Dad needs a PC , nothing fancy.

[RESmonkey]

His old Dell is dead. I'm planning on using the same monitor, keyboard, mouse, and DVD burner.

I looked at some other threads here, and so far I'm thinking of an E5200 or Phenom. I *might* OC on stock cooler, but chances are I won't.

Video card isn't necessary at all. As long as Youtube HD is viewable, I guess.

Budget: $300 (case/wiring/CPU/mobo/PSU/ram). Planning to buy from Newegg/amazon

Thanks AT

 

[Eureka]

Just a quick set up:


1. ASUS M3A76-CM: $59.99
2. AMD AD785ZWCGHBOX: $69.00
Combo - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.198666

3. Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800: $58.99
$33 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820220335

4. HITACHI 0A38016 1TB 7200 RPM
$75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822145233

5. HEC 6K28BBX585 Black 0.8mm SECC Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 585W Power Supply - Retail
$65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811121004

So that comes out to about $290 or so after rebates, even less with cashback.

And I have the same processor, and it overclocks plenty well on stock cooler, I'm not running into heating issues yet (OCs to 3.3ghz, and I think that's the wall).

 

[somethingsketchy]

Eureka's build suggestions are pretty solid imho. Integrated video should be more than enough to handle HD Youtube videos. I originally thought about recommending a cheap discrete card, but nowadays integrated video is getting better and better for viewing most media (i.e. not playing videogames )

 

[RESmonkey]

Is that case PSU reliable? Some people have said the PSU died after within a few months.

Otherwise, I like it. Do you think it is possible to scavenge my Dell's HDDs? One of them was added about 3 years ago (ATA 133 100GB). There's no way my dad needs 1TB, I was thinking of just swapping the HDDs. The Dell is dead from an unknown cause though; I assume the PSU went out, so I suspect the mobo is dead too.

Some reviews say the CPU funnel thing on the case doesn't line up w/ AMD boards.

 

[Eureka]

Well, if you drop the HDD, you save $70. Put the extra money towards this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811112199

Seasonic is a reliable brand, Lian-Li is a very VERY good brand, and it's about $90 more than the HEC, but since we're not talking about a hard drive...

Also, don't necessarily distrust stock PSUs. They aren't the most powerful or most reliable, but my generic 350W lasted me over 2 years with overclocking and gaming until I replaced it. I can probably go on for a lot longer. And it should be a bit more reliable since this system is not a power user, either.

Don't get hung up on the case, either. I just shot out two quick references based on the remaining budget. If you got something you prefer, we can work it into the budget. The HEC was one of the best rated case/PSU combos that I pulled out, for simplicity. If you can find an equally good deal with a separate case and PSU, the better for you.

Originally posted by: somethingsketchy
Eureka's build suggestions are pretty solid imho. Integrated video should be more than enough to handle HD Youtube videos. I originally thought about recommending a cheap discrete card, but nowadays integrated video is getting better and better for viewing most media (i.e. not playing videogames )

One of the reviews from Newegg claims to be able to run TF2 decently. Not sure how strong the Radeon 3000 is, but hey, we're not gaming here. And not much else needs a lot of video power.

 

[RESmonkey]

Is Newegg loading for you guys? It's been down for me for more than an hour now.

Edit = nvm, it's the anandtech referral URLs that are broken.

 

[Eureka]

Originally posted by: RESmonkey
Is Newegg loading for you guys? It's been down for me for more than an hour now.

It's not newegg, its dynamite data. I used to circumvent that by putting it in quotes, but they've smartened up.

The easiest way is to just take the number after the "=" in the link, and search Newegg using that.

So for example,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...99&Tpk=N82E16811112199

Just go to newegg's homepage and search:
N82E16811112199

Doesn't quite work for combos, though.

 

[mmntech]

What about an ION build? Cheap, complete system. I'm not sure about Youtube HD but it seems to handle Hulu just fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500030
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3566&p=3

I like the mini-ITX form factor for builds like this because big towers just are necessary anymore and it's easier to build a low cost system. There are Socket 775 boards as well with Geforce 9300M chipsets.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500022

 

[Eureka]

Originally posted by: mmntech
What about an ION build? Cheap, complete system. I'm not sure about Youtube HD but it seems to handle Hulu just fine.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500030
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3566&p=3

I like the mini-ITX form factor for builds like this because big towers just are necessary anymore and it's easier to build a low cost system. There are Socket 775 boards as well with Geforce 9300M chipsets.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500022

The little atoms are nice, but they are way overpriced and underpowered. You can get a decent desktop CPU/mobo for around $100... the same price as one of those atoms. I like the size of the systems, but IMO they are more expensive than they need to be.

If they were cheaper they'd be fine, I have a little atom netbook and it rocks.

 

[California Roll]

I usually always prefer building my systems, but if it's for really general use and non gaming (i.e. parents/grandparents) I've found that getting another Dell system on sale works out pretty good. If it comes out packaged with an LCD, I usually sell it and come out ahead vs building my own.

If you're set on building, above recommendations are excellent. I'd also stay away from Atoms unless power conservation is your #1 priority over performance. You're paying extra for this.

 

[RESmonkey]

I'm staying away from the Atoms. So far it's Eureka's build, including the 1TB HDD since my Dell's HDDs are ATA.
There's a possibility that the Dell mobo might not be fried. Dad is going to take the Dell a to a repair guy we know to check it out. If anything besides PSU is dead, I'm buying.