$550 mini computer build, non-gaming, Sep/Oct 2014

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fooball

fooball

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My parents currently have an HP all in one, and they have decided to get another computer, a more powerful one (current all in one: E1-1500 1.5ghz cpu, 4gb ram, bad integrated graphics, cost ~$550 + tax). They love the tidiness of the all in one, and want a pc which has as little clutter as possible. I suggested building a mini itx computer build, giving it way more power than an all in one for around $500 + 12% tax. They were originally going for an ~$700 all in one, so they are looking for very little cables and clutter. My parents don't game, only the web browsing and general usage.
Approximate Purchase Date: in the next 3 weeks (from June 18th).

Budget Range: $550 CDN + 12% taxes. All parts included. Can go up to $650, but only if it is really worth it.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Web browsing, email, watching online videos, checking stocks, listening to music (not yet, but quite possible. Dad has a good pair of headphones).

Are you buying a monitor: Yes. Need one with built in speakers (less clutter).

Do you need to buy OS: No.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: ncix.com (I have a physical store nearby, so I can choose to "pick up from store" to save shipping. I also have some other online retailer physical stores closeby, but I don't think they have the option of pickup from store). Other websites are fine too, but ncix saves me shipping. http://wiki.freegeekvancouver.org/article/Thrift_Store_ (used parts, I also get 40% discount on most prices).

Location: Vancouver, Canada.

Parts Preferences: Least amount of cables possible. Case: needs to be very small. Something beautiful. GPU: integrated is fine. Display: one with built in speakers. Storage: SSD for performance; probably either 250gb ssd, 1tb hdd and 120gb ssd, or hybrid.

Overclocking: Is it ok in such a small pc? Yes if it is.

Your Monitor Resolution: want to buy a 1080p.

Additional Comments:
I can buy used parts. I can get a 1tb hdd used for $25.
Heres what I'm thinking of:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.85 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Canada Computers)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN725N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($8.98 @ Amazon Canada)
Keyboard: Enermax KM001W Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($24.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Other: 1080p tv/monitor with speakers ($70.00)
Total: $631.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-13 22:11 EDT-0400

Questions: Will a small ssd + big hdd be too complicated for my parents? I heard you have to select the install destination every time you install a program and stuff like that.
What is the best way to hide wires, to make pc more beautiful?

All help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 
Solution
shortstuff_mt
Here's my suggested build. It's at the upper end of the budget, but would be fast and last them a very long time. The motherboard has integrated Wi-Fi. The CPU could be downgraded to a Pentium and you could go with 4GB of RAM if you need to get the price down a little.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.60 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.71 @ DirectCanada)
Storage:...
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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That build is overkill for an office pc. You could save a lot by going with this build outline, and it would be much faster than the current pc.

CPU: Pentium G3258
Motherboard: Cheapest mITX you can find
Case: I'll let others pick something
Ram: 2x2GB of DDR3 CL9 preferably 1600mhz and above
HDD: 1tb+ 128GB SSD or 256GB SSD ( depends on their storage needs)
PSU: Any 300W and above PSU that is of decent quality ( psus that come with the case are junk)
wireless net work adapter: Any PCI or PCI-E card ( check the ratings before you buy it)
 
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filippi

filippi

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This is a good option:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($64.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $510.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-14 00:00 EDT-0400
 
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fooball

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Thanks for the replies.
My parents don't really mind spending more for a all in one thats much more powerful than their E1 1.5ghz, 4gb ram pc. This Asus and HP are a outline of what type of all in one I can currently get for ~$725.
Do you kind if it has a GPU and this is cheaper than yours?
Click to expand...
:( Sorry, I don't get what you are trying to say.

Note: If I'm building a pc for them I would need it to be as small as possible, which is why I was initially looking at a mini itx case with a built in psu.
 
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fooball

fooball

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I am also looking at a used dell vostro 320 from a computer shop which I can get for $120. It's specs (that I remember) are: core 2 duo E7500, 4gb ddr2 ram (4gb max.), some kind of integrated graphics, 250gb hdd. It looks around the same power as my current all in one. Is it powerful enough?
Do you think that a SSD improve my current HP all in one or the dell vostro all in one alot?
To give a rough outline on the current all in one, when watching a youtube video (only chrome open), I opened the task manager and the cpu usage jumped to 99% and the video lagged a bit.
 
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RazerZ

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That should work fine and it would be an improvement compared to the current pc. My laptop has a Pentium P6200 which is slightly less powerful compared to the E7500 and it works fine for light work such as MS Office and web browsing. An SSD would give you a boot time of around 8 seconds and it would reduce application load times. Since a SSD only reduces load times, it wouldn't solve the lag and reduce the CPU usage with the HP.
 
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fooball

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So the vostro 320 be able to do things like run a multiple tabs on chrome, watch a youtube video, use microsoft word, and have a program running in the background at the same time (on the prebuilt screen + extra monitor(I saw a vga port at the back)). They may do that in the future. Will the pc last for many years?
Thanks again
 
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fooball

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Do you know if the cpu is upgradable on the vostro all in one? On pg 31 of the instruction manual (here: ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_vostro_desktop/vostro-320_Service%20Manual_en-us.pdf ), it gives instructions on how to replace the cpu and alot of other parts I thought were not upgradable in all in ones.

EDIT: So if that build I was stating is overkill for an office machine, what would the current all in one(quite new- bought mid 2013), which is a E1-1500 1.5ghz dual core, 4gb ram, 1tb hdd, amd 7310 graphics, be? Very weak, weak, average, above average?
 
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shortstuff_mt

shortstuff_mt

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Here's my suggested build. It's at the upper end of the budget, but would be fast and last them a very long time. The motherboard has integrated Wi-Fi. The CPU could be downgraded to a Pentium and you could go with 4GB of RAM if you need to get the price down a little.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Memory Express)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.60 @ Amazon Canada)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.71 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.95 @ Vuugo)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($28.95 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.00 @ Vuugo)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.79 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor ($126.01 @ TigerDirect Canada)
Total: $654.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-15 02:13 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
RazerZ

RazerZ

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It would be below average, I guess you could say it's weak. It honestly shouldn't be that bad for basic use so the problem might lie further down the line such as a virus or software/hardware issue. If you haven't run a disk defragment run or a virus scan with a well known software, I recommend to do so and see if it changes anything.

The Vostro would be fine for using multiple tabs in chrome and having word open at the same time. The Vostro would be around average ( average as in ok for light use).


Unfortunately the CPU inside your all in one uses a BGA413 which is a dead socket, and finding better CPUs of the same socket at a reasonable price isn't possible.
 
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fooball

fooball

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I meant the vostro all in one I'm planning to buy. It seems to use a lga775 socket; the cpu is 65w. Usually using my own computers (a laptop with i7 4500u, 8gb ram, 5400rpm hdd,and a gaming build with amd fx 6300 and 16gb ram, 7200rpm hdd), I can notice the difference of speed while I wait for the webpage to load. They are not satisfied with their pc as well.
For the mobo with the built in wifi, the $85 one is wrongly linked to a different mobo.
Sorry, I really want to make sure that I don't get one not fast enough and that I don't disappoint them.
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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If you're interested in buying new, shortstuff_mt posted a good build and if you wanted a cheaper build you could look at my idea. Either one will definitely be fast enough for their needs.
 
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