Need advice on new budget build

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mijikai

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Oct 24, 2011
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Hi,
I'm finally getting around to replacing our home desktop PC. It's a HP DC5100. I'd like to replace it with something smaller, quieter and more powerful. It has 2GB RAM, a Pentium D640 CPU, a SATA DVD RW, two 3.5" SATA HDD (one for archive/storage, one for the OS/applications), USB 802.11n adapter, PS/2 keyboard, USB mouse, and it connects to the monitor via. DVI-D.

My wife and I both have tablets that are our day-to-day machines, but occasionally we need to use the desktop. We surf the internet, use Office and burn DVDs.

Goals:
I'd like to hook it back up to the same monitor (DVI-D dual or VGA), or our TV (HDMI or VGA).
Small: I'd like the case to be about the height of a horizontal XBOX360 or a VCR, just so I can fit it on the entertainment unit shelf we've got our other electronics.
Quiet
Inexpensive

Requirements:
At least 1x USB 3.0 port
At least 2x SATA ports. Even better if there are 4x ports, or if they're 6GB/s
At least 4GB RAM
DVDRW drive needs to fit in the chassis (or, include an option for an external drive)

I'm mainly looking for architecture advice (case, mobo, cpu) to accomplish what I need.

Thanks!
Greg
 
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AnEwG

AnEwG

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Dec 31, 2013
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1. Are you planning to use the GFX card from your previous system into this one or are you looking for a CPU/mobo with integrated graphics?
2. What GFX do you have installed on the older system?
3. What is your budget?
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
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I love small cases.

What is your budget?
What are the max dimensions of your space?

For small size, use a ITX motherboard.
A motherboard such as this will have wifi and can attach multiple monitor devices.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128690

You can use any lga1150 cpu. I might pick a i3-4130 @$125. But, you can use one half that price or double.

The interesting thing is the case selection.
For very small, and inexpensive, the Antec ISK 300 will do the job.
It can stand upright or horizontal.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129080

If your space can allow a bit of height for the case, there are other options.
I might suggest you first find a case you love and then go from there.
Look at lian li and Silverstone for top quality.

For performance, I would use a SSD for the "C" drive. If you need storage capacity, you will need a 2.5" drive.
2tb or more is available.
 
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mijikai

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Oct 24, 2011
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Hi AnEwG,
Thanks for replying. As for your questions, I'm open to either graphics option, as long as I can connect my monitor or TV. This is a light-use PC so gaming-level graphics aren't needed, although if I can avoid VGA, I'm all for that.
I've a Zotac GeForce GT 610 (PCI Express x1) right now, due to the limited expansion options on a DC 5100.
My budget is as small as possible. I'm thinking the $200-$300 range.
Thanks,
Greg
 
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M

mijikai

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Oct 24, 2011
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Hi geofelt,
Thanks for the reply. My budget is around $200-$300 or so.
The computer would go into an Ikea Hemnes TV Bench (3 drawer model). The dimensions of the opening are:
17 5/8" wide
4 1/8" tall
13 9/16" deep (+ 3 1/2" or so if I remove the back rail)

What are the key differences between ITX and ATX? Is it just form factor?
I'm thinking I need an ATX form factor to reuse my 3.5" drives & my 5.25 DVDRW.
The motherboard you've proposed is awfully compelling, even if it'll take a good chunk of my budget.
Thanks for the reply and suggestions! I'll take a look at some cases and build from there.
Greg
 
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A

ahmedkhalifa1999

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Feb 14, 2014
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.28 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.68 @ Mwave)
Memory: OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($32.14 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML05B HTPC Case ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Certified SFX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $304.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 11:51 EST-0500)
this is the cheapest with the specs you wanted
 
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shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt

Glorious
Apr 1, 2008
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That is a very small opening. It looks like this case will fit. The case dimensions are 4.09" x 17.28" x 13.39". The motherboard has integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.0, 3.0+HS, 2.1+EDR. It's a bit over budget, but worth it IMO.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $385.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 12:42 EST-0500)
 
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A

ahmedkhalifa1999

Distinguished
Feb 14, 2014
736
0
19,160
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($96.23 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($41.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($37.45 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $309.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 13:47 EST-0500)
 
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