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Challenge: build the absolute cheapest computer you possibly can.

G

Gigantopithecus

Diamond Member
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
 
A cheapo nF2 board with onboard everything and a semron 2200+ ($115). The cheapest case/PSU you can find ($25). A 256 MB stick of PC2700 RAM ($30). A small HDD, possibly 40-60 GB ($50). A CD/DVD drive ($30).

That brings you total to $240. If you need to upgrade some things (HDD, mainly), you will have to add a little more.
 
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
Click to expand...

Go to Compusa, and by the AOL computer for $199.00

Done.
 
Originally posted by: UsandThem
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
Click to expand...

Go to Compusa, and by the AOL computer for $199.00

Done.
Click to expand...

Yeah, in that low of a price range, dell and other Pre-builts can;'t be beat. They will have a monitor sound, OS/software and a warranty.
 
Originally posted by: UsandThem
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
Click to expand...

Go to Compusa, and by the AOL computer for $199.00

Done.
Click to expand...

Specs?

I could build a PC for $150 with this mobo/cpu combo as base.
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=13-138-243&depa=0
 
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
Click to expand...

Spare parts laying around... free. 😛
 
 
btw i'de reccomend the extra $100 for kento's anyday, but mine was the cheapest possible through newegg.. if you go refurb maybe you could get cheaper...
 
Originally posted by: Zebo
Originally posted by: UsandThem
Originally posted by: Gigantopithecus
Assume:
You have a monitor, software (including OS), keyboard, mouse.
You are doing nothing more than browsing the internet, reading pdfs, and using the MS Office Suite.
How cheap can you build a computer to do the absolute basics?
Click to expand...

Go to Compusa, and by the AOL computer for $199.00

Done.
Click to expand...

Specs?
Click to expand...

I can't find it listed on their site anymore. It was a Celeron PC with a monitor for $199.00 if you signed up for AOL service for 12 months @ $23.90/month.

They were running in their adds for about the last month or so.

Outpost still has this bad for $199.00 though. Outpost Link




 
So really $485 plus tax and gas down there. Not a good deal unless it's coming with 17" LCD.
 
You can do the absolute basics with hardware that's 5 or 6 years old, which you can get for free at best, and flea market prices at worst, or maybe you still have it kicking around... to my left sits a machine I set up for true, native DOS or Glide-based gaming operation... the parts in it I either got for free as castoffs, or bought so long ago that they're totally depreciated. It's fully capable of browsing, reading PDFs or running MS Office, it just won't do it lightning fast by today's standards. Its core consists of a P3 450, an ABIT BH-6 and 384 MB of assorted PC100 sticks.
 
Wasn't Wal-Mart selling some sort of Linux/Linspire-based PCs, for as low as $200 without monitor/keyboard/etc. ?

Heck, for just basic internet access, you could find an old ex-corporate PII-450 box with a 12X CD, 10GB or 20GB HD, 128 or 256MB of RAM, etc., easy for $100 from a surplus dealer.

 
Boeing surplus $200
Dell OptiPlex GX150
PIII 1Ghz
256MB PC133
32MB Intel onboard
20GB HDD
52x Lite-on
Floppy
2 front/2 back USB1.1
Front headphone
2x RS232
1 ECP+EPP Parallel
Sound
 
Does it have to be new?
Here in Mebourne I can pick up one of hundreds of ex-corporate Compaq's or Dells with P3s or P4 class Celerons for around 80-100 AUD. I got my sister set up on a P2-400 version of this for $35AUD. She only surfs the web and writes emails, it runs XP fine, has USB etc. and I don't think it could have been cheaper. There are disadvantages to this, can be harder to upgrade some parts if they're very small form factor (eg. PSU) however they're very robust in my experience and the cost can't be beat.
 
forgot to mention, the place I can get these is any sunday at a swap meet, I assume you'd have to have some relatively close to your residence wherever you are in this day and age? Clearance/ auction houses also seem to have a lot of them.
 
Originally posted by: Gunnman
486DX-2 66
4MB RAM
etc..
You can find this for pennies
Click to expand...
Err, have you actually booted Windows, any version, on a 4MB machine? Do you remember how slow that is? Sadly, I do. It's not something that I would recommend for anyone.

The lowest 486 that I would recommend, would be a 5x86-133 AMD chip, with 128MB of RAM, and an additional PCI IDE disk controller, since most 486 mobos didn't support UltraDMA modes for the HDs. Heck, even a Pentium-90 system with 32MB of RAM is semi-painful to use. I'm sure that you could probably pick up a machine like that for free, if you looked around. (I've got a few spare myself to give away.)

 
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