Building a computer for a friend--need expert advice
SpaceDoll:
She hasn't touched a computer for more than 15 minutes in 15 years. She will surf the internet and download music and movies. She may, sometime in the future, want to play some pretty crappy games, but until then integrated graphics will be just fine. She trusts me to build this, even though it will be my first build. Anyway, budget is the most important factor, so we went as low quality as we could without making it useless to spend the money (I offered her my ten year old computer with a few upgrades for free). This comes to about $400 at NewEgg:
--Intel Celeron E1500 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E1500 $62.99
--LOGISYS Computer PS575XBK 575W ATX12V SLI Ready Power Supply $29.99
--APEVIA KI-COMBO-SV Black/Silver PS/2 Wired Standard Keyboard and Optical Scroll Mouse Combo Set $20.00
--HP L1710 Silver 17" 5ms LCD Monitor $119.99
--Kingston 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2/1GR $13.99
--Western Digital Caviar RE WD2500YD 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $39.99
--GIGABYTE GZ-X5SPD-500 Silver SECC Steel / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $37.99
--LG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner w/ SecurDisc Tech Black SATA Model GH20NS15 $20.99
--Foxconn G31AX-K LGA 775 Intel G31 ATX Intel Motherboard $59.99
Am I making any grave mistakes here? Is anything glaringly missing that I am oblivious to?
I would really appreciate any opinions!
HomeschooledByTards:
I hate Celerons, but for basic internet useage, it should be fine. I would get at least one more gig of ram, probably two more. An extra 25 dollars will make a tremendous performance difference.
theresatv:
What are you planning on using for the operating system?
SpaceDoll:
I know what you mean about the processor, and the ramz, Jesslla! Some of these parts, though name brand, had me cringing. I would love to upgrade everything just a bit more, and then a bit more. I would eventually end up building MY dream computer, and having to pay for half! I went low on things that can be easily upgraded (memory, graphics), as she is a waitress and can easily be convinced later to buy something for cash. I do have some specific questions, though. Will the fan that comes with the processor be enough? I'm pretty sure it will, though I would never use it in my own build. Also, can anyone tell me anything I need to know about thermal paste? :D
As for the OS, I will either be using an old copy of XP pro I have, or if she is convinced she needs Vista, I will be figuring out just how to pirate that. It will be useful information in the future.
crunk:
My only advice, be it somewhat crappy, is this: if you have doubts that the system will run Vista smoothly, put XP on it. Ignore your friend's complaints/whining and go with the OS that will have the best performance. From personal experience anything Vista itself ranks lower than a 3.0 in its "experience index" isn't worth the headache and will result in an unhappy new computer owner.
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