Best Present for 1st time builder

[Mercutio]

Opinion time:

An acquaintance of mine is about to undertake her first ever computer build. She wants to do it on her own, which basically means asking me for help selecting parts, but her doing all the work for assembly.

She does not have much money, so I am thinking I will share with her a part or two. She wants the computer to play Spore, for what it's worth.

So, given the things that normally go in a PC, which one would you rather have as a gift?

* Hard Disk - if I gave her one of my "old" ones, it'd be bigger than she can afford to buy on her own.

* Video Card - Kind of like flowers, right? Flashy but it'll be outdated in a week. And even then, what do I get?

* Motherboard - forces selection of a specific type of processor. Seems pushy.

* Processor - see motherboard

* DVD Burner - too cheap.

* RAM - 2GB = too cheap

* DVD Burner + RAM = Maybe. I guess.

* Case/PSU - Good cases cost about twice what crappy ones do, and you can use them forever. But it's a case, not exactly exciting.

I'm thinking I will spend around $100 (maybe $150) on this.

This is a sort of girl for whom computer parts are an entirely appropriate gift.

 

[ddrueding]

Case or video card, I'm leaning towards case. It is the part that most first-time builders don't give enough significance to, and it will last the longest. It is also the only part where real aesthetic decisions can be made, allowing for a more personal gift.

 

[Striker]

Case or video card, I'm leaning towards case. It is the part that most first-time builders don't give enough significance to, and it will last the longest. It is also the only part where real aesthetic decisions can be made, allowing for a more personal gift.

I'd have to agree. For those reasons and that it lets you be sure she has a good PSU. It's also the piece that's likely to be useful the longest.

 

[Fushigi]

Ditto on the case/PSU option. Video would be fine but for her needs & limited budget she may well opt for integrated video to start with the option to move up to some power-sucking PCI-E card at a later date.

Another option & my second choice would be hard drive + DVD burner.

Third would be a Newegg Gift Certifcate.

 

[timwhit]

I like the case idea too. You'd be surprised how much people care about the case selection after you show them what is out there.

 

[Clocker]

Fill the hard disk with your favorite PoRn and see what she says











Just kidding.

 

[Mercutio]

Fill the hard disk with your favorite PoRn and see what she says

I said acquaintance and not "perfect woman."

 

[Bozo]

Women are funny about what something looks like, all women. I would pick out 3-4 cases and ask her which one she likes best. You make sure she gets a qulity case/power supply, she gets something that is 'cute'. It is the part of the computer that she will have to look at for a long time.


Bozo :joker:

 

[Mercutio]

She's looking at a black HEC chassis/PSU. I know it's a solid choice and the price is in her budget, but I also know what a difference there is between that and an Antec NSK-something-or-other.

This is a person who has a minimum wage job. She's got just over a couple hundred bucks saved up but, well, she has a minimum wage job.

 

[paugie]

If it's a solid choice, at least it's something she has already chosen. I think that takes the casing out of your options. If it were not a good choice, then there would be reason to dissuade her.

 

[Mercutio]

It's not a BAD choice. In fact, it's a case I recommend for someone who doesn't have much money. But it's the difference between getting something that's acceptable and something that's genuinely nice.

 

[Bozo]

Could you show her the Antec to see if she likes it, and offer to make up the difference in price?
Make sure to mention the quality/longevity of the Antec.

Bozo :joker:

 

[cjstaples]

Just in case

Opinion - A Quality Case, absolutely - especially for a first time builder.

You want a case with ample room for maneuvering, bays and fans that are easy to remove and work with, clear instructions / labels, sufficient spare parts and whatnot - plus you don't want someone building a system for the first time to get a nasty sheet metal cut...

ow ow ow

 

[jtr1962]

I think the case/PSU is the best thing to give her if you can convince her to upgrade. A good case can last forever, and the PSU is arguably the most important part of the computer. I use the Lian-Li PC-60 on all my builds along with a Seasonic high-PFC power supply. It probably adds over $100 to the cost compared to a cheap case, but it looks much better, has plenty of room for expandability, and provides better cooling. Unlike other hardware which will eventually either fail or be upgraded, a decent case is pretty much a one-time purchase.

 

[udaman]

I think the case/PSU is the best thing to give her if you can convince her to upgrade. A good case can last forever, and the PSU is arguably the most important part of the computer. I use the Lian-Li PC-60 on all my builds along with a Seasonic high-PFC power supply. It probably adds over $100 to the cost compared to a cheap case, but it looks much better, has plenty of room for expandability, and provides better cooling. Unlike other hardware which will eventually either fail or be upgraded, a decent case is pretty much a one-time purchase.

This is just sooooo anti-Apple philosophy jtr, I read that the next Mac OS X version called "Snow Leopard" (supposedly just a minor incremental upgrade) OS X 10.6 to be released next year will only run on Intel Mac's (or Intel hardware), no more support for 3yr or older Mac's from the buy gone Power PC chip era, Leopard 10.5 is the last OSX that will run on them .

I'm hoping in a few years, Apple will be the 1st come out with a OS resolution independent OLED 16 or 18in 16:9 ratio 4k res screen in a laptop...until then I'm not upgrading my OS every year, so I can get real HD source material like from the 4K Red One camera.

 

[MaxBurn]

Well maybe help with the case but as others posted it's a personal decision like monitors for the look.

Donate one of your old HD's and a DVD burner, I'm guessing you have those laying around?

 

[Mercutio]

I'd donate the whole computer if I thought she'd let me. I have parts that are as nice or better than what she wants just sitting around my apartment in unopened boxes. :\

I floated the idea of helping with the case, though. I was told that there were happy girl noises.

 

[Mercutio]

I'd donate the whole computer if I thought she'd let me. I have parts that are as nice or better than what she wants just sitting around my apartment in unopened boxes. :\

I floated the idea of helping with the case, though. I was told that there were happy girl noises.

 

[Bozo]

Merc, check your mail.

Bozo :joker:

 

[e_dawg]

Yeah, aesthetics are usually important for girls and they often have different tastes than us guys. You don't want to get her what you think is a nice case only to find she thinks it's ugly (and therefore hates it)... or at least, not cute (and therefore is envious of her friends who have cuter cases)