SPCR

I'm going to build a cheap system for my mother and intially I planned to use socket 478/celeron but after getting suggestions for an AMD64 for my own system it made me wonder if AMD would have more to offer performance and heat-wise. Any suggestions about socket, processor, chipset and motherboard?

For serious budget, I would examine Socket A and perhaps a Duron or Sempron processor. Good enough for most things that mothers tend to do.

I'm happy with my nForce2 board. I have an Aopen board, but I got that for undervolting. I'd normally suggest Asus, as they're a fairly reputable brand, but I haven't followed them recently and don't know if there are any problems with their boards.

If you shop around, you can get both for just over $100.

I find a Black AOpen EZ18 small form factor PC combined with a Sempron 2500 Socket A processor makes a cheap & very sexy PC for mothers Be sure to check out the black one though. The white is also nice but not as good as the black.