Computer for my aunt, lol.

Computernewbie

New Member
Hi guys,

Now that my whole family learned I could build pc's, they are all asking me to make one for them, lol.

My aunt wants a cheap pc (around 500$ including screen, not much more) to do the basic stuff: internet surfing, youtube videos watching, word processing, power point presentations, little educational games for the kids, etc.

This is the build I came with:

Cheap ass computer

1) COMPUTER CASE + POWER SUPPLY: IN WIN V564T2.CQ350TBL Black/ Silver Steel MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply (60$)

2) MOTHERBOARD + INTEGRATED GRAPHICS: ECS A880LM-M(1.0) AM3 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (60$)

3) OS: Windows 7 64 bits home premium in french (120$)

4) CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX (60$)

5) DVD BURNER: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM (20$)

6) HARD DRIVE: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (42$)

7) DDR3: Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996586 (27$)

8) MONITOR: ASUS VE198D Black 19" 5ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 10,000,000:1 (75$)

Total price, including taxes and shipping: around 525$

I know it's not a beast computer, but as I wrote before, it's an everyday computer that she needs. I don't even think her kids (around 13-14 years old)will play games on it, since they have a ps3 and an xbox 360.

So, could you tell me if you think everything is compatible? I think I did my homework and chose compatible components.

Oh, and before I forget, the case with the PSU got good reviews, saying that the included PSU was good quality. So I think I'll stick with it.

Thanks in advance guys,

Computernewbie
 
Last edited:
yeah, any psu is fine for that as long as it's 3-350 watts, you run in to trouble when you need like 450 and get a cheap 500, that's when things go wrong, but looks fine, but i'd go the extra 5 for the 260 3.2ghz, not much.
 
Yeah, I like the ones you posted better, especially the first one, but in Canada, it's about 20$ shipping too... WHY IS SHIPPING SO EXPENSIVE HERE?!?!?

Also, for the CPU, do you think it's really worth it to go for a processor that is 0.2 Ghz? Is it really going to make a difference?

Thanks, man, your advice and comments are always a big help to me.

Take care,

Computernewbie
 
I don't know for sure but it seems like at that price point and it's uses it might be better to just buy a prebuilt one? Such as this one?

This is from buy.com so I don't know about shipping to Canada. I can tell you from experience this is a very capable computer. My parents just bought this one recently and you can't even tell it's refurbished. Seems quite speedy to me. Made me jealous (which is why I'm building one now. :D

http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion...-1ghz-4gb-1tb-dvd-rw/q/loc/101/222006718.html
 
I don't know for sure but it seems like at that price point and it's uses it might be better to just buy a prebuilt one? Such as this one?

This is from buy.com so I don't know about shipping to Canada. I can tell you from experience this is a very capable computer. My parents just bought this one recently and you can't even tell it's refurbished. Seems quite speedy to me. Made me jealous (which is why I'm building one now. :D

http://www.buy.com/prod/hp-pavilion...-1ghz-4gb-1tb-dvd-rw/q/loc/101/222006718.html

Yeah, it looks good. Shipping to Canada probably costs and arm, lol, but you are right, for the uses of the computer she wants, she might just buy one in a store. I think that building a computer is especially worth it when you build a pc for gaming or editing. Low end computers are not that worth building, because they are so cheap everywhere.

However, what I could do is take an assembled pc and upgrade it...

Oh well, thanks for your input, man!

Take care,

Computernewbie
 
Aren't all in one pc's at 500$ or less kinda crappy? A friend of mine who knows a lot more than I do about computers told me to stay away from them in general, even if they are more expensive. (Except if it's a Mac, lol.) As for the laptop, I might suggest that to her too, good idea.
 
Back
Top