Looking for ways to reduce costs in my first build for HTPC

jungleboot71

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Apr 1, 2014
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I am building my first pc for home use: streaming video, storage, managing the household network, Office apps, email, some image editing with Gimp or Inkskape, centralizing all of my external hard drives and then diving into the data to eliminate dupes and organize home pics & vids. Also, I want the machine to be able to run Win 8 and Ubuntu. Eventually, full Ubuntu after i get some experience working with Ubuntu.

I already have a Corsair Carbide 200R case and a Vewsonic VX2453MH.

Here's what I've narrowed my list down to:

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($107.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($94.22 @ OutletPC)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Micro Center)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Total: $522.13

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-01 23:29 EDT-0400)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kvUi
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kvUi/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kvUi/benchmarks/
 
Solution
As you have it listed it wont run . You would need to add a graphics card of some description . A Radeon 6450 would be a reasonable choice .

But for a build like this I think you can be better off with an intel dual core
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kzhY
$481.89
Uses less power , takes up less space , runs quieter and thanks to the graphics built in to the pentium processor it doesnt need a graphics card .

The AMD system would be faster in some situations , especially multitasking , but the Intel will do everything you need it to
As you have it listed it wont run . You would need to add a graphics card of some description . A Radeon 6450 would be a reasonable choice .

But for a build like this I think you can be better off with an intel dual core
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3kzhY
$481.89
Uses less power , takes up less space , runs quieter and thanks to the graphics built in to the pentium processor it doesnt need a graphics card .

The AMD system would be faster in some situations , especially multitasking , but the Intel will do everything you need it to
 
Solution

jungleboot71

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Apr 1, 2014
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Thanks Outlander. I have been reviewing some graphics cards under $70. Specifically, would any of these 3 do the job?
a) GIGABYTE GV-N630-2GI REV3.0 GeForce GT 630 2GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 Video Card;
b) EVGA GeForce GT 630 01G-P3-2631-KR Video Card
c) ASUS Radeon R7 240 R7240-2GD3-L Video Card

I don't know which models of Intel and AMD directly offset one another under my $150 CPU budget. AMD's prices seem more attractive and the FX 6300 has a lot of good reviews for its price to performance. My Dell laptop runs with an i5 3210M but I want a CPU that is more powerful than it. Maybe I'm leaning too much on the processor rather than the benefits of a video card??