Budget PC build under $300?

So, I’ve been thinking about picking up a new computer for my mother. Her usage is pretty basic—browsing the web, managing online bills, maybe some Skype calls, and the occasional Microsoft Office task. Nothing heavy.
Is it possible to find something decent for under $2,000? Or is buying a new machine even worth it at that price point?

With that kind of budget, you could honestly just wander into any big-box retailer like Best Buy and find a pre-built system—there’s definitely something out there within that price range. Honestly, any basic desktop will handle browsing the web, Skype, and Microsoft Office without breaking a sweat. 🙂

1 x ASUS H81M-K, 1150, Intel ® H81 express chipset, DDR3
1 x Procesor Intel Celeron G1840 (2.80GHz,512KB,2MB,54 W,1150) Box,
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x MS PHOENIX kućište bez napajanja, Midi tower MBO: ATX, mATX
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Napajanje FORTRON 400W, HEXA Plus 400, 12cm ventilator
1 x DVD upisivač LG GH24NS, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
www.newegg.com
$623

Douglas Price said:Look, I've been thinking about picking up a new PC for my mom. She just does the basics—browsing, paying bills online, maybe some Skype calls, the occasional Microsoft Office task. Nothing heavy.
Can I pull this off with $2,000? Or is buying a build like this even worth the money?

Raymond Peterson81 said:With that kind of cash, you could probably just hit up some local Best Buy or Micro Center if they have any pre-built towers sitting there. You'll definitely find something that can handle basic web browsing, Skype, and Microsoft Office without breaking a sweat. 🙂

Yeah, it'll run those things fine, I guess, but you usually end up with some junk power supply or a slow drive. Plus, you might get stuck on an FM2 platform that isn't worth upgrading compared to the 1150 socket. It's probably smarter to grab something where you actually know the internals aren't total garbage.

If you don't find yourself needing massive amounts of storage, I'd say just go with an SSD

1 x Intel Celeron G1820
1 x GIGABYTE GA-H81M-S2V (S1150,DDR3,VGA/DVI,USB3.0,LAN,SATAIIII) mATX
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Antec VP400PC 400W, 80+, 120mm Power Supply
1 x NaviaTec NVT-603 Mini Tower
1 x LG GH24NSD1 sat Bulk Black 24 x
1 x Samsung 120 GB 850 evo Basic

Total: $1,997.00
Best Buy

Maybe the Intel Celeron G1820 could work, I guess.
The MSI H81M-E33 motherboard.
Crucial RAM 4GB DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL11 Unbuffered UDIMM 240pin Single Ranked CT51264BA160BJ
NaviaTec ATX Tower PC Case, No PSU, NVT-921G
The Corsair VS350 is a 350W ATX unit featuring EPS 12V support and a PS/2 connector. It comes equipped with a 120mm fan and hits up to 85% efficiency. This particular model is the USA version.
Maybe someone’s looking at an OCZ SSD ARC 100 240GB? I guess it's worth a look.
The LG GH24NSD1 sat Bulk Black 24 x optical drive.

All in all: $635 I guess I'm just looking for some clarity on Centro.

Thanks, everyone. 👍

Anyone got recommendations for a PC build under $667?
I'm looking to pack in a decent GPU so I don't have to worry about streaming quality for a while.
Also, I need it to handle the latest PES 🙂
Thank you

Quick little specs rundown:

G1820
GIGABYTE H81M
CRUCIAL 4GB 1600 MHZ
TOSHIBA 3.5" 500 GB SATA 3
SAPPHIRE R7 250 2GB DDR5
AKYGA 500W
NAVIATEC NVT 603 MATX

= $757 including shipping and setup.

Mid-tower PC Case, No PSU, NVT-921G
Intel Core i5 Custom Build
MSI Main Board Desktop AMD A68H (A68HM-E33_V2)
KINGSTON 8GB 1866MHz DDR3L CL11 DIMM (Kit of 2) 1.35V HyperX FURY Black
NaviaTec PSU 500W, 4 SATA, NVT-ML500W
Western Digital DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5''

Total: $681 Centro

The power supply isn't exactly top-tier, but I guess it gets the job done for this setup.