a PC for the Mother-in-law

[CptStern]

So I volunteered to build a pc for my mother in law ..no she's not a battle axe ..we get along quite well actually

anyways I'd like to build my in laws a vista ready machine and have just started thinking about parts ..I've never built a low end pc so I really dont know where to start

so far I'm thinking for case I'll go Antec Sonata (not II) or Thermaltake Mambo ($49 canadian)
thermaltake 420W psu $39
winxp home with free vista upgrade: $129
250G sata hd $80


and that's all I have so far :E

still havent decided what cpu/mobo/vid card/ram combo ...the cpu should be dual core but I havent decided between intel or amd

suggestions anyone?

 

[The Brick]

Intel core 2 duo E6300
Asrock 775dual-VSTA
2gb ddr2 533
PCIe 7600GS
Cheap (black) dvd player.

That's a fast cpu, kinda crappy but great bang-for-the-buck mainboard, 2gb ram (you don't want any less for vista) and a graphics card to handle vista and stuff just fine.

 

[CptStern]

isnt a 7600gs overkill for someone who'll never play games?

that mobo/cpu combo seems to be quite popular


anyone know whether a 420W psu will be enough juice for that system?

 

[The Brick]

A 7300GS then. And yes, 420W (given that it's decent quality) is plenty.

 

[CptStern]

ok the 7300gs sounds more reasonable ...what about cheap(ish) ram?

still not convinced on the cpu (kinda expensive for someone who mostly uses her pc for digital photos/email/internet)

 

[Asus]

The PC I built my grandma had like a AMD sempron 2800+, 512MB memory, 80gb drive, cd burner and MSI micro board with nForce chipset (which has onboard sound/ Geforce4 MX video). That was about a year ago. Depending on what she does it doesn't need to be that much. What does she use it for?

 

[zleppelin]

just give her your old celeron 400 pc

 

[CptStern]

The PC I built my grandma had like a AMD sempron 2800+, 512MB memory, 80gb drive, cd burner and MSI micro board with nForce chipset (which has onboard sound/ Geforce4 MX video). Depending on what she does it doesn't need to be that much. What does she use it for?

email, digital photos/internet ...but she wants Vista ..so it will have to be middle of the road low end

 

[Asus]

As long as she has enough memory then Vista will work. If she wants to use the fancy GUI mode then she'll just need a DX9 compatible gfx card. FX5200 or 7300.

After you think you know what you want for specs, think about picking no-hassle setup parts. You may not want to pick a certain motherboard because the reviews say they had driver issues etc. You don't want to be going back there to fix things after you set it up. hehe

 

[CptStern]

hmm I have to squeeze out a little longevity out of the machine, so I dont want to get her older parts forcing me to upgrade her machine in a year or so ..should I look at say the amd 3800 dual core? stick with intel or not bother and just get a decent single core?

 

[lePobz]

Mac Mini. No, really.

 

[CptStern]

heh you dont give old(er) people new tech they've never used before ..I was a mac fanboi for a long time and I've given it some thought ..but it's incompatible with some of her work stuff

 

[DrDevin]

AMD Sempron 3000+ Processor Socket AM2 Manila 1.6GHZ 1600FSB 256KB L2 Cache 62W 90NM Retail Box $59.89

Foxconn 6100M2MA-RS2H mATX AM2 GF6100 NF410 DDR2 PCI-E16 PCI-E1 2PCI SATA2 Video LAN Motherboard $76.95

Corsair Value Select PC2-4200 1GB 2X512MB DDR2-533 240PIN DIMM Dual Channel Memory $126.50

LG GSA-H10N DVD+RW 16X8X16 DVD-RW 16X6X16 Dual Layer 10X/6X DVD-RAM 12X Writer 2MB Beige OEM W/ SW $35.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 250GB SATA2 7200RPM 16MB 8.9MS Hard Drive 3 Year MFR Warranty $88.99

Total: approx $400

Vista premium with an integrated DX9 chip, good driver support from NVIDIA, AM2 for future upgrades, lots of space, burns disks, more then enough RAM even for vista.

All of those prices are from NCIX.com. Don't go overboard on things she doesnt need. I can play CoH with max settings on a x2 3800+ and a 7900gt and convert entire CDs with LAME in a minute.

I don't think word requires a Core 2 duo, 2GB of ram or *any* graphics card.

 

[CptStern]

hmmm after much research I think you're right ..however would a am2 3200 give her a bit more headroom? also is this a good substitute for the foxconn mobo? (never had problems with asus products)

http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18778&vpn=M2NPV-VM&manufacture=ASUS

 

[Asus]

That looks alright. The onboard video supports DX9 I believe. And Socket AM2 is said to be compatible with AMD's socket AM3 CPUs when they come out so if she decides to become a power user she could just buy a new CPU in a couple years.

Just make sure you have enough slots on the board for what you want, 56k modem or whatever.

 

[CptStern]

ya I dont think she'll be getting a sound card or physX card anytime soon ..so a lot of slots arent really needed

 

[hungryduck]

Mac Mini. No, really.

agreed. you'll never have to fix/futz with it and then they wont call you every month to come clear the viruses and spyware off of it.