[Pc_Support] MB/CPU combo for general office use

[Bryan J. Smith]

Tim McDonough <tim at mcdonough.net> wrote:
> I'm looking for recommendations on a good deal for
> motherboard and CPU combos for general office type
> applications.

Funny you should ask ... I have an extra mainboard+CPU combo,
all tested and ready-to-go.  ;-ppp

> Need a built-in LAN and video.

nVidia GeForce 61x0 + nForce 4x0 is low-cost and proven.

The GF6100+nF410 starts at $50.
The nF430 has GbE and starts at around $65.

64-bit NUMA/HyperTransport AMD Socket-754 CPUs start at just
over $50 as well.  Add whatever DDR SDRAM you want from there
from PC1600 (DDR200) to PC3200 (DDR400).  PC1600 (DDR200) or
PC2100 (DDR333) works without slowing down the rest of the
system. 

> I have accumulated up 3 ATX machines with motherboards that
> have various maladies such as dead video, dead LAN ports,
etc.
> I'd like to refurb them and be able to use them for 
> interns and part time help. No exotic apps, just basic word
> processing and maybe some spreadsheet work along with one
app
> for our truck system that has low demands. The machines
will
> use WinXP Pro.
> With most things electronics the rule is "Fast, Reliable,
> Inexpensive.   Pick any two". I need reliable and
inexpensive.

The GF6100+nF410 is definitely reliable, inexpensive and,
surprisingly, pretty fast.

> Quiet would be a plus.

All the GF6100+nF410 mainboards I've seen are 100% passively
cooled.  The CPU will then have a fan, but you can get fairly
largely and slower RPM (quiet) ones.  The stock retail ones
aren't bad at all AFAIAC.



-- 
Bryan J. Smith  b.j.smith at ieee.org http://thebs413.blogspot.com
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