BASIC modern computer. need help.

[craniumdesigns]

hey folks,

i need to build a computer for my roommate for under $400, preferably less. she only needs enough to use internet and do school work. no video. no audio. on board stuff is enough. she wants it to run at nice speed though.

i need helping picking out...

CPU
Mobo
RAM
PSU (how many watts does she need?)

i will pick out...

Case
HD
DVD Burner

All 7 parts need to be under $400.

THANKS!!!

 

[HannibalX]

MSI Hetis 800 Bare Bones PC $134.99
LITE-ON 18X DVD/CD Burner $28.99
G.SKILL 512MB DDR2-667 Memory $31.99
Intel Pentium D 805 Dual Core 2.66 GHz $71.00
Western Digital Caviar 160GB HD $50.99

Total: $317.96 + Shipping

 

[HannibalX]

IMHO bare bones PCs or prebuilts from say HP or Dell are the only logical choice for this price range/usage if you want to go with new parts.

 

[craniumdesigns]

thanks a lot. is 512 of ram good enough? i was think 1 gig. maybe i'm wrong.

 

[Twsmit]

I agree go with an HP or cheap Dell. You might get "slightly" inferior parts performance wise but the warrany will be worth it, plus can't beat prebuilt prices when you factor in a OS.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: craniumdesigns
thanks a lot. is 512 of ram good enough? i was think 1 gig. maybe i'm wrong.

For WinXP Pro w/ SP2 it is. If you want to run Vista I would upgrade to 1GB. It's only $31.00 more (if you are using the prices I posted).