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New Computer for Mom

R

RoGuE1230

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
464
I made a similar thread over half a year ago but I wanted to revisit this subject. My goal is to keep this build as cheap as possible, which for my budget would be $300 or less. The only real requirement is that it must play Youtube videos and do other multimedia things online. I'm sure this build can do that easily, but I also like to keep me computers a very long time. The computer she has now is an Athlon XP 2800 from 2004 I believe and it has lot's of issues. Anyway, how is this processor and the rest of the build?:


CPU/Mobo Combo 1 (RAM included)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4809450&Sku=M69-0801

CPU/Mobo Combo 2 (No RAM)
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5618887&CatId=7702

And if I get the deal without RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231427

Hard drive (May hold off on this for another sale on one, looking to spend about $50)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152244

I just need a case and PSU that come out to about $40. The case does not need to be anything special.

And as For Windows, the Windows 8 for $70 deal is what I would go for right now.

Any suggestions?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Get a cheap Pentium 1155 CPU + H61 Motherboard + 4GB of RAM. Throw it in a Fractal Core 1000 case with a 430 Corsair PSU and you are good to go.

Maybe consider Ubuntu? I built a PC for my grandparents with the above specs with a cheap SSD and it is perfect for them with Ubuntu.
 
As I said six months ago, no need whatsoever to build the PC. You're better off with prebuilt PC like this Dell:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...&model_id=inspiron-660s&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

The key advantage the above Dell has over any planned $300 setup with OS included is that the included Dell PSU is actually pretty decent. A decent PSU alone costs $40 yet you only have $40 for the case and PSU. I can guarantee you that you will not be able to find a good PSU + case combo for less than $70 let alone $40.
 
I would suggest you do not build pc's that you do not own. Just point her at a nice Dell or something.
 
Danny Bui said:
As I said six months ago, no need whatsoever to build the PC. You're better off with prebuilt PC like this Dell:
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...&model_id=inspiron-660s&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19

The key advantage the above Dell has over any planned $300 setup with OS included is that the included Dell PSU is actually pretty decent. A decent PSU alone costs $40 yet you only have $40 for the case and PSU. I can guarantee you that you will not be able to find a good PSU + case combo for less than $70 let alone $40.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the response Danny Bui. I respect your advice, but if I can build one at this time of year and take advantage of BF deals and have the cost come in at nearly the same amount, I'd prefer to go that route.

GIGABYTE GA-A55M-DS2
AMD A4-Series A4-3400 APU
Corsair CMX4GX3M1A1333C9 XMS3 4GB DDR3 RAM
$90

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430
$25 AR

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB
$60

Windows 8
$70

Case
$40


I realize a lot of people here don't consider the AR (after rebate) price, but I've never had trouble getting them.

With that factored in, the total comes to $285, and no tax for me.

I've been out of the loop for a while in terms of CPUs, so I'm trying to figure out if the processor is good, or at least comparable to what that Dell has.
 
When you build an entry level computer, you're compromising on every single component to keep in the same price range, and you're actually skipping on several components.
With the Dell, you get front USB 3.0, HDMI, a keyboard, a mouse, a DVD player, a multicard reader, WiFi, Windows 8, 1 year of at home service.
With your deal, you get USB 2.0, SATA II, etc. This was already obsolete one year ago, you won't be able to upgrade it to, say a SSD if you plan on keeping the computer for several years.
Better get the Dell and maybe add extra RAM next year, a webcam or SSD the year after, etc.

It's not even possible to compete with Dell Vostro computers as an individual builder, let alone an Atom Inspiron.
 
singe_101 said:
What's the verdict on parents and Windows 8? Fine?
Click to expand...

Probably, since you can put the start button back anyway.



Regardless of the argument of building vs buying, here's where I'm at.

FX 4100
Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P
Corsair Carbide 200
Corsair CX430 PSU
Windows 8 Pro

So far I'm about $225 in. I just need RAM and a hard drive which there aren't really any huge sales on right now. I figured 4GB of RAM is probably fine, right? And as far as a hard drive I'd like about 500GB-1TB. Any recomendations? I'm kind of figuring waiting until around Christmas is what I will have to do if I want big sale prices.
 
I'm with everyone else here in that we HIGHLY recommend pre-built computer like the Dell Danny linked.

If you absolutely won't do that, I very much recommend you find room in the budget to get a cheap 1155 motherboard + intel chip (either sandy or ivy is fine). An i3 would be preferred but tight in your budget unless you have a micro center close. Look at the G620 or the Celeron G530. They're powerful enough for what you're describing, have better stock coolers, better power usage / usage temps.

EDIT: I did something similar for my parents with a slightly larger budget, went with i3-3225 + Gigabye B75 mATX board ($166 from Microcenter), 8GB RAM ($34), reused a CD drive, Antec HCG 400w psu ($10 after MIR I already got back), Samsung 830 SSD ($70), and Win 7 ($80). That's $360 without a case, used an NZXT Source 210 Elite for $50. Had the Carbide 200 been out, especially at the $30 after MIR pricepoint it was a couple days ago when I looked, I would have used that. You should be able to use similar parts, drop to 4GB RAM, HDD instead of SSD, and cheaper Win8 license to get to maybe $330-340 or so if you can manage that much -- if not, pay $50 for a cheap 1155 board and $35 for a Celeron G550. Of course, none of that works if you're not near a micro center.
 
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RoGuE1230 said:
Probably, since you can put the start button back anyway.



Regardless of the argument of building vs buying, here's where I'm at.

FX 4100
Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P
Corsair Carbide 200
Corsair CX430 PSU
Windows 8 Pro

So far I'm about $225 in. I just need RAM and a hard drive which there aren't really any huge sales on right now. I figured 4GB of RAM is probably fine, right? And as far as a hard drive I'd like about 500GB-1TB. Any recomendations? I'm kind of figuring waiting until around Christmas is what I will have to do if I want big sale prices.
Click to expand...

At that price I simply cannot recommend a system that performs as slow as, if not slower than, a five-year-old Intel Core 2 Duo system. Especially since Bulldozer-derived AMD CPU-based PCs perform relatively poorly in lightly-threaded applications--the very same apps that that build was intended to run in the first place.
 
I don't know why I said I was already $225 into this, that was my projected final cost.

Though it seems most don't agree with my choices, I'll continue to update this.

FX4100 and Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P= $95 or $85 AR
Corsair Carbide 200= $50 or $30 AR
Corsair CX430= $40 or $20 AR
Intel 80GB SSD= $60 or $40 AR (Her current computer has less than 10GB of data on it so I'm not worried about the size)
Unknown 8GB RAM= ~$30 (Haven't bought this yet)
Windows 8 Pro= $15

So before rebates it is $290, and after rebates it is $220. I'm think I might toss in a $10-$15 video card from these recent sales to take workload off of the rest of it. She also needs a monitor, I'm thinking of a 22"-24" LED, so hopefully with that I can stay under $350.

I assembled all that I had (this case is VERY nice to work with) and tossed in a spare 4GB stick of RAM to test it out before I send out the rebates. It seems just as fast as my build in my signature or even slightly faster, though I'm sure the SSD has a part in that. I even had a spare stock cooler from my X6 laying around, so I used that instead and the processor temps hover around 15C. It seems to be perfect for an internet browsing computer and then some. It's nothing like a 5 year old Intel C2D. I'll post some pics of it all at some point.
 
I'm glad it worked out for you, I too have to build something similar for my mom, so your thread was very helpful.
RoGuE1230 said:
I don't know why I said I was already $225 into this, that was my projected final cost.

Though it seems most don't agree with my choices, I'll continue to update this.

FX4100 and Gigabyte 78LMT-S2P= $95 or $85 AR
Corsair Carbide 200= $50 or $30 AR
Corsair CX430= $40 or $20 AR
Intel 80GB SSD= $60 or $40 AR (Her current computer has less than 10GB of data on it so I'm not worried about the size)
Unknown 8GB RAM= ~$30 (Haven't bought this yet)
Windows 8 Pro= $15

So before rebates it is $290, and after rebates it is $220. I'm think I might toss in a $10-$15 video card from these recent sales to take workload off of the rest of it. She also needs a monitor, I'm thinking of a 22"-24" LED, so hopefully with that I can stay under $350.

I assembled all that I had (this case is VERY nice to work with) and tossed in a spare 4GB stick of RAM to test it out before I send out the rebates. It seems just as fast as my build in my signature or even slightly faster, though I'm sure the SSD has a part in that. I even had a spare stock cooler from my X6 laying around, so I used that instead and the processor temps hover around 15C. It seems to be perfect for an internet browsing computer and then some. It's nothing like a 5 year old Intel C2D. I'll post some pics of it all at some point.
Click to expand...
 
Glad to hear it Cudenver. :)

Here are some photos I need to show off. This would be my temporary testing station. Though some may call it a floor with an old monitor:



 
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