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Check this budget PC

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DKlein

Senior member
I'm trying to put together a computer for my sister. It's primarily for downloading and watching movies, since she's too lazy to buy an actual DVD player.

I'm trying to see if I can cut down the cost any. I'm always willing to just let her get a Dell, but the closest system I could make was actually more (and had worse parts). So, what do you guys think?



Ever Case ECE4502 Black/ Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $35.45

Thermaltake Thunderblade A1926 120mm x2 - $19.98

MSI K8N Neo-V Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce3 250 ATX AMD Motherboard - $52.00

ASUS V9520-X/TD/64 Geforce FX5200 64MB DDR AGP 4X/8X - $33.00

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP350-60BN-S ATX12V 350W Power Supply - $34.99

AMD Sempron 64 2600+ Palermo 800MHz FSB Socket 754 Processor - $65.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered - $41.00

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

SAMSUNG SpinPoint P80 Series SP1614N 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive - $90.00

ViewSonic E55 Beige 15" CRT Monitor 15-pin mini D-sub - $119.99

LITE-ON Black IDE Combo Drive Model SOHC-5236V BK RTL - $27.99

CHAINTECH AV-710 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - $24.00


Subtotal: $553.39
 
Tell her to get the Dell.....that way when it screws up you can just tell her to call Dell instead of getting P/O'ed at you and having you work on it whenever she thinks something isn't right! ;-)
 
Originally posted by: SMOKE20
Tell her to get the Dell.....that way when it screws up you can just tell her to call Dell instead of getting P/O'ed at you and having you work on it whenever she thinks something isn't right! ;-)
Click to expand...


QFT you will also get a copy of windows and a monitor plus if you wait for the right coupon you can get it
 
Originally posted by: SMOKE20
Tell her to get the Dell.....that way when it screws up you can just tell her to call Dell instead of getting P/O'ed at you and having you work on it whenever she thinks something isn't right! ;-)
Click to expand...


QFT!!!

If you insist on building it for her...

Get a cheap Antec case+PSU combo.
Get a Geforce 6100 Integrated graphics Mobo
Get a Samsung SATAII HDD
Forget about a sound card, use the integrated sound.
 
Looks really good and will fit her needs well for without breaking the bank. Instead of buying a separate case/psu and extra fans you could buy this Antec case that includes a 350w psu and a 120mm fan. That'd be a savings of a little over $20 less one case fan, which shouldn't be a problem as this system won't generate much heat at all.
 
I'm telling you..........have her get a Dell or whatever. You'll thank me in the long run!😉 Been there.....done that.........
 
Originally posted by: SMOKE20
I'm telling you..........have her get a Dell or whatever. You'll thank me in the long run!😉 Been there.....done that.........
Click to expand...

Dell Dimension B110
Windows XP Home
Celeron D 325 (2.53 GHz)
512MB RAM
integrated graphics
40 GB hard disk
DVD burner
56K modem
10/100 LAN
stereo audio
keyboard/mouse/speakers
17" CRT
$593 ($633 with tax) - $50 rebate = $543 ($583 with tax)

I'd stick with a pre-built, since evidently he doesn't need Windows.
 
I agree with the others, but don't get hung up on Dell. E-machines and HP/Compaq routinely have excellent full system deals after rebates.

If you don't need an OS, then you can probably build it for the same price or slightly cheaper, but a prebuilt budget PC will give you less headaches in the long run.
 
Oh if you do happen to need those 120mm fans, svc has an oem version for $3.99. Only difference between it and retail is it does not come in a box, and has no screws (which svc sell for $.07 each).
Link

I've bought two of these fans and they are great.
 
A. We already have Windows from the old build.
B. She likes listening to music. A lot. Is the onboard sound AC97 or whatever APU going to be significantly worse in terms of quality?
C. I'm probably just useless, but I couldn't find a mobo w/6100 combo that wasn't a micro-ATX.
D. Regardless of who they buy the computer from, I will always end up being the repairman.
E. I've been out of the loop for a while, so forgive me if I'm being noobish, but isn't an ATA133 HDD PATA?
F. I suppose I could drop one of the 120mm fans if you don't think heat will be a problem.
G. She doesn't need a DVD burner
H. No pics for you.
 
I. Thanks for the link.
J. Oh, I know what it's like to have to deal with them when I build the computer. It was my old, beatup o/c computer, and I had to reinstall Windows twice and constantly do maintenance while I was home. PITA, but it's nice to deal with something you made yourself, even if it is full of problems.
 
Originally posted by: DKlein
B. She likes listening to music. A lot. Is the onboard sound AC97 or whatever APU going to be significantly worse in terms of quality?
Click to expand...

I would think so, yes. If it's not good enough, you can always add a card later on.

C. I'm probably just useless, but I couldn't find a mobo w/6100 combo that wasn't a micro-ATX.
Click to expand...

All 6100s are mATX, yes. They have integrated graphics (about the best on the market), which will save you money on a video card. If you need a TV-out, though, fear not; the Biostar GeForce 6100-M7 ($65) has a PCIe x16 slot.

E. I've been out of the loop for a while, so forgive me if I'm being noobish, but isn't an ATA133 HDD PATA?
Click to expand...

Yes.

F. I suppose I could drop one of the 120mm fans if you don't think heat will be a problem.
Click to expand...

Really, heat is *not* a problem. Semprons can get up to 70^C safely, and you can set the motherboard to power-down if that happens--which I can pretty much guarantee you will never happen, anyway.

G. She doesn't need a DVD burner
Click to expand...

It's about $10 extra for a DVD burner. You said she likes to download movies, right? A DVD burner seems like a natural thing to have, not for just that reason but also to back up data.
 
You defintily should get an antec psu combo. also drop the soundcard. unless the speakers are really good the qulity will be about the same. id stick with integrated graphics as well. then id bump her up to a gig of ram
 
1. I'll look into a DVD burner then. Well, I'll ask her first.
2. I don't trust the PSUs that come with cases. I want to get her a quality power supply, not something that's going to start breaking down in two years or that is going to give her stability issues. She leaves her computer on 24/7.
3. I don't know much about mATX. What's the difference (other than size) between it and regular ATX?
 
If I did go mATX, I'd get:



COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminumm bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - $45.00

BIOSTAR GEFORCE 6100-M7 Socket 754 NVIDIA GeForce 6100 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $59.99

FSP Group (Fortron Source) FSP350-60BN-S ATX12V 350W Power Supply - $34.99

AMD Sempron 64 2600+ Palermo 800MHz FSB Socket 754 Processor - $65.00

CORSAIR ValueSelect 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered - $41.00

SONY Black 1.44MB 3.5" Internal Floppy Drive - $9.99

SAMSUNG SpinPoint P80 Series SP1614N 160GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA133 Hard Drive - $90.00

ViewSonic E55 Beige 15" CRT Monitor 15-pin mini D-sub - $119.99

Edit: LITE-ON Black IDE DVD Burner Model SHW-160P6S - $39.99

CHAINTECH AV-710 8 (7.1) Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - $24.00


Subtotal: $529.95


Okay, so that's a bit cheaper. With shipping, it's gone down about $35. I think I'll also be looking for a used monitor. That $120 is killing the price.
 
Dell's HDD is too small, doesn't have a DVD burner (now included, see edit), plus I don't know what kind of graphics and audio that has. Does it include a monitor, also?

The closest Dell I could come out with was almost $700, and that's with only a 1-yr warranty, no floppy drive, slower RAM, and probably a poorer graphics unit (although I can't be sure).
 
128MB PCI Express ATI Radeon X300 SE and integrated 8 channel audio

Just look around at the link. It'll be cheaper if you go Dell Outlet. Like this one. (sell office 2003 basic for $100 on ebay)
 
Alright, but there's still the other issues.

How did I miss the video on that screen? I must be going blind.
 
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