Two different builds for two different purposes on a budget

Roinuj

Reputable
Apr 6, 2014
2
0
4,510
Alright, I like to think I know a lot about computers, even if my knowledge might be dismal compared to most here. However, given the reasons for these builds, I thought wiser to come and ask here, since its a forum I've always ended up at when looking for random facts or information. This would be my first build/s but I've read on the process, and unless I'm downplaying it, it doesn't seem so difficult. Now on to the specifics.

I'm looking to build two different pcs. One for my grandparents, and one for me. Below I will have provided the specs of both my laptop, and my grandparent's pc (i figured I'd go pc for both). Now for the needs. My grandparents barely use their computer save for a just an hour or so daily. Their only tasks with it are just checking webpage/news, banking, and the occasional you tube video. Their build would not need a monitor, mouse or keyboard, since their current pc already has it, and I can only assume they will work fine. It "would" be a plus however, if their build had HDMI capabilities. Occasionally they want to watch the YouTube videos on the tv. An optical drive would be a big plus but not absolutely necessary (but encouraged). Now, given their use of it, the budget could be set real low. I'd like, if possible, to keep it at a maximum of $250. Heck, if it was under $200 it would be bliss. However, I would like to be better than their current pc (which is very old). If worst comes to pass and a higher budget is needed to exceed the specs do mention and chime in. Without further ado, these are my grandparent's pc system summary specs.

[System Summary]

Item Value
OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name LEON-PC
System Manufacturer Acer
System Model Aspire E380
System Type X86-based PC
Processor AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+, 2300 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies, LTD R01-B1, 12/29/2006
SMBIOS Version 2.3
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"
User Name Leon-PC\Leon
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 2.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 1.75 GB
Available Physical Memory 1.03 GB
Total Virtual Memory 3.50 GB
Available Virtual Memory 2.58 GB
Page File Space 1.75 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys


For the second build, mine, is a bit different. While I do enjoy gaming, I'm not so much of a PC gamer. I'm content with the occasional game, and I think the Xbox One would do for that. As for my use. I multitask a lot. On a bad day, I may have somewhere between 10-14 tabs of the web opened, and one or two extra YouTube tabs and Skype opened. The only games I actually play on the laptop (before it started getting weird; the laptop that is), were World of Warcraft and the Sims 3. The first one, while I do not actually play it anymore, its likely I will go back to it. I "would" like this build to be as budget-y as possible, but it'd be great if the game could be played. If its not possible that's fine, I'm not basing the build entirely on a game I may play in the future. On the Sims 3, the laptop (which specs you will see below), was able to run the base game fairly well. Now, after adding a couple expansions, the game is so slow and laggy is just about unplayable. Every two hours or so it will stop working. And let's not even get into the topic that the laptop reaches a 90-95C temperature... I hear Sims 3 & World of Warcraft (i have up to Pandaria currently) are very ram/memory dependent? Just a fact pulled out of the air though. Either way, this built could be a little more. Ideally, in a perfect world, I'd love to keep this build between $300-$500. That $500 being an extreme maximum, so hopefully less. Much less. But hey, if given the parameters the games can't be played they can't be played. I'm well aware that cutting down on the budget will make the components and thus the output be less than optimal. For this one, I would need to buy a monitor, keyboard and mouse. And here are my laptop summary specs.

[System Summary]

Item Value
OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name JUNIOR-PC
System Manufacturer Acer
System Model Aspire 5740
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 330 @ 2.13GHz, 2133 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies LTD V1.09, 11/26/2009
SMBIOS Version 2.6
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume2
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"
User Name Junior-PC\Junior
Time Zone Eastern Daylight Time
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 4.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 3.68 GB
Available Physical Memory 1.59 GB
Total Virtual Memory 7.35 GB
Available Virtual Memory 3.93 GB
Page File Space 3.68 GB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

Yea, so as you can see, both the pc and the laptop are very old and slow. While the grandparent's pc is working fairly well, I'd just like to get them something new. And yes, while the budget "is" set quite low, I would like to think that even then, a build of 2014 would still run better than the pc they bought in the mid $600 back in 2006, about 8 years ago. The same goes for my laptop, even if that one has actually been dying. Heating up. Crashing. Heck, the touchpad has a black spot, a burn... I did use the laptop a lot. A lot. And the same daily use would be seen from the pc.

Thank you for putting through the winded message if you are still reading. I'm aware of the challenges this request may bring but I'm very grateful for any help guidance you can give. If possible, I'd love a pc part picker list if that's alright.

P.S.: Info on Sims 3 + Packs Requirements: http://modthesims.info/wiki.php?title=Game_Help:TS3_System_Requirements
Warcraft Recommended Specs: https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/world-of-warcraft-system-requirements
 
Solution
First off, unless you already have genuine copies of Windows, these budgets are unrealistic. I'm going to assume that you do.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($62.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder...

mastrom101

Distinguished
Jun 12, 2010
1,477
0
19,660
First off, unless you already have genuine copies of Windows, these budgets are unrealistic. I'm going to assume that you do.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($62.73 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $296.77
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-06 17:04 EDT-0400)

This is the build I would recommend. I could go even cheaper but the performance would suffer tremendously.


For you:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($58.00 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $527.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-06 17:09 EDT-0400)

 
Solution