Been out of touch with Mobo's and CPU's, HELP ME!!

[pratikumbc]

Guys, been out of the scene of components for around a year or so. What is a great combo which makes sense money wise? I'm building a machine for a friend which will only be surfing the Net really and playing NO games. Will listen to music on it as well but he's going the route of hooking it up to his stereo system. Other than that, I know everything else with cases, RAM, HD, etc. but just been out of touch wiht the mobo's and CPU. What do you guys recommend which would make sense for him without breaking the bank?? I should also say it would be nice to have at least on-board networking. Is it possible to get integrated 5.1 on the board now too? Geez I feel like a newb. PLEASE HELP 🙂

 

[o1die]

For the $600 budget, you can start with the abit nf7-m with built in video for $92. The barton 2500 retail boxed for $80 comes with a 3 year warranty. The antec 1600 case is a good value, and you won't have to live with a cheap power supply. You can shop around for memory. Newegg sometimes doesn't have the best deals. Stick with crucial, micron, samsung, corsair, or mushkin. Kingston and pny technologies will also work fine. Best buy has pny pc2700 for $39 (ends today) after rebate. I just installed a stick on my duron system, and it runs fine.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by o1die on 05/29/04 04:25 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[pratikumbc]

Well maybe I can say that he has around $600 to spend for EVERYTHING excluding monitor. How would you price that out accordingly? I love going through Newegg. They've been great in the past as far as service goes.

 

[Cybercraig]

ABIT NF7-S with Soundstorm audio. Pick your choice of mobile or XP CPU. Doing one now with XP-2500. Total cost of board & RETAIL CPU= $165.00 US. No refurbs here when you can get the full factory warranty so cheap. This guy is moving to Nevada and reliability will be key.

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. Now, let's eat!

 

[deadkenny]

Socket A is definitely the way to go. One of the cheaper nForce2 m/b's with integrated video, sound and LAN would fit the bill. Then slap a Duron and some PC2100 memory on it and you're all set. You should be able to get a decent 17" CRT monitor to fit the budget.

That (upgrade) which does not destroy you(r system's stability), makes it stronger. Nietzche