Build for a Senior

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mastrom101

mastrom101

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Jun 12, 2010
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Hi,

I'm looking to build a PC for a senior, and i have a few questions.

A bit of background, this guy hasn't had much PC experience. Price isn't a major issue, but a less expensive build is always better. He has already picked up high end peripherals (Bose speakers, Blackwidow Ultimate Keyboard, 27 inch 1080P monitor). Build will be mainly for browsing and light tasks, but I hope to get him playing Flight Simulator and Train Simulator.

1. What CPU should I be looking at? My options are:
i3 4130 $130
i3 4330 $145
i5 4430/40 for $195 and $205
A10-6790 $135

I'm really having trouble deciding. I think I'm leaning towards the 4430 but I'm not sure.

2. Should i buy a dedicated GPU? If i got the 4130 I think I would, but for the others I see no need (as of now).

Thanks!
 
Solution
HiTechObsessed
I think for his case an AMD APU would be best, especially with the possibility of some games in the future. The faster RAM here would greatly help the APU, and the motherboard fully supports its speed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-7700K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.64 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.36 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM...
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sunder25

sunder25

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Jan 22, 2014
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The 4570 is the best price/performance i5, if the system will be used for gaming then you will need a dedicated graphics card, on the other hand, any haswell chip has integrated graphics, which will be enough if the owner doesn't game.
 
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ssddx

ssddx

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May 27, 2009
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if he doesnt want to play games....

i'd say something like an a8 is more than enough and will be a bit cheaper

if he wants to play games i'd go either a low end amd fx + gpu or a low end i3 series + gpu. an apu can play games but its really not all that great. the onboard graphics on intel chips are noticibly worse than on the amd as well.

for instance get the 4130 and use the cash saved to get a graphics card. check the requirements on flight/train sim games though to make sure you are within spec.

 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

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Dec 3, 2013
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I think for his case an AMD APU would be best, especially with the possibility of some games in the future. The faster RAM here would greatly help the APU, and the motherboard fully supports its speed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-7700K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($144.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($17.64 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: A-Data XPG V2 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.36 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman ZM-T1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.99 @ Mwave)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $453.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 17:48 EDT-0400)

Good template to use :)
 
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Solution
ssddx

ssddx

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May 27, 2009
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i just looked up flight sim X and the a10 was able to run it at about max (95% of all settings maxed) so perhaps thats worth a look. its not going to handle anything more than that however likely it wont be required to.

the build above doesnt look bad for that purpose.

having a pc with a seperate gpu will be more powerful and allow better games should he want to expand. you will have to make that call as we dont know his interests.
 
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HiTechObsessed

HiTechObsessed

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Dec 3, 2013
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Yeah, normally I wouldn't even go above an A6 for a 'senior' build, but he mentioned some light gaming. The A10 definitely won't do any more intensive kind of games without lowering to Low or Medium, but even then, it sounds like that's something that would probably be fine.

I normally would say to go with the i3 by itself for browsing and normal stuff, to get the Intel single-thread benefits, but the integrated GPU is awful, and getting a dedicated GPU to be more worth it would cost a bit more.

I don't know, there's probably not a single best answer lol
 
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ssddx

ssddx

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May 27, 2009
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well considering the prices of intel chips thats why i mentioned possibly a fx chip and a gpu. it will cost a bit less than the intel equivalent but you get more for the money.

agreed that the a10 would probably work fine. i bought a a10-5800k on ebay a little while ago for $99 shipped brand new.
 
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