Building a PC for my mom, $700 CAD + tax & shipping budget

[PhlegmMaster]

Hello!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
No photoshop, just web browsing (with many, many tabs opened simultaneously), a little gaming but no recent games that require a beastly GPU.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$700 CAD, shipping and taxes not included. I'll be ordering everything at NCIX.com, but fortunately they have price matching with other Canadian online companies.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Canada.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

No monitor or speakers, just everything that goes inside the case:

CPU
CPU cooler if necessary
Motherboard
RAM
Harddrive, 1TB at least
SSD would be nice, though obviously not a huge one.
GPU, not an expensive one of course.
Case, if possible one built for silence.
PSU


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

None.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Heck no.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

Two 1920/1080 monitors, 23 inches.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Before the end of January.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

None of those things. USB 3.0 might be useful, I think her backup HDD has USB 3.0, but it's not essential.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Nope, Windows 8 64bit will need to be included with that budget.


Additional note:

While my mom doesn't need a top of the line PC, she does notice (and is annoyed) when software runs slowly, which is why I wrote that a SSD would be nice. I might convince her to raise her budget a little bit for a SSD.



Thank you!

 

[tiraides]

What types of games does your mom play?

Aside from the SSD, is there any reason why prebuilt system wouldn't be a good alternative for her?

 

[PhlegmMaster]

What types of games does your mom play?

The most recent and demanding game she plays is Civilization 5. The rest are games from the 1990's and early 2000's.

Aside from the SSD, is there any reason why prebuilt system wouldn't be a good alternative for her?

I've read a lot of prebuilt system reviews and I haven't been able to find a really positive one for this budget. It seems they all have glaring flaws, like a tendency to overheat or other things. Also, my mother is probably going to keep this system for 4-5 years, so I want it to be good enough to last that long.

 

[450]

A prebuilt would be a much better fit. I'd get a Dell Optiplex of some sort and add in your own GPU.

 

[PhlegmMaster]

So you're saying it's not possible to build a better system than a Dell prebuilt for the same money?

 

[450]

So you're saying it's not possible to build a better system than a Dell prebuilt for the same money?

In terms of reliability and amount of hassles, I'd prefer an Dell Optiplex or Precision over a self built rig.

 

[Dangman]

So you're saying it's not possible to build a better system than a Dell prebuilt for the same money?

Oh it's definitely possible depending on the requirements. But the problem is that your mom's uses really don't require a DIY build. It's really just that SSD. Then again, that can change based on your answers to the following questions:
1) Does she need to be able to play Civ V on max settings?
2) What's the likelihood of her playing new games?
3) Does she have any other special requirements for the PC that we should know about? Like size, noise, style, etc.

 

[PhlegmMaster]

Oh it's definitely possible depending on the requirements. But the problem is that your mom's uses really don't require a DIY build. It's really just that SSD.

Sure, I just want her to have the best PC her budget can get her, and I don't mind a little extra work.

1) Does she need to be able to play Civ V on max settings?

Need? No. But everyone likes nicer graphics.

2) What's the likelihood of her playing new games?

That depends when Civ VI comes out (or similar game), I guess.

3) Does she have any other special requirements for the PC that we should know about? Like size, noise, style, etc.

Low noise.

 

[Dangman]

Any particular Canandian online computer hardware store you plan on buying from?

 

[PhlegmMaster]

Any particular Canandian online computer hardware store you plan on buying from?

NCIX