cheap desktop PC needed - $300 or less

[xiregulatorix]

i'm looking to buy a new desktop PC for my mom for her birthday next month. She only uses it for email/music/news, so it doesn't have to be anything fancy. However, I'd like it to last, so I'd probably shy away from something like an e-machines desktop.

I know Dell has a deal for a new dual core pc for $300 (thanks SD :woot: ). I'm just wondering if anyone's seen anything comparable for cheaper, either in store or online.

I also considered building a new one, but the price came out to about $250 with no OS.. but if I could get parts for cheaper I wouldn't be opposed to building one either

I don't need a monitor, as I bought a 19" LCD a few months ago.

Thanks for any inputs

[heavylee]

What parts did you price out, and from where?

[xiregulatorix]

just took the cheapest available parts from tigerdirect.com

barebones kit (cooler/case/mobo/power supply) for $140
dual core for $70
RAM, HD, DVD drive made up the rest

i'm probably missing a few items so the price is probably closer to $300 than $250.

[Onemopoboy]

Building your own may be one of the cheapest ways to go. If you don't want to invest in the time and energy, these may be a couple of options.
Compaq(refurb) at Compusa ~$310 after live CB (http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4555150&CatId=2628)

This one at newegg is a little out of your price range(and a little gamer-ish) ~$423 shipped, but I've seen another model similar to this one with an AMD CPU@$373 shipped. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227073R)

Here's another one but is really basic, but you can get a 2 yr extended warranty for 44.98 and with tax and shipping(to my home) is only $272.66 before live CB. (http://www.compusa.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4616573&sku=C999-10006)