Author Topic: PC Mag shows how to build a kid's pc  (Read 3830 times)

Dragon

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PC Mag shows how to build a kid's pc
« on: March 08, 2010, 15:33:17 »
In addition to all the other stuff I get in my email, I get newsletters from PC Mag. I saw the headline for an article that caught my eye called, "How to Build a Kid's Desktop PC." Having a reasonable cost seemed to be one point of the article, but with a total of about $900 that didn't seem much like a computer I'd build for my kids. Other than a laptop that I bought a few years ago, I haven't paid that much for a computer in over 10 years. If they had suggested some parts that came up under $400, it might have been an article worth saving. Actually, my wife saw a brand new laptop for under $300 in the sales paper. Maybe our house is a little out of the ordinary, since we have more than one PC in use many times anyway, but I think that the kids should be just fine with secondhand PCs.
"Hello IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again? ... OK, well, the button on the side. Is it glowing?... Yeah, you need to turn it on. Err, the button turns it on. Yeah, you do know how a button works, don't you? No, not on clothes." - Roy (The IT Crowd)

Dragon

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Re: PC Mag shows how to build a kid's pc
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2010, 09:38:50 »
I went back to that PCMag article to see some other the other comments. Of course, the consensus is that $900 is too much to spend for a kid's computer. Here's another comment from there that I liked. This actually describes a PC that someone could build for under $400.

Quote from: MEA17
$900 for a slow computer for the kids?!? $230 for a motherboard - are you nuts?
How about an Athlon II X3 435 for $75 with a $65 785G motherboard? 4GB of DDR3-1333 Ram would be $95. A basic case with 80% efficient power supply for $65. A 500GB hard drive for $50. The Lite-on drive you suggest at $39. If you don't have an old keybaord/mouse that's another $25. I'd use an old copy of XP or Vista, but if you need to buy an OS, Windows 7 OEM Home Premium can be found for under $100.
So, I'm at $350 for the computer plus $100 if you need an operating system. This is about half of what you came up with for a much faster computer with twice the storage space. When an upgrade is needed, I'd go with a graphic card and/or a faster quad core Athlon or Phenom.
"Hello IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again? ... OK, well, the button on the side. Is it glowing?... Yeah, you need to turn it on. Err, the button turns it on. Yeah, you do know how a button works, don't you? No, not on clothes." - Roy (The IT Crowd)

Wyldwing

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Re: PC Mag shows how to build a kid's pc
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2010, 04:29:15 »
I don't even spend that much on a computer for me!!!  It's a fun thing to do every 3rd or 4th Thanksgiving.  Which ad has the best price on a computer?  Doesn't matter what the specs are as EVERYTHING will be new and upgraded from what we're using now...

This strategy has worked for me for a couple decades now...