What is the best "Parents" computer CPU (Cheap web browsing and other things)

[broidk]

What is the best for this for a reasonably low budget I don't really know yet and one that would work in a nice case that I can keep silent and cool without having to crank up the fans. I'd like to stay with Intel but I guess I could venture into AMD if it's the only option to keep prices lower. What are you guy's recommendations for both companies?

 

[Chayan4400]

Also that prebuilt will not include an SSD which will either mean sacrificing SSD level responsiveness altogether or doing the upgrade yourself which defeats the cost argument.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014QVM2AY/ref=twister_B015EC8J4W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

$355 with an i3 4170, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, Windows and a Warranty.

With a 250GB Samsung 850 EVO, that's $440. Your entire cost argument is invalid unless you can build a comparable build for the same money.

 

[Mr Kagouris]

Also that prebuilt will not include an SSD which will either mean sacrificing SSD level responsiveness altogether or doing the upgrade yourself which defeats the cost argument.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014QVM2AY/ref=twister_B015EC8J4W?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

$355 with an i3 4170, 1TB HDD, 8GB RAM, Windows and a Warranty.

With a 250GB Samsung 850 EVO, that's $440. Your entire cost argument is invalid unless you can build a comparable build for the same money.

Hmm, no can't really beat that although I wouldn't give it a big after-warranty lifespan. That pricetag most likely came at the expense of a good PSU. Also you can probably count silence out with that.

 

[Karadjgne]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B014QVM2KO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1451148473&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=asus+m32cd+desktop+core+i5+8gb+1tb+windows+10+with+keyboard+and+mouse

The price cuts come from the fact that big companies, especially OEM like Asus, are buying bulk, getting mobo's in house so minimal pricing per unit, aren't paying retail premium for Windows licencing etc, not throwing in a crappy psu.

 

[USAFRet]

So...broidk...have you decided between buy or build?

 

[broidk]

idk honestly my parents aren't ready to buy anything right now because they want to go to New York

 

[Chayan4400]

Hmm, no can't really beat that although I wouldn't give it a big after-warranty lifespan. That pricetag most likely came at the expense of a good PSU. Also you can probably count silence out with that.

Have you heard of Economies of Scale? That's how OEMs keep costs low. Microsoft has contracts with some that allow them to install Genuine Windows on their PCs for free in some cases or a heavily discounted price, so long as they install some additional software or change some settings.

While PSUs they use aren't suitable for enthusiast grade GPUs, for low power systems like a system with no discrete GPU they are fine. My HP Elite 6000 is going on 6 years now and it's totally fine on the stock 240W PSU, even with a relatively power hungry Core 2 Quad Q9300 (TDP 95W). A 54W 4170 on a 300W PSU will be fine.

 

[quadcitynerd]

You should look to NewEgg.com, they have some fantastic deals on refurbished systems. There will be those that laugh at this but the fact is they put aftermarket upgrades in these systems, so they are better than factory new and in most cases you still get the same factory warranty. All for the price that is insanely affordable.

 

[xBr4v3x]

Something to do would be to buy a Inspirion or Optiplex that uses ddr2(later models of them) or one of the first to use ddr3.
Then upgrade the processor somewhat, you can get away with spending $10-$30 on a processor upgrade to a Core 2 Quad used on amazon or eBay.
Then up the ram to 4gb.
Get a cheap ssd for $30-$50 for boot, then get a 1tb hdf for $40-$60 if they like to store alot of media, or just use the 250gb hdd that should be in it (some may have an 80,160,320. 320 is fine if they don't do too much.) But an HDD upgrade is pretty cheap, $20-$50 for it.

After that, you're pretty much done. Update the windows install, uninstall bloat, use ccleaner and its done (except mouse, board, display, which you should have laying around or pick up really cheap, maybe even with the base pc you get)

This should cost you ~$200-$300 if you're smart about your findings.

I myself have an old Inspirion 537 that I up'd the CPU from Celeron to the highest Dual core I can fit in it for ~$9 from amazon. I'm bout to get the highest Quad core it takes for ~$30, and clean it up for a back up pc in case my main rig (i7, 760, 12gb ram, 500gb ssd, 1tb HDD, water cooled CPU) ever fails and I need to do stuff before I can fix it.

If you need help on upgrades, I've been doing this alot the past 5-6 years, getting a base model pc that's a couple years old for $50-$150, putting $100-$150 in upgrades to it & reselling it or using it as a makeshift gaming build since I use to play just low games like WoW and such at those times.

I have my Inspirion still and could sell if needed, only upgrades worth getting is ram to 4gb instead of 2, and a bigger HDD, can install Windows (7,8,10) & activate it on the HDD so you can clone it to a new drive. Has a decent graphics card for "parents." Better than onboard graphics for sure 😛

 

[lartomar2002]

What is the best for this for a reasonably low budget I don't really know yet and one that would work in a nice case that I can keep silent and cool without having to crank up the fans. I'd like to stay with Intel but I guess I could venture into AMD if it's the only option to keep prices lower. What are you guy's recommendations for both companies?

@rwoody is correct. I have had pc using a intel i3 for several years. It's not the best for gaming but it can stream and decode video with no problem.