buying budget system for a friend...

[waylman]

what do you think of these parts? I would like it to be a little cheaper. Any suggestions? (prices are canadian).

Case/Power Supply SLK2650-BQE BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE W/350 WATT POWER SUPPLY 98.21
Motherboard ASUS A7N8X-X NFORCE2 400 SOCKETA AGP8X 5PCI USB2.0 ATA133 91.04
RAM CRUCIAL PC2700 128MB DDR 333MHZ CL2.5 X 2 80.00
Fans 80MM CASE FAN - *OEM* 8.95
Hard Drive WESTERN DIGITAL WD800BB 80.0GB 7200RPM 2MB CACHE ATA/100 *OEM* 90.28
Vid Card Already has one
DVD Burner LITEON SOHW-1213S 12X DVD+R 8X DVD-R RETAIL - BEIGE 104.56
Floppy PANASONIC 1.44MB FLOPPY DRIVE - BEIGE 11.56
Processor ATHLON XP 2600+ BARTON 333 FSB 512KB CACHE 138.00


Total 622.6

 

[PCHPlayer]

You may want to consider a 400W PS, more memory (try 2x256) and perhaps a 120GB hard drive. Look in the Hot Deals forum for HD deals. You can get a 120 GB with 8MB cache at a really good price these days.
I hope you are not building it for him. If you are, it could be a tech support nightmare.

 

[Feep]

i agree. more ram.

 

[Lyfer]

Dude, if your just looking for a budget system for web/mp3s/videos you have to get a dell. YOU CANNOT be the value you get for ~$500. Look at what you get for this week special:

Dimension 2400
Pentium 4 2.8GHZ 533MHZ FSB
512MB DDR333 (promotional double your RAM offer)
Onboard intel extreme graphics
40GB HD 7200RPM
48X CDROM
integrated audio/10/100 ethernet/56k modem
Dell 17inch Monitor
Dell quiet keyboard/Logitech optical Mice
Windows XP Home SP1 w/Word perfect

Price without tax/s&h = $512 (this is with 10% INSTANT rebate applied to $569)


The most important thing about building a rig for a friend IS NOT too, unless you passionately love to service there computer night/day.

 

[Gumby16]

Yes...more RAM, at least 512MB is you want to install WinXP. And make sure the power supply has plenty of amperage on the 12V rail. Most generic power supplies aren't up to snuff when it comes to the 12V side. Too many problems are caused by bad power supplies.

I also think Lyfer is right. Building a rig for a friend is always a dangerous task. If it doesn't work, it's a nightmare. I would suggest finding a small computer shop that has a good warranty policy and having them build the system. That way, you can gain the benefits of picking your own quality parts as well as having both store warranties and manufacturer warranties without being directly responsible for the servicing end.

I also want warn you about getting a ready-made computer from ANY company. Generally, they cannot be upgraded without voiding the warranty (that includes upgrading the OS), they come with generic power supplies, and typically come with generic motherboards with very little expansion room. They also come with very difficult-to-receive customer service. You definitely won't be getting ASUS quality boards from these OEM manufacturers.

If there are no upgrade plans and the computer will see minimal use, then a pre-built system is probably the way to go, especially with good rebates out there. But if you want quality parts as well as cheap parts, I recommend you find a local store place that can provide these services.

 

[Feep]

I agree with gumby, dont get a dell. And dont get an intel.

 

[Mik3y]

Originally posted by: PCHPlayer
You may want to consider a 400W PS, more memory (try 2x256) and perhaps a 120GB hard drive. Look in the Hot Deals forum for HD deals. You can get a 120 GB with 8MB cache at a really good price these days.
I hope you are not building it for him. If you are, it could be a tech support nightmare.

why would he need to consider getting a 400w psu? 250W is plenty for his system. it's possible to run an Athlon 64 3400+, 1gb ram, x800 pro, 2 harddrives, and a sound card on a quality 250W psu.

most people have no idea how much power a computer uses nowdays and because a larger wattage psu comes out, everyone thinks their computers drain more power.

 

[Feep]

Originally posted by: Mik3y

Originally posted by: PCHPlayer
You may want to consider a 400W PS, more memory (try 2x256) and perhaps a 120GB hard drive. Look in the Hot Deals forum for HD deals. You can get a 120 GB with 8MB cache at a really good price these days.
I hope you are not building it for him. If you are, it could be a tech support nightmare.

why would he need to consider getting a 400w psu? 250W is plenty for his system. it's possible to run an Athlon 64 3400+, 1gb ram, x800 pro, 2 harddrives, and a sound card on a quality 250W psu.

most people have no idea how much power a computer uses nowdays and because a larger wattage psu comes out, everyone thinks their computers drain more power.

you have a good point. But i think that system you mentioned might be pushing it just a little.

 

[oldfart]

How about an eMachines T3092 for $600?

AMD Athlon? XP 3000+ Processor
XP Home Edition 1
Chipset: nVIDIA® nForce?2
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2700)
Expandable to 2 GB
Hard Drive: 160 GB HDD (7200 RPM) 2
Optical Drives: DVD +/- RW Drive (Write Max: 8x DVD+/-R, 4x DVD+/-RW, 32x CD-R, 16x CD-RW; Reads 40x CD, 12x DVD); 48x Max. CD-ROM Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: nVIDIA® GeForce4? MX graphics (1 AGP 8x slot available)
Sound: nForce? 6-channel Audio
Modem: 56K ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Premium Plus Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers

Last 2 people who asked me for a PC, I sent this direction. You cant build it with WinXP for that price. The people across the street bought one last weekend from Best Buy with a 17" CRT and printer for $600 after rebate. I dont have to build and support it either.

 

[waylman]

all good suggestions all, but im in Canada!

 

[oldfart]

Originally posted by: waylman
all good suggestions all, but im in Canada!

Well, move south then!

 

[Feep]

Originally posted by: oldfart
How about an eMachines T3092 for $600?

AMD Athlon? XP 3000+ Processor
XP Home Edition 1
Chipset: nVIDIA® nForce?2
Memory: 512 MB DDR (PC 2700)
Expandable to 2 GB
Hard Drive: 160 GB HDD (7200 RPM) 2
Optical Drives: DVD +/- RW Drive (Write Max: 8x DVD+/-R, 4x DVD+/-RW, 32x CD-R, 16x CD-RW; Reads 40x CD, 12x DVD); 48x Max. CD-ROM Drive
Media Reader: 8-in-1 Digital Media Manager (USB 2.0, Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media, Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Micro Drive, Multimedia Card)
Video: nVIDIA® GeForce4? MX graphics (1 AGP 8x slot available)
Sound: nForce? 6-channel Audio
Modem: 56K ITU v.92 ready Fax/Modem
Network: 10/100Mbps built-in Ethernet
Peripherals: Premium Plus Multimedia Keyboard, 2-Button Wheel Mouse, Amplified Stereo Speakers

Last 2 people who asked me for a PC, I sent this direction. You cant build it with WinXP for that price. The people across the street bought one last weekend from Best Buy with a 17" CRT and printer for $600 after rebate. I dont have to build and support it either.

Thats what i thought a year ago. Bought an emachines package and regretted it from the moment i set it up. Every thing in that comp is the absolute lowest quality you can get away with. If you are using thing as a fimily compupter and not intending to do much its fine, but you will need to upgrade it anyway to use for gaming. The only real plus is that it comes in a really small case which is nice for carrying it around. But that makes it micro atx, which sucks. Lets suffice to say that i replaced mine the first chance i got.