Hey all, need some help. What would be best for my sister in getting a computer?

[Nutdotnet]

My Grandparents (Our Father is deceased and Mother is gone) want to get my sister a computer as a graduation present. Now, she does not need much. And my g'parents are trying to keep this to a minimum. Now, I know if I build the computer it will be much better then what they can get from Dell or Gateway, but, for example Dell has a complete computer for $800 w/ 15" Monitor. Granted, it has Integrated Graphics, probably a crappy Motherboard, but it does come with 128mb of RAM and a 700 mhz Celeron.

So, do you guys think I could come close to $800 (preferably less) in building a comp including monitor? Suggestions on what to buy would help! I have been out of the computer loop for a while.

 

[The Stigenator]

she wont be playing hard core games so that will do very well.. considering the speed and the machine.

However if you are going to build one, make sure you count every penny.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Yeah man....well the thing is is that I know I can build her a better machine than that crappy POS Dell. But, $$$ is the prime factor here.

 

[mundania]

How about.... offer your sister YOUR life time support.

You can build an < $800 computer easy. Figure out what she will do with her computer, and buy accordingly. If she's just going to be using Microsoft Word, you don't need a fancy shmancy vid card. I'm sure other folks could supply you with the specifics of which components give you the most bang for the buck.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Hehe....that will be MY Graduation gift. Free Life-Time Tech Support.

 

[Viper GTS]

You could build a very nice Duron system for that much.

There are integrated motherboards out there that while nobody here would ever use one they'd work fine for her. Onboard sound, LAN, possibly video, etc.

Viper GTS

 

[Nutdotnet]

That is what I was thinkin man. A nice integrated board that has almost everything on it.

Oh yeah, any specific suggestions would be great as well

 

[psteng19]

i was able to put together a complete Celeron 500 last summer with pci sound and agp graphics AND a 17&quot; flat screen for about $700. so i'm sure it's doable.

 

[Ulfwald]

Hey bud, for 800, you can build an awesome system, and also since you will know what is in it, you can support it more easily. Plus, if you get all the parts for her, she can help you build it, therefore if something craps out in it, she will be able to do some basic troubleshooting,k therefore eliminating a lot of downtime.

 

[shawnmos]

Hey Nutdotnet, whats up? Go see my thread http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=38&amp;threadid=388655. I built a duron 750 with 256MB ram for almost half that.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Hey Ulfwald- cool thanks for the support. Although I wish she was around when I built the computer, unfortunatley (sp?) she will be in Alaska while I am here in Portland. You see, I have a brother in Alaska that can build comps as well, but the problem with that is that Computer Part prices (except for Monitors and Keyboards, etc.) are outrageously high priced!

 

[Nutdotnet]

Thanks Shawnmos!

Hey you didn't mention a monitor, how much did that cost ya?

 

[shawnmos]

My uncle picked up a 17&quot; locally for $120.

 

[Nutdotnet]

Ahh, I see.

So on a Duron you don't need a 300 watt Power Supply like on Athlons?

 

[shawnmos]

you could get away with a 250 watt for an athlon with that setup too because the motherboard is a micro-atx. I think they will work as low as 145 watts since that is what powersupplies are in the micro-atx cases i have seen. there is even a 145 watt on amd's approved list.

 

[Nutdotnet]

aww, wow....cool. Thanks man!

(Dumb, dumb, quesiton- just because it is a Micro-ATX Mobo, I don't need a Micro-ATX Case right?)

 

[shawnmos]

nope, you can use a regular ATX case. the micro-ATX cases are just smaller and usually only have one external drive bay.

 

[Nutdotnet]

aight, cool. Thanks man!

 

[shawnmos]

no problem