help me build a computer

[ashenfang]

Okay here is the deal. I have only really ever built gamming machines for my self. My mother is needing a new computer pretty bad and Im not sure what to build. My parents do not have a lot of money, so this needs to be budget friendly. I am familiar with high end stuff, but not so much the wallet friendly needs as well as something that is good for the price. Let me help you out a little.

Here is what she already has;

Monitor
Keyboard
Mouse
Printer(s)
Scanner

Here is what she does on the computer;

Internet (alot of it, she runs a book selling business online)
Some minor graphics stuff, like scanning, shrinking, and cropping photos
Email
Word Processing

The computer she has now is a dell 450mhz, so I know pretty much anything will be an improvement.

Help me out here.

 

[LmpPns]

Socket A Applebred Duron or maybe spend a few more bucks for an Athlon XP 2400+, or maybe even a Barton.
Budget KT400 motherboard
256MB PC2100/2700/3200, your choice.
Her HDD is probably fine, but if she wants more space get her a 80GB 7200RPM HDD with 8MB cache. Brandwise it doesn't really matter, but I prefer Seagate.
Budget ATX case, you could try to impress her with a good looking one for under $30 (USD)
300W FSP (Fortron) PSU
Either find a motherboard with integrated graphics or find some cheap card for around $20-40

If she runs Windoze XP, you might consider 512MB of memory, but 256MB should be adequate. You can re-use her CD/Floppy drives, and it wont look bad if you find a matching case, or one with a door.

 

[Stupid Boy]

You could just upgrade her RAM.

If she needs something more, I recommend adding more RAM to a used system off eBay, probably Pentium III, Pentium IV or Athlon XP. If you get Pentium III and can find some cheap SD-RAM, that would be pretty good.

And remember to find a use for the current system after buying the new one.