Is it worth resurrecting this PC with Puppy Linux?

[SirBongyTheSecond]

My mother is on the market for a new PC to install in the living room as a machine to do some work and browse the internet. Her requirements is something that is small and has a big screen. The thing is, we have a PC recently demoted to the storage, and it feels like a waste to have a perfectly functional piece of hardware left to rot while we splash out on a PC that doesn't need to do intensive tasks. She's not too fond of the idea, as (a) The PC is not exactly petite, though I'm sure we can shove it under the table out of sight, and (b) she wants a big screen. While more screen space is nice, the screen isn't too bad (1024x768) in my opinion. Is it worth ressurecting the PC, and if it is, how do I convince her that it's worth it? Or, alternatively, what's a decent PC that doesn't break the bank?

Oh, and before I forget, here's some infomation about said PC:
AMD Athlon 2000 XP+ clocked at 1.66 GHZ
512mb of RAM
250GB HDD
1024x768 screen
Currently running Windows XP SP2. The PC has slowed down significantly. I used to be able to run Firefox with it at its default resolution, but now I have problems opening Windows Explorer at 800x600. I plan to run Puppy Linux 5.5 Wary on it, first from the USB stick and maybe later on, install it to the HDD.
One problem I should note: Office programs. My mother doesn't need a Nvidia Titan machine, she just needs something that can run productive programs and browse the web at a good pace. She uses primarily Microsoft Office on her main machine, so I'm unsure about how well the documents would translate to Linux programs. There's also the problem of features, as Puppy comes installed with Abiword and Gnumeric by default, lightweight programs that are less intensive on low end hardware but come with less features than say, Libreoffice. Doubtful that WINE (Wine is not an emulator) would run well at all.

[WayOfThePhoenix]

I wouldn't bother with Linux. I tried it once and it didn't suit my tastes. Upgrade to Windows 7 instead.:P

[SirBongyTheSecond]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย LitchiFayeLingFan:

I wouldn't bother with Linux. I tried it once and it didn't suit my tastes. Upgrade to Windows 7 instead.:P

Out of curiosity, which distro?

[Rove]

Option 1) get a new PC

A10 5800K good basic PC build

AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-F2A75M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Rove/saved/3zOe
Base Total: $389.93
Mail-in Rebates: -$45.00
Total: $344.93

Still requires, OS Windows 8.1 64bit (or LInux), Monitor or TV, Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers, etc..

Option 2) reuse, recycle, retrofit
Well puppy would be great for browsing. Productivity is possible but is a little bit more difficult specially coming from Windows to Linux and not just starting on Linux. Since trying this option is free why not do it for now until you buy and set up a new PC? I would however advise to buy a new PC just as soon as you feel the need for one, even if that's right away after you get the puppy machine set up and discover you want more. It might be enough for the next little while or it might not, only you and your mom can really say what's right for you. Unless the time it takes you to do this is worth a significant portion of the purchase cost of a new computer to you then go ahead and do it just to test it out.

[Space Monkey]

I tried a few months ago to resurrect an old Dell Latitude D620 and had mixed results.
My D620's spec:
Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz
1GB 533MHz DDR2 RAM (2 x 512MB)
80GB 5400RPM HD
14.1-inch WXGA screen
Intel Media Accelerator 950

My D620 is more powerful than your Athlon, and yet, I still found it to be slow. Modern web pages and such just drowned the system, especially Flash/HTML5 Video. You get hurt by the CPU not supporting modern multimedia instruction sets and effectively are not helped by HW acceleration. Web browsing really sucks up a lot more resources nowadays ~ running Facebook in the background is arguably more intense than working on a couple of Word and PowerPoint documents in Office 2007.

If possible, I'd recommend getting a new machine. I've built a couple of AMD APU machines and they've all been quite good~ You could also consider a smaller form factor PC:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856164009
Just add RAM and a mSATA SSD~

[SirBongyTheSecond]

Space Monkey and Rove, I appreciate the help, and your suggestions are very valid, but my mum is against the idea of building another PC.As for the compact mini PCs, I've only really talked about the Chromebox, which she thinks is too limited, and a Mac Mini, which of course is already going to make a inroad in her wallet before factoring the monitor, keyboard etc.
Oh, and I forgot the GPU: it's a Nvidia Geforce MX 420.

[upcoast]

It might be the video, IE will only move as fast as the internet 600KB/s is nothing for that cpu to process.

I fixed up my moms comp last month running xp, x2 3600 1.9ghz it's fine snaps up web pages.

Lots of older but still good hardware on the cheap that'll be much faster than s462 at 1.6ghz.

[rotNdude]

I think you're conflicted and trying to tell her what she wants rather than listening to what she wants. She evidently wants something with a small form factor and a larger monitor. If that's the scenario, then you'll have to come up with a different case and a new monitor at the least.

I'm guessing that the old PC you're thinking about using hasn't been reformatted for ages with a new install of WinXP and that OS was notorious for needing a good reload after a while. The first thing I would do is see if that helps with the performance. If she's satisfied with the performance, then you've gotten past step one.

Have you talked to her about using a Linux OS or even shown her what Linux is all about? If not, you should.

[SirBongyTheSecond]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย rotNdude:

I think you're conflicted and trying to tell her what she wants rather than listening to what she wants. She evidently wants something with a small form factor and a larger monitor. If that's the scenario, then you'll have to come up with a different case and a new monitor at the least.

I'm guessing that the old PC you're thinking about using hasn't been reformatted for ages with a new install of WinXP and that OS was notorious for needing a good reload after a while. The first thing I would do is see if that helps with the performance. If she's satisfied with the performance, then you've gotten past step one.

Have you talked to her about using a Linux OS or even shown her what Linux is all about? If not, you should.

Yeah, she does know about Linux. In terms of preference, she does prefer a Windows machine, but she isn't against Linux. I was trying to make my case for bringing the computer back, but her issue was not with performance, nor with the OS choice, it was more to do with "it's just a white elephant taking up lots of room."
It's partially nostalgia that I want to keep the machine, but it's more to do with the Scrooge within me. Sure, the GPU doesn't support later versions of Windows, but it's a perfectly functional machine.
It just feels.... wasteful? I dunno, I am kind of a miser with possessions that I believe to be old yet still functional and usable. She was looking at this earlier:http://www.ijtdirect.co.uk/dc7100/
It kinda highlights the reason why I want to keep the machine. She asked me if it was any good. I responded that it wasn't likely to be any better than the old PC in the shed. It's still attractive to her, and hey, maybe it's a little smaller, but it just doesn't offer anything worthy enough to rank it higher than the old PC in my eyes. It might be better supported by future versions of Windows, but I checked the RAM on Crucial and the upgrades are pretty high http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/listmodule.aspx?family=SDRAM
Especially when factoring the cost of a Windows license to upgrade.
A PC HDD refresh would be nice, but with April 8 looming by, I would rather just have a fresh OS reinstall than a restart on a OS that's going out in less than two months.
It's pretty conflicting, yeah. Maybe I'm being the selfish one here, but seeing a functional piece of hardware being abandoned kinda crushes me.
At this lower OEM end, I honestly don't know what to recommend in terms of new hardware. Buying a new monitor and PC from scratch feels a little wasteful, especially as it's not meant to be a main PC, but something relegated to the living room to be used occasionally for productivity and browsing.

[Rove]

For a "desktop case" (sideways case that you can put on a shelf) HTPC I would suggest this instead of a Mac Mini since it's got better graphics & a Blu-Ray + upgrade potential:
AMD A10-6700 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSeQ
Total: £494.72

If you want to spend less something like this:
AMD A8-5500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
GeIL EVO CORSA Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
Be Quiet 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSpE
Total: £398.70

If you want something really super low budget then get this and use Linux:
AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor
MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
Be Quiet 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSy2
Total: £249.32

Those desktop sideways cases she likes aren't cheap. Tell her she can save like 30+ GBP if she's willing to get a tower and put it behind or beside the TV or monitor you get.

There is no point to buying that Windows XP Pro box when you've already got a machine as good or better. It's as you said a waste. It's cheap but I'd only recommend it to someone who otherwise doesn't have a computer at all and can not afford one brand new and won't be able to save for it either because that 70~ GBP is already as much as they can save.

Any one of the builds I listed should be able to hook up to one of the newer LCD TVs with a adapter at most, just check the output on the motherboard, the TV inputs and the available adapters before you buy. Worst comes to worst you can even get a internal TV output card but it costs more than a adapter.

Since it's going in the living room why not get a TV instead of a monitor and turn this into a proper HTPC? Then you can watch movies, internet TV, DVD's or with the most expensive build even Blu-Ray movies and 3D Blu-Ray movies if you get a compatible 3D TV.

That way it's not a waste of a PC, it's your new Television with PC functions instead.

[SirBongyTheSecond]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Rove:

For a "desktop case" (sideways case that you can put on a shelf) HTPC I would suggest this instead of a Mac Mini since it's got better graphics & a Blu-Ray + upgrade potential:
AMD A10-6700 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor
ASRock FM2A88M EXTREME4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSeQ
Total: £494.72

If you want to spend less something like this:
AMD A8-5500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard
GeIL EVO CORSA Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
Be Quiet 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Lite-On iHDS118-04 DVD/CD Drive
Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSpE
Total: £398.70

If you want something really super low budget then get this and use Linux:
AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor
MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Smart Tracer 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Silverstone SST-GD04B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case
Be Quiet 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2WSy2
Total: £249.32

Those desktop sideways cases she likes aren't cheap. Tell her she can save like 30+ GBP if she's willing to get a tower and put it behind or beside the TV or monitor you get.

There is no point to buying that Windows XP Pro box when you've already got a machine as good or better. It's as you said a waste. It's cheap but I'd only recommend it to someone who otherwise doesn't have a computer at all and can not afford one brand new and won't be able to save for it either because that 70~ GBP is already as much as they can save.

Any one of the builds I listed should be able to hook up to one of the newer LCD TVs with a adapter at most, just check the output on the motherboard, the TV inputs and the available adapters before you buy. Worst comes to worst you can even get a internal TV output card but it costs more than a adapter.

Since it's going in the living room why not get a TV instead of a monitor and turn this into a proper HTPC? Then you can watch movies, internet TV, DVD's or with the most expensive build even Blu-Ray movies and 3D Blu-Ray movies if you get a compatible 3D TV.

That way it's not a waste of a PC, it's your new Television with PC functions instead.

The big problem is that she's not willing to have a PC built from scratch again. I mean, they would work well, but she's unwilling to go down that route.
The best route would probably be "get a custom PC built by a specialised company," as building another one is out of the question, a mini box would have limited upgradablity, and a laptop wouldn't suit the "big screen" need.
I'll look at your build options, but the usual mentality with PC builds is usually to get a nice specialised PC for gaming,music composition, modelling etc. My mum doesn't need that. Better components are nice, but my mum doesn't need super powerful components, just something to do the job.

[cool guy yooo :)]

To run team fortress you need at least 2 giga ram, and also buy a bigger screen like 24". And also upgrade xp sp2 to sp3 if you want to dual boot xp/linux.
On puppy linux forum there is a steam .pet ready to install.

[senseidongen]

Somewhere like www.pcspecialist.co.uk would probably have what you're looking for - everything from tiny Intel NUC PCs all the way up to monster OCed gaming rigs. I think all the suggestions so far are good but it's hard to get handle on what it is you actually want...

[Rove]

What I understood was that he wanted it cheaper than a Mac Mini.

[senseidongen]

โพสต์ดั้งเดิมโดย Rove:

What I understood was that he wanted it cheaper than a Mac Mini.

PC specialist (or other sites like it) should allow the OP to spec the PC he wants at whatever size that may be (NUC/mini ITX/micro ATX) at cheaper than a similarly powerful Mac mini.

What I don't understand is why the OP keeps mentioning screen size - if this is going in the living room, surely it will be hooked up to the TV by HDMI?

[Rove]

Maybe the screen size allowed by the GPU? Though that is "resolution" not size strictly speaking.