Computer for my mom

Are their any parts you already have to use?

Does it need a monitor?

keyboard, mouse?

Do YOU have a 750GB HDD?

You could walk out of this build relinquishing yourself of the slow HDD in exchange for a 320GB+ SSD~
Edited by Xinoxide - 8/19/12 at 6:41pm

Well how this build goes will totally depend on what she uses it for. A simple motherboard, not built for overclocking, not built for gaming - just a plain old motherboard that WORKS - look at Z77, Z68, H61 - depending on what features you're looking for. Assuming you grab a mobo with onboard graphics capability you might not even need a graphics card - the HD4000 GMA is much more powerful than the HD3000. You can buy a lower-end Ivy i5 or even stick to Sandy Bridge i3 for the processor as your mom wouldn't need that much power (dunno, just guessing). Grab either 4 or 8 gb of memory - shouldn't really matter, just grab some cheap dimms. A small SSD just for the OS can make a huge difference and the prices on these little tiny things isn't that steep anymore, so look into a small Crucial M4 or Samsung 830 to really provide that nice speed for the OS and general usage. A 500gb-1tb hard drive should be sufficient so don't look any farther than that. I'm not too great with HDDs but I myself use the WD Caviar Black and it's been going strong for a while. 300-400watt power supply from any really reliable brand is great and gives lots of headroom - SeaSonic, corsair, antec... etc for this build at least.

Finally the MOST IMPORTANT thing about building this computer for your mom is the case. For us enthusiasts and builders, it doesn't matter all too much as we care mostly about the innards of the computer, but for your mom (unless she's tech-savvy) the case is what she will see and be impressed by. This completely depends on personal taste and will probably be the hardest for you to pick - some like the "crafted" feel of the NZXT crafted cases and some others like minimalist cases such as those from Fractal Design. Pick one you think she'll love and put your heart into building - make sure everything works fine, looks fine, and you keep that bundle of wiring tucked neatly out of sight, and the build will come out perfectly.

Have fun and good luck!

What are you doing on the PC that you "need" an i3 cpu? Like what are some programs that you will be using?

320GB O_O Hook me up lol!

And yea, its essential for us to know if u need monitor, OS, keyboard, mouse etc.

edit: Lol when I entered thread, only one person responded.

So yea, use ur i3, get h61 mobo, get cheap 4 gb 1333mhz RAM or something, 300W shud be fine if u dont plan on getting dedicated video card.
Edited by 072665995 - 8/19/12 at 6:49pm

Why limit yourself to a i3 ?

Get a AMD A8 3870K and a SSD and a 20" monitor and OS easy for $700.

And you get 4 cores and a much better graphics for her.

You have to buy each individual parts for every computer :|

You won't even need an i3 if all she does is word and excel

Get a Pentium G540, a cheap H61 board, a Crucial M4 SSD, a 750GB HDD, a 300-400W PSU, a cheap case, and a monitor

Well under $700