Help me help my sisters

[iamskew]

My sisters' old compaq is really starting to suck, so it's time I got them something new.
I already have a hard drive and windows xp to use. I already have a monitor also
The first option is a mac mini, because they are not computer literate for the most part, and will only be instant messaging, browsing the web, listening to music, and typing papers on this box.

The mini would be: 1.42 GHz, 512 mb RAM, wired keyboard and mouse, combo drive, 80 gig HDD.
-$732.00 shipped

Mac pros in this situation:
Stable OS, few virus/spyware problems.
Comes with appleworks for typing papers.

The second option is to build them a budget pc.for no more more than the $732 mac.
Just using newegg for quotes, not final prices, it would include:

ANTEC Black Performance Series II 400W - $102.00
NEC 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive, Black, Model ND-3520A - $58.00
NEC 1.44MB Black Internal Floppy Drive - $8.00
Corsair Value Select (Dual Pack) 184 Pin 512MBx2 DDR PC-3200 - $126.00
ASUS "K8V SE Deluxe" K8T800 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU - $115.00
AMD Athlon 64 3400+, 512k L2 Cache - $219.00
eVGA nVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Video Card, 128MB DDR, 64-bit, TV-Out, 8X AGP, Low Profile Model - $45.00
~$701.00

(The HDD will be a Western Digital 80gb, 8mb cache, 7200 rpm. I also have an 80 and a 60 gb maxtor sitting around too. All are IDE)

So, my two questions are:
1. What option would you pick, keeping in mind that it's for 2 teenage girls?
2. If you pick the PC, what would you change about the box, keeping in mind that it will not be used for games, future upgradability is not a big factor, and the faster it runs the better?

Thanks,
skew

edit: wish list wasn't working, so I posted links

 

[n0cmonkey]

If you use XP, make sure they are using limited user accounts and not admin accounts.

Your wish list isn't coming up for me.

I like the Mac mini though. I plan on getting one for myself.

 

[mwmorph]

no wish list for me. it seems mzc mini will be all that they need.

 

[Anonemous]

third on the mac mini

 

[thirdlegstump]

4th on the mini. My mini ain't no mini by any meanis hehe.

 

[iamskew]

Thanks everyone for the input...I know that minis are nice, small, cute for teenage girls and all...but doesn't the PC absolutely destroy the mini by performance standards? I'm not against macs, and I've used them in the past...but as a windows user for the last 10 or so years...it's hard to switch still.

skew

 

[ts3433]

Why the hell would you need a 3400+ to type papers and listen to music?! The Mac mini is awfully appealing.

 

[MrCodeDude]

Ditch the ASUS K8V SE Deluxe. The mobo is horrible. I'd suggest a nForce3 250GB solution. My suggestion: Epox 8RDA3J. It'll save you money too. And yeah, you might as well go with a 2800+ if all she is going to be doing is school papers and such.

But it also goes to show you how powerful of a rig you can get for $700.

 

[Anonemous]

Originally posted by: iamskew
Thanks everyone for the input...I know that minis are nice, small, cute for teenage girls and all...but doesn't the PC absolutely destroy the mini by performance standards? I'm not against macs, and I've used them in the past...but as a windows user for the last 10 or so years...it's hard to switch still.

skew

Well you would have to look at the user. It's not for you but it's for them. They don't game, only writing papers and listening to music, so you find the simplest solution. Plus it might save you some headache on constantly wasting time doing tech support for things like virii, spyware, etc...

 

[aloser]

To make my aunt proud, I'd say go Mac - like everyone else said, it's less tech support, etc. for you to do - and since it's NOT your comp, why are YOU so concerned about switching? (just curious - not degrading you or anything) I, too, prefer anything else over a Mac any day.

 

[mwmorph]

seriously. im and internet browsing. i mean i have a 466mhz celly with 256mb ram running win 98 that would do it just as well.

 

[mechBgon]

In the PC loadout, if you want to stick to the A64 platform, how about switching to an Abit NF8 and spend the money saved on some top-notch antivirus software. I think I'm quickly becoming a Kaspersky fanboi after trying it out :Q They release fresh antivirus definitions as often as once an hour, for starters.

Also, you might look at the Antec Sonata, about the same price but quieter and with snazzy front ports, including (*ooOOooo!*) Firewire for their iPod Get the burner with software for a little more, if you want DVD-burning capabilities, and maybe Works Suite 2005 OEM, that's a good price for what they're putting in there.

 

[iamskew]

Good advice everyone, thank you for looking. It's true that the mac mini will cause less problematic tech support, but there is also the issue that they know how to use windows and not osx...man...my instincts tell me to go for a mini, but as a dork I see that 3400+ and can't stop thinking about how sweet it is...not to mention that I could steal it and give them my 3200+ lol

Thanks again for you advice, especially on the NF8 board,
skew

 

[thirdlegstump]

Mini. Mini. Mini. Mini.

 

[nick1985]

nforce3 250 is your friend

 

[iamskew]

I'm well aware, I have a msi k8n neo platinum in my box, it's caused me no problems

 

[DanDaMan315]

The Mac Mini has no future though, its cool now but it does not have the power to be useful in the future.

Plus does your sister want compatibilty problems when e-mail professors papers?

 

[nick1985]

btw, that rig is complete overkill. you could get her a rig for roughly half the cost and she wont notice a difference

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: DanDaMan315
The Mac Mini has no future though, its cool now but it does not have the power to be useful in the future.

Um, yeah it does. You'd be amazed at what people are still using.

Plus does your sister want compatibilty problems when e-mail professors papers?

Um, email is email.

 

[iamskew]

i think maybe he meant in regards to word documents...but there's a mac version of ms office, so that's not a big deal

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: iamskew
i think maybe he meant in regards to word documents...but there's a mac version of ms office, so that's not a big deal

Also: Textedit handles rich text formats. iWork saves in .doc, .pdf, and .html.

 

[iamskew]

does it really? i didn't know that...that's awesome...that gives the mac mini another point in my mind

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: iamskew
does it really? i didn't know that...that's awesome...that gives the mac mini another point in my mind

I just looked it up.

If I didn't have a copy of Word for Mac OS X I'd definitely consider iWork.

 

[wisdomtooth]

to imskew:

If all your sisters need to do with the machine are those mundane tasks, why not just pick up a refurbished Dell Pentium-4 system for $350 and be done with it?

Cheaper than a Mac Mini or building a new rig from the ground up, and will do all your sisters need it to do.

 

[justly]

If you do go PC (not saying you should or shouldn't) I think you could make some changes that will save money for other things without a noticibe effect on preformance in the tasks that you outlined for this system.

Using a motherboard with integrated video would be my first change (if the video on the mini is good enough then PC integrated video should be as well). Using Newegg there are at least a dozen socket 754 motherboards with integrated video at the same price as the motherboard you listed (or cheaper, sometimes much cheaper). That also eliminates the cost of a discrete graphics card, besides you can allways add a discrete graphics card later if the need arises.

Tasks like you originally listed usally are waiting on user input so without a benchmark test it might be hard to tell the differance. If you where to use the "cool and quiet" feature fo the Athlon 64 there is a good chance that they would probably never stress the system enough to get the benifit of the 3400+ processor, so you might want to think about a slower model Athlon 64.

I'm sure the case you listed is good, but it is a bit high priced for a basic system like you mentioned. I think cases are hard to recommend since a lot of it has to do with appearance, power supply and noise, but I think you could find something a little more reasonably priced that would suit this build. I personnaly like the Enlight 7250 series and have never had a problem with their power supplies but I dont know how the noise would compare to the case you listed.
Do what you think is best for your sister, I just wanted to show you that some of the components you listed might be overkill or over priced. Good luck the new system.