Need help with getting a new computer, on a budget

[ZerozxCJ]

I hope I'm in the correct subforum. If not, please direct me to a more appropriate one (or maybe a moderator can move this one? I'm new here, sorry.)

On to the dilemma: My Dad's computer is out of commission as of a few days ago. It's roughly 7-8 years old, and apparently the motherboard had gone bad. It would cost $200+ to get it fixed, and he doesn't want to put that much money in it (his limit was $100, any more and it's not worth it). So, the old computer is finished and hopefully I'll be able to save some of his stuff off of the hard drive soon enough (I've never attempted that before, so here's to hoping it isn't difficult).

Anyway, a new computer: I think he's hoping to spend maybe $400-500 or so on one. That isn't including the cost of a decent monitor, which I imagine will be around $100-150. I customized the computer I'm on using iBuyPower in 2010 and have used it since. The issue is that a lot of these customize-your-own-computer sites are geared toward gaming PCs and higher-end stuff. Mine was slightly over $1,000. I know he definitely doesn't need or want anything fancy.

My Dad doesn't do anything intensive on the computer, really; he reads news articles, checks his email, explores Google Earth/Maps, watches/listens to YouTube videos, etc. Stuff like that. No video games, no Photoshop. Despite that, I would like for the computer to be snappy for everything that he does. I'm hesitant, almost afraid, really, to attempt building a computer. I know there are videos and tutorials and so much more online, but I'm still fearful. A part of me would rather just pick out the parts and let someone else deal with it, or order one that's premade, yet robust enough and not cheaply made/crappy. And one more thought: the last computer had an integrated graphics card, should I try to avoid this, or are they really not that bad? Because I saw a few computers (listed on Best Buy's website, for example) that had decent specs, but they were integrated graphics cards and it immediately made me back off. I don't know, I guess I'm biased for some reason. Sorry for typing so much, but hopefully this is enough to get some help. If anyone needs any more information, I'll try to respond ASAP.

Thank you.
edit: sigh, I overlooked the "READ ME" sticky in this forum. Sorry. Can someone help me get this moved to the correct forum?

 

[inzone]

Hi and welcome to Toms forums. I moved your thread to the systems / new build section where you will get answers more suited to your question.
I will start off by saying the todays intergrated graphics is very different from years past and would be fine for what you want to do. Your father can surf the web and watch movies with a decent monitor and this will allow you to target the sub $500 models. Something like this would be a good choice and the Intel HD2500 graphics would be just fine for your needs.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883255372

 

[smorizio]

There a few things to look at now.if you know how to upgrade pc or want to learn it not hard to build a good pc today. With hp and dell most of them now using the same mb and drives as you would. The issue with pre builts is if there a failure what is the extra cost for home service. Most vendors now you have to take the pc to one of there service centers or mail it in. I had a friend buy a new dell and it felt cheap. Myself for my dad I would build a pc and spend some extra cash on the pc knowing it would last.
On home built 100.00 out the window for the os. For my dad I got him a 24 inch monitor. He loves that he does not need to squint or find his reading glasses. Newegg has the g2020 for 70.00 I would look to see if your dad wanted a mini atx case or smaller itx pc case. Bitfenx makes a apple clone itx case for 70. Look to install 8g of ram and standard 1tb hd.
A corsair 430w unit is 25. If you want the system really snappy drop in a 120g Ssd as the boot drive. For your dads old hard drive there two 20.00 fixes. One is to buy an IDE external case. The case have small IDE to USB card and power supply. Plug his old drive inside this case and plug it into your dad new pc USB port and pull his data onto the new pc. There also same kit but it just a cable and power supply. The cable end does ide and Sata drives it more for the one time use to pull data off a drive then put the cables into a draw till needed again.

 

[rabidpeach]

for onboard graphics, i would suggest an amd fusion system. The integrated radeon typically performs better than intel's graphics solution.

I think these would be better:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220260

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883256196

For snappyness, add in a cheap ssd to hold the operating system and his programs. SSD make anything snappy. Please realize that windows 7 will fit on a 64 gb drive but it will be close to capacity on a 32gb drive. I recommend at least 64gb for a windows 7 ssd install.

this is because win7 keeps old update files. sometimes you get rid of them, sometimes they stay because some program needs them.


btw, building a pc is easy if you don't static shock your components and watch some videos about the cpu thermal paste. Literally everything else, the assembly, is easy. All of it only fits one way. Don't force anything. It only goes in one way. This is why anyone can do it. Though in this price range, there might be no benefit to building yourself. hp and dell crank out cheap pcs like uhm... like... uhm... chickens laying eggs? idk.

Good luck in your selections!

 

[scragnoff]

Hi ZerozxCJ!

For a ~500$ budget, I would consider getting a build at the Modest to Fair Tier.

Assembling a computer might seem daunting at first. This guide will help alleviate that.

Good luck!

 

[False_Dmitry_II]

If he was still using that old of a computer, then pretty much anything put together now will seem leaps and bounds faster. You could probably use one of these combo things
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131875

You could even use that for HTPC duty running blu-rays, so if all he's gonna use it for is surfing, then that works fine.

You could also check your craigslist for your area, sometimes there are even NIB parts at a really good price.

 

[Garpatron]

I think I know exactly what you need.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KRyG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KRyG/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KRyG/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G850 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H61M-P31 (G3) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($53.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($118.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($58.23 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $457.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-04 18:08 EDT-0400)

of course this isent my main pc since I built one for gaming but this pc will do great. Especially since I built this with the idea of having it connected to a TV. Hope it works if you dont know how to build a simple google will help.

Note: This is assuming you have a copy of win 7 64-bit lying around.

EDIT: If you want your dads old hard drive than buy an IDE case for your hard drive other than that you could grab the case and then new hard drive i listed and put everything on the faster hard drive just ask you dad what he needs from the old HDD and what you can delete.

 

[webduelist]

It really comes down to what he is going to be doing, Personally I would recommend.

CPU | AMD A8 5600k | http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113281 (109.99)
Motherboard | ASUS F2A85-M PRO FM2 AMD A85X | http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131883 (119.99)
Ram | Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB | http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148543 (65.99)
PSU |CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W |http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026 (44.99)
Case | Antec NEW SOLUTION SERIES VSK-4000 Black | http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129187 (29.99)
HDD | Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM | http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769 (59.99)

Total $430.94

Still need a monitor, keyboard, and mouse but you have around $70 dollars to get those, or you can reuse the older keyboard and/or mouse possibly the monitor.

Edit: Ditto to ^ This is assuming you have a copy of win 7 64-bit lying around. Also I see optical drives are more of a optional thing anymore, you can pick them up on Amazon for around $20

 

[ZerozxCJ]

Thanks to everyone so far for their recommendations and helpful information. I'm definitely going to take a closer look at your lists, Garpatron and webduelist. I have a couple of friends who have a bit of experience with building and putting together computers, so maybe I could meet up with them or have them come over and they could guide me along with it (either that or I'll just watch a lot of videos/tutorials). I would appreciate anymore replies or answers that anyone has. Keep them coming.

A couple of things: Could someone please maybe go into a bit more detail about how I'll be handling his old hard drive to get the stuff off of it? Really, I think the main stuff would be just a few miscellaneous files that he would need, his pictures, and probably the file that holds bookmarks and information that went with the browser he uses, Firefox. If someone could give more information on how I would go about dealing with getting stuff off of the hard drive, that'd be great. I looked at some of the links/info that's already provided, but I'm still a little bit confused.

And about the operating system: I know that Windows 8 is fairly new, but I think it might be best if his new computer had Windows 7. His old one had Windows XP, so it's going to be a tiny bit of a learning curve for him to get used to...and I'm not so sure about Windows 8, both overall and also the fact that it seems like it would be a bit too much for him personally. Windows 7 has treated me nicely and I've had next to no problems at all with it. Thoughts?

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[inzone]

You can make a separate thread in the storage/hard drive section with a question on the hard drive.
This is the reason the forum is divided into the different sections as you can get specific info on the different parts of the computer. If you have a motherboard question you can got to the motherboard section, if you have a CPU question you can go that section. This way your getting specific answers for the different components from people that frequent those sections and specialize in them.
Make use of the forum, your not restricted to one section just because you have a thread here, you can have multiple threads going to get specialized responses to your questions.

Same goes for software. In answer to your question on Windows 7 vs Windows 8 you may want to have your dad go with Windows 7 since it's what you have and your more familiar with it you will be able to provide better help with his questions, I feel that Windows 7 is close to XP and even closer to Vista so he may have an easier time with it where Win 8 is very different.