Is it possible to build a computer for under $400.00

[Bronx]

I want to build my wife a computer. Is it possible to build a computer for under $400.00?

I was thinking of using a Micro case.


Any suggestions and/or a hint towards the right direction will be appreciated.

[Soopafresh]

Yes. It won't be very fast. The technology will be a few years old. But the answer is yes.

Check out the barebones systems at Newegg. The Asus ones are OK.

[jagabo]

It's harder if you have to purchase Windows.

[whitejremiah]

yea, your gonna have to use some budget stuff though, obviously your gonna be using like a sempron or celeron processor, a 512mb ram stick and a mobo with built in onboard video.......dunno about micro cases, as i personally dont use em, but you should be able to pick up a good chunk of this stuff at newegg rather cheap...oh yea, if your building it yourself, you will also need to buy a copy of windows (i'd assume it's gonna be running windows) or else load it with linux or something.....i'd have to assume this is gonna be used primarily just for web browsing and email, that type of thing? you can start at www.newegg.com, like i said though, you will need the following

a case and motherboard
processor (try not to overdo it, as this will likely be the most expensive chunk of equipment)
ram
harddrive
video card (if it's not included onboard)
soundcard (if it's not included onboard...these days VERY unlikely)
speakers
optical drive(s) dvdrom/cdrw/whatever
floppy drive, if you want it
copy of windows
and most likely thermal paste

if ya buy a mobo, it generally comes with stuff like IDE cables, so you should be fine with that (unless you wanna really go out of the way and buy round cables...i wouldnt really recommend it for just a light use machine, though) Also, if you do get a cd or dvd burner as one of the optical drives, make sure it comes with decent burning software....i know some burners come with nero (best, imo) some come with roxio (complete crap imo) and some come with another type...stamp or something like that...which is okay for basic stuff but lacks in other areas...

[Dv8ted2]

I have built systems for $300 before. It was a perfect budget computer. Slap Linux on it and off you go.

[jameshgross]

Dell's web site is showing a bare bones desktop for $299.

[wulf109]

I've seen TV adds from Dell for $299. after rebates.

Look here

http://www.dell.com/content/products/results.aspx/desktops?c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=a...=10085~0~52741

[Bronx]

Yes the pc is just for internet, email, and maybe just to edit pictures. It is not for heavy duty use.

a case and motherboard
processor (try not to overdo it, as this will likely be the most expensive chunk of equipment)
ram
harddrive
video card (if it's not included onboard)
soundcard (if it's not included onboard...these days VERY unlikely)
speakers
optical drive(s) dvdrom/cdrw/whatever
floppy drive, if you want it
copy of windows
and most likely thermal paste

Is this basically all the parts that I need, of course I need a keyboard and mouse.

I was thinking of using Linux. Has any body used Linux OS?

[Bronx]

I know I could buy a prebuilt computer for a low price. But I would like to built one.

[deadrats]

I want to build my wife a computer. Is it possible to build a computer for under $400.00?

I was thinking of using a Micro case.


Any suggestions and/or a hint towards the right direction will be appreciated.

it depends on whether or not you have any parts from an old computer, such as an optical drive or hard drive that you can reuse.

you can buy a dual core D 805 for about $135, an intel D101Gcc for under $80, a 1gig of DDR400 for under $80 and so on.

if you plan on starting from scratch, you are better off going to a local computer show where you can always find a dealer that has used Dell's with a P4 for under $200 and then buy a cheap used monitor for about $50.

[Bodyslide]

Barebones System for 45.00. Will need to add Hard drive, MB, Proc and Memory.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=B-WHTBB-K2&sourceid=qIp6RJgwEkGRAkoY7Zc1&cm_ve...ite=B-WHTBB-K2

Package Includes:
11-Bay ATX Computer Case
- Screw Pack
A-Power 400-Watt 20+4 pin ATX Power Supply
- Power Cord
LG 52x32x52 CD-RW IDE Drive
- IDE cable
- Nero Express Software CD
I/O MagicKey 3000 104-Key PS/2 Keyboard
3-Button Ergonomic Optical PS/2 Scroll Mouse

Or a refurbished PC with XP Home for 299.00
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=EL424AAR-R&cat=SYS

[deadrats]

I was thinking of using Linux. Has any body used Linux OS?

there's no such thing as Linux OS, Linux is a collection of independantly developed utilities and applications, such as a kernel, shell, x-server, sound server, window manager, GUI, etc that various vendors "roll" into a unique distribution or "distro" as they are known.

there are at least $450 different distros that i know of and i have tried pretty much all of them. if all the computer is going to be used for is internet, email, some photo editing and other such light computing tasks, then go ahead an slap the distro of your choice on it.

for someone completely new to linux, i recommend waiting a little while until "Freespire" with secondary choices being Fedora or Suse.

however, if we are being completely honest with ourselves, almost all linux distros will drive a new user up the wall (and the better distros manage to drive even experienced users up the wall, that's how you gauge how good a distro is; by how crazy it drives you).

[CrayonEater]

Intel Pentium D Dual-Core 805 $111
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=19-116-001

Gigabyte GA-8I945PL-G $90
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=13-128-317

Corsair ValueSelect 512Mb PC4200 (2 pieces) $36ea X 2 = $72
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=20-145-529

POWMAX CP0327PL-4 ATX Mid-Tower Case w/ 400W PSU $35
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?linkid=110&item=11-145-047

Western Digital Caviar 160Gb SATA-II HDD $68
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?item=22-144-415

NEC ND-3550a 16X DVD+/-R/DL DVD Burner $34
http://www.chiefvalue.com/product/productdetails.aspx?linkid=110&item=27-152-058

This system comes in at $410. I could very easily have kept it under $400 if I had gone for lower-quality parts (there was an Intel Mobo for $65, but it didn't support any modern standards like SATA-II, or if I had gone for 1 stick (512Mb) of memory. Also, there were 80Gb HDs for ~$50, but I think they were questionable brands. I;ve bought keyboards and mice for $10 together so I left that out.

Even if you had built a system using the lower-end stuff, slow my a$$! It may not be top-of-the-line, but it probably would be faster than what most folks have today.

While I personally believe that the $299 Dell would be better for your wife (at the low end of the spectrum, it's usually cheaper to buy Dell than to build) you get 1 Gb of memory and a DVD burner with this, but no Windows OS.

And if you want Linux, I hope you are patient, especially if you use the X GUI system. Although this gives a Windows-like interface, it's basically about where Windows 3.0 was in 1990 in terms of integration, convenience, speed, and usability. Plus, X is a resource hog. Linux is a good choice if you are knowledgable, patient, and willing to do research to debug problems. And if you don't need the X interface it's rather fast too. Otherwise, stick with Windoze.

[ROF]

Socket 478 Barebones Kit w/ Celeron D 345/ 512MB RAM/ ATX Mid-Tower and 450w P/S
Windows XP Home Edition OEM
Maxtor 40GB HDD
NEC 3550A DVD Burner

Total $382.00


or

Barebones KIt w/ 52x CD Burner MidTower Case and 400w P/S
Socket 478 Motherboard
Intel Celeron 2.0 Ghz
Socket 478 Chiller
512MB DDR RAM
Windows XP Home w/SP2
40GB WD HDD

Total $316.00

Yep! It is doable but would you really want it?

[lennyt]

http://www.tigerdirect.com/indexus.asp?

[SCDVD]

Building a computer from all of the parts will cost quite a bit more than if you buy a pre built computer like some of the ones mentioned above. You can get a 2.6 to 2.8 GHz system with Hard Disc, memory and everything else for under $300 if you shop around. You will spend quite a bit more for the same performance if you build it from the parts. Don't get me wrong; if you want to build it yourself - Go for it. It will just cost you quite a bit more money.

[Dv8ted2]

there's no such thing as Linux OS

Wrong - do more research

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.11/linus.html

Linus Torvalds is billed as the creator of the Linux OS.

http://www.linux.org/info/

"Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland."

Linux is a collection of independantly developed utilities and applications, such as a kernel, shell, x-server, sound server, window manager, GUI, etc that various vendors "roll" into a unique distribution or "distro" as they are known.

That by definition is an OS. You are describing different versions of the same OS. You do not say Windows is not an OS just because it has a shell and a kernel, a GUI, window manager,....etc

[Bronx]

Thank you all for your input. You guys are great.

As for an operating system, I will stick to windows.

I was thinking of building this type of computer, something that would not take too much space.

[Dv8ted2]

Thank you all for your input. You guys are great.

As for an operating system, I will stick to windows.

I was thinking of building this type of computer, something that would not take too much space.

That would be a good economy system. I thought about getting one of those myself.

[redwudz]

Unless I missed it, you might want to add a monitor. A 'must have' for most computers. I've put together several systems for about $400 in the last year. Monitor and OS not included, though. Just look around for some good deals. Even Staples has 17" CRT monitors for about $80US at times. A CPU with an included cooler is a good idea, as they usually give you a longer warranty. The only external drive you really need is a DVD burner. It will do CD and DVD and function as a reader. I don't install floppy drives, just use a USB jumpdrive for most small data transfers.

You can also pick up XP home for about $80 or a little less when you buy the CPU and MB at the same time from most suppliers.

[jagabo]

A word of warning about the $80 XP Home packages. Those OEM versions of Windows are technically good for use on one particular computer. Microsoft may not let you transfer the license to another computer in the future. You may even get stuck if you simply replace too many components.

[Bronx]

Unless I missed it, you might want to add a monitor. A 'must have' for most computers. .

We have an LCD TV in the bedroom that has monitor input.

[Towncrier]

I've had good luck with the Dell outlet store. I recently purchased a 2.53MHz Celeron system with 256Mb ram, dual layer 16x DVD burner, 160Gb 7200RPM hard drive, USB keyboard, USB wheel mouse, and XP Home for $284 (including tax and delivery). I picked up my last 17" monitor at Best Buy on sale for $50 (after rebate).

You just need to keep checking back at www.delloutlet.com every so often to catch the really good "scratch & dent" or refurb units.

Another site I like to check is www.gotapex.com - Again, lots of Dell deals that seem to change on a daily basis (although none as good as the refurbs that I have seen).

Happy shopping.

[Supreme2k]

If your wife is anything like mine (and most uber-geeks'), then a minimal system for word processing, web browsing and other small tasks is enough. Mine uses my laptop once in a while check things on the Net, pay bills, etc.

I have gotten a few of these for wives or kids of clients. I call these MNPCs (Minimum Neccessities) or DS (that one's less flattering). They are small and great for bedroom PCs, after adding wireless 'net, kb and mouse.

If your wife is doing more advanced computing, you may want to beef up your own system and lock your porn folders, which would be the least expensive.

[oldandinthe way]

Although many areas of New York City lack a full complement of "big box" stores, you might find a complete computer system, processor with hard disk and CD-ROM, monitor and printer for $299.99 with a manufacturer's 1 year warranty north of town. Bestbuy, Circuit City, Compusa, Officemax, Office Depot and Staples seem to take turns each week offering a low end piece. All of these vendors provide their sale circulars online.

Unless you have experience in rolling your own system and are willing to troubleshoot any failures during both the assembly and the warranty period and wait for replacement parts in the case of a failure, even a lesser system with a manufacturer's warranty might suit you.

Although there are many individuals on the net offering advice, it is virtually impossible to determine who actually knows what they are talking about and who is recounting folklore or very limited experience (only with the equipment they themselves have used).

Remember that a computer manufacturer, wishes to avoid support costs and is more likely to provide you with specialized update and troubleshooting tools. They also have a vested interest in suppling you with components which are likely to be trouble-free in combination. You are less likely to find fingerpointing to another system component when you report a problem. In my own experiemce the liklihood of a well-trained technician on the phone is only a little better than from component suppliers but you can usually make only one call. And they are usually provided with scripts to help you troubleshoot which drive experts crazy but do help the relatively inexperienced user.

[deadrats]

Wrong - do more research

Linus Torvalds is billed as the creator of the Linux OS.

Linus created a kernel called "Freax", which needed Minix for it to install and be configured. Linus did not create a complete OS, it wasn't until he released his kernel to the GNU community that other developers created a complete OS around his kernel.

That by definition is an OS. You are describing different versions of the same OS. You do not say Windows is not an OS just because it has a shell and a kernel, a GUI, window manager,....etc

windows, OS X, solaris, react OS, sky OS, and all the rest can be considered OSes because all their components, for the most part, are developed and maintained by the same entity. Linux is not a true OS because every single part of the OS is independantly developed and maintained.

for instance, redhat did not create KDE, Gnome, the kernel, the C shell, the bash shell, Xorg, ALSA, SDI, OGL, etc, they simply packaged parts developed and maintained by others.

Windows on the other hand is solely created and maintained by microsoft, Solaris is solely created and maintained by Sun (for the most part), and OS X, with the exception of Darwin, is solely created and maintained by Apple.

that's why i say there's no such thing as Linux OS, if you still belive that it exists, please post a link where i may download it and test it.

[Supreme2k]

This whole "Linux is/isn't an OS" is off-topic and threadjacking.

It sounds like to-may-to, to-mah-to to me. I'm sure that there are many in the Open-Source world who will beg to differ that Linux is not an OS just because there is not one big corporation handling all of the components.

Here's an iso of Linux (ubuntu) which you can download and run without installing it. There are no additional components to download.

[fritzi93]

Here's another one. It's not half bad. :P

http://www.pclinuxos.com/news.php

[deadrats]

Here's another one. It's not half bad. :P

http://www.pclinuxos.com/news.php

you are both missing the point, the distros you linked to are not Linux OS, they are Linux Distributions. PCLinux is a remaster of Mandrake (and some time ago, i created a PCLinux remaster that i called Deadrats' Linux), while Ubuntu is a Debian derivative, but neither can be considered Linux OS.

p.s. i did not mean to highjack this thread, the Linux angle grew out of a question asked by the original poster.

[Dv8ted2]

Here's another one. It's not half bad. :P

http://www.pclinuxos.com/news.php

you are both missing the point, the distros you linked to are not Linux OS, they are Linux Distributions. PCLinux is a remaster of Mandrake (and some time ago, i created a PCLinux remaster that i called Deadrats' Linux), while Ubuntu is a Debian derivative, but neither can be considered Linux OS.

p.s. i did not mean to highjack this thread, the Linux angle grew out of a question asked by the original poster.

Dude, drop it. All of the components form the operating system.

Reiterating my initial post. You can build a quality syem for under $400.