I don't usually do this, but....Rate this system, please

[Rock Hydra]

My uncle is a former marine. He went to a meeting and recieved a free computer. They gave him a Pentium 100, 32 MB of RAM, Windows 95, like a 3 GB hard drive and integrated whatever else is possible. (ouch!)
Well, the computer is barely functional to have more than one browser window open, he asked what can I build him for a reasonable ammount to help him get some good performance. Here's what I've come up with.

Foxconn NF4K8AB-RS Socket 754 NVIDIA nForce4 ATX AMD Motherboard - $72.99
AMD Sempron 2600+ Palermo 333MHz FSB Socket 754 Processor - $72.00
SAPPHIRE Radeon X300SE HyperMemory (128 MB Onboard VRAM) Express x16 Video Card - $52.50
OCZ Premier Value 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM Unbuffered DDR 400 400 - $42.50
NEC Black 2M Cache IDE DVD Burner - OEM - $40.00
Seagate Barracuda 80GB 7200 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - $49.00
THERMALTAKE Silent PurePower TT-420AD(DUAL FAN) ATX 420W Power Supply - $36.99
[edit] I found a Windows XP Pro OEM pack in my computer stuff drawer... minus ~91 dollars!!!

Total = $365.98 before shipping.
I want to save my uncle as much as possible, while retaining decent performance. I already have a case and floppy drive. My main concern is the power supply. I'm not sure if that's a good one, since I don't know a whole lot about them, except for 350 should be plenty for this setup. I'm assuming that Hypermemory is disablable. I don't want it digging into his system RAM.

I also decided to keep that HDD. 6 extra dollars from the next cheapest reputable drive, which I think warrants the extra 2 year warranty. (couldn't find that hitachi you were talking about, KoolDrew) Changed memory to OCZ RAM, a more reputable company. Checked out the power supplies....how's the thermaltake one. I don't need high wattage, I just need stable current.

 

[n7]

Looks good.

I'm not sure how good those s754 nForce 4 mobos are...but i'm sure they're fine.

PSU should be more than adequate.

 

[d2arcturus]

You can save some cash by going with a Socket A Mobo and CPU with DDR333 memory.

 

[MDE]

I'd get an nForce3 board and a GeForce4 MX or Radeon 9000\8500 card, but otherwise it looks OK.

 

[KoolDrew]

If this will not be used for gaming you can save some cash by getting him a board with onboard video like the Epox EP-8HMMI-A. I would also personally get RAM from a more reputable manufacturer such as Corsair. As for HDD the Hitachi 7K80 may be abetter choice as they are a bit faster and slightly cheaper. Also that PSU is a bit expensive for a 350w PSU. I would get a TTGI for cheaper. Also why not buy an Antec case w/ PSU?

 

[shoRunner]

personally for the price of the PSU i'd go with the xclio 450w its $53 and its ATX 2.0 so it could be used for futute builds

 

[Rock Hydra]

Originally posted by: d2arcturus
You can save some cash by going with a Socket A Mobo and CPU with DDR333 memory.

Yeah, I thought long and hard about the Socket A, and quite a few concerns turned me away from it. I wanted to leave him somewhat of an upgrade path though, a few years down the road, a decent A64 will probably cost as much as a Sempron does now, the same rating CPU costs more, PCIe is up and coming, and not really at a premium...Overall savings = 20 bucks. It was quite a thought provoking decision.

 

[km23]

Why not just get a Dell for $399 after $100 MIR including a 17" LCD monitor?
http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/...s&cs=04&kc=6W300&l=en&oc=2d30w11&s=bsd

$50 more for 512 RAM.