well what i was saying was is that if hes not gonna do any heavy gaming the 2400 would be fine. it comes with 256 RAM. which would be peachy if hes not gonna play intense games. and the Integrated Graphics would work fine for that as well. the 4550 and 4600 would work for all that too. but im just sayin he wouldnt need the extra features of those for what hes gonna use it for.

i am trying to get is as cheap as possible and still have it last 3+ years. Around $500-600 US would be ideal.

Trying to find one with:
PIII processor
512 ram
40 GB HD at 7200 RPM
CDRW Drive
Basic Speakers
Basic Video
Mouse & Keyboard
No Monitor (we have an extra)
NIC card

am i forgetting anything?

do you have an extra floppy drive as well? and if your goin for new thats gonna be a P4 instead. maybe thats what you meant but just had a typing error.i went to Dell and tried to customize a 2400.....apparently when you throw the word "customize" in front of one its crazy insane. the price went from 499 to like 900 in a flash. the absolute cheapest way to get a good computer is to build your own.which is probly the route ill take on my next one. if you dont know how to do that or dont have the connections just shop around. i would recommend Dell and Hewlett-Packard myself. but whatever floats your boat.

this might float that boat of yours. throw in another 50 bucks or so and youll have that 512 you want. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...41937%3A120870

i like dell over gateway

i like Bubba'* Muledookey 'Puters over Gateway. we have a Gateway....it sucks...and then i have a Dell *reaches down and hugs his computer*

I have a Dell now, and I used to have a Gateway. No major prob'* with either. Both ended up as platforms for a custom build, tho

We have two gateways, one is six years old and the other is about three. Both have been pretty good, but this one is just getting old and slow. We are deciding to go with Dell instead of Gateway b/c thats the comps we use at school and they are great, and the Gateway site isnt that great for customizing (dont give you many options), and my dad thinks he can get 10-15% through his work (State Farm). As far as the Dell site goes, you have to go to recommended systems and then click on one to get the price to start off low.