800 & below pc build for parents

[hehahor]

Hi all, need a computer that can allows my parents to read email as well as storing photos on a daily basis. A small CPU will be best.

Budget- 800

Internet connection - by LAN.

Not needed- OS, CD drive

Thank you for your help.

 

[flee0308]

Get a Zotac ZBox ID18 w/ Intel Celeron 1007U ($199) and slap on a hard drive and ram of your choice.

 

[Jian19]

G1820 + Asus h81i plus ~ $143
Kingston 4gb ddr3 ~ $48
Plextor m5s 128gb ssd ~ $118
Wd blue 1tb ~ $74
Jonsbo v2 + Fsp 300w psu ~ $105

$488 buy and DIY @ tradepac ask for discount. Can bring to gs shop ask him help u assemble @ a fee if u not sure how to DIY.

 

[Ark Law]

MiniPC: Zotac Zbox ID18 (Intel Celeron 1007U) - $199
RAM: Crucial/Kingston/G.Skill SODIMM laptop RAM 4GB - $49
HDD: WD Blue 1TB 2.5" - $93 OR SSD: Crucial M500 120GB - $115 or 240GB ~$160 (from Amazon)

Monitor: Any Dell/AOC of choice - $250 and below (or wait for Ah Roy/Ah Jian recommendation)
KB&M: Any Logitech wired/wireless combo of choice - $50 and below (or wait for Ah Roy/Ah Jian recommendation)
Speaker: Any 2.0/2.1 speakers of choice - $40 and below (or wait for Ah Roy/Ah Jian recommendation)

Maximum Total: $680 (HDD spec) / $705 (120GB SSD)

Zotac ID18 is as small as you can get to Intel NUC size;

 

[hengheng220]

Hi all, need a computer that can allows my parents to read email as well as storing photos on a daily basis. A small CPU will be best.

Budget- 800

Internet connection - by LAN.

Not needed- OS, CD drive

Thank you for your help.

hmm... best bet will be zbox or Brix:

Mini-PC - MyNeXTComOnline

or if you want even more cheap can go for those diy system by those SLS shop, then maybe add in a ssd for faster loading:
DIY System - Small & Home Office - MyNeXTComOnline

 

[hehahor]

thanks everybody!

 

[wtfh4x]

I would recommend you dont get NUC or Zotac if you dont need it to be so small. The parts used are non standard form factor so finding replacement parts may be quite annoying in the future. Only hdd and ram are standard but theyre laptop parts which tend to be a little more expensive.Future expansion also will be difficult because the case is tiny. Something to consider before buying.

 

[Ark Law]

just buy a good used laptop for <500 bucks budget
dont even need to diy

Some older people like my parents prefer desktop because can have a big azz monitor with 150% Windows zoom. Cheapo notebook with smaller screens just don't cut it

 

[xboxer]

Intel G3220 + ASrock H81M-ITX
Cooler Master Elite 110
Western Digital Blue 1 TB HDD(Don't need SSD like some others recommended).
4GB Kingston 1600 RAM
Superflower HX500M PSU

 

[Maeda_Toshiie]

Laptops generally do not have the same lifespan compared to well maintained desktops. Plus, a desktop is easily upgradeable; you can easily reuse the chassis and PSU across builds.

 

[Jian19]

Well

A 2nd hand laptop simply means no warranty and difficulty in upgrading or adding stuffs on it..the screen is a issue too..thn u need to think of keyboard/mouse, speaker not loud enough, can u use it like 24/7 etc...

 

[MoneyFace =p]

just buy a good used laptop for <500 bucks budget
dont even need to diy

Might as well buy 2nd hand Zotac ZBox then..

 

[Ark Law]

well there is always the option of connecting the laptop to secondary external monitor.

dont always have to be stuck with the mindset that require a computer means DIY. think out of the box and explore multiple variable options, minimise budget and reach for the optimal solution before going for DIY

That's one issue already. A setup like that means your input (keyboard) is directly ahead of you, but the monitor is not naturally in front of you.

One reason for DIY is warranty. Cheapo laptop only have 1-year warranty. The Zotac ID18 setup for example has 3-years on the unit itself, RAM (lifetime), SSD and monitor. The SSD itself will make up for a satisfying user experience over the laptop with a HDD.

Even my uncle asked why the hell a Pentium machine I built for him was way faster & smoother than an i7 workstation at his office

 

[Maeda_Toshiie]

human heads can be turned quite easily with much ease
you may want to personally verify it

There is something called ergonomics. Have you experienced strained muscles before?

 

[MoneyFace =p]

human heads can be turned quite easily with much ease
you may want to personally verify it

You may personally want to verify it ensure it doesn't sprain your neck over time...

there is something called stretching
you may want to check it out

If you need to stretch after using certain equipment, you are definitely doing it wrong.

 

[Maeda_Toshiie]

there is something called stretching
you may want to check it out

RSI is already a problem even with natural positioning.

Stretching is not a cure. You will understand when your body is old enough.

 

[Ark Law]

human heads can be turned quite easily with much ease
you may want to personally verify it

Try getting 60+ y.o. people doing that and ask them how comfortable is it to have a setup like that. Try playing a mouse-based clicking flash game with the display at an angle. Try looking at your keyboard which is straight down and look back up at the monitor which is at an angle, all this every 5-10 seconds.

Let me know when you're at CPF withdrawl age whether you think your argument is a comfortable and ergonomic choice. Try all of those activities I said above in 30-40 years time and let me know your feedback.

You don't think about all that when you're getting a setup for old people like aging parents do you? Unless you can find me a $599 21" laptop, then I'll stick to a miniPC with a bigazz FHD monitor

 

[wtfh4x]

I could have sworn zotac id18 comes with 1 year warranty only.

 

[ykgoh]

Actually depends on whether TS parents use their computer outside or not.

If yes, notebook/laptop.
If no, desktop.

If want touch screen and/or space saving, maybe can consider those branded AIOs. Can probably get one without touch screen, 19"/20" screen and with 4Gb ram around your budget range.

1 year warranty only, and parts are difficult to replace yourself, if at all possible. But looks good and space saving if placed in living room.

Personally I prefer Jian19's configuration. Go with a cheap Celeron and spend the rest on a bigger and better monitor. Good for older folks.

 

[wtfh4x]

Can try ubuntu and just use the tv as a screen. Ubuntu is pretty old people friendly if theyre just surfing internet and emails and the zoom options are pretty good.