Building computer for the kids

Forums › Desktop computing › Building computer for the kids - need mainboard?

MooPoo

251 posts

Ultimate Geek

#74806 7-Jan-2011 19:34

I am trying to build a computer for my 7 & 8 yr old daughters, so they can play Dora games, watch Pokemon shows and stay the heck off my computer!

I am trying to do this on the uber cheap.

I have just about everything I need except for an old motherboard.

I have gotten a CPU for free but I'm not sure what motherboard to get for it - remembering that I don't mind if it is a few years old and costs virtually nothing.

The CPU is:
Intel Core2 Duo Processor E6420 (4M Cache, 2.13 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB)

It says it is PLGA775 but I have never heard of that type of chip?

Yeah its not the best chip but it was free and it isn't going to be used that much anyway.

Can anyone suggest any mainboards that will suit this chip? preferably with on-board audio and video.

I really just don't know which ones to get to even start looking on trademe etc for a cheap one.

Thanks for any help.

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thorax

75 posts

Master Geek

#425045 7-Jan-2011 19:45

I think you should trawl trade me over the next couple of weeks, any LGA 775 motherboard would take that processor. Intel stuck with that platform for long time ( Pentium 4 - 775). PLGA describes how the chip is packaged, not the socket. Im pretty sure that that is LGA 775 compatable.

MooPoo

251 posts

Ultimate Geek

#425047 7-Jan-2011 19:50

oh ok cool.

I thought that the 775 only took single core or hyperthreaded.

I had no idea what PLGA was lol

Any suggestions for half decent boards/brands?

Speedy885

182 posts

Master Geek

#425048 7-Jan-2011 19:52

You didn't say weather your PC case is a tower or a desktop type case so im assuming its a tower.
PLGA775 = Plastic LGA775 so any LGA 775 mobo should work fine like this one:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Components/Motherboards/Asus/auction-344528097.htm

or this would probably be better IMO

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Components/Motherboards/Intel/auction-344733944.htm

MooPoo

251 posts

Ultimate Geek

#425053 7-Jan-2011 20:16

Yes its a tower.

Silly me was kind of hoping the chip was that old I could pick up a motherboard for $20.

Oh well.

Lias

5589 posts

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#425087 8-Jan-2011 02:23

MooPoo: Yes its a tower.

Silly me was kind of hoping the chip was that old I could pick up a motherboard for $20.

Oh well.

I can probably sell a 486 motherboard for more than that :-)

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martyyn

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#426189 11-Jan-2011 16:27

You need to get yourself down to the 'Tip Shop' or whatever its called near you. We have one here where they sell anything taken to the tip which they think may have some value (or still works).

Sure they sell the electrical items 'at your own risk' but Ive picked up several machines for no more than $10 each and we are talking 2.0Ghz P4 machines with 1Gb ram, 320Gb hard drives, a DVD drive and XP COA's on them :)

I got two 17' monitors for $1 each because they didnt know if they worked (and I smiled nicely) and good condition keyboards and mice are only a couple of dollars each.

There really is no reason to think you would spend any more than $15-20 tops to have something more than capable of a bit of email, letter writing and web browsing.

One did have a dead PSU but Ive got a couple of spares and one came with two Server2003 and three Office COA's aswell as the drive hadnt been formatted. I assume that makes them my property ;)

I used one as my server for well over a year and after a clean out (the dust was two inches thick inside) it worked flawlessly 24x7 with zero downtime.

My latest server sits in front of my exercycle in the garage and plays HD video on our old 32" LCD, has onboard 5.1 sound, 5xIDE and 2xSATA for just under 4Tb of storage, with Gb lan and XP Pro all costing me less than $20. Although to be fair Coreavc2.0 was $12, the SATA's are out of my old HTPC and I did need a decent Corsair power supply as I kept blowing up the free ones !!

MooPoo

251 posts

Ultimate Geek

#426200 11-Jan-2011 16:50

martyyn:

There really is no reason to think you would spend any more than $15-20 tops to have something more than capable of a bit of email, letter writing and web browsing.

I have no problem getting old pc's like that for next to nothing (its what we do at work).

I was hoping to get a bit better than that so the kids can play their games etc on it.

I have a dual core CPU so i need something for it to go in.

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CutCutCut

1039 posts

Uber Geek

#427104 14-Jan-2011 11:41

I have that exact same CPU running in my PC...hmmmm does that make my PC old?
ANyways, I have it running at 3 Ghz just with the standard cooler, it does get hot under load but it's never failed me and I do quite a bit of video encoding on it. So depending on the motherboard you get you might be able to push it wee bit faster than stock

aionwannabe

147 posts

Master Geek

#427415 15-Jan-2011 14:43

you could do cheaper with an amd setup just saying, me and amd go way back, unless you already have the cpu you want in which case just follow the suggestion people already made

MooPoo

251 posts

Ultimate Geek

#427425 15-Jan-2011 15:24

I go way back with AMD as well, in fact my personal desktop is an AMD.

I already have the chip for the kids one so I need to go with that.