$500-$600CAD Non-Gaming Build Advice Sought

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Slow Trot

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Oct 20, 2012
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Hi There,

I'm looking to build a new PC for my Girlfriend who is getting fed up with doing her university studies on a slow ageing laptop. I am trying to decide between a couple of different options. This is primarily going to be used for word processing, Netflix, Facebook etc. In theory it's "for school", but HD videos/streaming will be frequent.

Her primary complaint with the current computer is super slow boot time, and slow loading of programs which is why I'm leaning toward a downgraded processor and an SSD.
On the other hand, she wants the new rig to last many years so I'm thinking the better processor might be the way to go.

Monitor and peripherals will be sourced later and are not really important. OS is also not factored in the price because she may be able to get a copy of Windows 7.
I am not interested in any AMD builds as I've not used them in the past and are not really familiar with them.

I'm also not set on the case, but have a Fractal R4 for my own computer and have been very happy with it. Considering the Core 1300 over cheaper models due to the bottom-mounted PSU and room to put in my old Hyper 212 EVO which is collecting dust (unnecessary I know, but meh).

Any recommendations or advice will be greatly appreciated. Here are the two builds I'm considering. Note: PSU and 1TB have already been purchased on sale.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($144.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.25 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.74 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($87.50 @ shopRBC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.39 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ Vuugo)
Total: $575.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-15 20:08 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.39 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.25 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.74 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.39 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($69.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.75 @ Vuugo)
Total: $570.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-15 20:18 EDT-0400
 
Solution
JackNaylorPE
I really can't recommend an SSD in that system price range. And I be willing to bet that the slow boot time has far less to do with the HD (tho it' prolly a slow / cheap 5400 rpm job) than it does with a system that is long overdue for an OS reinstall. I am also going ti assume that we are talking $600 Canadian than a $600 box designed to run CAD programs :)

I'd use a Seagate SSHD instead of the SSD / HD combo.... 120 Gb is small by today's standards and it takes an astute Windows user to manage what goes on, what goes elsewhere and how to clean out the junk... saves ya $60 with no perceptible drop in performance

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx001

Read this...
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jloch21

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Aug 16, 2015
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I would go with the second build. Yes booting faster with SSD is nice but the I5 has better integrated graphics which would be important for HD video. (I don't see a discrete GPU listed in either so taking that into consideration.) A slightly longer boot time would be worth the better graphics.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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Oct 30, 2004
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I really can't recommend an SSD in that system price range. And I be willing to bet that the slow boot time has far less to do with the HD (tho it' prolly a slow / cheap 5400 rpm job) than it does with a system that is long overdue for an OS reinstall. I am also going ti assume that we are talking $600 Canadian than a $600 box designed to run CAD programs :)

I'd use a Seagate SSHD instead of the SSD / HD combo.... 120 Gb is small by today's standards and it takes an astute Windows user to manage what goes on, what goes elsewhere and how to clean out the junk... saves ya $60 with no perceptible drop in performance

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx001

Read this
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5748/seagate-desktop-2tb-sshd-st2000dx001-review/index9.html

I'd also wanna get outta the 2 generations old H87 series and jump up to H97 w/ the i5
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h97me35

The CX430 is not something I'd recommend for a gaming box but it's fine for the specified usage. Then again the EVGA B2 750 watter is the exact same price.... and tho you certainly do NOT need the wattage, might be considered if you are going to add GFX card or put in new system down the road

 
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Solution
giantbucket

giantbucket

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Nov 17, 2013
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i'd reconsider AMD for this type of build. you can get a great all-in-one processor for her types of tasks, and it'll be cheaper than intel which leaves you with funds to do a 120G or 240G SSD. i use 120/128 for my OS installs on all of my machines, even the office server. as long as media like movies and music are on the Seagate HDD you should be fine.

so, i'd lean towards #1 but AMD-based. A8-7600 plus GA-F2A88XM-D3H for example, or Asus A88XM-A
 
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giantbucket

giantbucket

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yeah, those CX units are so bad that i have 3 that have been running perfectly well for the past year - two 430s and one 500. they tend (not) to blow up when you use them within the rated power limits. numerous review sites have had no issues with them when used within power specs, so clearly something is terribly wrong in the universe.

PS - don't ever buy a Corolla. that POS couldn't tow a horse trailer to save its own life.
 
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Slow Trot

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Oct 20, 2012
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Thanks for all the replies folks. They helped immensely with the decision making process. Coincidentally everything was on sale, so have now purchased all but the case. Here's what I've got. Prices reflect MIRs, and I didn't pay shipping for anything.

No video card, so that helps with keeping the cost down. Regarding the CX430M, I've read all the bad reviews, but also read way more that say for regular non-overclocked use they're fine. I got a good deal and I'm confident that it will be sufficient.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $239.99)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $81.98)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $61.99)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $44.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $17.99)
Total: $506.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-16 08:37 EDT-0400
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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The CX 430 does just fine on boxes without discreet cards ..... after reading repeated posts stating that it's a bad choice for a gaming or enthusiast rig, this is oft inferred and repeated as it's a bad choice for an office, movie watching, student or browsing rig. The caps just ain't juicy enough for the rigors of gaming or high performance / hi amp draw usage.

jonnyguru seems to think it's pretty good unit .. for what it is. It's not intended to be a great PSU at this price range .... but it is a "very good" one.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story4&reid=214

So the CX430 is under $50, but it seems we get a pretty decent unit for the money. We get 430W worth of continuous power with no surprises. Limited ripple and noise, a quiet 120mm fan, active PFC and fully sleeved cables ... So overall, we don't have a great PSU, but we have a very good one....

When we put this all together, we get a total score of 9, and thus the unit gets a "jonnyGURU recommended".
Click to expand...

And the same holds true the other way.... being very good for a system with no GFX card, doesn't make it a good idea of a system with anything more than a basic level discrete GPU nor for overclocking.
 
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JackNaylorPE

JackNaylorPE

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I think you'll be fine .... tho given your stated goals, I really wuda spent the extra $20 in the SSHD. The 50% speed increase. Tho despite what I said above about the PSU, down the road, I wouldn't put more than the GTX 950 in there and no overclocking.

 
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