500 build for mother in law

[stevedave]

Check out this build and let me know if you see any problems or have any suggestions for better products while keeping it in the 500 dolor range. Everything looks good to me but just want other opinions



Rosewill R604TSB-N 120mm Fan ATX Mid Tower Computer Case+450W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811147031
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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-$10.00 Instant
$59.99
$49.99
1

AZiO CAR102-131 USB 2.0 Card Reader - Retail
Item #: N82E16820106002
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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$11.99
1

Sony NEC Optiarc 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write Black E-IDE / ATAPI Model 7170A-0B - OEM
Item #: N82E16827152076
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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$30.99
1

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR667D2N5K2/2G - Retail
Item #: N82E16820134046
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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$67.99
1

GIGABYTE GA-965P-DS3 (rev. 1.3) LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813128042
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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-$20.00 Instant
$119.99
$99.99
1

HITACHI Deskstar T7K250 HDT722525DLA380 (0A31636) 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822145087
Return Policy: Limited 30-Day Return Policy
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$64.99
1

Microsoft CA9-00001 Black PS/2 Standard Basic Keyboard and Mouse Mouse Included - OEM
Item #: N82E16823109132
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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$16.99
1

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4300 - Retail
Item #: N82E16819115013
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy
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$114.50
1

FREETECH PX6200TD-128M GeForce 6200 128MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814122205
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
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$39.99

Grand Total: $497.42

 

[p0tempkin]

For your mother in law? Here's my version of a mother-in-law PC; small, simple, and plenty fast for all tasks (save 3D gaming). The motherboard has GeForce 7025 video built-in; even has a DVI port.

Antec NSK3300 MATX case w/ 300W PSU - $75
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=CA...89ea2682b13703bc37d4ca425576df63f8c533cc554fb

Vantec Card Reader - $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820192504

Samsung 18X DVDRW - $32
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=DR...89ea2682b13703bc37d4ca425576df63f8c533cc554fb

Super Talent 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 667 - $57
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=T6UX2GC5

Samsung 250GB SATA2 - $63
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=HD...89ea2682b13703bc37d4ca425576df63f8c533cc554fb

AMD Athlon X2 3600+ AM2 Retail - $67
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=AD...89ea2682b13703bc37d4ca425576df63f8c533cc554fb

Biostar TForce 7025-M2 Built-In Audio/Video/Lan - $61
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-TF7025

Logitech Internet USB KB/Optical Mouse Combo - $15
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=KB...89ea2682b13703bc37d4ca425576df63f8c533cc554fb

Total: $380. The long Froogle links I provided usually have a lower price than direct links to their website.

 

[stevedave]

I'll use the card reader its better. I'm going all newegg on this one because newegg the the best, and intel is better than amd right now.

 

[silent-circuit]

Drop the Rosewill PSU and make up the $50 or so for a Xcilo 500watt somewhere to avoid terrible burning smells.

 

[p0tempkin]

I'm going all newegg on this one because newegg the the best, and intel is better than amd right now.

The best at advertising? The best at being popular? Do they tuck you into bed at night?

Blind faith in Newegg always baffles me. There are many examples, but here is one to illustrate my point. I want to buy a Corsair 620HX, one of the best aftermarket PSUs available.

Newegg: $169.99 ($20 MIR)

ClubIT: $137.89 ($20 MIR)

Both places have the same unit, the same rebate, but ClubIT is $30 less. Reseller Ratings for both are stellar:

Newegg: 9.85 (9.69)
ClubIT: 9.94 (9.81)

eWiz has slightly lower ratings (8.97), but they are still well above average and have been nothing but a pleasure for me to buy from over the years. I send my money to whomever has the best deal and a good reputation.

and intel is better than amd right now.

I hear those Core 2 Duos really crank out the frames in Solitaire and Word. Remember to install FRAPS for your mother-in-law.

 

[Buckus]

I think that he meant that Newegg is a dependable, honest, reputable retailer. They have a variety of parts available, ample information about each part, fast packing and shipping, and a decent RMA process. Their customer service is for the most part friendly and, oh yeah, they have good (but not always the lowest) prices.

Yeah, they might not always have the lowest, lowest, lowest price, but for what they provide, buying from them isn't exactly a bad thing. The amount of information they provide on each part as well as the pictures is clearly one area where they stand head and shoulders above most of other etailers, even most B&M stores that will rarely have a demo on display.

 

[p0tempkin]

The amount of information they provide on each part as well as the pictures is clearly one area where they stand head and shoulders above most of other etailers, even most B&M stores that will rarely have a demo on display.

Then do what Newegg themselves advocate. Window-shop on their site, and buy from another.

There was a time when Newegg wasn't the Wal-Mart of computer hardware. I'm not sure if you guys were too young to remember it. Lots of other e-tailers have great customer service, fast shipping, and good RMA service. They can't compete with Newegg on size, so they compete with the on price (which is what Newegg did back at its inception).

And with the example I gave (Corsair 620HX PSU), the price difference was close to 20%. I'm not paying 20% more for Newegg's name alone, and I think most would agree.

You want another example: Antec P180 ATX case; an extremely popular case among enthusiasts.

Newegg: $130 ($40 MIR)
CompUSA: $100 ($50 MIR)

CompUSA has average customer service, but I'll stick with paying almost 50% less at CompUSA, thank you.

 

[engiNURD]

I agree, no point in buying from Newegg if you could get it cheaper elsewhere from a reputable eTailer.

A typical mother-in-law PC would be a Dell, lol. And you could get one for under $400. Then again, p0tempkin's build is under $400 and better than the Dell, so go for that instead. If you want performance similar to the E4300, then go with an X2 4200+ instead of the 3600+... the price difference is only $30.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2duo-e6420_6.html#sect1

Though, what would be better is if you waited for the Pentium E2160 or Celeron 400 series instead. Thats all she would need anyhow, and those should be in the same price range as the 3600+ X2.

 

[p0tempkin]

Though, what would be better is if you waited for the Pentium E2160 or Celeron 400 series instead.

No need to wait, Bro.

Another reason why eWiz rocks; the E2160 is MIA on Newegg.

For those who don't know already, the Core 2 Duo E21x0 series is the same as the Core 2 Duo E4x00 series, except they have only 1MB L2 cache. In certain applications, this does affect performance slightly; in many applications, it makes little to no difference. And they overclock like a bat out of hell (3GHz+). Yes, they are dual-core, Allendale-based.

 

[engiNURD]

No need to wait, Bro.

Yah, I knew that was out already (and eWiz had the E2140, too, but its gone now), but I'd personally wait for the retail version, since it comes with a HSF and a 3yr warranty.

 

[Xeth]

A typical mother-in-law PC would be a Dell, lol.

QFT. Do you really want to be the manufacturer of your mother-in-law's PC, what with the tech support and warranty obligations..? Also I noticed you haven't figured in the cost of a license for an OS. Is she going to run Ubuntu on it or a shareware version of Windows?

With the cost of Windows included a Dell with the same specs would be cheaper.

 

[p0tempkin]

Yah, I knew that was out already (and eWiz had the E2140, too, but its gone now), but I'd personally wait for the retail version, since it comes with a HSF and a 3yr warranty.

They have the retail unit too, for $100 shipped.

 

[p0tempkin]

Is she going to run Ubuntu on it or a shareware version of Windows?

With Feisty, Ubuntu is a great option for a typical family PC.

My parents only use their PC for internet and e-mail, so I loaded a copy of Ubuntu on an old Socket A Athlon XP system and it blazes along. Ubuntu had drivers for all the hardware in my old Socket A system, and had all the necessary apps preloaded.