What config would make a nice Net/Word procesing Rig?

[OverVolt]

My Grandma is getting around $800 together for a Net/Word Processing rig. All this includes moniter,speakers,mice,keyboard- the whole deal. You guys don't need to give me a whole setup just some ideas to get started with i can find good prices on my own.

Also i wanna know what your opinion of a good HD manufacture is. So far i have 2WD's that run fine but i've heard os many horror stories. Also is it better to buy OEM or retail HD's. The ones i bought are OEM and work great! But the box seems like it would have less chance of failing.

My Grandma lives 300Miles away so it's gotta be a rig that can run for years without any maintance. For that i guess i'd need a thermal PAD not thermal GREASE since it has to be reapplyied, right?

 

[mrzed]

Dell

 

[jasonsRX7]

Originally posted by: mrzed
Dell

100% agreed. Do yourself and your grandma a favor and let her get all her support from a company that's open 24/7. Or else you'll be driving/flying 300 miles whenever her computer won't boot because she's left a floppy in the drive.

 

[Bovinicus]

My 1.2GHz (141FSBx8.5) TBird chugs along very nicely in the windows environment. Anything over that speed is overkill for general usage like that. I would suggest an Athlon XP 1800+. The .13 micron variant is probably a good idea. Less heat = greater stability and longer life.

512MB of memory is a must for any kind of multitasking, especially in conjunction with Windows 2000/XP. The memory requirement are only going to increase over time, so it will also ensure smooth operation of the computer for a while to come. I always recommend Crucial memory. It's high quality, there's free 2nd day shipping, and it comes with a lifetime warranty.

A 7200RPM HDD is also a must. For general usage, the hard drive is probably the most important piece of hardware. The amount of storage space really depends on how much you think she will be downloading.

The nForce2 chipset is definitely the way to go for you. Onboard LAN and sound is a big plus. They are both high quality components. Base you decision and price and what features it has. Performance differences are negligible, and I'm sure your grandma doesn't plan on overclocking. Don't bother with a board with onboard video...

Get an add-in video card. You want to ensure that the output of 2D is high quality; you don't want grandma's eyes to get strained. Go with some cheap ATi card. If she will not ever play any games, then the Radeon 7000 is a good choice. Nice 2D quality and it's less than $40.

Thermal pads are garbage. If you want a stable system, use thermal paste. It will definitely increase the ability to transfer heat, a lot. In fact, I suggest you go with a heatsink that support 80mm fans. That way you can make the system a quiet one. Also, you never should have to reapply the thermal paste...

High quality PSUs are not to be overlooked. Do not get a generic PSU. It is a very bad idea, and could lead to serious stability problems. If it fits in the budget, get an Antec Tru 330W (Otherwise just get a high quality one). It is a little pricey, but it will last a long time, it's quiet, and it supplies super steady voltages.

Use some form of case cooling. Two low RPM 80mm fans are definitely fine, or even one intake fan. Total system cooling is important, don't neglect it totally. Noise is probably also a factor, so get quiet fans.

 

[OverVolt]

Yeah i was thinking that too, but i've had bad expierence with Dell systems. My moms crashes every 20minutes and when i tried to call tech support and find out what driver's it came with and which i needed to download- it took me over an hour of waiting on hold then i hung up before anyone picked up the phone. What a nightmare. I wanna throw their lousy PC back in their face!

 

[DannyBoy]

Why the nForce2 chipset? Save yourself money and go for something like a K7S5A for "anandtechs" sake (Dont want to be blasphemis to the great lord!)

I can just imagine a 70 yr old granny playing a UT2K3 CTF match..........Not

Dan

Note: Ignore the great lord business, im not religious

 

[jasonsRX7]

Dells aren't bad, but it doesn't have to be a Dell. Having your Grandma on hold with Dell's tech support for over an hour is definately better than having to spend an hour on the phone with her yourself.

You probably coulda cracked the case open on your moms Dell, identified the components, and downloaded the drivers from the appropriate manufacturer way faster than making a phone call and getting advice from a Dell rep.

If you don't know how to do that, then you may not want to tackle putting one together yourself, and shipping it 300 miles away, to a Grandma (bless their hearts).

 

[OverVolt]

Bovinicus, nice post! Thats the thing nowadays, it's hard to find the right parts for a word/e-mail/net rig. I'm split if i should make the pc and it'll be upgradeable for the future or if i should go with a company like HP and pick out the specs for her.

I think an AMD system run smoother for those task but when you buy a pc through a company they offer like... a GF4 440MX which is overkill or intergated which is crap + no AGP slot = no upgradabilty. Plus are their any other PC company's with 24/7 good tech support that include AMD cpu's?

 

[jasonsRX7]

She'll honestly never know the difference between a P3 1ghz, an Athlon XP 2400+ or a P4 3.06, as long as it has a decent amount of ram. She could use integrated graphics and never have a complaint.

I know to those of us used to maxing out their systems it sounds like a crappy solution, but no one outside of the enthuasist community cares whats in their system, as long as it'll play Hearts, Solitaire, Roller Coaster Tycoon, The Sims, and a DVD movie or two.

 

[OverVolt]

Thanks for the help Jasons. It'll have to be a preconfig'ed rig. Can't really get your money's worth outta Dell- lowest thing i could configure is $822 and thats with $100 off. Thats with decent performance, intergrated graphics, P4 1.8, 256MB Pc2100 but comes with all the goods moniter ect, warranty and software. It's the only way to go since she's so far away

BTW on moms rig i wanted to find what CD's i needed since one of the problems is when i installed a firewall on the pc since our virus def's expired it crashed and now it can't get on the internet. I wanted to make sure i had all the dell cd's i needed just in case it still couldn't get online after i reinstalled windows- then i'd really be screwed.

 

[tRaptor]

If you figure in the cost if a (real) copy of windows your going to wish you had gone with dell.

 

[mechBgon]

Have a look at the specs on my dad's new rig. All very nice quality, and you could set up something like that, but with a 17" CRT and a retail heatsink/fan unit, for what she's looking to spend. That includes Win2000 Pro OEM, MS Works 7.0 OEM, and Norton AV2003 OEM. 256Mb of RAM is enough for Win2000 unless she starts into image editing or something, at which point you can slap in another DIMM. Notice that I have a Mitsumi CD burner in there too... works nice

I based dad's new rig off the 20 "kids" I have at work, so I'm confident in this setup.