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Need some last words of advice before green-lighting (casual build for Mom).

Tags:
  • casual
  • Systems
  • Monitors
  • Office
  • New Build
Last response: in Systems
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July 31, 2014 11:19:04 AM

Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible.

Budget Range: $300-$400 USD

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Documenting, Surfing, etc (no gaming).

Are you buying a monitor: Yes and no. We don't have the cash at the moment to buy a nice monitor, so we'll be using an old 4:3 monitor for awhile.

Parts to Upgrade: Hopefully everything but the harddrive and case.

Do you need to buy OS: I don't know! I now see this part: "Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard." But more on this later. Yes.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon and Newegg are best, but others work.

Location: Utah

Parts Preferences: Intel is what I'm used to. I'm also familiar with Nvidia.

Overclocking: Nope

SLI or Crossfire: Nah

Your Monitor Resolution: I'm not quiet sure what the old 4:3 monitor resolution is (if it's needed I can get it), but I'd be nice to keep 720p/1080p in mind.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: So my Mom's 6 year old laptop died and it's time for and new rig. We don't have a lot of extra cash so we need to keep it as low as possible (but I want to be careful that we don't buy cheep (as is bad) gear).

I have an old computer case (the only marking I can find says "Totally AWESOME Computers") that I was wondering if I can use for this build! I can't find a specific model number but would some pictures help? Answered! Thanks!

Also since we are moving from a laptop is it possible to bring over the harddrive? It is the smaller 4'' by 3'' mobile hdd. Would we need to special it in a special way? Do we need to go through any special installation since it's already used? Also would we be able to keep the OS? The laptop is a pre-built Acer Aspire 7535.

Here is the partlist we are thinking of going for: https://pcpartpicker.com/user/rushrage/saved/pf3mP6

One last question! On the wireless adapter is says "300/300Mbps 2T2R Wireless Data Rates". Meaning you can get up to (if your internet is that good) 300 mbps up and down, right? This is probably a really stupid question but I just want to make sure! We are good.


Thank you so much for your help! It really does mean a lot! I wouldn't have been able to build my first rig without you guys and now this. Thanks again!

More about : words advice green lighting casual build mom

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a c 79 C Monitor
July 31, 2014 11:28:24 AM

I recognize that case. It's an Antec SX1030b. I had a straight SX1030 (beige instead of black) many years ago. It should be usable for your build.

Edit:
As far as the drive, search for "2.5 mounting kit". There are a number of choices under $10 for mounting a 2.5 inch (platter diameter, not outer size) drive in a 3.5-inch bay. I'm fairly sure the SX1030 didn't have mounting holes for 2.5 inch drives.

I'm pretty sure the OS on a laptop would be OEM, meaning you'll need to buy a new OS.

The partlist looks okay.

I think you're correctly interpreting the specs of the wireless adapter, but I'm not really an expert on Wi-Fi.
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July 31, 2014 11:30:18 AM

MauveCloud said:
I recognize that case. It's an Antec SX1030b. I had a straight SX1030 (beige instead of black) many years ago. It should be usable for your build.


Haha! That's awesome you recognized it! Thank you very much!
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July 31, 2014 6:03:20 PM

Whoops! I missed your edit! Thank you again.

I figure it'd be a good time to invest in a new hdd. Is this a reliable and goodly priced one? I'm sorry I an not that great with harddrives!

Now I'm trying to think of a good way to go about transferring off the old harddrive. We don't have a super recent backup. Can we just plug in (the old hdd) and cut and paste, the files over, after we get the computer up and running? We would need to get cables for that, right? And should we still get the mounting kit?

Thanks for dealing with my massive sea of questions!
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a c 79 C Monitor
July 31, 2014 6:19:23 PM

That looks like a good hdd to me. As far getting files off the old hdd, I'd suggest "copy and paste" instead of "cut and paste" (that way, the old drive will still have the files if the transfer gets interrupted somehow), and you don't need the mounting kit - you can just lay the old hard drive on the table while you're doing that. However, I had forgotten when I first replied, but laptop sata drives usually have a slightly different interface than desktop sata drives, so you might need something like this:
http://www.lightinthebox.com/1-8-micro-sata-7-9-16pin-s...
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a b C Monitor
July 31, 2014 8:22:36 PM

Laptop SATA drives uses the same size connector as desktops, so he doesn't need that adapter. It's only needed if it's a 1.8" drive and that's rare, most are 2.5"
For browsing, and other basic task, you can go with a Pentium Dual Core. I've build my mom a computer, the computer is around 6 years old and it's still working till this day. All she does was surf the web, but I did upgrade her PSU to a Corsair CX600 and a HD6790, so she can play Alice.

Here is a complete build, including monitor

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fcx4YJ

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK270 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $506.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 23:21 EDT-0400


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July 31, 2014 9:04:52 PM

So what cables will I need to connect it to the motherboard? Here's a picture of the hdd: http://i.imgur.com/VKMx4eh.jpg

Thank you all for the help!
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a b C Monitor
July 31, 2014 9:18:45 PM

rushrage said:
So what cables will I need to connect it to the motherboard? Here's a picture of the hdd: http://i.imgur.com/VKMx4eh.jpg

Thank you all for the help!


A SATA power cable from the PSU in order to power the hard drive, and a SATA data cable which is a separate cable that connects the hard drive to the motherboard. The data cable comes with your motherboard.
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a b C Monitor
July 31, 2014 9:21:27 PM

Here's a picture of the data cable:

Spoiler


And the SATA power cable:

Spoiler
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July 31, 2014 9:25:39 PM

Thank you very much! This forum is the best! Thanks to you guys another rig is ready to go!

Thanks again for all your help!
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a b C Monitor
July 31, 2014 9:29:20 PM

lp231 said:
Laptop SATA drives uses the same size connector as desktops, so he doesn't need that adapter. It's only needed if it's a 1.8" drive and that's rare, most are 2.5"
For browsing, and other basic task, you can go with a Pentium Dual Core. I've build my mom a computer, the computer is around 6 years old and it's still working till this day. All she does was surf the web, but I did upgrade her PSU to a Corsair CX600 and a HD6790, so she can play Alice.

Here is a complete build, including monitor

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fcx4YJ

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK270 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $506.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 23:21 EDT-0400




Looks great, but he really needs 4GB for a pc meant for basic use. 8GB is overkill.
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a b C Monitor
July 31, 2014 9:53:16 PM

RazerZ said:
lp231 said:
Laptop SATA drives uses the same size connector as desktops, so he doesn't need that adapter. It's only needed if it's a 1.8" drive and that's rare, most are 2.5"
For browsing, and other basic task, you can go with a Pentium Dual Core. I've build my mom a computer, the computer is around 6 years old and it's still working till this day. All she does was surf the web, but I did upgrade her PSU to a Corsair CX600 and a HD6790, so she can play Alice.

Here is a complete build, including monitor

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/fcx4YJ

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.71 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 21.5" Monitor ($104.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK270 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $506.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-31 23:21 EDT-0400




Looks great, but he really needs 4GB for a pc meant for basic use. 8GB is overkill.


True thought, but his own parts list has a Core i3 along with 8GB, so I went along with that 8GB that he has.
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