I may build a computer for mom in law need config suggestions

[Hayabusa Rider]

Done this several times before, but I have not kept up on motherboards etc for a bit.

Requirements. Cheap and stable

Going to run Windows XP
512 megs RAM

I am NOT going Rambus

I can take some components from the old system (DVD drive, CD-r etc)

Before AMD would have been a no brainer, but I am not so sure in that processors are lower in cost, and I don't need the ^^&*(* RAMBUS for it.

OK-
A processor and motherboard of either AMD or for a P4, my chief concern and I guess this is what I really want opinions on. As much as I dislike it, I would consider integrated video and audio to save bucks (mine). She is hardly a gamer.

 

[bgeh]

an nforce mobo+amd athlon xp 1600+512 ddr ram

 

[mooseAndSquirrel]

Just a word of warning. With my mother-in-law (and she died two years ago so I'm going to try to be gentle here) once you had a job it was yours for life. Her son made the mistake of getting a local shop to build her a PC. He was stuck giving her free support. A seventy something year old lady needs a lot of support for her PC.

So I'd say send her to Dell. I'd even recommend you don't help her with the purchase, because if anything goes wrong you'll be guilty by association. You'd be very hard pressed to build a cheaper rig than Dell, especially if you go with a refurbished one.

 

[grifterspawn]

The Nforce/amd combo is pretty inexpensive, just built one for somebody, but the price of ddr ram is pretty high right now unfortunately.

 

[Jhhnn]

I'm a firm believer in the concept that it's easy to overbuild for folks who won't do much more than word processing, email, maybe light photo work. Freecell is their version of gaming..... and that's OK, makes the job easier and less expensive....

I've used the msi 6389 board w/1200duron for a couple of recent builds along those lines, 128megs cas2 pc133. Anything over 256meg is wasted on the average user. I like the lucent winmodems, too, and 40gig hdd's- they're really bigger than most will ever use... These systems are extremely inexpensive, responsive, and the owners love 'em. They're also a snap to configure w/ WinXP, easiest I've ever done- 4in1's not required.

I think the onboard savage graphics are better at 2D than the nvidia solution, too, and the onboard sound is adequate for voice and the bings and bongs of normal computer use.....

On the Intel side, the universal s370 815e boards accept tualerons and sdram, they're also very inexpensive and competent for the described tasks.....

Whatever you decide, jump on the Antec case/psu deal from svc over in the hot deals forum- can't beat it... do it today....

 

[MadRat]

I know the NForce board is highly respected around here, but in my opinion it is still untested. Shuttle makes some excellent sub-$200 Pentium4-based INTEGRATED CASE designs complete with motherboard, video, sound, NIC, and modem. Some even include the floppy drive! MicronPC and Shuttle are two popular brand names for integrated designs of Socket-A boards. The real beauty of going this route is that the entire PC tends to be really small and doesn't necessarily mean you sacrifice any power like the old NLX designs!

Here is a link to Shuttle's newest P4 design: Shuttle's XPC SB51G MSRP $350

Here is a few Shuttle Barebones Prices start at $209

If she already owns PC133 memory consider the PLE133 chipset driven boards. They are a shrunken KLE133 design, both derived from KT133A. Its cheap to go the KLE133 route for MicroATX designs, where you might find an XP 1600+ and motherboard for under $100. Pop it right into the current case and viola!

 

[DaveSimmons]

How about Red Dawn's $250 1 GHz system in FS/FT? It looks like a good deal and saves on assembly time.

 

[tart666]

For your mother in law? A via C3 PC for $200 will suffice. Either walmart or tigerdirect. Get an XP license for $49 with it.

Btw, even if you do buy a pre-packaged system, you will likely be locked into fielding all the support issues anyway. Seriously, you think she will be able to ask the support what to do if her CPU fan dies?