need a budget system for folks

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C

cesto

Member
Sep 24, 2001
177
3
81
hey guys, my folks inherited my old system. it has been fine for their usage (email, music, burning cds, watching dvds etc). just recently there was an issue with the display and a local shop said it was the motherboard and the hard drive. they were quoted at 300+ to fix.

instead of going that route, i figured they could update most of the hardware for somewhere around the same money to newer parts. i'd like to know what you guys recommend for them to have somewhat of the latest hardware but it doesn't have to be top of the line. just something that will do basic computer usage and not require them to upgrade for a few years. the case is a nice lian-li so we can reuse that and possibly the power supply. here's a list of the original parts...let me know what you guys suggest.

Original parts:


NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A

1 x NEC 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE/ATAPI Model ND-3550A - OEM
SAPPHIRE 100146L Radeon X1600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card

1 x SAPPHIRE 100146L Radeon X1600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 CrossFire Supported Video Card
ASUS A8N-E 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard

1 x ASUS A8N-E 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard
Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V 550W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Power Supply

1 x Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V 550W ATX12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Power Supply
OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K

1 x OCZ Platinum 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ4002048ELDCPE-K
Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

1 x Creative SOUND BLASTER X-Fi Platinum 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card

===

thanks in advance!
 
H

Hubb1e

Senior member
Aug 25, 2011
396
0
71
Intel B75 board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157335

Ivy Bridge Pentium G2020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116886

8GB of cheap DDR3 ram
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231311

128GB Samsung 840 SSD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147192

Then map the my documents and desktop locations to another mechanical harddrive. I'd suggest getting a new one as old ones don't last forever.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136769

Oh, and don't forget windows 7 x64 or windows 8 x64
 
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B

Bonesdad

Platinum Member
Nov 18, 2002
2,213
0
76
How about a nice laptop? Are they the type that think computers can only be used on desks? Tried to get my aunt to buy a laptop, but she has a room she only uses for the computer and didn't know what else she would use it for if she didn't have a computer in it. Crazy eh?

If you stick with desktop, go with Dell or Lenovo or even HP.
 
DSF

DSF

Diamond Member
Oct 6, 2007
4,902
0
71
Are you pretty sure the shop's diagnosis is accurate? For some reason it doesn't entirely make sense to me.
 
Charlie98

Charlie98

Diamond Member
Nov 6, 2011
6,294
64
91
DSF said:
Are you pretty sure the shop's diagnosis is accurate? For some reason it doesn't entirely make sense to me.
Click to expand...

I was thinking that, too.

TBH, I would go to MicroCenter or somewhere and just get a new Dell prebuilt for $400. Folks in my family bought two of those last year (they were the 620's then) and they are rock solid... I know, I set them up and maintain them. Both of them are used in small business and are pretty capable.
 
DominionSeraph

DominionSeraph

Diamond Member
Jul 22, 2009
8,386
32
91
Display problem is probably going to be that video card. That board has a PCI express slot, so do you have a video card you could plug in to test?
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
22,400
5
71
www.mfenn.com
DominionSeraph said:
There are a ton of Inspiron 660s slimtowers at Dell Outlet with a Pentium G645 for $289.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup: to this. It sounds like the OP's parents don't live near him (they took it to a shop). Having Dell ship them a PC is a lot simpler (for everybody) than recovering the existing case and PSU, building a new PC, and sending the parts back to them.
 
P

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
The problem is most of that hardware is kind of old. I hesitate to update computers that reach a certain age. The reason is something else could break down. Now if you had a hard drive with just a bad video driver I could see just trying to reinstall the Driver or the OS. The Hard Drive could just be bad also. Stuff just gets old.

Just get a Socket 1155 Motherboard and i-3 with an IGP. I say this because even though you want to save money you dont really want to buy technology that is too old. a DELL will work fine. If you go with the Business DELLS you can still get Win7 64 bit for an OS. Either that or you will have to settle for Win 8.

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellst...el_id=vostro-270s&c=us&l=en&s=soho&cs=ussoho1

This is a pretty good computer but they are stuck on not letting you upgrade the RAM. They want you to buy an i-5 if you want 8 gig of RAM. However, lots of their computers are all with Win 8 now adays. It is the Slim Model which could double as an HTPC.

I think you could beat this deal if you had a case to use of your own and a copy of Windows 7. I think the last low end computer I built for $700 with an i5 2500 and no video card. That included the OS and a new Antec 300 case and power supply. I went with full ATX because it was cheaper and I got a great deal on the case. I really like the Antec 300 Case even if it has not so good cable management. It is built like a tank and only had the rear and top fan. I run the Tri Speed fans on low.
 
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H

Hubb1e

Senior member
Aug 25, 2011
396
0
71
Insert_Nickname said:
:thumbsup: +2 to that. Seems the best possible solution...
Click to expand...

I agree with this too. It sounded like he wanted to build a system for them, but yeah, go get a prebuilt. It's often cheaper than building yourself too because they come with extra useful features like card readers that if you were to add yourself would put you overbudget. Plus, if you're having to pay $100 for windows that kills the budget for a super cheap build.
 
C

cesto

Member
Sep 24, 2001
177
3
81
DSF said:
Are you pretty sure the shop's diagnosis is accurate? For some reason it doesn't entirely make sense to me.
Click to expand...

i agree. i went into an entire conversation with them. and they said they trust their software etc etc. but they can't tell me which software they use. it was a useless conversation so i figured i would help my folks rebuild instead of having the shop charge them more money.
 
C

cesto

Member
Sep 24, 2001
177
3
81
DominionSeraph said:
Display problem is probably going to be that video card. That board has a PCI express slot, so do you have a video card you could plug in to test?
Click to expand...

thats what i thought and they said no. unfortunately the other card i had was not a pci express.
 
C

cesto

Member
Sep 24, 2001
177
3
81
Hubb1e said:
I agree with this too. It sounded like he wanted to build a system for them, but yeah, go get a prebuilt. It's often cheaper than building yourself too because they come with extra useful features like card readers that if you were to add yourself would put you overbudget. Plus, if you're having to pay $100 for windows that kills the budget for a super cheap build.
Click to expand...


thanks for the info guys..perhaps this might just be the easiest route.
 
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