Budget MOM pc

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/suvi2k/saved/3S13

Above is the link to some parts I've already selected for a new build I'd like to make for my mom.

This will be an upgrade from a 10year old computer so I sure am hoping this new one will last her another 10 years...lol. The system basically needs to be able to stream movies, web surf, piccassa, text documents, email, etc... No gaming at all or video editing or anything intensive.

She will be connecting this to a 720 hdtv we already have. My questions are:

1. Are the parts I chose all compatible with one another and is it overkill for my mom..

2. Will the intel hD video card be able to output to the TV without any problems?

3. Do I need a cpu cooler at all, and if so...which one?

4. I chose most of the products I did after light online research and felt strongly about the quality/ brands but please do guide me otherwise if I can save money without compromising too much.

Note: I only want intel CPU's if there is an issue there.

Thank you all for your help!

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

Id like to keep my budget at 500 but I already went over a bit...lets shoot for 600 then. Also I don't need a mouse, keyboard, monitor, OS, etc... as I own them with the old P4.

laviniuc · Feb 25, 2014

1. compatible, all good, not really overkill
2.the graphics will output ok, just connect it on hdmi and you're good to go.
3. a cm 212 evo is a popular choice these days, it's silent and will get your cpu cooler compared to the stock. but if you don't plan to overclock (and you don't) any 30+usd tower cooler will do just fine.

4.
the ssd+hdd combo is great but your mom has to like to keep her media files on the hdd in this case and manage 2 partitions. i know there are going to be tons of people bashing my head below but maybe you're better off with a seagate hybrid sshd instead?
16gb of ram would be great for future proofing the build if you can spare the money.

jeremyp79 · Feb 25, 2014

No point in getting an aftermarket cooler without any overclocking, you can save yourself some money there.
Not really any point in getting more than 8 gigs of ram if its just being used to stream and things of that nature.
Instead of the ssd and hdd combo, why not just a decent 2tb or so hard drive? The ssd is great for booting into windows, but other than that for just a media center type pc, you wont see much of a increase in performance from it.

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

I just did some reading up on those hybrid drives and really seems like a great idea to save money and what Im looking for. Just guide me in selecting the ones which you would recommend. I guess all I really want is the OS to boot from the ssd and maybe a few apps to run off it like, avg, word, chrome,etc?? Here are a few I have no idea about.

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/internal-hard-drive/#t=1&sort=d7

Yea..so knowing how my mom is it really does make sense not to get partitions like that.. Also is it difficult to install these hybrid ssd's to boot OS etc..

Another way I thought of saving cash was the case...but I really liked how this one was built. Looks clean, psu mounts at the bottom, and it looks like theres some good cable management...but like I said I could convinced otherwise if theres something Im missing.

Should I be paranoid about the stock cpu cooler? I do want the system to be quiet..like very quiet. I found the cheapest cooler below..lol:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-ucar7gtac01 (this one said .2 dbA and its 6 bucks!!)

MrJak · Feb 25, 2014

I know you can save a bit and keep mostly the same build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ZHCb

However, I agree that you probably don't need the SSD, and the i3 can be a bit overpowered for the needs, so you could use a pentium instead -- they're even good enough for gaming. However, an i3 may be good enough to hold over for a few years, and the SSD will last a long time, well over 10 years.

Edit: I believe either a Intel Core i3-4130 or a Intel Pentium G3420 would be the best bang for buck for this build, saving you $20 or $60 dollars with minimal loss in performance.

laviniuc · Feb 25, 2014

suvi2k :

for 1tb: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx001 and for 2tb the next one (33% more money for double the size):
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dx001

they do everything automatically, you see a 2tb hdd that you use as you want, they automatically cache the reads and writes to the mechanical disk though the ssd part of it (which is invisible to you). they are also smart in caching, so the data you read/write most gets cached (aka windows startup) it's a great compromise for close to ssd speeds without having to worry about partitions.

about the ram comments, yes, 8gb is plenty now, but for builds that are meant to be used many years to come it's safer to double it just in case.

i3-4130 you can swap out and you get about the same cpu at a lower clock speed, but the pentium g is i think a bit too weak for a long term pc.

the artic cooler is probably a misspell on the noise level, i think you are better off with a tower one or the stock cooler. look for any great deals (under 20$) on big towers or stick to the stock cooler that comes with the cpu, it's not bad either.

edit: like this one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-freezer7prorev2

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

So I am going to go ahead and give the Seagate hybrid ssd drive a try. I mean the old computer my mom had was SATA 3 Gb/s so this should definetly be a huge jump for her eyes.

As for the processor, I guess this is the sweet spot for the haswell i3 as per Toms recommendations I've read and its only 16 bucks more so heck with it.

I did go ahead a switch the case cause I found a NZXT for way less and it has a better cable management system and looks good too.

Im not sure what you meant about "big towers" but I guess for the time being I will be just using the stock one and testing temps under load (streaming movies) before I decide to upgrade.

Also any motherboard alternatives which offer the same quality and features as the asus I chose for less cost.

How does this new setup look? Even had enough to add a blue ray buner...who would've thought and its still about 500!

Is this everything I need to build my system? I noticed that NZXT doesn't come with more than 1 fan...do I need more? I already mentioned that I had a keyboard, mouse, monitor, cables for those things but do I need any additions ones.

This last question sounds dumb but Im actually planning on getting rid of that older computer and I just wanted to know if could use the Windows 7 disc that came with it....its was a dell. Thanks for all your help again!

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

whoops forgot to add the link with all this money saving excitement..

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/suvi2k/saved/3S13

laviniuc · Feb 25, 2014

one fan is plenty, set it in the back or top to draw air out of the case. by big towers i mean the big vertical coolers (the arctic you sent first and the stock cooler sit on the cpu with the fan parallel to the cpu, the vertical ones have larger heatsinks and a fan (or more) sitting perpendicular to the cpu socklet. they are generally much more efficient at dissipating heat.

p.s. you don't really need the thermal paste either, the stock cooler that comes with the cpu has some pre applied. it doesn't hurt to have thermal paste around, but if you wanna save a few more bucks you can delay buying the paste till the first time you clean the cooler or when you replace it.

MrJak · Feb 25, 2014

laviniuc :

suvi2k :

for 1tb: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx001 and for 2tb the next one (33% more money for double the size):
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dx001

they do everything automatically, you see a 2tb hdd that you use as you want, they automatically cache the reads and writes to the mechanical disk though the ssd part of it (which is invisible to you). they are also smart in caching, so the data you read/write most gets cached (aka windows startup) it's a great compromise for close to ssd speeds without having to worry about partitions.

about the ram comments, yes, 8gb is plenty now, but for builds that are meant to be used many years to come it's safer to double it just in case.

i3-4130 you can swap out and you get about the same cpu at a lower clock speed, but the pentium g is i think a bit too weak for a long term pc.

the artic cooler is probably a misspell on the noise level, i think you are better off with a tower one or the stock cooler. look for any great deals (under 20$) on big towers or stick to the stock cooler that comes with the cpu, it's not bad either.

edit: like this one: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/arctic-cooling-cpu-cooler-freezer7prorev2

I doubt the pentium G I noted is too weak for those usages -- it's comparable to a q600 or a q9400, as I'm using and that can do that and some decent gaming too.

Also, even a pentium 4 is good enough for checking email and watching youtube videos, so a newer pentium is not bad.

So, I'd at least recommend dropping down to the Intel Core i3-4130, as it's only a tiny drop in performance, for a more marginal drop in price.

The i3-4330 has 5068 points in passmark, while the i3-4130 gets a not too shabby 4868 So, for $20 (13% more cash) more, it's only a 4% gain in performance, and to me that's not worth it.

Also, charts for comparisons: i3-4330 vs i3-4130 and i3-4130 vs Pentium G3420

suvi2k · Feb 25, 2014

Also, charts for comparisons: i3-4330 vs i3-4130 and i3-4130 vs Pentium G3420[/quotemsg]

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Well it looks like your site convinced me now otherwise...its essentially the same processor. Same integrated video card Im assuming too. Might as well save the 16 bucks for something else if Im going to try to save as much as I already have. Ill get the paste cause I'll be building another pc for myself and ill need it then anyways. This one for my mom is an upgrade for her and a lesson in building for me.

Anything else you would suggest for the build? All the necessary wiring and cables come with the components right? Would you suggest more than the one chasis fan included for this case/setup?

Finally, any idea about my OS doubt...(I have a win 7 cd that came with my old dell computer I thought of using...is that possible if i stop using the os with that computer?)

MrJak · Feb 26, 2014

suvi2k :

Yeah, they are very similar, I think the main difference is just a small multiplier bump, and a larger L3 cache, which shouldn't make a huge difference for an i3. especially with these uses.

I'm curious as to why you feel the need to get that motherboard? The one I chose should be very similar, save money get you a free $20 headset, and even give more options for add-in cards. PCI cards are cheaper, and in a lot of cases, are fast enough for many useful cards.

I'd may even recommend picking up a cheap PCI sound card, such as the Creative SB0220, though that's far from necessary.

Also, all wires should be included except for SATA cables, for the HDD and Blu-ray drive, and you probably won't need additional fans as the PC probably won't be pushed hard, though they are welcome.

Lastly, I've heard of people moving the OS over, by calling Microsoft, but I've had no experience with that, myself.

Edit: unless you plan on burning Blu-ray from this PC, I would reccomend getting the LG
UH12NS30, as it reads faster, or even just getting a DVD drive, as Blu-ray is a little complicated to watch without copying to hard drive.
Though, if you absolutely need to have it, you can use the program, "DVDFab Passkey" to watch them, at least on VLC Media Player.

suvi2k · Feb 26, 2014

Yeah, they are very similar, I think the main difference is just a small multiplier bump, and a larger L3 cache, which shouldn't make a huge difference for an i3. especially with these uses.

I'm curious as to why you feel the need to get that motherboard? The one I chose should be very similar, save money get you a free $20 headset, and even give more options for add-in cards. PCI cards are cheaper, and in a lot of cases, are fast enough for many useful cards.

I'd may even recommend picking up a cheap PCI sound card, such as the Creative SB0220, though that's far from necessary.

Also, all wires should be included except for SATA cables, for the HDD and Blu-ray drive, and you probably won't need additional fans as the PC probably won't be pushed hard, though they are welcome.

Lastly, I've heard of people moving the OS over, by calling Microsoft, but I've had no experience with that, myself.

Edit: unless you plan on burning Blu-ray from this PC, I would reccomend getting the LG
UH12NS30, as it reads faster, or even just getting a DVD drive, as Blu-ray is a little complicated to watch without copying to hard drive.
Though, if you absolutely need to have it, you can use the program, "DVDFab Passkey" to watch them, at least on VLC Media Player.[/quotemsg]

Well to be honest I was honestly afraid of that brand...but truthfully know nothing about it. I just thought asus cause its a good quality brand I know and read about it. I havent even looked into biostar at all...
As for the BLU-Ray ...do read speeds really matter? I actually thought about it and your right that she would never burn a blue-ray ever and I would just get a blu-ray burner for the pc Im gonna build myself so decided to save a couple of bucks there too and get the one you recommended. It got good reviews on newegg. Im sure I could figure out how to watch the blue-rays if the drive is capable of playing them but thanks for the heads up.

Few more questions now. About the sound card you mentioned...Would i really need it. Like wouldn't the sound be sent to the tv(monitor) using the hdmi cable? Also, will it sound the same as with a sound card...cause I did have one of those sound blaster audigy cards in the old system which I could swap out if its actually better.
I guess I will have to find out about the OS then cause I have had a few laptops too with those disks still sitting around and have had this doubt forever.

Those sata cables you mentioned are not listed on the pcpartpicker website but im assuming they are all the same and I can pick some up at microcenter? Finally, this motherboard shows that it has a spot for an ethernet wire to be attached near speaker/usb ports. Thats all i need to connect to the internet right? Cause in my old computer, it had a seperate card for that wire. (ethernet LAN wire)

MrJak · Feb 26, 2014

suvi2k :

Okay, well a cheaper Asus will do you just as well -- they're my prefered brand too.
Also, read speeds can potentially matter, as the faster it can read, the less likely it will have trouble buffering the loading.

No, you really wouldn't, but it is only $5, but as you said, if you can send it over HDMI, assuming the monitor, or TV, in this case -- which all TVs should support this, it'll be a perfect signal, as digital doesn't need to be converted -- the main reason for a soundcard.

Yeah, any sata cable will work

And the built in ethernet will work perfectly -- no need for a LAN card, unless you just want to save a few CPU cycles.

Lastly, this would be the final build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/30k0E

Though, I will add that 500W is overkill for this PC -- you could comfortably go half the amount, and get a 200w, as it only needs 143w.
(Which if you have something that low lying around, there's a bit more shaved off.)

suvi2k · Feb 27, 2014

Okay, well a cheaper Asus will do you just as well -- they're my prefered brand too.
Also, read speeds can potentially matter, as the faster it can read, the less likely it will have trouble buffering the loading.

No, you really wouldn't, but it is only $5, but as you said, if you can send it over HDMI, assuming the monitor, or TV, in this case -- which all TVs should support this, it'll be a perfect signal, as digital doesn't need to be converted -- the main reason for a soundcard.

Yeah, any sata cable will work

And the built in ethernet will work perfectly -- no need for a LAN card, unless you just want to save a few CPU cycles.

Lastly, this would be the final build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/30k0E

Though, I will add that 500W is overkill for this PC -- you could comfortably go half the amount, and get a 200w, as it only needs 143w.
(Which if you have something that low lying around, there's a bit more shaved off.)[/quotemsg]

_____

So im trying to find out about that motherboard and came accross an intel site describing the differences of H81, H87..etc.. It looks like the H87 boards offer a lot more features...but Im not sure if those features are important. I lost the link to that site and couldnt find it again using google but stuff like.. the 87 supports Intel® Smart Response Technology, ASUS DIGI+ VRM - Phase digital power design, ASUS Fan Xpert 2, more internal 3.0 which i dont think i need with the case I got.
Also, I noticed the 87 had "1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)" and the 81 had "1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)" Not sure what the difference is and if I need to worry about it.
Looks like two sata 3 connections is enough for this computer, and my last thought was the motherboard u suggested doesnt have pci express 3.0....isn't that really important to have even for her?

Finally, I used this site: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
to find a good psu...but since your suggesting a lower watt psu...im having trouble finding one in a tier 2 or tier 2b with that low wattage. I had an old computer that had a lot of issues cause of a bad power supply so I want to make sure I get the right one the first time.

Im not getting the LAN card for her computer...but I am curious what you mean about CPU cycles...cause when I build mine, I may consider a gaming network card.

jeremyp79 · Feb 27, 2014

Something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151085 would be fine for the power supply.

Pci express 3 is only important for graphics cards, for the system youre building, wont make a difference. As for the other features, Digi vrm basically means that it has a high quality digital chip controlling the power to the cpu, which won't make a difference in your build. The USB 3 internal header is only important if she's using some kind of external storage( external hd, usb stick, things of that nature). The second 4 pin power connector(8pin really means 4+4) wont have an affect on your build, so that shouldnt matter either. The smart response technology basically uses an ssd to store the most used files to speed up access to them. With the hybrid drive you've chosen, I dont think it wpuld be an option anyways. The fan expert is kinda nice, but it basically just lets you choose fan profiles for each of your onboard fan headers, which can be accomplished through software for free.

jeremyp79 · Feb 27, 2014

And as for cpu cycles, it basically means that when you have an onboard LAN, it uses your cpu to compute information. Most network cards work in the same way. Some of the "gaming" network cards have a built in processor to compute the data, saving your cpu from having to do it. It's an absolutely TINY amount, and in most cases you wont notice a performance difference.

MrJak · Feb 27, 2014

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/30XnA This will be the CX430, which is just 70W lower, but only will only cost $20 after rebate, and is already $5 cheaper even without. This will probably be your best bang for buck, even in you had one lying around, it'd be hard to pass up on this.

As far a motherboards go, a low-end system, such as this one, won't be missing out.
Even the other, more expensive motherboard won't make full use of the chipset, lacking a secondary PCI-express slot.
You have little to no need for four SATA 6GBb/s, as HDDs don't even saturate 3Gb/s yet.
You'd only need it if you decided to add an extra SSD, with the others free for HDDs.

Also, the other features would only help if adding higher end, higher power parts, such as an i7 or a high-end GPU, and would aid in overclocking, but neither support CPU overclocking.
and the 8pin connector is only useful for an i7 that is being heavily overclocked.

"i7 stock TDP is 135W (11.25A)

4-pin ATX 12V connector is rated for 16A (192W)"

Others say 150W, but either way, it's still comfortable with the 4-pin.

With the power supplies, I'd wager that even down to a tier 4 would be perfect for it, as any higher is meant for a gaming computer, really, with tier 1 being for extreme gaming or workstation/server PCs.

Lastly, everything jeremyp79 said is on-mark.
They are just to help when your CPU is being heavily taxed, and when that's your computer's current bottleneck.
They probably won't help in most cases, and will just use more power.

suvi2k · Feb 27, 2014

Looks like this is gonna be the final build plan: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/suvi2k/saved/3S13

Thank you all for your insight and responsiveness. I really appreciate it. I really feel I saved a lot of money and will be building a good system for my moms needs. Actually, Im convinced this is the best "haswell i3 Mom system" money can buy! lol

I will be starting this build in a few months and I will def repost close to the time of ordering the parts because we all know how fast technology keeps changing. Im sure I could find help with instructions on putting it together on this site too once Im ready.

I think its safe to close the thread as all my questions found answers! Thanks again!

MrJak · Feb 27, 2014

suvi2k :

Okay, glad I could help!

But one last thing, before you go buying that, you should know that the CPU was automatically switched to Neweggg, and if you manually set it to Microcenter, it looks lake that'll save you a bit: $429.61 vs $441.61

Edit: Just thought to check, but a 2TB of that drive is only $30 more, so if you plan on keeping it for those whole 10 years, and if you plan on downloading the movies, the extra size should be beneficial. Most Blu-rays are about 30GB per rip, so it'll add up. A 4TB is a bit more, but it's still under $200, at $189.99 And it's usually best to get what you need now, than adding it in later.

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