In-laws need a new compy

Kanthonyjr

New member
• Where are you located?
Wyoming USA (planning on shopping online/new-egg)

• What is your budget?
~$600 would be ideal. More is acceptable. Looking for a long-lasting computer

• Will you need a monitor, keyboard, and/or mouse included in that budget?
Monitor and keyboard

• Shall you be requiring an OS?
Yes

• What will you be using this rig for?
Word, Internet, Picture storage, Long lifespan.

• If gaming, what resolution will you be playing at?
0x0

• Will you be overclocking?
nope nope nope

• Do you need a full build or will you be reusing some old parts?
full build


I'm thinking an i3 (will integrated graphics on an i3 run basic video and picture viewing decently?),

at least 1 tb (are ssd's cheaper and more reliable than they were 2 years ago? speed is maybe the focus here.),

8gb,

front usb ports and sd card input.


In-laws are getting BSoD repeatedly. Gonna do a simple build. Anyone got a good list of components they can recommend? I built a gaming PC 2 years ago so i've got a little experience. I don't keep up on the latest hardware so a little advice would go a long way. For instance, I know there are differing models and generations of i3's. Don't know which one to buy.
 
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Regarding the OS-
You can download the Windows 10 ISO onto a USB from an existing working computer running windows which will allow you run on Windows 10 Preview Builds. Once it releases you can upgrade to the full release version for free. It's worth trying as it will save money and gets you the newest OS available. If they want to stick with 7 or 8.1, then obviously we would need to account that into budget. Though for my list I won't count them as you should get the ISO and W10.

Since this is not a gaming computer, you don't need much in the way of power, you need more processing power than anything.
I went to Newegg for all the parts listed below. Should always check Amazon to see if they can be found cheaper.

CPU: I5-4460- I went with a quad core even though it puts us slightly over the budget. I choose this because if you want to use it for years without upgrading, it makes sense to go little overkill with the CPU rather than upgrading later on. If it's too much then can always drop down to I3. It only has Intel HD4600 graphics but it will suffice for doing regular office work and 1080p youtube videos if they are into that.
Motherboard: ASUS H97I-PLUS Mini ITX- It's the best rated motherboard for $100 and nothing else on Newegg will beat this for the money in my honest opinion.
Ram: CORSAIR Vengeance LP 8GB Low Profile - If you want longeivity then you need ram, plain and simple. 8GB will easily do the trick.
PSU: SeaSonic S12G-450 450W- Seasonic are reknown for reliability, my brother is using a model in this lineup and has had zero issues since it's first day of powering on. Cheaper alternatives like the Corsair CX/CS psu's would work but I personally don't trust them nearly as much as this seasonic.
HDD: Western Digital Blue 1TB- It's currently on sale for $47 which is much less than other 1TB drives.
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 White- It's a Mini-ITX case since the board is Mini-ITX. It's of very high quality and small enough to not be such an issue and big enough to not be so hard to build a rig in. You can choose between White or Black but currently the White one is on quite a sale for a reasonable price.
Monitor: LG 22MC57HQ-P Currently $60 off and a promo code for another $12 off dropping it's price to just above $100 and it's an IPS display at 1080p. Quite a steal.
Keyboard: Logitech MK120 Wired Comes with a keyboard and Mouse but it's cheap and reliable. I know a couple people who had this and it hasn't broken and has lasted.

The total for this build without shipping included(as you don't live wear I do) but with the promo code for the Monitor, turns out to be ~$737. It's more than the $600 budget but it's all quality hardware I would be okay with purchasing with my own money. Only thing that bothers me about this build is the lack of an SSD. If you think the user(s) can't handle multiple drives and knowing to keep only the OS on the ssd and storing everything else on the HDD, then I would say don't get it as they may end up entirely storing everything onto the SSD. If you think they are tech savvy enough, I could try to use different hardware to get the build lower in price and include an ssd. It's really the CPU that eats up most of the budget. Lowering the CPU to an I3 would mean dropping the motherboard down a notch as well which would free up more space for the budget.
 
Well it depends, if the office suite you are using (and MS office does) benefits from paralel processing an apu will do better because amd does opencl better than intel. Other than that, an apu is much cheaper than an i3

[i3s are little xeons with their ECC ram support and all]
 
Well it depends, if the office suite you are using (and MS office does) benefits from paralel processing an apu will do better because amd does opencl better than intel. Other than that, an apu is much cheaper than an i3

[i3s are little xeons with their ECC ram support and all]

MS Office uses OpenCL? :huh:
 
Where did you hear that APUs are good for office environment? They're not. An i3 is much better.

Do us a favor and leave this thread, we don't need a troll ruining it. APU's a great alternative. We are hear to help the OP, not start a bashing war. Provide help with a list of parts or don't bother at all. You're not being constructive.

OP do you have any news or ideas?
 
Try this on for size it should be around $600 mark after post/delivery

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CWyCnQ

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: AOC E2260SWDN 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK270 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($23.99 @ Directron)
Other: Rosewill RCR-IC001 - 3.5" Internal 40-in-1 Card Reader ($15.00)
Total: $571.83
 
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