Budget Build - Need Recommendations

NiGHTSNiGHTS San Diego Icrontian
edited December 2009 in Hardware
Hi all,

I'm looking to get my parents up to date with some newer hardware in the house. I'm looking for a no-frills desktop that will be primarily used for word processing, taxes, browsing, youtube, and minimal gaming.

Price to beat would be $400, since that seems to be the cheapest Dell I can configure, with Compaqs going for even less than that at the all evil Best Buy.

OS would need to be purchased. I have an old Asus x1950Pro lying around that I was planning on plopping into the system (overkill, I know) but now I'm realizing the power pull from the card might be more trouble than it's worth. Is there a cheap alternative that wouldn't require a beefier power supply (I guess a card that draws power from the motherboard alone)?

Is it possible, or is buying prebuilt my only hope?

Comments

  • pigflipperpigflipper The Forgotten Coast Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    Phenom II (or Athlon X4) with 785 chipset? Integrated video that can do HD (HDMI out) and the low-mid range Phenom II (or even Athlon X4) are amazing budget CPUs.
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2009
    I concur. Try to focus your build on the Athlon II series with a 785G chipset.
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