New System needs to be at least $100 cheaper

[Blackmoore]

I have priced out a new system for my Dad. Basically all he wants to be able to do is to type, surf the net, and look at pictures, nothing too special. But he wants to system to be around $600, so this is what I came up with. Total came out to be $700 without a case, is there anywhere I can save money?

1.
Newegg.com - LITE-ON Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe - CD / DVD Burners
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Black SATA Model LH-20A1L-06 - Retail
2.
Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250410AS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
3.
Newegg.com - EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SCC 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SCC 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
4.
Newegg.com - FSP Group Blue Storm II 400 ATX 2.2 400W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CSA, VDE, NEMKO, CNS, CE, CB, FCC - Power Supplies
FSP Group Blue Storm II 400 ATX 2.2 400W Power Supply - Retail
5.
Newegg.com - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
6.
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard - Retail
7.
Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2C - Operating Systems
Microsoft Windows XP Professional With SP2C - OEM
8.
Newegg.com - Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 Conroe 2.33GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6550 - Retail

Where can I save money?

 

[peterhuang913]

Get XP Home OEM.

 

[S0ULphIRE]

lol, with your current setup you could play crysis on medium/high settings np, so for a word-processor/browsing machine that's a LOT of overkill

For your dad's purposes, ditch your current mobo, graphics card, cpu, and ram. Buy a different mobo with integrated graphics, and a gig of 667Mhz ram is fine.
You assembled a good system (my rig is disturbingly similar) except for the 8600GT, which is bottlenecking my system , but it really is far better than what you need.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

You could get an E2180 and overclock it which would save you $90.

Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

Also you could save $40 by going with Vista instead of xp.

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - Operating Systems

 

[gurusan]

Newegg.com - Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
80

Newegg.com - Foxconn P35A LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
70

Newegg.com - OCZ SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
29

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards
23

Newegg.com - Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3250310AS 250GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - Internal Hard Drives
60

Newegg.com - LG Black 20X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 20X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 20X DVD Burner - CD / DVD Burners
25

Newegg.com - Antec earthwatts EA380 ATX12V v2.0 380W Power Supply 100 - 240 V UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, CE, CB, C-tick, CCC - Power Supplies
60

Newegg.com - LIAN LI PC-7B plus II Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Computer Cases
90

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - Operating Systems
100


Total = 537

****EDIT*****

Actually you have some money left over for another 2gb of ram and 64bit Vista if you want:

Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English 1pk DSP OEI DVD - Operating Systems
Vista

Newegg.com - SUPER TALENT 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory
4gb---60 bucks

That would put your total at 578

 

[Preacher]

100% of the Vista reviewers on newegg gave it a 5/5......

 

[Blackmoore]

lol, with your current setup you could play crysis on medium/high settings np, so for a word-processor/browsing machine that's a LOT of overkill

I know its a lot faster than his needs require but I figure I might as well get the most for the money, and all of us whether we game or not would enjoy a faster machine rather than a slower one.

But I think what I'll end up doing is looking at different chips, vista, and possibly a different motherboard. I chose that graphics card just because I figured it would keep him happy for a long time and we wouldn't have to worry about it in the future.

 

[gurusan]

I advise going for 4gb over a faster chip as that will make the most difference in general windows use.