$444 for a PC?

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Mirddes

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#116003 15-Apr-2013 10:57

is $444 too much for a computer for someone who doesnt already have one? Maybe someone who hasnt upgraded since windows 98/xp?

a monitor would be included in such a computer.

have a great day.

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#799512 15-Apr-2013 11:15

Presume this is not brand new otherwise its an absolute BARGAIN!

So if its second hand / refurbed, it would depend on the specs - it could be good or bad!

E.G. I recently bought a refurbished Toshiba laptop for $140...

Doing your best is much more important than being the best.

khull

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#799513 15-Apr-2013 11:15

Subjective question really.

To better understand the question, what are the specs of the pc?

xpd

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#799514 15-Apr-2013 11:17

And what do they want to be able to do with it ?

XPD / Gavin

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CYaBro

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#799531 15-Apr-2013 11:37

Are we talking NZ$?

+gst or inc GST?

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

gzt

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#799547 15-Apr-2013 12:03

Not enough information. Specs, operating system, warranty?

robjg63

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#799568 15-Apr-2013 12:08

Are you buying or selling?

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

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Mirddes

39 posts

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#799613 15-Apr-2013 13:10

amd e350, 2GB ram, linux booting from usb stick, mini itx case, widescreen lcd (1366x768).

all new, manufactures' warranty on parts

mouse, keyboard and speakers ellude me

selling, cash

have a great day.

mattwnz

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#799619 15-Apr-2013 13:17

Not a great computer. They would want windows, if they were used to xp/98, and to run things like word. The OS should also be booting from a proper hard drive or SSD shouldn't it. Booting from a USB stick would be slow, and probably not that reliable long term, as those things wear out. Monitor sounds average without a brand. Possibly has poor viewing angles and the cheapest TN screen you can get.
Persoanlly I think they maybe better buying a cheap laptop, which you can get a reasonable one with better specs for not much more.

kobiak

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#799620 15-Apr-2013 13:18

depends on motherboard... and the case :) but $444 looks reasonable.

I just literally looked prices for e350 and it's like $200ish for a decent item

I wanna build a DIY NAS as current set up does not allow me room for expansion :(

helping others at evgenyk.nz

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#799636 15-Apr-2013 13:39

What size is the usb? No optical drive? Most people expect to play CD and DVD on their desktop computers.

Linux is not necessarily a problem depending on the distribution. Libre Office is pretty damn good replacement for Word. Ubuntu has a nice UI for installing Skype and any other software. Obviously there is going to be a bit more user support required than XP because it is so different.

What Linux distribution are you using and what kind of boot times are you getting from USB? What kind of performance do you see for typical tasks like web browsing, document creation and editing, and streaming media viewing?

Having the OS on a usb stick seems very risky. AFAIK they provide nowhere near the ongoing error protection of standard drives.

Mirddes

39 posts

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#799648 15-Apr-2013 14:01

puppy linux, 16GB stick. boots faster than windows 7 from my harddrive.

mouse, keyboard, speakers, optical drive, card reader etc should be possible for $444

even windows and a magnetic storage device coudl be included for $666, but a cheap laptop would be way better by that point.

here is the happy motherboard ill be using.

http://dx.com/p/colorful-i-ae50-v14-bga-amd-apu-e350d-ddr3-motherboard-167409

$116.40 usd so ~$136 nzd; free shipping

the prototype is using a Awyun A1-1001 case and 250w psu; picked up one off trademe for $60 including shipping. does not seem to be any stock ,are there suitable alternative cases in the same price bracket?

considering the lower manufacturing costs im surprised there isnt a deluge of cheaper DTX/miniITX cases on the market.

mass production of "$444 PC" would be cool.

have a great day.

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gzt

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#799685 15-Apr-2013 15:40

Have you considered how you will handle warranty? With a monitor included it seems like it is in the reasonable price range.

Imho you will need to do some research on the USB you choose to ensure you are getting a genuine brand with good life from it. Also the external mounting does not seem like a great idea in the average environment.

When the user begins digital photography or something similar then storage may become an issue. Workflow is usually import > edit/enhance. Cameras tend to react badly to inplace editing on the camera card itself.

You will spend a lot of time with the user explaining how to do normal maintenance tasks like upgrading an application or upgrading the operating system (use the LTS version for sure) but it seems like an interesting experiment.

Mirddes

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#799731 15-Apr-2013 16:49

usb is the new floppy

32GB is $29 from wharehouse stationary. pretty mainstream.

id be happy to build systems for $666 with windows, $999, $1234 and $2222 for more substantional hardware in a miniITX/DTX form factor.

for all but the highest end computers uATX is overkill.

atx is just silly.

have a great day.

gzt

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#799759 15-Apr-2013 17:37

Mirddes: usb is the new floppy

32GB is $29 from wharehouse stationary. pretty mainstream.

Well, yeah. You will find that doing everything on removable devices changes the workflow. Overall there will be ways to sort that out but there will be a few speedbumps to navigate.

Mirddes

39 posts

Geek

#799931 15-Apr-2013 23:00

usb3 drives are cheap and very fast.,a internal usb3 port would be great

have a great day.

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