Dear Icrontians, I would like some help if you would be so kind

fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
edited December 2010 in Hardware
My parents want(need) a new computer. This is what they have now

-Shuttle barebone little box type thing with a motherboard inside
-AMD AthlonXP 2500+
-2GB of RAM
-Geforce2 MX400
-500GB IDE HDD( I think, it may even be like a 250GB ATA66 HDD)
-WindowsXP
-56k PCI Modem

Here's where I would love some help and opinions.

The Rules:
~$800 budget (this is flexible up to $900)
~Windows 7 64-bit
~At least 4GB of RAM
~They don't play any games, just office suite, email, web browsing.
~Must include at least a 20" LCD (they have a 17" 1024x768 CRT now)
~I can use the PCI modem from their current PC, but if you can budget in a new one that would be swell
~Keyboard & Mouse (mouse can be wireless, keyboard no no no)
~I don't care if it's Intel or AMD based

Have at it! and, Thanks <3

Comments

  • BuddyJBuddyJ Dept. of Propaganda OKC Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Would a refurb Mac Mini be okay? I got one for my parents and they've been pleased.

    If not, I built an Athlon II X4 640(?), Biostar mATX board, 4GB DDR3, 1TB HDD, generic DVD, and Win 7 64-bit in a Silverstone Sugo case for a business rig last month that with monitor and keyboard was right at $800.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    a mac mini would work once I put Windows on it. I am not teaching my parents OS X. But then a mac mini with Windows on it is about spec'd to what they have now ;)
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    You should honestly just get them a Dell. You can hit all the specs you listed but the modem (because they don't sell them any more) for <$600 + shipping.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    ok Thrax brings up a valid point, and one I have thought about.

    Is Dell the best though? (I'm the type that HATES pre-built computer companies)
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    I'll tell you this much: I was in the same boat and I ended up pointing my dad to an Acer that was on special from Microcenter. What a piece of junk.

    Avoid Acer at that budget range.

    Dell is decent enough at that range.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    primesuspect wrote:
    Avoid Acer at that budget range.

    Dell is decent enough at that range.
    Double agreement is doublelicious
  • the_technocratthe_technocrat IC-MotY1 Indy Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Thrax wrote:
    You should honestly just get them a Dell. You can hit all the specs you listed but the modem (because they don't sell them any more) for <$600 + shipping.

    Seconded on the Dell, spend the extra $200 on a 3-year in-home service warranty from Dell if you can, or just a regular 3-year if you can't. Get them an aftermarket keyboard with shortcut buttons on it and they'll flip their gourd.
  • the_technocratthe_technocrat IC-MotY1 Indy Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    or get them a cheap laptop if they don't need the 20-incher. Mom will like using it for recipes, Dad will like surfing MSN news while watching Mom's TV shows. Unless eyesight is a problem, then for $800, it's a no-go, <=15" is a bad idea.

    Also, while you're at it, make them power users in Windows 7, not Admins. It's a lot more usable than before.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    the_technocrat wrote:
    or get them a cheap laptop if they don't need the 20-incher. Mom will like using it for recipes, Dad will like surfing MSN news while watching Mom's TV shows. Unless eyesight is a problem, then for $800, it's a no-go, <=15" is a bad idea.

    Also, while you're at it, make them power users in Windows 7, not Admins. It's a lot more usable than before.

    they are spending $1200
    I have to get them a PC and laptop for that.
    Why the ~$800.00 budget on the PC. I already found them a $350 awesome laptop heh, heh, hahahahahaha (no really)
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    question: what does an i5 offer my parents over an Intel or AMD dual-core?
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Power they'll never use.
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Thrax wrote:
    Power they'll never use.

    sorry, meant i3

    okay, what about power they will save on the electric bill or heat output?

    looking at the Dell E600-E800 my baseline cpu's are:
    AMD Athlonâ„¢ II X2 Processor 240 (2.8GHz, 1M, 2C)
    Intel® Pentium® dual-core E5700(3.0GHz,2MB L2,800MHz)
    Intel® Core™ i3-550 processor(4MB Cache, 3.20GHz)
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Without knowing what stepping is in use by each chip, I'd tentatively say that the i3-550 will use less overall system power. The i3 550 is 73W with the CPU and GPU running at full blast. The X2 240 is 65W at full blast, and no desktop GPU (which would be needed with the 240) runs at just 9W.
Sign In or Register to comment.