A Kids PC

[Poosey]

Been out of the game for awhile and have lost most contacts.

Wanting to build my kids a small little system, 500 or 600mhz, P3, 256mb ram(133) and 10 gig hd, with a rom and a burner only. Have the rest, what am I looking at cost wise guys? Looked on Mwave but way to pricey!!

Any help??

[Uncle Bob]

What ?

[FIVEINCH]

ditch the rom.

300 .... TOPS. If you spend more than that, may as well get current.

150 to 200 for quality stuff. Go to ebay, you might even find already put together for REALLY cheap.

I know you don't want to spend much, and probably want to limit what the kids can do on that particular machine, but if you really want to police their internet use then make that machine a stand-alone. Apps only. No internet. No network.

Just my two cents.

[SuzukiGirl1]

Originally Posted by Uncle Bob

What ?

Ditto!!


Um...yeah, I would say to make sure the binary language is working and that you have a good powerstrip, and that you get them cool wallpaper...yeah, that's it!!

[themeatmanlandry]

I just buy one.

[LayinLo]

[Stephen voice]

Dude, he's getting a Dell.

[/Stephen voice]

[SDSUsnowboards]

Dont forget your OS will cost more than your hardware.

[tlwisner]

After watching the www.slickdeals.net site for a few days, a deal popped up on a Dell - I bit and ordered it - $599 including shipping, a 17" LCD Flat Panel Monitor and some printer too...

Intel Pentium 4 Processor with HT Technology (2.80GHz, 800 FSB)
AGP Slot
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
256MB Dual Channel DDR SDRAM at 400MHz
Dell Quietkey Keyboard
New 17 in E172FPb Flat Panel Display
Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics
40GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
Dell 2-button scroll mouse
Integrated Intel PRO 10/100 Ethernet
48X CD-ROM Drive
Integrated 5.1 Channel Audio
WordPerfect, Powerful Word Processing
Limited Warranty, Services and Support Options Discounted 2 Yr Basic Plan

I didn't buy any of the optional upgrades because I have all of the crap at home, more RAM, DVD burner, etc. Good price for a fast system with a nice 17" LCD panel!

[inspiron]

Have to agree with the others here ... buy, don't build.

I used to have a business where I would buy components and build custom PCs for people. In the days of the original Pentium (around 1996-97), this was the most cost-effective way. Today, not a chance ... DELL can deliver a 3.0GHz machine ready to go for less than I can buy the parts.

If you really don't need that kind of power, then check eBay or your local paper for a used PC. I've bought some used hardware over eBay in the past, and have never had any problems.

[LayinLo]

customer service is a valuable part of buying vs. building

[axel_2078]

Originally Posted by inspiron

Have to agree with the others here ... buy, don't build.

I used to have a business where I would buy components and build custom PCs for people. In the days of the original Pentium (around 1996-97), this was the most cost-effective way. Today, not a chance ... DELL can deliver a 3.0GHz machine ready to go for less than I can buy the parts.

If you really don't need that kind of power, then check eBay or your local paper for a used PC. I've bought some used hardware over eBay in the past, and have never had any problems.

I prefer to build my own systems, rather than buy them. I don't need tech support, or the warranties they offer, because every piece of hardware comes with its own warranty anyway. If something goes wrong, I know how to fix it. Buying is best for people without that kind of knowledge or for those who don't have the time to fix it or don't want to know how. Building my own system also gives me the opportunity to get exactly what I want without paying for parts or software I don't need. Die hard computer geeks normally choose to build their own systems for this very reason, but if you're just not into this kind of stuff, buying would be the way to go.

[Clint]

I build mine, but for most people, buying a Dell is the better deal. You get a complete package without the configuration issues, along with the support. If you're going cheap, you won't get far trying to build your own.

And a 600 mHz machine isn't worth building in the first place. It won't do much with modern software. Shoot for the 1.5 gHz range, with SDRAM. One CD drive is enough - you can still copy disks.

[Beneldor]

A computer like that is so horribly out of date it's disgusting. You could easily shell out and additional 200-300 dollars and get a top of the line system with a graphics card. Might as well build a computer that will last you a couple years instead of one that is already about 5 years out of date

[sparrow]

Well, if you're really interested in a machine with those specs, check out ebay.
I would do a search on 'dell precision'. But honestly, I wouldn't recommend
anything less than say a 900MHz P3 with 256MB memory if you plan on
using XP with it. I picked up a 600MHz P3 (ibm) for about $89 off ebay. I
was basically buying it for a friend to access the internet to access e-mail.
I had initially put XP on it, but it was dog slow. After downgrading to Win98,
the box worked great.

buy an alienware pc.

[tlwisner]

Originally Posted by RowdyRed94

I build mine, but for most people, buying a Dell is the better deal.

I build all of my boxes too, but that Dell deal with a 17" LCD monitor was too good to pass up - especially buying it stripped and putting in muy own upgrade parts. I'm looking forward to how much desk space I will suddenly have when I switch out this 19" Viewsonic CRT.

Somebody looking for a very inexpensive box for the kids might want to look at www.compgeeks.com and see what P-III boxes they have really cheap.