AMD Sempron 3000 combo for $50 for Parents?

[JEDI]

I built a P3 1.1Ghz machine with 512megs for my parents 5yrs ago. It's running WinXP sp2. Now they think it's slow and want a new one. (nothing has changed on the machine.) All they do is surf and use Word for basic letter writing.

I saw this:
AMD Sempron 3000 w/ECS Goal3 mobo $50

(video just says: Onboard Video Chipset Integrated 2D and 3D Graphics???)

Pros:
It's inexpensive.
I have 1gig (2 x 512) of DDR400 ram lying around that this combo needs. (i have case, and spare hard drive.)

Cons:
Spending $ on obsolete technology. (Socket 754)


What do you think?
Other suggestions?

 

[0roo0roo]

can u or your parents afford better?
snappiness is enjoyable for everyone

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
can u or your parents afford better?
snappiness is enjoyable for everyone

sure. i could give them my current machine (AMD x2 5000 w/2gigs ram), and i'll pick up a quad core.

but as i said in my op, all they are using the computer for is surfing the web, and Word.

but a x2 5000 is overkill for them.
and i'm not playing any games right now, so i dont need to upgrade yet.

hm.. newegg is having a cyber monday sale:
x2 5000 w/mobo $106.
i just need to add ram. ($20 for 2gigs???)

 

[JackMDS]

Sempron + SIS chipset + 754 will not be much faster than P-III 1.1GHz.

If it is slow with 754 you have No Where to go.

Get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813138133

It is $20 more and another $20 for a gig of DDR2.

It would last longer, and after a while you can stick in a faster CPU.

 

[Slugbait]

If all they do is surf and use Word, their machine is overkill.

If you review XP's recommended system requirements (as opposed to minimum requirements), their machine is over three times more powerful. They should be wasting cycles for what they do.

My guess is that the web has surfed them. Perform a malware exorcism, lock it down, update their HOSTS file, and if they are on broadband put that $50 toward a hardware firewall...or at the least, get ZoneAlarm.

Also, look for an FTP program running in the background. If you find this is the case, Stop it and set it to only run manually, and requiring a specific password. Then find the INI file for the FTP program and change all the passwords. Then check the drive for the warez...

 

[magreen]

They've corrupted their precious bodily fluids!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Slugbait
or at the least, get ZoneAlarm.

ZoneAlarm is a resource-intensive pig. Do you think such a slow computer such as theirs is can handle that? I don't.

OP, you want to update your parent's rig to something workably decent?

Pick up a Gigabyte G31-chipset mobo, any of them are fine, but some are newer than others.
Pick up an E5200 CPU.
Pick up a 2GB (or if you're feeling generous) a 4GB kit of RAM.

Depending on how old and slow (and how likely to fail) their HD is, consider getting a WD 6400AAKS HD for $70. Huge storage space, lightning fast, great reviews.

Total, roughly $250. For a warp-speed computer. You could even overclock it some.

 

[s44]

Originally posted by: Slugbait
If all they do is surf and use Word, their machine is overkill.

No it's not. 512mb isn't nearly enough these days even for browsing.

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
ZoneAlarm is a resource-intensive pig. Do you think such a slow computer such as theirs is can handle that? I don't.

Yes. Their sufficiently capable computer can handle it just fine. What, are you going to recommend they install something from Norton? Oh yes, I jest. Or how about suggesting anything at all to secure their system? Ever work with anybody who doesn't know what you mean when you tell them to right-click something? Think they know the difference between a worm and a trojan? That's grandma...that's your audience right now.

Originally posted by: s44
No it's not. 512mb isn't nearly enough these days even for browsing.

I've been running my MCE machine 24/7 in my home theatre room for well over two years, recording, time-shifting, the works...it has 512 megs. Not enough for browsing? Are you fucking kidding me with this crap? Seriously, that's not a rhetorical question....do you have ANY idea of which you speak?

Work the problem, people. Otherwise, you look like a bunch of pushers.

 

[Insomniator]

Lol at suggesting a 250 dollar rig for this.

Wouldn't spend more than 100 on cpu/mobo/ram and maybe 40 bucks on a 80 gig drive or so. Jack's suggestion is good. Really you could just throw some more ram in their current rig and reformat and it would be fast again, but this upgrade would definitely be noticeable.

ZONE ALARM LMAO

edit

the combos are kinda lame deals actually, this would be just as cheap and a little better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813153120

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819104319

 

[heyheybooboo]

Foxconn A74MX-K AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G: $40 AR

Mom & Pops deserve a Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 45W for $57

 

[pugh]

"No it's not. 512mb isn't nearly enough these days even for browsing."

It's not? hmm you very sure about that? I ran one of my spare box's on 512mb with Win xp and everything turned on for a long time for my wife.

Never heard one complaint. beefed it up too Vista Ult 64 and 1 gig for now and it is still smooth for basic computing.

Remember they will not be gaming... Just web and word.

 

[Blain]

I'm guessing the MB is 815 based, limiting the memory to 512MB.

* Install a snappy WD "Blue" HD
* Upgrade the CPU to a 1.26GHz or 1.4GHz Tualatin if the MB supports them
* Reinstall XP adjusting the "Advanced" "Performance" settings to "Adjust for best performance"
* You may also upgrade the video card to a reasonable level.

Originally posted by: pugh

"No it's not. 512mb isn't nearly enough these days even for browsing."

It's not? hmm you very sure about that? I ran one of my spare box's on 512mb with Win xp and everything turned on for a long time for my wife.

Remember they will not be gaming... Just web and word.

People's brains have been hi-jacked these days by cheap memory prices.
They can't help but think that every build needs 4GB or more of RAM. :roll:

 

[VirtualLarry]

I dunno about you guys, but there's no way in heck that 512MB of RAM is enough for browsing with Firefox. I have 1GB in this machine, and it still lags pretty badly. I used up 1.4GB of VM just with Firefox alone.


N.B. And for the less security-savvy users out there, they SHOULD be using Firefox.

 

[s44]

Tabs = memory

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: s44
Tabs = memory

Good point, especially for FF2 because of its notorious penchant for leaking memory...so not many people use it any more. I've had FF3 running constantly for over a week so far, nine tabs currently open, with dozens of tabs opened and closed during that period. I have a second instance of FF3 running without tabs. Memory usage for firefox.exe is well below 180 megs...

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
I dunno about you guys, but there's no way in heck that 512MB of RAM is enough for browsing with Firefox...I used up 1.4GB of VM just with Firefox alone.

Besides FF3, my machine is currently running Vegas, Notepad, one file opened in Excel 2K3, three docs opened in Word 2K3, Outlook 2K3, Nero 6.6.x, Messenger, Defender, eTrust, four shell windows open, etc. My page file is sitting at 1.53G. After closing both instances of FF3, page file usage dropped a whopping 0.24 (zero-point two four) gigs.

At 1.4G of virtual memory for something as simple as a browser, your machine is seriously frakked. If you can't fix this, it's time to flatten it and start over. It's in much worse shape than OP's parent's machine.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: Slugbait
At 1.4G of virtual memory for something as simple as a browser, your machine is seriously frakked. If you can't fix this, it's time to flatten it and start over. It's in much worse shape than OP's parent's machine.

It's not frakked, that's just the way Firefox is with memory. Firefox has always been that way, on all of the machines that I run it on. I just use my browser more than other people.

You should see it when I run out of GDI handles.

 

[Slugbait]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: Slugbait
At 1.4G of virtual memory for something as simple as a browser, your machine is seriously frakked. If you can't fix this, it's time to flatten it and start over. It's in much worse shape than OP's parent's machine.

It's not frakked, that's just the way Firefox is with memory. Firefox has always been that way, on all of the machines that I run it on. I just use my browser more than other people.

You should see it when I run out of GDI handles.

Yup. Yer right. More than a week of a single instance with dozens of tabs and building up less than a quarter-gig of page file usage is probably child's play to you. What I'm seeing is a total illusion. This guy is full of it, too.

Hey, here's a novel idea...ever consider using a different browser? Of course not, we're all masochists here, right?

Seriously, flatten your machine. Any app that uses that much of a page file is a glaring indication that it's not your browser...it's you.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: Slugbait
If all they do is surf and use Word, their machine is overkill.
....

well thats assuming their usage doesn't grow.
the best way to keep them from becoming more enthusiastic about using the computer is to make the experience a chore.

stuff is so cheap now you might as well get them a decent web machine.
hell even 22" monitors are well under 200 bucks these days

 

[Blain]

JEDI,
This thread about your parents PC is rolling on.
You've not replied in for almost a week.
Why not give us a little more feedback on how the posts are relating to their computer needs?

 

[0roo0roo]

157 tabs ff3 673,xxxK physical mem 680,000K VM

and no, its not sluggish.
we have ram...to use.

 

[eddiebravo]

i say give them your pc. parents always fuck up computers and end up making them run far worse than they should. for you, a crap ass sempron may be all you need for surfing the web, but for them its going to end up a slow piece of junk. your pc is not really overkill for them in the long run.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Blain
JEDI,
This thread about your parents PC is rolling on.
You've not replied in for almost a week.
Why not give us a little more feedback on how the posts are relating to their computer needs?

sorry. i'm now in analysis paralysis

buy a cheapo mobo/cpu?
give parents my amd x2 5000 rig, and i go get a x2 6000 rig or even triple core?

Newegg has a free $500 gas on some combo deals.
ie: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.147063

it's like getting paid to buy it???

 

[Blain]

Make sure and read the details about the "$500 in Gasoline".

 

[eddiebravo]

the $500 in gas thing is complete bullshit