Good Specs?

[jmedina]

I know someone who is going to have someone build a computer for them. He asked me if he should buy it with these specs. He also told me he will primarily use it for surfing the net and word processing. The recommended configuration is estimated to be around $500. He wants a small form factor machine. These are just some of the specs:

2 GB RAM
2.80 GHZ Intel Core Duo Processor (I think)
500 GB Hard Drive
DVD/CD Burner with Light Scribe

There would also be an extra charge for Windows XP which I think
is around $140. I recommended he try Ubuntu. Does this sound like too much for his needs?

[Redache]

The problem is you haven't gone into any detail with the Spec. Listing the Capacities and Speeds don't really relate to value any more.

For Instance, 2.8Ghz is fast enough but is it Single,Dual or Quad Core?. Is it power efficient?. What graphics chip will it have (I'm assuming integrated here)?.

If you can supply details of exactly what parts are being added it would be easier you advise you.

[tkelito]

2 GB RAM - $20 - $30
2.80 GHZ Intel Core Duo Processor (I think) - Need more detail $50 - $175
500 GB Hard Drive - $50
DVD/CD Burner with Light Scribe - $25

There would also be an extra charge for Windows XP which I think
is around $140. I recommended he try Ubuntu. Does this sound like too much for his needs?

We also would really need to know the Motherboard, Case, PSU, and anything else. If you have the full specs you can easily browse www.newegg.com and check the prices for yourself.

A good deal to one man is a horrid deal to another, it depends on the user. My last build was a E8400, 8GB Ram, HD4850, 700Watt PSU, Gigabyte Mobo. I spent around $375. I had the HDs and Case already.

[gashcr]

for what he says he's needing it, I think it is waaaay too good. The difference for a lower HD and RAM won't be noticeable, so I would suggest him to keep it like that and install jaunty on it :D

[Skripka]

I know someone who is going to have someone build a computer for them. He asked me if he should buy it with these specs. He also told me he will primarily use it for surfing the net and word processing. The recommended configuration is estimated to be around $500. He wants a small form factor machine. These are just some of the specs:

2 GB RAM
2.80 GHZ Intel Core Duo Processor (I think)
500 GB Hard Drive
DVD/CD Burner with Light Scribe

There would also be an extra charge for Windows XP which I think
is around $140. I recommended he try Ubuntu. Does this sound like too much for his needs?

Based on that, and what your someone has said they want to do-it is probably somewhat overkill, with where software is now.

But-that CPU is already several year obsolete, and if your someone does not want to find themselves needing to buy a computer after Windows 7 comes out, they mnmight want more now even though it is overkill now.

[Tipped OuT]

I know someone who is going to have someone build a computer for them. He asked me if he should buy it with these specs. He also told me he will primarily use it for surfing the net and word processing. The recommended configuration is estimated to be around $500. He wants a small form factor machine. These are just some of the specs:

2 GB RAM
2.80 GHZ Intel Core Duo Processor (I think)
500 GB Hard Drive
DVD/CD Burner with Light Scribe

There would also be an extra charge for Windows XP which I think
is around $140. I recommended he try Ubuntu. Does this sound like too much for his needs?

I say you have good specs. Some people are cocky and would say that's average, when that's a load of bull. Not everyone has money to waste on computers, wish I had yours. ;)

[Skripka]

for what he says he's needing it, I think it is waaaay too good. The difference for a lower HD and RAM won't be noticeable, so I would suggest him to keep it like that and install jaunty on it :D

Meh. HDD space is uber cheap nowadays. Especially for 3.5" drives.

[jmedina]

Based on that, and what your someone has said they want to do-it is probably somewhat overkill, with where software is now.

But-that CPU is already several year obsolete, and if your someone does not want to find themselves needing to buy a computer after Windows 7 comes out, they mnmight want more now even though it is overkill now.

That's what he was telling me. He wants it to last for quite a long time without getting obsolete. I apologize for my lack of giving all the specs. I'll try to post the full specs up tomorrow. I appreciate everybody's quick response!

[Skripka]

That's what he was telling me. He wants it to last for quite a long time without getting obsolete. I apologize for my lack of giving all the specs. I'll try to post the full specs up tomorrow.

Remind him that by the time computer hardware hits the shelves-it is already obsolete.

For example-USB3.0 will be out within a year or so-what is he going to do to get on that wagon, if he chooses to? Something to think about. With an ATX mid-tower you will probably be able to use a PCi card to get in on USB3, but smallish boxes-I don't know.

[jmedina]

Also, would you recommend him ordering through a company such as Dell or HP instead?

[LightB]

Remind him that by the time computer hardware hits the shelves-it is already obsolete.

Obsolete is a subjective term in that case. Otherwise you always hear this myth but it's never true. That's hardware vendor hype. Lots of people still running celerons, pentium 3s and 4s with 1 or 2 GB RAM and they can do basic tasks perfectly fine.

[jmedina]

Here are the full specs:

- Apex Mini ITX "Black Steel" case with 250W PSU
- nForce 630i motherboard with NVIDIA GeForce 7100 IGP and 6 channel Audio.
- Western Digital 7200 RPM 500 GB HDD
- LG 22x DVD Burner with Lightscribe
- 2 GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel RAM
- Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.80 GHZ Dual-Core Processor
- Additional PCI Slot cooling fan

Total: $485.00
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I made my own specs:

Shuttle SN68SG2 AMD Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 2 x 240Pin GeForce 7 Series Black Glamor small form factor XPC Barebone - Retail

LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM

pqi TURBO 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

Windows XP Home Edition
-----------------------------------------
Total= $481.86
---------------------------------------

What do you think? Keep in mind that the first one doesn't include Windows.

[Skripka]

I made my own specs:

Shuttle SN68SG2 AMD Socket AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025 2 x 240Pin GeForce 7 Series Black Glamor small form factor XPC Barebone - Retail

LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive - OEM

Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 533 (PC2 4200) Desktop Memory - Retail

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

Windows XP Home Edition
-----------------------------------------
Total= $445.31
---------------------------------------

What do you think? Keep in mind that the first one doesn't include Windows.

The bolded above are not compatible. I did a quick NewEgg and that barebone only supports 800 or 667 speed DDR2.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101038&Tpk=Shuttle SN68SG2

[jmedina]

Thanks! I will make sure to modify that before giving him the quote. Now it's going to cost $481.86. Would it probably be cheaper if I purchased combo deals?

[jacob01]

what os does he plan on installing?

will he be upgrading to vista or 7?

[.Maleficus.]

TBH, at the price you're looking at, I wouldn't build one. This Dell can be had at Best Buy for $499 - compare these specs to the specs you have.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156511&type=product&id=1218038551739

Intel E5200 - 2.5GHz
4GB PC2-6400
500GB Hard drive
DVD Burner
Intel Media Accelerator 3100 with 128MB shared video memory
Windows Vista Pre-installed

XP is outdated and in my opinion, was never a good operating system. If he wants Windows, Vista is current, supported and would run just fine on that hardware. It will be more future-proof than either of the machines you're looking to build and comes with a one year warranty out of the box. Computer parts fail, there's no way around it. Going into your local Best Buy and having them send it to service or fix it in-store is MUCH easier and better for both you and your friend. Trust me.

[jacob01]

TBH, at the price you're looking at, I wouldn't build one. This Dell can be had at Best Buy for $499 - compare these specs to the specs you have.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156511&type=product&id=1218038551739

Intel E5200 - 2.5GHz
4GB PC2-6400
500GB Hard drive
DVD Burner
Intel Media Accelerator 3100 with 128MB shared video memory
Windows Vista Pre-installed

XP is outdated and in my opinion, was never a good operating system. If he wants Windows, Vista is current, supported and would run just fine on that hardware. It will be more future-proof than either of the machines you're looking to build and comes with a one year warranty out of the box. Computer parts fail, there's no way around it. Going into your local Best Buy and having them send it to service or fix it in-store is MUCH easier and better for both you and your friend. Trust me.

+1

for what he plans on using it for you cant really go wrong with that dell

[jmedina]

TBH, at the price you're looking at, I wouldn't build one. This Dell can be had at Best Buy for $499 - compare these specs to the specs you have.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9156511&type=product&id=1218038551739

Intel E5200 - 2.5GHz
4GB PC2-6400
500GB Hard drive
DVD Burner
Intel Media Accelerator 3100 with 128MB shared video memory
Windows Vista Pre-installed

XP is outdated and in my opinion, was never a good operating system. If he wants Windows, Vista is current, supported and would run just fine on that hardware. It will be more future-proof than either of the machines you're looking to build and comes with a one year warranty out of the box. Computer parts fail, there's no way around it. Going into your local Best Buy and having them send it to service or fix it in-store is MUCH easier and better for both you and your friend. Trust me.

I agree with you and that's what I am trying to tell him. If he gets one through a store like Best Buy it can be serviced easier because its covered by a whole company. I was looking at this one yesterday: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9250909&type=product&id=1218068109061

Although, I think the one you recommended looks better because of the larger hard drive and more RAM. For some reason I think he dislikes Dell. I have to somehow convince him.

[Pixel]

The specs look good, but $140 for Windows XP is pretty steep, you can get it for half that price or cheaper if you look around on google.

[.Maleficus.]

I agree with you and that's what I am trying to tell him. If he gets one through a store like Best Buy it can be serviced easier because its covered by a whole company. I was looking at this one yesterday: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9250909&type=product&id=1218068109061

Although, I think the one you recommended looks better because of the larger hard drive and more RAM. For some reason I think he dislikes Dell. I have to somehow convince him.
Basically, it comes down to being realistic. There is nothing wrong with Dell, and he is going to get the most bang for his buck with an OEM machine. He's also going to get better support and better software right away. The choice is pretty clear if you ask me :).


Edit: Keep in mind, this is coming from someone who has built his last 4 computers and works at Best Buy. I used to cringe at the thought of purchasing an OEM machine but in reality, for a low/mid range computer, it's really the best option.

[SunnyRabbiera]

Also, would you recommend him ordering through a company such as Dell or HP instead?

Well actually yes, especially those two companies.
HP makes darn good machines, as does Dell.
If its a desktop go with HP
If its a Laptop go Dell

[jmedina]

I appreciate everybody's feedback. I came upon this machine as well. http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=KT367AAR&cat=SYS

The processor looks a little slow though, but it's a quad core. Then again, I have to remember that he wants a smaller machine.

[jmedina]

Here is another offer, which seems better. Once again, it is not from a manufacture. I've been perusing on Tiger Direct and it seems the best deal is to purchase a Barabone system and assemble it. Is that probably the best way to go?

- Apex Mini ITX "Black Steel" Case with 250w PSU
- nForce 630i motherboard with NVIDIA GeForce 7100 IGP and 6 channel audio
- Western Digital 7200 RPM 500GB HDD
- LG 22x DVD Burner with LightScribe
- 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel RAM
- Intel Core 2 Duo E7400 2.80GHZ Dual-Core Processor
- Additional PCI Slot Cooling Fan
- Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit
- Microsoft Office 2007

Final Total: 625.00