Hello everyone,
I've only put together one computer in the past (for myself, a i5 2500, HD 6850 rig) and I'm now interested in putting together a computer for a friend's grandmother.
This would be extremely low budget - she wouldn't be doing much aside from opening Firefox and OpenOffice. A smart phone would likely do everything she needs, but she prefers a desktop as its more comfortable... larger screen... easier to type, on etc...
The goal is to come up with the cheapest price tag without putting together a rig that will break down quickly due to poor brand choices, etc...
My primary question is this: I realize when you need a good amount of performance it makes sense to build instead of buy a computer, as you can get more bang for your buck. My question is... does building your own computer make sense from an economical standpoint when performance is of no concern? Would I be better off buying one of the cheaper pre-builts out there? Or are there still savings to be had in building in my case?
1. It will be used for web browsing, and word processing.
2. Budget - lowest possible price considering that we want semi-reputable brand choices, but very low performance demands. I would say $300-400 is the absolute maximum, and anything below this is optimal.
3. I'll be buying the parts from the United States
4. I do not have any brand preferences.
5. Only peripherals will be recycled (mouse, keyboard, monitor) - all of the computer components will need to be bought new.
6. I haven't searched many similar threads as I'm not sure what to call this type of build - low-performance? Bare-bones?
7. I will not be doing any overclocking at all.
8. The computer will not be used for gaming at all. I imagine nearly all integrated graphic solutions in 2011 can handle decent desktop resolutions for everyday computing. This will definitely be a single monitor setup.
9. I will be building this computer in the next month or two - once the parts are decided on.
Any bundle deals that allow for savings to be had would be excellent. I have virtually no brand preference so I'd love to hear any and all ideas.
Thanks!
I've only put together one computer in the past (for myself, a i5 2500, HD 6850 rig) and I'm now interested in putting together a computer for a friend's grandmother.
This would be extremely low budget - she wouldn't be doing much aside from opening Firefox and OpenOffice. A smart phone would likely do everything she needs, but she prefers a desktop as its more comfortable... larger screen... easier to type, on etc...
The goal is to come up with the cheapest price tag without putting together a rig that will break down quickly due to poor brand choices, etc...
My primary question is this: I realize when you need a good amount of performance it makes sense to build instead of buy a computer, as you can get more bang for your buck. My question is... does building your own computer make sense from an economical standpoint when performance is of no concern? Would I be better off buying one of the cheaper pre-builts out there? Or are there still savings to be had in building in my case?
1. It will be used for web browsing, and word processing.
2. Budget - lowest possible price considering that we want semi-reputable brand choices, but very low performance demands. I would say $300-400 is the absolute maximum, and anything below this is optimal.
3. I'll be buying the parts from the United States
4. I do not have any brand preferences.
5. Only peripherals will be recycled (mouse, keyboard, monitor) - all of the computer components will need to be bought new.
6. I haven't searched many similar threads as I'm not sure what to call this type of build - low-performance? Bare-bones?
7. I will not be doing any overclocking at all.
8. The computer will not be used for gaming at all. I imagine nearly all integrated graphic solutions in 2011 can handle decent desktop resolutions for everyday computing. This will definitely be a single monitor setup.
9. I will be building this computer in the next month or two - once the parts are decided on.
Any bundle deals that allow for savings to be had would be excellent. I have virtually no brand preference so I'd love to hear any and all ideas.
Thanks!
