New budget PC for my grandma

cranked

Distinguished
Apr 28, 2012
520
2
19,065
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: ASAP

Budget Range: Would like to keep it at $450 USD or less with a copy of Windows 7

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Internet, email, freecell

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Need: Tower, cpu, mobo, ram, psu, dvd/cd drive, win 7 OEM, hdd


Do you need to buy OS: Yes, win 7 OEM


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Prefer Newegg or at least to buy everything from the same spot but only if it fits in the budget

Location: USA

Parts Preferences: Thinking AMD for the CPU because they are cheaper. Also need a built in GPU because I wont have a gfx card

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Not using a graphics card so the onboard video from the cpu will work

Additional Comments: My grandma is using a computer that is so old it took me 3 hours to install printer software. I just need something newer. Doesn't need to be anywhere near the latest stuff. Just need to stay in budget.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: See above.
 

Supahos

Expert
Ambassador
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - SRM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM 64-bit
Total: $321.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-26 18:32 EDT-0400

Every but he and DVD burner are from newegg other two are from Amazon.

I don't believe Newegg or Amazon sell win 7 anymore
 
Solution
All quality parts. Should last those needs for a lot of years to come. Also has an upgrade path if required later on. You can build this cheaper but its not recommended to compromise on quality...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($68.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair - SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.69 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM 64-bit ($109.99 @ My Choice Software)
Total: $467.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-26 18:39 EDT-0400

Edit: Optical drive added.
 

M04D18

Respectable
Jun 16, 2017
430
2
2,165
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($57.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba - 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill - SRM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.97 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On - iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($15.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 8.1 Pro OEM 64-bit ($79.98 @ My Choice Software)
Total: $387.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-26 18:49 EDT-0400

Maybe a cheaper build with windows 8.1
 
The only issue with Windows 8.1 is the "look and feel" of it is quite a bit different than XP or 7, and might be an adjustment for an older person. That being said, if the grandkid is her Tech Support, once all of the desktop shortcut icons are set up, and you don't have to deal with the tiles, it is pretty easy to use. I am using 8.1 Pro myself and am no spring chicken, but I have been using computers at home since the early 1980's and in the office from around 1990 or so.

The extended support for 8.1 ends on January 10, 2023 so that is a bit better than Windows 7 extended support.