- Feb 17, 2009
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Hi guys,
I’m building a $300-400 budget PC for my dad. I know $400 isn’t much to work with, but seeing as he’s upgrading from an ancient (Pentium II?) computer, it should suffice. The PC will be used primarily for office-related work.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: some time around Black Friday
BUDGET RANGE: $300-400 Before (but preferably without) Rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: word processing, surfing the internet, watching movies
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, PSU (I have a spare 500W that came with a Raidmax case), graphics card
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD (due to budget)
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024
I'm kind of set on most of the parts I plan on getting, but suggestions/advice on what I have so far would be appreciated regardless:
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157168
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
Tagan CS-A+Curbic Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811294009
**Edit: With the parts listed, the total is at $365**
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Not really sure if I should go with a quad-core for future-proofing. He doesn't plan on upgrading for at least 5 years (but obviously this PC won't be used for gaming or any multitasking). Low-power consumption would be nice too.
For the CPU, should I go with an Athlon II? I'll have the option of choosing a tri- or quad-core, though I think he would benefit more from a higher clock (and L3 cache) than an extra core. Also, the 550BE appears to be unlockable with this motherboard. If I ever need to overclock and/or unlock it, the only part I would need to add is a better heatsink, right?
I don't plan on getting a discrete graphics card, as the onboard graphics with sideport memory will be more than sufficient for my dad's needs.
And for $30 after instant savings, the Tagan case looks really nice, but the price will probably change by the time a make the purchase. I may end up getting a basic Rosewill case. Suggestions?
And one last question; should the reused parts work with Windows 7? I'm not sure if the generic drivers provided with the OS will work, but they -are- generic parts.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post.
I’m building a $300-400 budget PC for my dad. I know $400 isn’t much to work with, but seeing as he’s upgrading from an ancient (Pentium II?) computer, it should suffice. The PC will be used primarily for office-related work.
APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: some time around Black Friday
BUDGET RANGE: $300-400 Before (but preferably without) Rebates
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: word processing, surfing the internet, watching movies
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS, PSU (I have a spare 500W that came with a Raidmax case), graphics card
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.com
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US
PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD (due to budget)
OVERCLOCKING: Maybe
SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No
MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024
I'm kind of set on most of the parts I plan on getting, but suggestions/advice on what I have so far would be appreciated regardless:
AMD Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition Callisto 3.1GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor Model HDZ550WFGIBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680
ASRock M3A785GMH/128M AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157168
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
Tagan CS-A+Curbic Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811294009
**Edit: With the parts listed, the total is at $365**
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
Not really sure if I should go with a quad-core for future-proofing. He doesn't plan on upgrading for at least 5 years (but obviously this PC won't be used for gaming or any multitasking). Low-power consumption would be nice too.
For the CPU, should I go with an Athlon II? I'll have the option of choosing a tri- or quad-core, though I think he would benefit more from a higher clock (and L3 cache) than an extra core. Also, the 550BE appears to be unlockable with this motherboard. If I ever need to overclock and/or unlock it, the only part I would need to add is a better heatsink, right?
I don't plan on getting a discrete graphics card, as the onboard graphics with sideport memory will be more than sufficient for my dad's needs.
And for $30 after instant savings, the Tagan case looks really nice, but the price will probably change by the time a make the purchase. I may end up getting a basic Rosewill case. Suggestions?
And one last question; should the reused parts work with Windows 7? I'm not sure if the generic drivers provided with the OS will work, but they -are- generic parts.
Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post.
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