MOBO/ CPU pairing--seeking build advice

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AaronKarver

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Jun 21, 2013
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Doing my first solo-build for a friend. This computer is going to be for research---no gaming, music, scant use of Youtube, nothing that requires any power. He does a lot of internet searches, law research, writes, etc. Eventually he'll put in a GPU (and the power to support it) that has two monitors.

Here's what I've come up with:

i3-- 2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3 GHz LGA 1155 65W duel core
ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel
Corsair TX 650w
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4 GB) 240-pin DDR3
Antec three hundred case
asus optical drive
Win 7
using mobo on-board vid and audio

My main question is about chipset. I've read on other threads that I oughta go with the an H61 because the z77 is unneeded with the i3. What do you think? Next question: Is 650W too much? Generally, is this system overbuilt for my friend's needs?

I've been more afraid of building with cheap components and underbuilding, but I want to make sure that I'm not overbuilding.

I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you very much in advance.

 
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draga14141

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May 27, 2013
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If your trying to get the most out of your money, you WILL WANT A DEDICATED VIDEO CARD! Yes you will, Its the best choice for you, so for no more than what you already had, I could build you a better build that will outperform that one, and allow you to play bf3 high settings!
 
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draga14141

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May 27, 2013
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Better Build for Cheaper:
Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128514
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236339
Graphics Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121651
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119256
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233170
Optical Drive: Find the cheapest one...

There you go total: $745.00 WITH dedicated video WOOT
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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I'm not gonna click on all the links...wow that must have taken a while.
 
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draga14141

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May 27, 2013
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I know what I usually pick for people on budgets, and people with $800+ So most of the time its just putting in the name in newegg, and then pasting the link, and adding the prices...
 
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AaronKarver

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Jun 21, 2013
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Sure. I just want to build a quality machine that's upgradeable, but not overbuilt thx
 
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AaronKarver

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The components I listed in my original post cost $550[/quotemsg]
UPDATED PROCESSOR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
UPDATED GFX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131472
This is now $670
If you want lower tell me[/quotemsg]

Well, I guess I'll take the blame for being unclear. I'm wonder if the system specs I listed are overbuilt for the applications I listed: Internet research, writing. I'm not looking for advice on how to build a more expensive/more powerful system. I'm wondering if the components I listed are too much power for someone's who's primary use for the computer is what I mentioned.

Is the i3 dual core enough for research? Is on board video good enough for a research computer? is the z77 northbridge too much mobo for what the computer is going to be used for (research).

I should mention, the components above cost $550 and I'll spend that or a little more, but not a hundred, two hundred or three hundred more. Because there will be no games played on this computer and it's only going to be used for research.

 
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draga14141

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May 27, 2013
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UPDATED PROCESSOR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
UPDATED GFX: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131472
This is now $670
If you want lower tell me[/quotemsg]

Well, I guess I'll take the blame for being unclear. I'm wonder if the system specs I listed are overbuilt for the applications I listed: Internet research, writing. I'm not looking for advice on how to build a more expensive/more powerful system. I'm wondering if the components I listed are too much power for someone's who's primary use for the computer is what I mentioned.

Is the i3 dual core enough for research? Is on board video good enough for a research computer? is the z77 northbridge too much mobo for what the computer is going to be used for (research).

I should mention, the components above cost $550 and I'll spend that or a little more, but not a hundred, two hundred or three hundred more. Because there will be no games played on this computer and it's only going to be used for research.

[/quotemsg]

The pc I gave you will definitely do research, even bf3 on high settings, but thats another story, if you want a pc just for internet search bring the Radeon 7850, down to a Radeon 6850, and you should be good, and it will be about 570* total, but if your will to pay about $50 more we could get a ssd, which will make the whole pc (seem) faster, I should've read the original post better

The orginal build will do fine, but I would recommend a samsung 860 pro ssd, it will boot the computer in up to 10 seconds, which is pretty neat, but of course thats $140 so if you take my build I gave you, and take out the hdd, and replace it with the ssd, It will only be about $50 difference
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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This build is designed for upgrading a GPU and anything else. It will accomodate all GPUs under $400.(higher GPUs might want more power)
$600...hard to beat. It's an Ivy processor but it's cheaper and performance is near the same. And for what the buyer wants an $180 i5 is great.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($75.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $595.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-22 01:21 EDT-0400)
 
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AaronKarver

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Jun 21, 2013
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This is ridiculous. Every numbskull that answered is trying to build me a gaming system---with out, apparently, reading what I originally posted and what I'm originally asked.
Well, thanks. I'm actually NOT trying to build a gaming system and if I were, I wouldn't be trying to do it on a 500 dollar budget.

Keeping that in mind, when a person asks "Is this system overbuilt for research and internet browsing?" the first response should probably NOT be a comment regarding this system's inability to play BF3 at high settings. No shit.

Nor am I looking for assistance building a computer that WILL be able to play video games. I've already mentioned this in this thread twice: I'm not looking to upgrade the system to a gaming computer. I'm trying to determine if the Z77 chipset is worth the extra coin (beyond say, the H67) for the purposes of future-proofing.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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Look at the first reply in your post.

Z77 isn't worth it. It's for overclocking. Get H77.
 
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