Alright I'm starting a topic here because there is a lot of discussion in the H0P and I wanted to keep it all straight

My Dad wants a new desktop. Our current one has a Pentium 4 1.5Ghz, 512mb of RAM, 127gb HD (replaced after it crashed), DVD-RW (recently purchased) and a CD-RW all housed in a Dell Inspiron 4300 case.

We have a mouse, keyboard, new flatscreen monitor and speakers that can all be carried over to the new comp.

The reason he wants a new computer is because this one is getting ridiculously slow. I honestly don't understand considering we do the same thing on it for years (and recently had it reformatted when the HD crashed), but I guess parts just get old?

My options are...

1. Buy a new tower from Dell (Easy, Plug and Play, Dad approved)

2. Built a new computer in a new tower (supposedly cheaper, Dad could be talked into it)

3. Replace guts of old computer with new internals (Basically the same as #2 but cheaper)

I'm a fan of 3, but is there anyway to be sure what I'm buying is going to fit into the housing? I'm also looking for an Intel i(3,5,7) processor.

Feel free to discuss

Edit: Budget is around $500-600 including the OS (And I'm not going to steal an operating system from the net)

Can you get a reduced rate on the OS through school or anyone you know in school? That would help with a budget for actual hardware.

Also... is the speaker that stupid dell specific speaker and sub system? If so it will not plug and play with a new system usually! If it's 3.5mm you're probably cool but if it's some other I/O you could be screwed.

The reason he wants a new computer is because this one is getting ridiculously slow. I honestly don't understand considering we do the same thing on it for years (and recently had it reformatted when the HD crashed), but I guess parts just get old?

So it was good enough before, it is just getting slower?

Sounds like you need to reinstall Windows XP.

4. Freshly reinstalled PC, save money.

The reason he wants a new computer is because this one is getting ridiculously slow. I honestly don't understand considering we do the same thing on it for years (and recently had it reformatted when the HD crashed), but I guess parts just get old?

So it was good enough before, it is just getting slower?

Sounds like you need to reinstall Windows XP.

4. Freshly reinstalled PC, save money.

And this time make him use Firefox + Adblock Plus

enough from the peanut gallary... we're trying to spend someone elses hard earned money!

Tell your dad if he does not stop browsing at porn sites you'll have to buy a new PC

Run Ubuntu Linux

Problem solved.

The reason he wants a new computer is because this one is getting ridiculously slow. I honestly don't understand considering we do the same thing on it for years (and recently had it reformatted when the HD crashed), but I guess parts just get old?

So it was good enough before, it is just getting slower?

Sounds like you need to reinstall Windows XP.

4. Freshly reinstalled PC, save money.

We took it to someone about 2 years ago when the HD crashed. He saved most of the info off of it, put in a new HD and a fresh copy. My dad said he still wasn't happy with the comp. Also I have a dell with a pentium 4 2.4Ghz and 512mb RAM that can't handle my basic surfing needs (maybe I should upgrade my ram but thats a different story)

It looks like the Dell 4300's used a proprietary Motherboard so you can only replace it with other Dell Mobos? (tell me if this doesn't seem right)

Which would leave me to option 1 and 2

For option 1 I found an i3-530 (2.92GHz 4mb cache) with 4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1066MHz - 4 DIMM, 320GB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache, w/ USB Keyboard and mouse (not needed but it is included) and Win7 for $530

Now I just have to beat that with option 2...

Run Ubuntu Linux

Problem solved.

This is for my Dad and my mom occasionally gets on

My Mom called me 2 days ago and asked what to click on to get to the internet, "Do I click the the e or foxfire?"

Dual boot Ubuntu, it's a simple installer and can make use even little hardware, i know of people running 51k memory and it runs fantastic, i'd look at it if i were you, use ubuntu for surfing, and windows for whatever windows proprietary software there is (but Ubuntu has a ton of similar programs)

Download | Ubuntu

Actually, for the most part, ubuntu is quite easy for computer inept people to learn like Mac. its not your typical linux.

interesting ..

Dual boot Ubuntu, it's a simple installer and can make use even little hardware, i know of people running 51k memory and it runs fantastic, i'd look at it if i were you, use ubuntu for surfing, and windows for whatever windows proprietary software there is (but Ubuntu has a ton of similar programs)

Download | Ubuntu

Actually, for the most part, ubuntu is quite easy for computer inept people to learn like Mac. its not your typical linux.

It just wouldn't happen with them. But for my desktop I will definitely look into it. Thanks.

I will consult my swami and give you the results!

It looks like the Dell 4300's used a proprietary Motherboard so you can only replace it with other Dell Mobos? (tell me if this doesn't seem right)

sounds familiar from what i read back when i had a dell 3000 series. I ended up just buying a new computer. for just a web surfer though a $500 budget is plenty, especially if you already have a monitor.

Well my Dad called up Dell and they cut some pricing here and there, offered free shipping etc. so he picked up a the i5 2.66GHz QUAD core 7200RPM 750Gb HD and 4 gigs of RAM

sounds perfect

Dual boot Ubuntu, it's a simple installer and can make use even little hardware, i know of people running 51k memory and it runs fantastic, i'd look at it if i were you, use ubuntu for surfing, and windows for whatever windows proprietary software there is (but Ubuntu has a ton of similar programs)

Download | Ubuntu

Actually, for the most part, ubuntu is quite easy for computer inept people to learn like Mac. its not your typical linux.

It just wouldn't happen with them. But for my desktop I will definitely look into it. Thanks.

I know your dad already ordered a new machine, but you'd be surprised at how fast and eays Ubuntu is to use. Julian is right. I installed it for my mom who plays alot of online games and gets TONS of spyware in her machine from it. Now with Ubuntu the machine runs faster than ever, she still has ALL of her usability on the machine, and she says the Ubuntu is ending up being easier to use than windows was so far.

Just my .02

Dual boot Ubuntu, it's a simple installer and can make use even little hardware, i know of people running 51k memory and it runs fantastic, i'd look at it if i were you, use ubuntu for surfing, and windows for whatever windows proprietary software there is (but Ubuntu has a ton of similar programs)

Download | Ubuntu

Actually, for the most part, ubuntu is quite easy for computer inept people to learn like Mac. its not your typical linux.

It just wouldn't happen with them. But for my desktop I will definitely look into it. Thanks.

I know your dad already ordered a new machine, but you'd be surprised at how fast and eays Ubuntu is to use. Julian is right. I installed it for my mom who plays alot of online games and gets TONS of spyware in her machine from it. Now with Ubuntu the machine runs faster than ever, she still has ALL of her usability on the machine, and she says the Ubuntu is ending up being easier to use than windows was so far.

Just my .02

You can actually dual boot through the windows side, just run an .EXE and install restart, then switch over. May take some time depending on the needed drivers, etc but it shouldn't take long. I personally use my Ubuntu for surfing, music, online games, etc and i use my windows for the proprietary programs i need, although there are always new and better clones on the Linux side.

Linux, Windows, just as long as it isn't OSX its all good

Well my Dad called up Dell and they cut some pricing here and there, offered free shipping etc. so he picked up a the i5 2.66GHz QUAD core 7200RPM 750Gb HD and 4 gigs of RAM

WINNER

Just strip the thing from all extra software when it comes and reload that shtuff back up clean like.

what did he pay if you don't mind me asking?

It was $650 then my Dad added another year of service, Office 2010 (which I may could have got cheaper) and then there was sales tax

That computer will be sick. I love my i5, got it overclocked to ~3.6Ghz and it encodes video like a banshee (even when it wasn't overclocked I might add). Should last him quite awhile.

650 isn't bad

all that dell needed was more ram

recycle it and either make it a media server or a htpc

Edited June 28, 201015 yr by eggyhustles