Planning a build for my mom

[dreamhacking]

The laptop died on her.

I am planning a build like this for her daily usage. 

Streaming online, email, skype and web browsing. 

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/Yqndm8

 

Any suggestions? 

 

Thank you

 

 

[Guest]

She deserves a better case.

[Railgun]

For someone who just uses a computer for light tasks, I would suggest a laptop. If you are still gonna go with a desktop I recommend the H440 case because of it's sleek design unless she needs a disc drive

[DrM]

if its mostly just web browsing, id say a laptop. maybe a chromebook with some distro of linux installed

[dreamhacking]

9 minutes ago, spidsepttk said:

She deserves a better case.

i can swap out that case for a more simple design

[dreamhacking]

2 minutes ago, Railgun said:

For someone who just uses a computer for light tasks, I would suggest a laptop. If you are still gonna go with a desktop I recommend the H440 case because of it's sleek design unless she needs a disc drive

The last laptop died in 1.5 years
i am sure i can build something that last longer. 

[Guest]

Just now, dreamhacking said:

i can swap out that case for a more simple design

Give her something that looks nice, like a Fractal Design Define series.

[dreamhacking]

2 minutes ago, DrM said:

if its mostly just web browsing, id say a laptop. maybe a chromebook with some distro of linux installed

but the thing is i can spend less money than spending on a laptop. 

and build something with better performance and longer lifespan

[dreamhacking]

1 minute ago, spidsepttk said:

Give her something that looks nice, like a Fractal Design Define series.

she doesn't care how it looks inside, doesn't care about a side panel.

this tower is sitting in the dining area, for her to use when she is cooking. 

she likes to steam when she works in the kitchen lol 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, dreamhacking said:

she doesn't care how it looks inside, doesn't care about a side panel.

this tower is sitting in the dining area, for her to use when she is cooking. 

she likes to steam when she works in the kitchen lol 

You know she doesn't want that filthy case in her kitchen. What I would do is go through all of the cases that you think she would like showing her them, and getting her opinion. I think that the looks of a computer should be up to the user.

[dreamhacking]

2 minutes ago, spidsepttk said:

You know she doesn't want that filthy case in her kitchen. What I would do is go through all of the cases that you think she would like showing her them, and getting her opinion. I think that the looks of a computer should be up to the user.

that's why i said i can swap out that Cougar Spike for something else that has a simple design, maybe just a rectangle case without any side panel as long as it looks simple and clean. 

[Guest]

Replace it with a Define S

Ask her what colour she wants.

[CostcoSamples]

If it's going to sit in the dining room, perhaps a mini ITX case would be best?  A large tower would really be in the way.  Perhaps even a all-in-one PC.  or an Intel NUC, or even just an Intel Compute Stick plugged into a tv, mounted on the wall.

[LordMastodon]

8 minutes ago, dreamhacking said:

The laptop died on her.

I am planning a build like this for her daily usage. 

Steaming online, email, skype and web browsing. 

 

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/Yqndm8

 

Any suggestions? 

 

Thank you

 

 

1

1) I don't know many (if not any) moms that would actually be OK with that case. That is honestly a kind of ugly case. It's your mom. Think of it this way: Even if you would buy some of those things for yourself, that doesn't mean you would buy them for your mom. I can't even find an analogy for this situation because buying things for my mom is my analogy. 

 

2) If her previous laptop only lasted 1 1/2 years, I'm sorry to say, but you bought a really crappy laptop. That fact does not mean you have to give up on laptops. I can guarantee that it will be cheaper to buy her laptop which does all of those things than a large desktop, monitor, mouse, and keyboard occupying space in a kitchen. Better yet, please clarify what you mean by "Steaming online", because a tablet would be even better than a laptop for all those other things. I know that my mom uses a tablet while she cooks because she absolutely refuses to bring her laptop to the kitchen for fear that it will get wet and short circuit (it's a $2000 Macbook so I really can't blame her), but she's fine bringing her tablet. Also, longevity isn't so much of an issue with tablets. I believe that I've had my iPad 2 since around the time it was released and I still use it every day to this day.

 

3) Size. If you are absolutely hell-bent on getting her a desktop, get her a mini-ITX build. They are far smaller and if you find a really small case it could probably fit inside a cabinet or some such, meaning she doesn't have to deal with a big computer occupying her kitchen in addition to the screen, keyboard, and mouse she will have to deal with no matter what.

[dreamhacking]

1 minute ago, CostcoSamples said:

If it's going to sit in the dining room, perhaps a mini ITX case would be best?  A large tower would really be in the way.  Perhaps even a all-in-one PC.  or an Intel NUC, or even just an Intel Compute Stick plugged into a tv, mounted on the wall.

i looked at mini-itx

but the cheapest available mobo is like $120 CAD. 

which ... i can sacrifice a little space for a micro-atx build instead of that 

[dreamhacking]

2 minutes ago, spidsepttk said:

Replace it with a Define S

Ask her what colour she wants.

it's a nice case, but it will be going under the dining table. 

and probably too nice of a case for not getting anyone's attention lol 

[LordMastodon]

Just now, LordMastodon said:

1) I don't know many (if not any) moms that would actually be OK with that case. That is honestly a kind of ugly case. It's your mom. Think of it this way: Even if you would buy some of those things for yourself, that doesn't mean you would buy them for your mom. I can't even find an analogy for this situation because buying things for my mom is my analogy. 

 

2) If her previous laptop only lasted 1 1/2 years, I'm sorry to say, but you bought a really crappy laptop. That fact does not mean you have to give up on laptops. I can guarantee that it will be cheaper to buy her laptop which does all of those things than a large desktop, monitor, mouse, and keyboard occupying space in a kitchen. Better yet, please clarify what you mean by "Steaming online", because a tablet would be even better than a laptop for all those other things. I know that my mom uses a tablet while she cooks because she absolutely refuses to bring her laptop to the kitchen for fear that it will get wet and short circuit (it's a $2000 Macbook so I really can't blame her), but she's fine bringing her tablet. Also, longevity isn't so much of an issue with tablets. I believe that I've had my iPad 2 since around the time it was released and I still use it every day to this day.

 

3) Size. If you are absolutely hell-bent on getting her a desktop, get her a mini-ITX build. They are far smaller and if you find a really small case it could probably fit inside a cabinet or some such, meaning she doesn't have to deal with a big computer occupying her kitchen in addition to the screen, keyboard, and mouse she will have to deal with no matter what.

 

Also, forgot to mention, she deserves a better CPU cooler. You sprung for 8 GB RAM and an SSD, but she has to be stuck with something that literally costs less than an Intel stock cooler. I'm sure that if you asked her, she would prefer a Hyper 212 Evo over that POS.

 

While mini-ITX motherboards cost more, the cases most certainly do not. I did some research on Newegg.com for a previous thread, and it turns out that the savings on the case actually negates the cost increase on the motherboard, and you end up saving money no matter what.

[Zyndo]

Build looks fine. I don't know about AMD CPU's all that much, but her needs are quite basic so pretty much anything from the last 10 years would be fine.

 

I would recommend getting this case though. Super cheap, looks pretty sleek, and has all the features you could want on a case. comes in white or black, and windowed or non windowed.
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/hJM323/bitfenix-case-bfxnov100kkxskrp

[dreamhacking]

3 minutes ago, LordMastodon said:

1) I don't know many (if not any) moms that would actually be OK with that case. That is honestly a kind of ugly case. It's your mom. Think of it this way: Even if you would buy some of those things for yourself, that doesn't mean you would buy them for your mom. I can't even find an analogy for this situation because buying things for my mom is my analogy. 

 

2) If her previous laptop only lasted 1 1/2 years, I'm sorry to say, but you bought a really crappy laptop. That fact does not mean you have to give up on laptops. I can guarantee that it will be cheaper to buy her laptop which does all of those things than a large desktop, monitor, mouse, and keyboard occupying space in a kitchen. Better yet, please clarify what you mean by "Steaming online", because a tablet would be even better than a laptop for all those other things. I know that my mom uses a tablet while she cooks because she absolutely refuses to bring her laptop to the kitchen for fear that it will get wet and short circuit (it's a $2000 Macbook so I really can't blame her), but she's fine bringing her tablet. Also, longevity isn't so much of an issue with tablets. I believe that I've had my iPad 2 since around the time it was released and I still use it every day to this day.

 

3) Size. If you are absolutely hell-bent on getting her a desktop, get her a mini-ITX build. They are far smaller and if you find a really small case it could probably fit inside a cabinet or some such, meaning she doesn't have to deal with a big computer occupying her kitchen in addition to the screen, keyboard, and mouse she will have to deal with no matter what.

1. I am very okay with swapping to another more simple design case. The budget is as low as possible but yet maintain an acceptable appearance

2. I meant streaming online haha, her last laptop was a $500 CAD Lenovo, but she won't spend anything over $500. So i am thinking a build like this will work better, i have extra monitor, keyboard, mouse and a webcam sitting around. Those can be put to use, i just need to build a tower

3. mini-itx would be nice, but by going micro-atx i can save a little more money. which is acceptable because this build is aim to go as low as possible yet functional and getting her daily job done with a longer lasting time.

[CostcoSamples]

As much as you fell like you need to build your mom a computer, think about how impractical that would be.  She just wants to do skype, email, web surfing, video streaming.  You can do that with a very low power computer.  She is not going to get any benefit from an over powered desktop, and could save hundreds by simply plugging an Intel compute stick into the back of a TV, or at most, a mini PC like the Intel NUC, which can also mount on the wall beside or behind a TV or monitor.

[dreamhacking]

4 minutes ago, LordMastodon said:

Also, forgot to mention, she deserves a better CPU cooler. You sprung for 8 GB RAM and an SSD, but she has to be stuck with something that literally costs less than an Intel stock cooler. I'm sure that if you asked her, she would prefer a Hyper 212 Evo over that POS.

 

While mini-ITX motherboards cost more, the cases most certainly do not. I did some research on Newegg.com for a previous thread, and it turns out that the savings on the case actually negates the cost increase on the motherboard, and you end up saving money no matter what.

1. I went with 8GB of ram because for 4GB (2x2GB) cost $35 CAD while 2x4GB cost $40. for $5 difference, which would you choose? 

2. for $45 for a 120GB SSD, and a $45 for a 500GB HDD. I will definitely go with SSD, she will appreciates the speed more than storage. For 120GB, she will not run out of space. 

 

mini-itx case is about the same cost or slightly cheaper than some micro-atx case  

[dreamhacking]

3 minutes ago, CostcoSamples said:

As much as you fell like you need to build your mom a computer, think about how impractical that would be.  She just wants to do skype, email, web surfing, video streaming.  You can do that with a very low power computer.  She is not going to get any benefit from an over powered desktop, and could save hundreds by simply plugging an Intel compute stick into the back of a TV, or at most, a mini PC like the Intel NUC, which can also mount on the wall beside or behind a TV or monitor.

i could put this into consideration. Your idea is actually very good

[LordMastodon]

Read my second post.

 

Also, streaming online? Does your mom stream CS:GO every weekend the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Twitch (10 Internet points to whoever gets that reference)? Honestly, if she accomplished whatever TF2 and CS:GO streaming she needs to do on her $500 Lenovo laptop she could probably accomplish it on a desktop...

[dreamhacking]

Just now, LordMastodon said:

Read my second post.

 

Also, streaming online? Does your mom stream CS:GO every weekend the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Twitch (10 Internet points to whoever gets that reference)? Honestly, if she accomplished whatever TF2 and CS:GO streaming she needs to do on her $500 Lenovo laptop she could probably accomplish it on a desktop...

sorry. i should clarifying streaming online.

 

she watch online series. Not game streaming, but series streaming. Like netflix or youtube 

[dreamhacking]

2 minutes ago, LordMastodon said:

Read my second post.

 

Also, streaming online? Does your mom stream CS:GO every weekend the wretched hive of scum and villainy that is Twitch (10 Internet points to whoever gets that reference)? Honestly, if she accomplished whatever TF2 and CS:GO streaming she needs to do on her $500 Lenovo laptop she could probably accomplish it on a desktop...

for CPU cooler, i will have to think again of what to get. 

does not need something with 120mm fan, not all the case will fit a 212 EVO, i probably need to spend more money on the case that can fit that cooler. 

but trying to keep budget as low as possible is the goal. so probably something with a 92mm fan will do : )