Which is the better deal overall?

[Evolv]

If you're willing to spend $800 on the HP a6742p, then might as well consider this.
cpu:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom II X4 920 2.8GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

mobo:
Newegg.com - ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

ram:
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
4Gb of ram is plenty, you won't need 6Gb, especially if you ain't gaming

psu:
Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA380 380W ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

hdd;
Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

optical:
Newegg.com - LG Black 22X (CAV) DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X (CAV) DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

case:
Newegg.com - NZXT Alpha Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Open Window - Computer Cases
hopefully it isn't too flashy for you, I was just thinking price wise.

monitor:
Newegg.com - Acer X193W+BD Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 2000:1 (ACM) - LCD Monitors
Acer makes nice monitors, I have a 22" Acer myself

OS:
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems
might as well get 64bit, 32 bit is the same price

keyboard & mouse:
Newegg.com - Logitech 967738-0403 Black 104 Normal Keys USB Standard Deluxe 250 Keyboard - Keyboards
Newegg.com - Logitech SBF-96 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Mouse - Mouse

speakers:
Newegg.com - Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - Speakers
I've owned these before, they're nice. Logitech makes quality stuff

Total is $814.10 including shipping. Then there is a $20 mail in rebate. Now this is the best bang for your buck. The motherboard I picked has good onboard video, and will be good for playing movies and light gaming.

The AMD Phenom II 920 is a great processor, it's quad, has a lot of cache, and is loads faster than the E5300 and the orignal Phenom 9150. If you can get your friend to put this all together, then that would be great. And everything is compatible with each other. If any parts wouldn't work for some reason, newegg is great with returns.

 

[Xandubomb]

please pardon my ignorance, by why does it "seem" that the other two's specs are better than this build?

this one has 2gb ram, the others had 4 and 6 gb
this has e2200 dual core, the others had e5300 dual core and phenom quad core
this one has 250 gb hdd, the others had 500 gb hdd
this one has vista 32 bit, the others had 64-bit

?

thanks

I based it on your needs and budget of about $600.

paltalk program
yahoo messenger program
internet explorer window
anti-spyware and security programs working in background

that's about it.

With what you're planning to do, 4-6GB is overkill and unnecessary.

The E2200 can easily handle all of those programs at the same time, just as those other processors. I have an E2140, and I do a lot more multi-tasking than that list.

You can choose however much hard drive space you need.

The programs that you mentioned, are for the most part, not 64bit, or doesn't require 64bit.

That's just my 2 cents. You can go for gt7's build if you want.

 

[philbar71]

Newegg.com - Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor - Processors - Desktops

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-DS2H LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

Newegg.com - G.SKILL PI Black 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - Operating Systems

Newegg.com - ZALMAN ZM360B-APS 360W Continuous @ 45°C ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V V2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply - Power Supplies

Newegg.com - Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases

should be around $600.

 

[Son of James]

Oh....In that case the second computer will be the one to go with.

You can actually go with this one, and for what you're going to be doing, it's fine:
HP Pavilion Slimline s3700f Desktop Computer With AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core Processor 5000 by Office Depot

as much as i wanted to try and build my comp:
1. i realized i didnt really have the time to commit to that;
2. i could never get in contact with the guy i know who builds them.

therefore, i went ahead with the model above suggested by you.

it works just fine for what we use it for at home. thanks for your suggestion, xandubomb. and thanks to all who helped me.

now....................

i need help again!

im going to get a refurbished/recertified laptop to use pretty much the same way as the comp you (xandubomb) suggested. it will connect to the hp i purchased through a wireless router.

i have found these 4 laptops and i would like to get the best deal suitable for my usage, but pay the least for it (who doesnt?).

1. Dell Latitude D510 Laptop Notebook w/ 30 day wrnty=248.90 (incl. shipping)

Intel Celeron M 1.4GHz
1024 MB of RAM Installed
60GB Hard Drive
CDRW/DVD Drive Installed
Wireless Wifi Installed
Windows XP Pro Installed w/ COA on Case
14.1" TFT display monitor
Integrated Audio (AC'97 codec)
10/100 Network card Installed
56K Modem installed
Integrated video card
One (1) S-Video & One (1) VGA video out
Four (4) USB 2.0 Ports
One (1) Serial Port and One (1) Parallel Port
30 Day Warranty (Parts and Labor)
Power Adapter and Battery Included​

2. HP NC6000 w/ 30 day wrnty=278.54 (incl. shipping)

Intel Pentium Mobile Centrino 1.6 GHz Processor
512 MB Ram (Exp. to 1 GB)
40 GB Harddrive
CD-RW/DVD-ROM (COMBO) Drive
Windows XP Professional
WiFi
14.1" TFT Display​

3.Lenovo ThinkPad T43 Notebook PC w/90 day wrnty=301.98 (incl. shipping)

Intel Pentium M 1.6GHz
512MB DDR2
40GB HDD
Integrated Wireless 802.11 a/b/g
DVD-ROM, 14.1" XGA, Windows XP Pro, Black​

4. Lenovo ThinkPad T40 Notebook w/ 90 day wrnty=310.96 (incl. shipping)

Intel Mobile Pentium M 1.5GHz
1GB and supports up to 2GB maximum memory
Hard drive 40GB
14.1" TFT display
DVDRW
Integrated Wireless 802.11b/g
Battery Lithium Ion 6 cell configurations
Microsoft Windows XP Pro​

thanks in advance again.

 

[Xandubomb]

I would of said the Lenovo T40 because they're IBM. The Dell on the other hand, even though with a bit slower CPU (not noticeable from the others though), has a bigger hard drive and cost the least amount of money.

 

[Son of James]

I would of said the Lenovo T40 because they're IBM. The Dell on the other hand, even though with a bit slower CPU (not noticeable from the others though), has a bigger hard drive and cost the least amount of money.

thanks again. its a done deal.

i got it here:
Dell Latitude D510 Refurbished Laptop Notebook Computer 1.4GHz 1024MB 60GB CDRW/DVD XP Pro Wifi

the others were here:
Lenovo ThinkPad T43 Refurbished Notebook PC - Intel Pentium M 1.6GHz, 512MB DDR2, 40GB HDD, DVD-ROM, 14.1" XGA, Windows XP Pro, Black RB-1871-FU1 at TigerDirect.com

- HP


eCOST.com-Lenovo ThinkPad T40 1.5GHz Intel Pentium M Notebook ( 2373-8CU ) - Lenovo 2373-8CU-REF (Notebooks) - eCOST.com - electronics, computers, laptops, mp3 players

edit: why did the urls come out like this? i didnt paste it that way.