex in the Computers category
Thanks to a big $352.99 instant discount, get this Dell Vostro 230 slim tower desktop with 24.6" Samsung 2494LW 1080p LCD monitor for just $469 plus just $8 shipping. It includes a 2.93Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 w/VT, 3GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB hard drive, 16x DVD+/-RW DL, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit, 15-month antivirus, and a 1 year warranty. Good while supplies last. DELL VOSTRO 230 SLIM TOWER DESKTOP DEAL

The best part is - if they buy a Dell, guess who ISN'T doing the troubleshooting for as long as you buy the warranty!
 
I guess what I meant to say was I wanted AT LEAST e8400 performance, 4gb ram, 64bit Windows7 and a sizable HD.

Went with E8400, 1tb black HD, 4gb ram, Intel 43GT mobo for $500 shipped
 
I could've sold you my AMD Duron system and it will web surf like there is no tomorrow.
 
...yeah, the Dell was a better deal. Warranty. Saves your ass. Never custom build for anyone's parents / grandparents / etc unless you are clear up front you will be charging a standard rate for any and all tech support. Hell, if they already had a monitor you could've bought the Dell, sold the monitor, and been even further ahead of the game. Poor choice.
 
silent-circuit said:
...yeah, the Dell was a better deal. Warranty. Saves your ass. Never custom build for anyone's parents / grandparents / etc unless you are clear up front you will be charging a standard rate for any and all tech support.
Click to expand...

That, and the Dell came with a large-ish Samsung monitor.

$500 for an e8400 system seems a bit high. I'd consider canceling and either getting the Dell or building an i3/H55/DDR3 system.
 
cancel your order and go with the Dell. Face the facts -- for a generic light duty system we'll never compete with Dell's volume pricing. Your gf's parents would NEVER know the difference between the machine you configured and the Dell. Heck in general use - none of us could tell the difference either. That 24.6" LCD makes the deal all the nicer. 3GB vs. 4GB of RAM matters not for light PC use and the difference between your e8400 and the e7500 is zero outside of synthetic benchmarks. If you put your custom build on one table and the Dell with the 24.6" Samsung LCD on a second table (and noted that there was a year warranty on the Dell, but that they'd have to go through individual parts manufacturers for your custom build --- and then informed your gf's folks that both were the same price --- Which do you think they would choose?

Now - - -

Do you think they'd change their mind if you told them your build could upload a video to youtube 1.2 % faster?
 
The E8400 is still a great proc and can be used in a potent gaming machine still today. It will be great for a general use rig.
 
Gym Rat said:
The E8400 is still a great proc and can be used in a potent gaming machine still today. It will be great for a general use rig.
Click to expand...

It's not that the e8400 won't be able to do that job, its that the e8400 is overpriced; especially given the tasks at hand.
 
Wow, that is a stellar deal from Dell. Think OP made the wrong choice. Like someone mentioned earlier, could've sold the monitor if they already had one and made off like a bandit.
 
How in the fuck did you pay $500 for that combo?
You would have had to try your hardest to find the worst deals on the internet it seems...
 
Archaea said:
I agree with 450 -

The Dell deals are hard to beat and any Core 2 Duo should be absolutely fine for any medium or light use PC.

http://www.gotapex.com/ has great computer deals listing - like slickdeals, but more computer related. The Dell deal on there today with a 24" monitor for $469 is exactly what your looking for IMO.


HOT! Dell Small Business - Dell Vostro 230 Slim Tower Desktop with Core 2 Duo, 3GB Memory, 320GB HD, and DVD Burner for $469 plus 23.6" Samsung LCD Monitor!
Posted on Monday December 13th, 2010 by Apex in the Computers category
Thanks to a big $352.99 instant discount, get this Dell Vostro 230 slim tower desktop with 24.6" Samsung 2494LW 1080p LCD monitor for just $469 plus just $8 shipping. It includes a 2.93Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo E7500 w/VT, 3GB DDR3 SDRAM, 320GB hard drive, 16x DVD+/-RW DL, Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit, 15-month antivirus, and a 1 year warranty. Good while supplies last. DELL VOSTRO 230 SLIM TOWER DESKTOP DEAL

The best part is - if they buy a Dell, guess who ISN'T doing the troubleshooting for as long as you buy the warranty!
Click to expand...

Listen to this guy.

You custom build a computer for a family member and every time they load it up with spyware or figure a way to break it then it's your responsibility to fix it. And they WILL figure out a way to make it run like a dog when they click on all those popups!:D Then your gf's parents will think you are a moron for making a computer that runs so poorly.:(

Dell's or Emachines is what I hook up all my relatives with. How can you beat a $300(microcenter.com) Emachine laptop or desktop with Win7 Premium 64-bit for websurfing? Add a nice monitor to that and everybody is happy and you don't have to be tech support.;)
 
YELL said:
Listen to this guy.

You custom build a computer for a family member and every time they load it up with spyware or figure a way to break it then it's your responsibility to fix it. And they WILL figure out a way to make it run like a dog when they click on all those popups!:D Then your gf's parents will think you are a moron for making a computer that runs so poorly.:(

Dell's or Emachines is what I hook up all my relatives with. How can you beat a $300(microcenter.com) Emachine laptop or desktop with Win7 Premium 64-bit for websurfing? Add a nice monitor to that and everybody is happy and you don't have to be tech support.;)
Click to expand...


Zbox ND22 ( CULV/Ion) is another option with the advantages of small size, noise and power consumption. Stick a 30gb SSD and Ubuntu on it for a relatively quick, secure 'net box.
e8400 is a waste with that lousy IGP.
 
I agree as well with the Dell.... not even for the fact it's a better value but just in headaches alone. Like others stated, building systems for family members or non-tech friends is not worth it.

I made the mistake of building a system for a guy I worked with a couple years back and I couldn't get any work done because he would bug me weeks on end.
 
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