PC build for my grandpa

My grandfather actually just finished a basic computer literacy course a few months back. Since things are a little tight for me financially right now, I can't quite swing a brand-new machine for him, even though I'm his only grandson and really want to help him out. He’s mostly using his new skills to browse the web, hunt for antiques online, and keep an eye on the weather forecast. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a decent desktop—just the tower itself, no need for peripherals—for somewhere around $333.

This is about as budget as it gets. It’s not going to be a great experience for browsing, and honestly, that $30 power supply isn't exactly something you can trust, but hey, it'll work... more or less.

Intel NUC, 1170, D3, S2, USB 3.0, mATX
Corsair 2GB DDR3 1600 Value Se, COR-CMV2GX3M1C160C11
Toshiba DT01ACA050 500GB 3.5''
Linkworld PSU 400W, LKW-LPK2-23-RMA
NaviaTec ATX Tower PC Case, No PSU, NVT-995

Total $367 Best Buy

Personally, I'd look for something used instead. You just have to hunt around on eBay or Craigslist a bit. 🙂

MSI H81M-P33 motherboard
Intel Celeron G1820 processor
Patriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB PSD34G160081
NaviaTec ATX Tower PC Case, No PSU, NVT-995
AMD Radeon R3 SATA III 120GB SSD, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s, Read/Write: 520 MB/s / 360 MB/s
Power Supply AKYGA AK-B1-420 Basic 420W, DC 3.3/5/±12V, 1x120, Retail

Total: $397 Centro (assembly is free, shipping takes about 40-$27)

Basically as budget as it gets...

silverwolf29 said:My grandad just finished a basic computer class a few months back. Since I'm pretty broke, I can't really afford him a new rig, even though I'm his only grandson. He mostly uses it to browse the web, hunt for antiques, and check the weather. Looking for desktop recommendations—just the tower, no peripherals—for around $333.

You'll have to go used. Hard to find anything "decent" for $333...

1 x AMD Sempron x4 3850
1 x ASRock Q1900M (AM1, DDR3, USB 3.0, SATA III, VGA, mATX)
1 x MS Mercury 2 Case
1 x Crucial RAM 4GB DDR3L 1600 MT/s (PC3L-12800) CL11 Unbuffered UDIMM 240pin 1.35V/1.5V Single Ranked
1 x Western Digital 160GB S-ATAII, 7200rpm, 8MB cache (WD1600AVVS)
1 x AKYGA AK-B1-400 Basic 400W, 1x120, Bulk Power Supply

Total: $364
Cheapest thing I could find.
futura

Hmph, honestly, just buying a separate CPU and motherboard would end up being cheaper than this pathetic J1900 setup. 🤔

crimsonstag84's setup has an SSD and a much beefier processor, yet it’s barely more expensive than the other two options. What's the catch?

I have no idea where this guy gets his info. He might just be running a scam by listing fake prices 😬

A 120GB SSD actually ends up being cheaper than a 500GB HDD ($103), then you've got the motherboard and CPU at $179, the case at $28, the PSU at $36, and the RAM at $50. I guess that’s where 😛 comes from