Topic: where to buy cheap desktop pc....

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my wife's cousin is looking to buy a pc, but she doesn't need anything fancy.  basically all she'll need it for is email & maybe listening to music.  i've looked at dell.com and similar sites, but those are way more than what she'll need, and also more than she wants to spend.  

anybody have some good suggestions for me?

Thanks,
Justin

[jpschust]

how much does she want to spend?  i keep seeing a full dell system with monitor and all being advertised for like 400 bucks

[jpschust]

http://www.compgeeks.com/details.asp?invtid=CC2540-2

300 and all you need is a monitor

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i think around $300 for everything.  that link looks like something that might work.  still way more of a pc than she'll ever know what to do w/.  something like a p3 1.4 GHz w/ a 20 gig hard drive would be plenty of a machine for her.  there aren't really any places that sell new pc's w/ older p4 or p3 chips in there do they?

[jpschust]

ebay :-)

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ya ebay's probably the route i'll end up going.  i was hoping to do something like dell.com where she could do the $18 /month sort of thing so she didn't have to come up w/ all the cash right up front....but maybe i can find a good deal on ebay.

[Nick in Edinboro]

$199
AMD 1.4 GHz Duron processor with 3DNow! technology
200 MHz frontside bus
128 MB SDRAM, expandable to 2 GB
266 MHz memory speed
40 GB Ultra-ATA 100 hard drive, 5400 rpm (total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment)
52x CD-ROM drive
Integrated video with up to 8 MB shared video memory
Integrated AC '97 audio
Integrated 10/100 Ethernet connection
ATX mid-tower case (17.5"D x 7.5"W x 15"H)
Available external drive bays: two 5.25-inch, two 3.5-inch
Available slots: 2 PCI
Serial port
Parallel port
2 USB 1.1 ports
104-key keyboard
2-button mouse with wheel
Audio port (line-in, line-out, mic-in)
Stereo speakers
1-year warranty, return to Microtel

Includes software for:
Web browsing including pop-up ad blocking
Sending and receiving email
Contact management with address book
Instant messaging
Playing audio CDs and MP3 files
Networking printers and PCs, including Windows-based models
Battleship, Mines, Poker, Potato Guy, Tron, Galactic Invaders and BreakOut II games, plus Tux Typing
Lindows.com OpenOffice Suite is compatible with most Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documentsLindowsOS 4.0 operating system

Find it at Wal-Mart

[Nick in Edinboro]

Oooh oooh.. I'd get this version with Lycoris instead of Lindows, comes with more fun software..!

Software includes:
GIMP digital image editor
Word processor, spreadsheet, presentation maker, addressbook, calendar
Contact manager and time management
Digikam digital camera software supporting over 162 digital cameras
Mozilla Web browser and email client
XMMS MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WAV digital music player
Audio CD player
Xine DVD/DiVX player
10 games including Solitaire, Tetris, Asteroids and Galaga
Desktop/LX update wizard
Adobe Acrobat Reader
RealPlayer
Shockwave Flash
Java Runtime Environment
Kooka digital scanner program
Desktop/LX install wizard
Koncd CD burning software
KDict Dictionary Client
Full photo-editing suite with over 25 filters and layers
Capable of opening and saving select Photoshop files
Send and view digital faxes
Built-in Web browser
Record digital audio clips and save as WAV files
Burn and rip your own music CDs and back up your data onto CD-R or CD-RW
Maximize your home network by viewing shared files with the Desktop/LX network browser
Simple right-click file sharing
Built-in firewall for air-tight Internet security
Data snapshot, backup and recovery program for configuration changes
Use Desktop Sharing to export your desktop for remote control or demonstrations on the network
Powerful remote assistance included for fixing problems via the Internet
Full access to the Iris Software Gallery, where you can download additional programs at no charge, including software for multi-track music editing, Web-page authoring, games, personal money management and more

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thanks for the info!  that looks like it's more in her price range!  +t!