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Building Cheap SMALL Computer for Basic Tasks

ghil18
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I'm just looking for help to build a computer for my dad. I'll give the quick rundown of what I'm looking to build:

 

So we had bought my dad a new laptop (14" screen) a year or so ago and he complains how his eyes hurt because the screen is so small. Now we can buy him a new 15.6" laptop or even a 17" laptop, but ultimately I think it will still be too small for him and he will just end up complaining again. The problem is he likes to work at the kitchen table so to build a bigger bulky computer wouldn't be the ideal solution.

 

SO, I had the idea to build a smaller computer that we could just leave in the living room or something and have the monitor, keyboard, etc., off somewhere else so whenever he wanted to do work it would be a quick setup.


Thoughts and ideas?

 

Thanks guy! I love this community and I know I'll get the help I need here.

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2 minutes ago, ghil18 said:

I'm just looking for help to build a computer for my dad. I'll give the quick rundown of what I'm looking to build:

 

So we had bought my dad a new laptop (14" screen) a year or so ago and he complains how his eyes hurt because the screen is so small. Now we can buy him a new 15.6" laptop or even a 17" laptop, but ultimately I think it will still be too small for him and he will just end up complaining again. The problem is he likes to work at the kitchen table so to build a bigger bulky computer wouldn't be the ideal solution.

 

SO, I had the idea to build a smaller computer that we could just leave in the living room or something and have the monitor, keyboard, etc., off somewhere else so whenever he wanted to do work it would be a quick setup.


Thoughts and ideas?

 

Thanks guy! I love this community and I know I'll get the help I need here.

Budget for the build?

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4 minutes ago, ghil18 said:

I'm just looking for help to build a computer for my dad. I'll give the quick rundown of what I'm looking to build:

 

So we had bought my dad a new laptop (14" screen) a year or so ago and he complains how his eyes hurt because the screen is so small. Now we can buy him a new 15.6" laptop or even a 17" laptop, but ultimately I think it will still be too small for him and he will just end up complaining again. The problem is he likes to work at the kitchen table so to build a bigger bulky computer wouldn't be the ideal solution.

 

SO, I had the idea to build a smaller computer that we could just leave in the living room or something and have the monitor, keyboard, etc., off somewhere else so whenever he wanted to do work it would be a quick setup.


Thoughts and ideas?

 

Thanks guy! I love this community and I know I'll get the help I need here.

Wouldn't the cheapest solution be to just buy an external monitor, keyboard & mouse and connect it to the laptop? assuming the problem with the laptop he has is the screen size and not performance.

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2 minutes ago, Shura said:

Wouldn't the cheapest solution be to just buy an external monitor, keyboard & mouse and connect it to the laptop? assuming the problem with the laptop he has is the screen size and not performance.

I'll admit I didn't even think of this... definitely an idea I will consider! Thank you!

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2 minutes ago, ghil18 said:

I'll admit I didn't even think of this... definitely an idea I will consider! Thank you!

small projector with the laptop? super portable and huge

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Keep your old laptop. You can use the HDMI/VGA port on it if it has wifi. Connect it to a monitor or TV and set the project to 2nd screen only. Assuming your new PC has wifi, you can use miracast to mirror the screen over to the monitor that is connected. I use it all the time and it works great, although response times are not the best. It is noticeable but does not influence web browsing.

I would say go with a SFF i3/pentium with the iGPU.

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