Budget office PC Under 500$

Sayed Waly · Dec 5, 2014

If it is in the wrong please move it to the appropriate section. I apologize from the start, I am new in this forums

I am trying to get a budget pc for office. It will not be used for gaming. It will only run certain software over network and will need dual monitors. It will mostly have a browser with a bunch of tabs open and will use Wintotal (appraisal software) in the other monitor to input data.

It doesn't need a huge amount HDD space so would possibly get a crucial mx100 128 gb SSD drive as storage, but I am open to suggestions.

I would prefer Intel CPUs as I have always used them but I am open to suggestions.

The budget is under 500$

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 5, 2014

This is what I build for offices all the time, it will last you 5-10 years.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sDnq7P) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sDnq7P/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54590) | $188.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [Asus H97-PLUS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h97plus) | $101.24 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gab) | $54.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a120g) | $59.94 @ OutletPC
**Case** | [Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-200r) | $39.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-ea380dgreen) | $42.98 @ OutletPC
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas12414) | $9.75 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $497.88
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 20:12 EST-0500 |

haven't received any of these parts doa and haven't had any issues with any of them. Also the corsair 200r looks nice in an office environment. Just last Monday I built about 15 of these for a local insurance office, they all came together very smooth.

zeyuanfu · Dec 5, 2014

This build would actually be better:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($168.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $509.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-05 23:17 EST-0500
The motherboard included Wi-Fi, which is a nice addition
The i5 will run all but the most demanding software smoothly (the difference between the 4590 in the previous build and the 4440 is 0.2 GHz of clock speed)
The RAM is faster, so it'll make the computer faster
The SSD is a fast and quality unit from Samsung, one of, if not the best SSD maker.
The PSU is a modular 80+ Gold unit that will actually last 5 years or more.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 6, 2014

rosewill and asrock both have poor warranty support, they sometimes don't respond to rma requests and are not suited for office use

zeyuanfu · Dec 6, 2014

Did you know that Rosewill is Newegg's house brand? When you contact them, it'll probably be Newegg who helps you. When you claim a rebate for a Rosewill product, Newegg will send you a prepaid card. Also, Capstone PSUs are of very good quality as they're on a Super Flower platform: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=266
The unit in question in that review is the 750 watt non-modular model, and as the 450 watt and the 750 watt have almost no difference, the 450 watt unit in my build should score higher as it's a modular unit.

As for the motherboard, if you don't like ASRock, then this should do the job fairly well:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $94.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-06 09:18 EST-0500

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 6, 2014

Quality doesn't matter something still can happen in shipping, so if they receive a doa part that is about a month worth of fighting with a company that won't return your rma emails or processor it.

zeyuanfu · Dec 6, 2014

Again, Rosewill is part of Newegg, and Newegg is known to have great customer service.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 6, 2014

not really, it doesn't take a genius to know that roesewill is part of newegg. They don't always keep track of their serial numbers for their products. cutting the motherboard and case budget for something that isn't needed like a 250gig ssd when they won't ever use more than 120 they said doesn't make any sense. Also increasing the price for the memory for speed on stuff that runs off a web browser also makes little to no sense.

zeyuanfu · Dec 6, 2014

If you use the Gigabyte motherboard, it's not really cut down as it's of pretty good quality. The case performs similarly but lacks a fan in comparison to the 200R, but who needs two fans for an office machine? One fan is largely enough. If OP wants, he/she can pay 8$ more for the 200R.
As for the SSD, the extra space will last OP MUCH longer so a new SSD won't have to be bought.
The extra 5$ for the RAM is well worth it as it runs at a much faster speed at almost the same latency.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 6, 2014

The case has poor cable management for one, and also is also painted with paint that degrades a lot faster than most other paints and also sucks for finger prints. Spending more on an ssd with more storage is pointless in an office, no office computer will ever use over 64gigs so even 120 is overkill. The ram speed still won't matter in the browser for $5. The asus board also offers more features for an office.

zeyuanfu · Dec 6, 2014

1, I do not know of any office computers that need good cable management
2, I do not know of any office computers that need you to touch the paint for it to work
3, I said OP can switch to the 200R if the desire is felt
4, A 250 GB SSD stores Excel graphs and PowerPoint presentations for years
5, The faster RAM will help in about everything
6, What features does the Asus board have that both the ASRock and Gigabyte boards don't have?

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 6, 2014

Cable management still matters in an office computer, also the whole thing with office computers is to make them last as long as possible, people touching the case and pressing the power button degrades the paint so it will not look like a nice clean office computer. Also the nzxt case looks more like a game case not an office case. The SSD size doesn't matter, the data won't magically go away if you use a lower sized SSD it will store it the same way and no more than 120gigs will ever be used in the lifespan of that system. The memory speed doesn't matter in a browser nothing about a web browser app is super reliant on fast memory, the significant's is not there at all. For the motherboards Asus is a better grade of motherboard that has gone through much more testing than any other motherboard out there, they have great protection for ESD with their newly constructed diodes that aren't nearly as cheap as the other ones. You just can't look at things from a quality perspective when it comes to office computers, they need to have a good solid warranty from companies that can process rma's fast and honor their warranties. Asrock is bad for warranties, and gigabyte is alright but as far as expanding with add-on cards etc... an ITX motherboard for $10 less that doesn't go through the same testing as an asus board does isn't worth it.

zeyuanfu · Dec 7, 2014

As far as I know, the Source 210 and the 200R look around the same.
Also, Asus' support is horrible.

Let's see what OP thinks.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 7, 2014

Asus support isn't bad

zeyuanfu · Dec 7, 2014

LOTS say it's bad, believe me.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 7, 2014

Sayed Waly · Dec 9, 2014

wow lol, whats up guys.

How can I hook up 2 monitors to the above setup. I also don't need any optical drives

I also wanna keep the cost as down as possible. I don't wanna get any bells and whistles with it. The 120 GB SSD seems fine. but the extra speed in RAM is needed, as the appraiser software is the most buggy software I have ever used. And I wanna keep the lag to the minimum

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 9, 2014

If you use software like that get an xeon and ECC memory not faster memory. ECC memory normally will fix a lot of really buggy programs like that. Like if the Software was written in C, C++, or Java it can fix a lot of the errors the author might of made that doesn't do so well with other systems without ECC

zeyuanfu · Dec 9, 2014

You CANNOT get a good server CPU and motherboard for 500$.
Also, ECC RAM fixes the problems inside the actual RAM and not the programs.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 9, 2014

It still detects error in code and can correct it, so yes it does.

Sayed Waly · Dec 9, 2014

We already do have a server. This software is stored in the server and we run it through network. It only installs part of the software in local machine. The heavy lifting is done by the server.

Does the Asus H97 motherboard support dual monitors by default or do I need to buy another video card

zeyuanfu · Dec 9, 2014

The H97 board does support dual monitors.

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 9, 2014

it has the connectors and the ability to use two monitors.

Sayed Waly · Dec 9, 2014

Thanks guys. A couple more questions.

Does the Asus H97 motherboard support the GSkill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3 2133 RAM. On its website it shows that it only supports DDR3 1033/1333/1600 but it doesn't mention 2133

The prices in pcparttaker also isn't the real prices in the shops

Thanks again

lfkfkfkffs · Dec 9, 2014

H97 boards are limited to 1600 memory that is another reason why I originally picked out the other memory for less money so the 2133 would be a waste. The 1600 speed is more than enough for what you do. The prices in the shops will reflect before the rebate not after.

Also you could upgrade to a hyperX ssd for about $15 more I believe @ 120gigs if you want something about 10% faster.

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