Help me to spec a puter for my lil friend...

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:43 pm

Hey guys,
My little friend's dad said to tell him how much it would cost to get his son, Mancito, a puter. (Amro & Immy helped him with his Algebra homework the other night. Thanks again guys

)

Well, his family doesn't have much money, so I want to design an economical, yet useful puter. Looks are not important, but reliability is. (In other words, no garbage-cheap stuff)

You guys know what is good for students. I really don't have a clue...

I do appreciate your help and considerations!

Ken

Gamewiz · Post by **Gamewiz** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:45 pm

You could probally get a pretty decent comp off of Ebay for a little bit of Money, say in the range of $200-$500, or go to your local Advanced 2000, and buy wholesale!

downhill · Post by **downhill** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:50 pm

Mobo...One with an Nvida chip will save a little as you won't need a video card. Asus, MSI, come's to mind...Most of them come with on board sound. After that. ummm...Maybe a 30 gig drive for under a hundred. Get memory now as it's really not a bad buy. 256 megs ought to do. I'm sure there are quite a few stores around there you could find a 17 inch viewsonic for ummm...$160 to 200?

Add a 1600 XP for around $120? A case with decient power supply, umm....$70?

CDrom for $40 and an floppy for 10. You can even sub the cdrom for a burner for 70 bucks......

Speakers...Labtec. Can't remember the model, but Brent has a set...for under 50 bucks and killer sound for that price.

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:50 pm

A little info about him to help with the decisions.

He is in 10th grade at a local High School, but he is a bit behind for that grade. His family immigrated from Mexico and his parents do not know English.
He has done quite well since they realized that it was not only him not knowing English, but he has a hearing disorder and now wears hearing aids which helps them a lot.
He is trying hard and does really good on his English now. He still makes mistakes, but heck, I do too! hehehheeheheh

Anyway, he has an 8 year old and a 5 year old, brothers they will have the benefit of learning on the puter as well.

Thanks again!

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:52 pm

Oh, I forgot, we want to build it and not buy a premade as he is fascinated watching me work on mine, and I think that it will be a good learning experience for him, plus, he will know how to fix it, upgrade it, etc... And we can probably build it cheaper...

Links! I need links! The specific names and model numbers!
Please...

master7 · Post by **master7** » Wed May 22, 2002 9:58 pm

Pick up a couple of these (PNY 128mb PC100 RAM)
http://www.staples.com/Products/SpotLig ... efault.asp
for $19.94 each (free ship)

lvslr · Post by **lvslr** » Wed May 22, 2002 10:33 pm

Hey Ken let me go through my stuff here and make sure the items are in working order.

1. Vodoo 4 32meg AGP
2. Creative Labs CDRW
3. 3com905 NIC
4. Ext USR 56k
5. Creative Labs Sound Card 128 PCI
6. Seagate 10gig HD

Will let you know what is in working order tomorrow.

mountainman · Post by **mountainman** » Wed May 22, 2002 10:40 pm

I have a stick of 128MB PC100 RAM that came with my HP. If you can use it, I will send it to you for use in that computer. I just upgraded mine to 512 from Crucial.

Let me know if it can be of help. Oh, and I may be able to ship you my mouse. Let me know. Every little bit helps, right?

mountainman · Post by **mountainman** » Wed May 22, 2002 10:40 pm

BTW, do you think a "sticky" is in order for this?

Perhaps you could get people to send you some extra stuff they dont need.

Just a thought.

Buena suerte.

mikemean · Post by **mikemean** » Wed May 22, 2002 10:45 pm

I have a Celeron 633 you can have for your little freinds. Hey, it may not be the fastest but, if they have little money I would be happy to donate it!

I don't have a fan for it and I'm not sure the heatsink will fit the motherboard they get but, they are welcome to have them both for free.

A_old · Post by **A_old** » Wed May 22, 2002 10:46 pm

Hey Ken, Happy to help ANY time i can. This is what I would recommend... you know pricewatch and newegg so I'll leave the pricing to you..

you want something cheap, but fast and functional..

Motherboard: Epox 8k3a (not +) should under 100 SHIPPED from newegg
Processor: Duron 1GHz
Ram: 256MB Crucial, Kingmax, PNY, or Kingston (whatever is cheapest..shouldn't spend more than 70 + shipping. probably less)
Harddisk: 20GB Maxtor 7200 RPM HDD (I'd guess close to $60)
Videocard: Geforce 3 Ti200 (should be under 100 now too)
Sound: Onboard
NIC: Just some Realtek card (can be had for $15)
Speakers: Just pickup some $30 altecs at bby
Monitor: 15-17" generic monitor
Modem: Cheap v.9x modem..(5-15)
keyboard and mouse..just something.
Case: Midtower-(30-50) shipped
Total shouldn't be over $1000..probably closer to 700ish after cables and all.. i added what i thought it would cost and it came to 675 shipped (asuming u buy the monitor for 150 in a store and the modem mouse keyboard instore..buy a cheap midtower and ship...) There you are Mr. Ken.. oh the duron i figured 50..might be a little more..you want one RETAIL..just use AMD's heatsink..it'll be fine.. I would recommend a 300watt PSU..system shouldn't be over 700, but will scream as far as gaming, net, ANYTHING for that matter..and ken, setup a paypal if you want us to pitch a little cash in. i'll throw in 10 or 20 bucks

OH a cd rom and floppy..total would be 750 w/ those..

Amro

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Wed May 22, 2002 11:04 pm

Hey guys,
Thanks for your kindness!

I was already planning on kicking in some dunkins, so money shouldn't be a problem, but I just want to be sure that I buy reliable stuff so it won't crash all of the time.

I figure that I will lose the monitor & mobo receipts and they will never know...

I just have more knowledge on the more expensive SCSI type stuff and quite ignorant on the good, middle of the road stuff.

You guys have great hearts!

I appreciate all of help & thoughts!!
Ken

TEH WIN · Post by **TEH WIN** » Thu May 23, 2002 12:50 am

Originally posted by Ken
I just have more knowledge on the more expensive SCSI type stuff and quite ignorant on the good, middle of the road stuff.

ken's parents taught him how to run, but he never learned how to walk

Gamewiz · Post by **Gamewiz** » Thu May 23, 2002 10:55 am

Originally posted by TEH WIN

ken's parents taught him how to run, but he never learned how to walk

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Thu May 23, 2002 8:14 pm

Originally posted by John
Do you want it ot be fully upgradable, w/ video card, sound card, etc or do you want it to be cheaper and have integrated audio/video?

This is what I was hoping that you guys could tell me...

Gamewiz · Post by **Gamewiz** » Thu May 23, 2002 8:39 pm

You want upgradeable, man I had onboard Video and Sound, but the motherboard had no AGP slot, so I had to get a new one, plus if you get onboard, it usually is not going to be very good, usually they are at the bottom of the food chain.

Deus ex Machina · Post by **Deus ex Machina** » Thu May 23, 2002 10:49 pm

What are his needs? A K6-2 200 Mhz will run win98 and Office 97 as well as it did 4 years ago. He can do all his homework and hop on the net.

I can pitch in a couple of items. I have a spare CD-rom lying about, maybe even some old RAM...

shant,
david

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Fri May 24, 2002 12:02 am

Originally posted by Deus ex Machina
What are his needs? A K6-2 200 Mhz will run win98 and Office 97 as well as it did 4 years ago. He can do all his homework and hop on the net.

I can pitch in a couple of items. I have a spare CD-rom lying about, maybe even some old RAM...

shant,
david

Hey David,

To be able to do his homework and hop around on the net would be the objective. And I may set them up with some progs for the young ones to be able to learn English as this may help the parents learn as well...

I will put in some office type progs to help him with his homework.

I was going to just pitch in some money and not tell the dad. There is so many good people here that have offered to send stuff!

They are proud people and wouldn't accept "charity" if you know what I mean...
I told him it would cost around $350. I figured that I would buy the monitor and maybe the mobo and just lose the receipt as he would have no clue what is needed for a computer...

If you guys can suggest all of the details, hardware and software, it would be great! I am not too familiar with good middle of the road parts and would have no idea what progs would help with homework even...

I use Office XP Pro and Adobe Photoshop 6, so I believe those types would be good to help with school work.

I have faith that some of our bright young scholars will chime in with the suggestions though!
Thanks!
Ken

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Fri May 24, 2002 12:06 am

I just had an idea! He wouldn't accept charity, but if you guys wanted to sell some of that stuff..., I could tell him that used is still good and much cheaper. And he can upgrade stuff as time goes by! I think that he might like that!

So if you guys want to sell some of your extra stufferz, let me know!

Deus ex Machina · Post by **Deus ex Machina** » Fri May 24, 2002 12:10 am

bETTER IDEA...

Have them accept the gift and make a donation to their favorite cause (or a WTC fund, if they cannot decide....).

shant,
david

Ken · Post by **Ken** » Fri May 24, 2002 12:21 am

Originally posted by Deus ex Machina
bETTER IDEA...

Have them accept the gift and make a donation to their favorite cause (or a WTC fund, if they cannot decide....).

shant,
david

A good idea, Thanks David!

Well, I know that money it tight for them, but he wants to do whatever it takes to allow his son to get an education...
I just don't want to take food out of their mouth for Mancito to have a puter...

I am sure that he wouldn't have a problem buying some used stuff though, as I know they buy used clothing sometimes. He just wouldn't accept anything for free. As long as he paid something for it, I don't think there would be a problem...

I will still buy him a monitor, as I don't want them to develope eye problems from using a bad one. The good thing is he has no clue what is inside of a puter, and no real idea of the cost...

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Fri May 24, 2002 6:40 am

ken , i don't have any spare parts but i do have an "encarta 99" cd that came with my older HP pavillion.might be usefull for education purposes.

not sure if it will work on anything other than an HP but you are welcome to it.

Deus ex Machina · Post by **Deus ex Machina** » Fri May 24, 2002 6:42 am

I have given away two "parts" machines. The understanding is that they are very capable of word processing and internet duties. The two laptops I picked up a few monthes ago, P1-120's, are working fine. We gearhead always like cutting edge, even if it is beyond our needs.

Upgradable is a tricky word in the computer geek lexicon. Chip and mobo combos are now exchanged quicker than hard drives. I would not sell them on that point.

david

Faust · Post by **Faust** » Fri May 24, 2002 7:04 am

hmmm.... well, i have a box full of stuff, but nothing "golden" (CPUs, mainboards RAM or HDDs) any longer. i went on a "giving spree" a couple/few weeks ago to unload some of the spare good stuff i had i knew i would never wind up using again myself and wanted others to use them before they were useless.

still have some shtuff. floppies, CD-ROMs, an AT and 2 ATX cases, 250W ATX PSU, a few NICs, a couple PCI vidcards, IDE RAID card (HPT372), 56K 3COM FAX/Modem, super-el-cheapo soundcards, case fans, HSFs (mostly Athlon- type... go figure), cables and such stuff.

since cherity is not desired, i would be more than happy to "sell" anything mentioned for the cost of shipping + the cost for a 6-pack of good beer.

mikemean · Post by **mikemean** » Fri May 24, 2002 11:31 am

Originally posted by Faust

since cherity is not desired, i would be more than happy to "sell" anything mentioned for the cost of shipping + the cost for a 6-pack of good beer.

Good idea Faust. KEN, if you/they decide they want the celeron 633 I have, I can "sell" it to you/them for shipping and a six pack of beer

brembo · Post by **brembo** » Fri May 24, 2002 7:04 pm

Can I just have a six pack of beer?

Faust · Post by **Faust** » Fri May 24, 2002 7:12 pm

herya go. savor it, my freind. greatest beer in the world IMO.....

Jamie_R · Post by **Jamie_R** » Sat May 25, 2002 9:20 am

Speaking of eBay, try this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... URL=0&rd=1

mountainman · Post by **mountainman** » Sat May 25, 2002 11:40 am

Originally posted by Claude_Ballz
Speaking of eBay, try this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... URL=0&rd=1

That wouldn't happen to be yours is it?

Jamie_R · Post by **Jamie_R** » Sat May 25, 2002 7:44 pm

it's not one i'm using, but i did recently build it

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Sat May 25, 2002 7:54 pm

Originally posted by Claude_Ballz
it's not one i'm using, but i did recently build it

are you the seller ??

Jamie_R · Post by **Jamie_R** » Sun May 26, 2002 7:53 am

mountainman · Post by **mountainman** » Sun May 26, 2002 10:28 am

Originally posted by Claude_Ballz
yep

Bad, ClaudeBallz. Bad.

Jamie_R · Post by **Jamie_R** » Sun May 26, 2002 3:01 pm

Sorry .... didn't mean to offend ....
Mod, please feel free to delete my previous posts on this matter.

ms_pammy · Post by **ms_pammy** » Tue May 28, 2002 6:12 pm

Originally posted by Ken
A little info about him to help with the decisions.

He is in 10th grade at a local High School, but he is a bit behind for that grade. His family immigrated from Mexico and his parents do not know English.
He has done quite well since they realized that it was not only him not knowing English, but he has a hearing disorder and now wears hearing aids which helps them a lot.
He is trying hard and does really good on his English now. He still makes mistakes, but heck, I do too! hehehheeheheh

Anyway, he has an 8 year old and a 5 year old, brothers they will have the benefit of learning on the puter as well.

Thanks again!

I dont have any parts or anything or that nature, but I do have a few learning games for the younger brothers, not sure what all I have but I know Ive got jumpstart Kindergarten and 1st grade, these are awsome for learning. Also I could help ya, if you need to communicate in spanish as I know pretty much!!

terrancelam · Post by **terrancelam** » Thu May 30, 2002 11:58 am

I'm sure you all know alot more then I, but here it goes:

Get atleast a 700-800mhz($50?) processor in the box, that should last the family for atleast two years. A for the ram, 256mb($64CAD) should be fine for Win98SE. Best bang for buck, get a Duron for the cpu or better yet a old T-bird will definately give him a gaming bang. As for the board, definately SD, a performance/budget board would be the ECS board (can't remember the model number) that can switch between sd and ddr, but it is one of those " you get what you pay for" boards.($94CAD)
Hard drive, any 5400 rpm drive should do, 20gb($99CAD) would be a cheap addition, but 40gb is a better buy at the moment($108CAD). Personally I would go with a Maxtor because of the warrenty and the quietness.
As for a case, any case with a horizontal placement for the PSU and a case fan placement will do. 300watts is a must.
Floppy ($14CAD)
Videocard, well you can get whatever you like here, if he's not gaming, I'd say get a nice ATI card or even Matrox. Both are below $80USD. But if he wants some gaming, either the Geforce 2mx400($79CAD) or if you want to go all out, get a Geforce 4 mx($150CAD).
Also to say money and give futher possibilities, get a CD-RW drive instead of a cd-rom or dvd drive, just incase they will need to copy information or do any like that. If they have not need (i.e no broadband), then a dvd rom should do. A burner should cost $96CAD for a nice LG burner ( I like them because they are very solid for performance.24x burner.) and about $73CAD for a nice DVD-rom drive from Toshiba 16x.

Brent · Post by **Brent** » Sat Jun 29, 2002 1:30 am

Originally posted by downhill
Mobo...One with an Nvida chip will save a little as you won't need a video card. Asus, MSI, come's to mind...Most of them come with on board sound. After that. ummm...Maybe a 30 gig drive for under a hundred. Get memory now as it's really not a bad buy. 256 megs ought to do. I'm sure there are quite a few stores around there you could find a 17 inch viewsonic for ummm...$160 to 200?

Add a 1600 XP for around $120? A case with decient power supply, umm....$70?

CDrom for $40 and an floppy for 10. You can even sub the cdrom for a burner for 70 bucks......

Speakers...Labtec. Can't remember the model, but Brent has a set...for under 50 bucks and killer sound for that price.

Labtec Pluse 401 i think, $35 at frys

OxBlooD · Post by **OxBlooD** » Sat Jun 29, 2002 9:44 am

YARDofSTUF · Post by **YARDofSTUF** » Sat Jun 29, 2002 10:18 am

edit: wow this is old

SG Broadband Community

Help me to spec a puter for my lil friend...

Help me to spec a puter for my lil friend...

a few things