Can It Be Done??? Bragging Rights Contest

[Hammy]

Group project kids.

Description
Build a fully functional computer with case, sound, network, keyboard, mouse, and monitor for under $300. Must run XP Home and the OS will not be included in the pricing.

Scope of Use
To allow two children under 10 years old the ability to use learning games and software. Last survey showed that minimum requirements were 128mb of RAM and a P3 to run a majority of these applications.

Limitations
There are none. The point is to get the most for the least and prove that the eMachine is overpriced at $299 at BestBuyu.com

Have fun- I look forward to the ideas.

[Rand{CLR}]

Good thing you mentioned case. Last year Maximum PC held a contest along these lines--build a gaming machine for X amount of cash. One of the two nitwits forgot the case, do he made one out of a cardboard box.

-Rand

[marvindecrain]

I can build pc under $300...
I have all parts somwere in the cellar... old times

[CarbonFire]

Limitations?

Online only?

Shipping included?

Tax?

Mail-in Rebates taken into consideration?

Minimum specs?

Refurbished components yes/no?

Honestly, $300 these days can get a pretty functional box. Whether or not a monitor fits into that price is a different story

[mapes]

We'll he said it had to run Windows XP home and MS lists the minimum specs as

? Processor
? Minimum 233 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed required, 300 MHz recommended
? Intel Pentium and Celeron family, AMD K6, Athlon, Duron family, or compatible processor recommended

Note Windows XP Professional supports both single-CPU and dual-CPU computers, but Windows XP Home Edition only supports single-CPU computers.
? 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported, may limit performance and some features)
? 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space
? Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
? CD-ROM or DVD drive
? Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

[drunken_chef]

if you give the parameters that carbon asked for I can do it

[ryanbatc]

Ok, here's my try, for a few parts only though:

Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147064

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182074

Mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138081

CPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103243

RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820211165

GPU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150229
(has a 30 buck rebate)

I don't know how to stay under 300 bucks for a half decent system, plus you need XP, a hard drive, a DVD burner, and a monitor.... I don't know what to say

[CarbonFire]

Here's about the best I could come up with using only new parts sans rebates. Keep in mind cost here is absolutely the only concern, so some elements could be upgraded for just a few dollars more (like RAM and HDD)

CPU/Motherboard/Sound/Graphics: $59.99 (go pick it up yourself)

http://frys-electronics-ads.com/
http://www.netaffilia.com/ad/electro.../27/30332.html


1 GB Memory: $19.25
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...iteria=BA21409

80GB HDD: $40.90
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...iteria=AA21510

DVD/CD-ROM Combo Drive: $19.90
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewspec....iteria=AA13780

Case+PSU: $25.95
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...iteria=BA23529

17" LCD Monitor: $149.97
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch...iteria=4322018

Shipping for Case/Monitor/HDD/Memory/DVD-RW: $23.58 (to Freemont, CA)

GRAND TOTAL (w/Shipping)
$339.50 + Tax

Includes:

• Intel Celeron 430 Processor
• ECS Mobo w/Realtek sound and Intel GMA 950 graphics
• 1GB DDR2 667 RAM (Generic)
• 80 GB Seagate SATA HDD
• 16X Lite-On DVD/CD-ROM Combo Drive
• Generic Case/PSU (PSU will probably last 1 year tops)
• 17" Acer 1280X1024 LCD Monitor (a lot of kids/educational games don't take kindly to widescreen)

All new components, all cheaper than cheap. But then again, price was your only requirement

If you opted to get a cheap small CRT locally instead of shipping that LCD, you could easily get below $300 (but who wants to use those bulky old CRTs )

[drunken_chef]

carbon, you gave him an ECS motherboard........might as well get him a lotto ticket too :P

[CarbonFire]

carbon, you gave him an ECS motherboard........might as well get him a lotto ticket too :P

Correct.

He said cheap....and it doesn't get any cheaper. Well, maybe PC CHIPS

Like the disclaimer said, you can pay more for better components, that is just the ABSOLUTE cheapest build I could find without cherry picking the lowest possible part from as many different sites as possible. You're right, ECS ain't winning any awards for quality or brand reliability, but it does the job well enough in most cases as long as you don't put a strain on it (ie gaming/overclocking).

In the low low low sector, there aren't many component builds that can compete with the economies of scale that Dell and Emachines enjoy. TBH, those are probably better machines overall, but they will still cost a bit more than $300 unless you can find a real killer deal. Dell has some stuff at under $400, and under $300 if your willing to go used, but that's it.

[drunken_chef]

actually ECS=PCchips. and I agree with you on the merits or lack of.

the deal breaker is the monitor IMO. almost half of the budget is going there in anything I can work up.

IMO buy the emachine (christ! I can't believe I said that!)

[Hammy]

Limitations?

Online only?

Shipping included?

Tax?

Mail-in Rebates taken into consideration?

Minimum specs?

Refurbished components yes/no?

Honestly, $300 these days can get a pretty functional box. Whether or not a monitor fits into that price is a different story

Try this link www.pricewatch.com
This is where I shop for 'baseline' on all products. we can always find a store once we find the components and the range.
Ancillary costs such as tax and shipping cannot be overlooked, so they are a non-factor in this case. With the availability of comparison shopping, if I dont like the shipping and Tax, a reasonable choice is a second step away.

Note I didnt ask anyone to give me the name of the places where you would buy it. Supply is supply, and when you find something dirt cheap- it is usally cheap everywhere.

[Hammy]

Obviously I am an idiot- you guys are doing way better than I could- which is why I asked for the help in here.

This is for little kids- so dont worry about how 'cheap' and rotten something might be for us. These guys will run programs like these:



PC Processor Type
Intel? Pentium? II processor
PC Processor Speed
266MHz
PC Operating System
Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), Windows 2000, Windows XP
PC System Memory
64MB RAM
PC Video
16-bit video card
PC Sound Card
Windows-compatible sound card
PC Drive Type and Speed
CD-ROM 12x

Also- check out this link for the garden variety of games they play.
http://shop.knowledgeadventure.com/D...dergarten.aspx

Interesting segue- I noticed that at an early age, children will not engage the PC unless it is a learning game. We have a few mindless games designed for kids and my kids think they are lame. They dive in for the colors + letters + numbers every timne without any encouragement.

So for now we have given up on brainwashing them to farm for in WoW

[Hammy]

actually ECS=PCchips. and I agree with you on the merits or lack of.

the deal breaker is the monitor IMO. almost half of the budget is going there in anything I can work up.

IMO buy the emachine (christ! I can't believe I said that!)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1198888558723

this is irritating to me. Per this link, and if I give up the monitor (and buy it on Craigs List) then this would in fact be far better than what we can do togeather.

Drunken_Chef may be right....

Plus, when I build this - I will not be protected from the headaches cheap bring. I could go through 3 boards before I get one that isnt buggy or bad.

The eMachine carries a consumer wrapper (minimum period warranty).

Thoughts?

[ryanbatc]

actually ECS=PCchips. and I agree with you on the merits or lack of.

the deal breaker is the monitor IMO. almost half of the budget is going there in anything I can work up.

IMO buy the emachine (christ! I can't believe I said that!)

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1198888558723

this is irritating to me. Per this link, and if I give up the monitor (and buy it on Craigs List) then this would in fact be far better than what we can do togeather.

Drunken_Chef may be right....

Plus, when I build this - I will not be protected from the headaches cheap bring. I could go through 3 boards before I get one that isnt buggy or bad.

The eMachine carries a consumer wrapper (minimum period warranty).

Thoughts?

my only thought is, would those software titles run on Vista? Are they 16-bit programs?