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Building a home computer for a family friend
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Senior Member
1 product review
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23. June 2008 @ 20:41 |
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Im going to be building a desktop computer for a family friend in the near future. They are not exactly heavy computer users and will mostly be using it for word, excel and internet browsing. (they currently have a p3)
I am think about using the following parts:
Case : ($53.99)
Thermaltake Mid-sized case. Up to 4 DVD drives, room for one Floppy drive or memory card reader.
Processor: ($149.99)
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200. Speed: 2.53GHz, 1066MHz FSB, 3MB L2 Cache, 45nm
Motherboard: ($99.99)
Asus P5k SE/EPU Motherboard. Up to 12 USB ports, Up to 8GBs of RAM, 6 Channel Audio. The EPU feature on this motherboard monitors energy usage; it offers energy savings of up to 80.23%.
RAM (memory): ($46.99)
Patriot Signature DDR2 2GB (2x1GB) 800MHz RAM.
Hard Drive (storage): ($74.99)
Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA Hard Drive. 16MB Cache
Optical Drive: ($33.99)
LG Black SATA DVD and CD Writer w/ LightScribe Technology.
Video Card: ($39.99)
XFX GeForce 8400GS Video Card (256MB of video memory). TV, VGA and DVI outputs.
Power Supply: ($53.99)
Thermaltake 430 Watt Power Supply with 2 80mm fans.
Monitor: ($209.99)
Acer 22? Widescreen LCD Monitor. 700:1 Contrast Ratio, 5ms response time, DVI and VGA inputs. (3yr warranty)
Software: ($94.99)
Windows XP Home
All prices are in CND dollars. And the parts are coming from Canada Computers. The total price (after tax) is $970. Please let me know what you think. Remember its not going to be used for any advanced applications.
I am all ready thinking that the CPU might be overkill.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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24. June 2008 @ 06:14 |
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Could you not potentially save money by using something like an E2200?
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Senior Member
1 product review
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24. June 2008 @ 10:03 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Could you not potentially save money by using something like an E2200?
that would save them about $60 CND... do you think that is worth it or would their computer last longer with the use of the 7200
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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24. June 2008 @ 10:54 |
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There's not a vast amount of difference, by the time the 2200 would be insufficient, the 7200 probably would be too.
I would warn you though, a lot of cheap Asus boards are unreliable, you may want to consider something from Gigabyte or MSI like the P31-S3G instead.
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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25. June 2008 @ 22:03 |
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Look MIKE IS BACK!
This will be a better board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337
I know it seems like small thinsg add up, but a quad core is ONLY 50-60 dollars more, and since they keep computers for so long then something like a quad core will be a better choice as it will be future proof longer.
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Senior Member
1 product review
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25. June 2008 @ 22:35 |
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Newegg has quite low prices compared to the prices here in Canada.... it might just be worth it to take a trip to the states to get the parts :)
thanks for the advice on the board ill look into it.
acually it seems the boards are very similar.... why do you consider the gigabyte board to be superior to the asus model?
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 25. June 2008 @ 22:44
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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25. June 2008 @ 23:13 |
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Mostly quality. The lower end Asus boards tend to crap out, the Gigabytes don't.
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Senior Member
1 product review
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26. June 2008 @ 00:32 |
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Originally posted by abuzar1:
Mostly quality. The lower end Asus boards tend to crap out, the Gigabytes don't.
i actually built a system with the p5k - se (NOT EPU) a while ago and its been ok... the only thing it has that im interested in is this new EPU feature. What is your take on it?
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. June 2008 @ 00:37 |
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If you enable OCing then it wont work. Plus the gigabytes have the same version of the feature. I'm sure it works pretty well to reduce energy consumption.
Plus, why don't you just download the OS? Think about the Quad core, it will serve them well especially if they plan on keeping the computer for a LONG time. Also what kind of case are you getting? I have heard the lower end Thermaltakes are pretty low quality.
Estuansis and I both have used the Raidmax Smilodon Extreme. They are pretty solid cases. I have used several of them in customer build, and they work great!
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Senior Member
1 product review
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26. June 2008 @ 00:55 |
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Originally posted by abuzar1:
If you enable OCing then it wont work. Plus the gigabytes have the same version of the feature. I'm sure it works pretty well to reduce energy consumption.
Plus, why don't you just download the OS? Think about the Quad core, it will serve them well especially if they plan on keeping the computer for a LONG time. Also what kind of case are you getting? I have heard the lower end Thermaltakes are pretty low quality.
Estuansis and I both have used the Raidmax Smilodon Extreme. They are pretty solid cases. I have used several of them in customer build, and they work great!
i think ill go with the mobo u suggested (besides the other one is out of stock)
as for quad core thats up to them but ill ask
im currently trying to find a replacement for the case i had listed as its totally sold out,,,,canada computers does not seem to sell the brand of case you have
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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26. June 2008 @ 01:00 |
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You got friends in the States? I would order everything off newegg and ship it to their house. What store are you buying from again? Is it online?
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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26. June 2008 @ 05:24 |
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Every cheap Asus board I've used worked for the first few months. Every cheap Asus board I've used broke after a year or so.
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