Budget/Mainstream Build for Non-Gamer

[callousdigits]

Hi all,

I'm building a computer for a friend that has a VERY crappy old rig, and he'll be using it primarily for web, videos, MP3 etc. (well, when I asked him about gaming he said he might throw in a copy of Myst

I'm doing my best to get him a rig that has some upgradeability in case he starts to want more, will last him a decent amount of time, and is not more expensive or high-end than he really needs (which is the hard part, since I'd rather build something bleeding-edge).

Thinking about (all from Newegg, although I'll probably price hunt before I make the actual purchase):

Antec 300 ATX case $70
Corsair 400W PSU $30 after rebates
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard $100
Athlon II X4 630 2.8 ghz CPU $125
WD Caviar Blue 640GB HD $70
Crucial 2x2GB DDR3 1333 $74
Samsung DVD burner $31

Total $528 w/shipping ($20 rebate not included)

He has a 21" monitor, and a keyboard and mouse he's happy with. He's pretty sure he can get a free/cheap copy of windows 7 from his work when it comes out (state job). If not, I'll get him a vista w/free upgrade.

Does this seem to match his profile?

Thanks!

 

[Transmaniacon]

I would recommend this HDD instead, its cheaper, and much faster;

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product ($49.99)

 

[wathman]

that Asus board has more features than it sounds your friend will ever need, but I just checked on newegg and it looks like the lower tier board is only $10 cheaper, and doesn't have free shipping so your board selection is the best deal.

 

[callousdigits]

I wondered about the features being a bit of overkill as well, but I may set him up with a modest overclock as well (as long as I can bump up that athlon II without any voltage increase). I'm also not really familiar with the Radeon HD 4200 gpu. Is it the best of the integrated GPU offerings out there right now? It was a big reason I chose that MB and not a less feature-rich board

 

[callousdigits]

OR -- would it make more sense for his uses to buy for $35 more:

MSI 770-C45 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $80
ASUS EAH4670/DI/1GD3/V2 Radeon HD 4670 1GB $55

 

[Transmaniacon]

I personally would go with the ATX mobo and HD4670, this gives you a little more breathing room inside, and gives him a little better performance with everyday computing and multi-media.

 

[callousdigits]

Thanks for the replies -- hopefully I'll talk him into ordering this stuff over the weekend!