New $500 system

[ultimatebob]

Hi gang,

I want to build a computer for my sister, who's going to college and needs her own PC. She'll be using it mostly for word processing and e-mail, with an occassional sim game in her spare time. Unfortunately, she doesn't have enough money to buy a decent mail-order system, so I was hoping that I could put something together for her for under $500.

I think that I could put something together with an intergrated motherboard and a 15" monitor, but finding decent components in this price range is tough. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks for the help!

 

[sohcrates]

ECS K7SEM mobo (has onboard sound, video, and LAN) 59 bucks @ newegg.com

AMD Duron (700 mghz up till 1 ghz..depends on what you want to spend). say, like 50 bucks

256 megs crucial pc133 SDRAM @ crucial.com for 42 bucks

Enlight 7237 case w/ 300 watt power supply @ newegg 47 bucks

Monitor.....well, you can get a cheap KDS monitor at walmart for like 150 bucks which would look pretty decent

total = $350 plus shipping

I helped a guy buy almost this exact setup the other week...he said it's working great

edit: woops, forgot some stuff...like a HSF and modem. oh well, you can add those yourself

 

[Rahminator]

Mobo: ECS K7S5A Onboard lan and sound - $57
(optional - they should have T1's in college rite?) Creative Modem Blaster V.90 PCI 56k Modem - $18
Proc: AMD Duron 800 MHz - $36
HSF: Cooler Master DP5-5G11A - $5
Memory: 256 MB Crucial PC133 - $38
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda IV 20GB (silent drive) - $73
Case: EVERCASE E4252WEF25 with 300W Enhance PSU (Athlon/P4) $40-$5 discount if you buy with AMD processor ($35)
Case fan: Enermax Adjustable 8CM cooling fan (you decide how well it cools/sound levels) - $8
Floppy: Sony - $9
CD-ROM: Sony 52X - $28
Video: LEADTEK GEFORCE 2 MX200 - $47
Mouse: Microsoft Intelli-Mouse Optical - PS2/USB - OEM - $24
Total: $378 ($360 without modem). Add a cost of a monitor and keyboard (and something else I prolly forgot) and you should fit under $500. No need to make this system any more powerful since your sis will not play any power-hungry games. This should be a quiet home machine.