Mom Needs A New Computer

[Arcane]

Yeah, you know...mothers... She needs a new computer, but she want it to be around the $500-550. She expects me to build it for her, but I'm sort of new at this. Been reading and looking around, but still not sure about the parts. Really would appreciate any assistance at this.

Alright, she wants a computer that is better than her current one, she doesn't know the specs nor want me to look at it. As far as I know, she currently has a Dell 80gb Window XP computer. She needs the computer for work, nothing fancy like a Media Center or Gaming PC. However she expects it to be able to handle all her different software at once like: Quickbooks, Adobe pdf reader, Internet Explorer, etc.

Currently I've gathered these, but still not sure if it would work out(as in work out I mean if they are compatible with each other as well as if it would fit in the case). You'll probably realize I'm as bad as a computer ignorant person, well thanks for you patience towards me!:

The Case and Power Supply:
Antec Sonata Designer 500 Silver Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail

The Processor:
Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500 - Retail

The Motherboard:
BIOSTAR G31-M7G DVI LGA 775 Intel G31 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

The Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar SE WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Video Card:
ASUS EN6200LE TC1G/TD/512M GeForce 6200LE 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail

Memory Model:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail

Floppy Disk Drive:
BYTECC Black 1.44MB Internal Floppy Drive Mac OS 8.6/9.0/9.0.2/9.0.4/9.1 Win 98/2000/ME/XP/Vista - Retail

The DVD Drive:
LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM

Operating System:
Windows XP SP1(Ready to be installed)

Oh one more thing...don't chew me alive!! Please.

[mattaggie]

looks good. I would make two changes. For motherboard, get Asus

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131288

Secondly, it doesnt sound like your mother needs a video card. On board graphics are fine.

Also, unless she still uses floppy disks for some reason, no need for a floppy drive.


If you wanted to get the price down, you could get a much cheaper case/PSU that would be sufficient. Look at InWin or Foxconn.

[Arcane]

Yay, she said she didn't need a floppy disk drive! ^-^

My mom sometimes uses her computer to watch videos, but nothing bigger than flash games. I still want to insure that if she does do something else, but her business, she'll get decent quality.

I've looked around, but would this work for a case?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811153028

Thank you very much!

[glc]

The onboard video on that Asus board that Matt recommended is all your mom will ever need. Do not bother with a video card - seriously.

Unforyunately, the power supply in that particular Foxconn case is not good. This one is a lot better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811153100

The rest of that build looks fine.

I hope you are not planning on trying to install XP with a Dell CD - it will not work, it will install but it will NOT activate.

[Arcane]

Alright, I managed to put everything together, but the computer won't even turn on. I checked and re-checked and everything seems to be hooked on right. I'm not even sure if the power supply is even working. I've tried to turn it on, nothing moves nor any light comes on.

[flanzig1]

Start with this: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?t=168456
Check to make sure that the 24 pin and 4/8 pin power plugs from the PSU are plugged into the motherboard. Double check the the case connections to the motherboard. start with only the power switch connected and make sure it is on the correct header. Make sure the power switch on the PSU is in the ON position.

[raftero]

and the processor install is a little tricky, make sure the heat sink is on secure and locked.

[mattaggie]

make sure the power supply switch on the item itself is turned to on.

[Arcane]

Well, I managed to get the computer to turn on(apparently the motherboard required 400w power supply not 300w). However, I ran into another problem. Currently I'm trying to install the operating system. It is a Windows XP SP2(not dell), but all I can do is access the bios setup. When it turns on, after a few second the screen goes blank with a blinking _

Not sure what to do now x_x

[joshrogoff]

Originally Posted by Arcane Well, I managed to get the computer to turn on(apparently the motherboard required 400w power supply not 300w). However, I ran into another problem. Currently I'm trying to install the operating system. It is a Windows XP SP2(not dell), but all I can do is access the bios setup. When it turns on, after a few second the screen goes blank with a blinking _ Not sure what to do now x_x

Must change boot sequence so your optical drive boots first. Refer to mobo manual for detailed instructions.

[glc]

I've built several systems with the Asus P5KPL-CM and 300 watt power supplies - they work fine.

Press DEL to get into the bios setup, the optical drive needs to be first in the boot order as Josh said.

[Arcane]

I've set up the optical drive to be the first thing to boot, but it still gives me the flashing _ right after it boots.

[glc]

Does the bios see both the hard drive and the optical drive?

[Arcane]

Yes, does that help?

[glc]

Have you tried booting with a different bootable CD?