Help - budget NON gaming pc

[bbzoe]

Hey guys, my sister needs a computer for around $300 and she doesn't play games on it. I'm really lost because most of the reviews I can find are for gaming rigs so I'm not sure where I can save some money. It will be mainly used for the web/facebook, basic photos, skype, and movies for her kids. Skype is the really important one because her husband is about to be deployed and they want to skype together. She just needs the tower and all the hardware there, she has the monitor and the rest of that stuff. Please let me know if I left anything out.

oh yeah I like newegg.com

 

[mother242]

heres the system id recomend
AMD Athlon x4 630- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103704&cm_re=AMD_Athlon_x4_630-_-19-103-704-_-Product

AsRock 88GMH-LE USB3- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157197&cm_re=asrock_880gmh%2fusb3-_-13-157-197-_-Product

2gb g.skill - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231150&cm_re=2_x_1gb_ddr3-_-20-231-150-_-Product

LG cd/dvd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136168&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

segate barrcuda you could go with any size depending on you needs- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136168&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=

case- this coolermaster w/ 350w psu sould be fine http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119118&cm_re=coolermaster_elite_330-_-11-119-118-_-Product

 

[Dougie Fresh]

I think it's going to be hard to get to that $300 budget unless you already have Windows or are planning to use Ubuntu.

Here's a link to my current favorite budget build that will do all that you want for about $320. It's 100% quality parts, has a small footprint, and is power efficient.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/294014-31-bestconfigs-intel-based-office#t2186249

You just need to add an O/S to it.

 

[jaguarskx]

The best thing is to is a buy a pre-built system because the budget is so low.

eMachines ET1352-01 Athlon II 160u(1.80GHz) 2GB = $340 + $11 shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883114086


Yes, it's $51 over the $300 budget. But if her husband is not worth the extra $51, then she might as well get a divorce. BTW, the cost of a divorce is more than $51.

 

[Dougie Fresh]

Pre-built is a good idea. If she already has the monitor, keyboard and mouse this is a system to consider: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108321.

You just don't get a DVD/CD drive. I built a system with the D525/NM10 chipset (w/o the ION2 GPU) and it's fine for web/photos/email/etc. With the ION2 it'll also play videos no problem, even 720p. All this an pulling less power than a 40W lightbulb.

If a DVD/CD drive is a must, an external USB drive can be found on the cheap.

 

[batuchka]

$272AR

 

[jaguarskx]

^^^
batuchka

You forgot the price of the OS. Not everyone has a copy of Windows simply laying around the house.

bbzoe

Just get her to buy a pre-built PC, unless you want to be responsible for being her tech support.

 

[batuchka]

Err TS did state

She just needs the tower and all the hardware there

i shall not jump into conclusions software wise hehe