Barebones Computer Kits

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010 at 10:27 PM

This entry is part 3 of 4 in the series Computer Kits

Barebones Computer Kits

Barebones computer kits the most simple of all the computer kits. The take the most basic computer hardware, assemble it into a simple computer case, and will run the most basic level tasks and processes. There is nothing flashy or exciting about these kits, they are just the barebone essentials, hence the name barebones computer kits.

Uses

Because of the system limitations with barebones computer kits, they are uses are going to be very limited as well. The reason for purchasing a barebones computer kits, or building one is because a computer is more of a convenience, and less of a necessity. For those users, dumping excessive amounts of money into their computers is pointless because the computer kit will not be used enough to justify the large expenditure that a gaming computer kit or home computer kits may tend to cause.

A barebones computer kits are used for the most basic of operations, and are usually bought to to perform the following functions:

internet surfing
email
social media networking
word documents, and office and business applications

Since a barebones computer kit is meant to do nothing more than the more basic functions, there is no need to dump a great deal of money into something so simplistic.

If you look at barebones computer kits from a different perspective, say laptops for example, you are looking at what is called a netbook. Netbooks are very small, very simple, and very inexpensive and are only meant for a few functions. A barebones computer kit would be the same concept as a netbook but in desktop format.

Specs

A barebones computer kit should carry a minimum of the following:

2GB-3GB RAM
80GB Hard Drive
Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon Processor
128MB Graphics Card

The system specs do not have to be intense. The goal is for a bare minimum because the computer is not used often enough to justify that.

When you look for RAM keep in mind that it takes around 1GB of RAM to run most of the newer operating systems. So you still want to make sure that you have enough RAM to run the other functions that you are intending to use your computer for.

Your hard drive does not need to be huge unless you have a lot of games, photos, movies, and other media type files. Word documents, no matter what form they are saved as take up very little space. An 80GB hard drive would leave you with roughly 68GB of storage space. Part of the hard drive is allocated for the operating system and BIOS for your computer. 68GB is plenty of space for most people.

As far as your processor goes, I would recommend nothing less than a pentium or AMD athlon processor. A dual-core can be easily added for very little cost, and if you have a little bit of swing room, I would definately recommend the dual core. It wil help speed up your processes, and make the general speed of the computer much faster.

Your graphics card is highly dependant on your other system hardware. You can not support a 1GB graphics card on the barebones computer kits. This is why I recommended a 128MG graphics card as opposed to something higher. The downside to a graphics card of this capacity is that it will not render graphics well on the screen.

A higher end graphics card would show much more detail and color in pictures, play games better, and show movies more clearly. With a barebones computer kit few if any of those operation are being done, so it is not necessary to pay extra for a higher caliber graphics card. Also, a barebones computer kit would not liekly support a higher end graphics card. Nothing more than a 128MG is necessary.

Conclusion

This article gives the information as to differentiate a home computer kit from a barebones computer kit. Home computer carry a little more versatility than a barebones computer kit, however, on the most basic level of functions they can handle them both on the same level. Barebones computer kits are intended for the users who sparingly use their computer kits, and a home computer kit is intended for a little more use, so the specs on home computer kits will be slightly higher than barebones computer kits.