Suitable hardwares for a novelist's computer - assignment

[narlina]

the question asks for the most suitable hardware for a writer/novelist who uses the computer to email, occasionally chat. he uses word processing program the most, but the computer must also support medium gaming in case his child wants to use it to play games.

the requirements are the basic items:

cpu
motherboard
monitor
speaker
sound card
item to access internet
graphic card
mouse
main memory
hard disk

can someone tell me what kind of hardware is suitable for this type of computer?

 

[SNGX1275]

I don't know too much on the AMD end of things, but any of the Core2Duo intel processors would be plenty sufficient.

The amount of RAM you'd need is based on the OS to some extent. If you are happy with XP then 2 gigs is pretty standard now. For Vista I'd say you need a minimum of 2, and a max of 4 if you run the 32bit version. Its pointless to have more than 4 without a 64bit OS. For your/his needs more than 4 is really pretty pointless too.

I'll let others suggest a motherboard because I've been out of the market for a while now and don't know what is current. Sound cards are built into most motherboards now and are plenty good enough for your needs.

Mouse doesn't matter, just whatever feels nice.

HD really doesn't matter, look for decent warranty is about the only advice I can give. SATA not IDE/PATA (IDE/PATA is getting harder to find now anyway).

Internet depends on where you live. Most people live where they can get cheap broadband, and the ISP will provide you with the cable/dsl modem.

Monitor, this one may matter more than you'd expect. If they are going to spend 6+ hours a day staring at it then you need to spend a bit more and get a good one. If less, then pretty much any LCD will be fine.

I guess really the most important point now is left for you to answer. What is the budget?

 

[narlina]

erm, the budget? somewhere around 800-900usd..

 

[Spyder_1386]

That budget is plenty.

CPU - Intel core2duo or AMD Dual Core should be sufficient.

Motherboard - Asus or Gigabyte are my favourites (ask for one compatible with the processor you choose and you should be fine).

Monitor - Samsung / LG (again, my favourites) - LCD

Speakers - Creative 2.1s should be fine.

Internet - dunno where you stay. Depending on what you need to do with it, ISPs offer different speeds ....

Graphics card - If you don't intend to play games on the computer, you don't need anything special in this regard. Any basic graphics card will do.

Mouse - Any.

Main Memory (RAM) - 4 Gigs should be enough.

Hard Disk - Depends on what you'd like to store on there (photos/videos/songs could take up a lot of space) ... Go with a Seagate HD though ... they come with a 5 year warranty.

Spyder_1386

 

[gguerra]

Will you be building it?? It doesnt sound like it... which if that is the case you will need a pre-built system.

 

[captaincranky]

Oh Goody......., Homework.......!

Suitable hardwares for a novelist's computer - assignment

Such an interesting turn of phrase, assignment...whose...?

Basically, word processing is a simple task, it can be done, (and was done) with a $100.00 typewriter sort of thingy. So, it's a slam dunk, pretty much any computer available would do that, and provide internet access. In fact, many pre-built machines have Microsoft "works" pre-installed, "Word" is part of works, so there you go.

I don't know who the child involved is that needs to be considered for gaming, but personally I think it would be quite foolish to turn over a machine with data as valuable as a first edition manuscript to a "LAN" party or internet gaming. Security issues would be too much of a concern.

So, IMO two computers are called for it this application.

I guess I get an "F" for sense of humor again, huh?

 

[narlina]

Such an interesting turn of phrase, assignment...whose...?

Basically, word processing is a simple task, it can be done, (and was done) with a $100.00 typewriter sort of thingy. So, it's a slam dunk, pretty much any computer available would do that, and provide internet access. In fact, many pre-built machines have Microsoft "works" pre-installed, "Word" is part of works, so there you go.

I don't know who the child involved is that needs to be considered for gaming, but personally I think it would be quite foolish to turn over a machine with data as valuable as a first edition manuscript to a "LAN" party or internet gaming. Security issues would be too much of a concern.

So, IMO two computers are called for it this application.

I guess I get an "F" for sense of humor again, huh?

it's my assignment

Will you be building it?? It doesnt sound like it... which if that is the case you will need a pre-built system.

nope, this is just an assignment. sort of a proposal. i wont be building it

 

[SNGX1275]

There should be enough info in the posts in this thread then to at least get you started. If its just an assignment and not real money being used here then we can be a little less precise on what we suggest. Normally requests here are made with a certain budget and a specific need in mind. Mostly involving trying to get absolute max performance for a certain amount of money.

Since your project just involves needing to do "office" type apps and very light gaming the field is really wide open. Just for example... I had a computer that got me through my undergraduate degree and then was still in use as a secondary machine for a few more years. It was:
1Ghz Athlon T-Bird
Asus A7V Motherboard
512MB-1GB RAM PC133
30GB (later upgraded) HD
Cheap KB
Philips 107P 17" CRT Monitor (Awesome monitor)
and I ran the sound out to a real stereo

Something like that would suffice for your needs today.

 

[narlina]

these are my choices. what do you think?

processor: intel dual core E5200
mainboard: Gigabyte G31M ES2L
memory: Kingston PC800 D2 2GB
HDD: Seagate 16M ST2 320G
monitor: BenQ 19" G900HD
Casing: PowerLogic + 400watt
Keyboard/Mouse: Pleomax PKC 700-B

 

[Tedster]

any budget system can do your tasks. However get at least 2gb of ram so the system isn't too slow.