I have a customer that wants me to build him a machine for "facebook, youtube, and the internet". He doesn't want anything fancy but he does need a complete system so I've put together a couple builds and was wondering which the Tom's community would think best. Obviously the lower the price, the better. This isn't someone that's excited to be shelling out for another computer.
The 3 builds all have the same 24" ASUS monitor with built-in speakers, Windows 10 Home, ASUS DVD Burner, Corsair CX500 PSU (yes the wattage is too high but you can't beat the price), Logitech MK120 mouse/keyboard combo, and $40 Transcend 120GB SSD. The customer doesn't have any base storage minimum so I figured the cheap SSD would be a nice addition. I've purchased one before and wasn't disappointed.
Build 1: $513: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/ZVKPxr
This build includes an i3-6100, 8GB of DDR4 and a cheap ASUS H110 motherboard. Pros: More CPU power. Cons: $85 premium. Not sure if the CPU power is worth the extra cash for his usage.
Build 2: $427: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/tvymP6
This build includes an AMD A6-5400K, 8GB of DDR3 and a cheap ASRock A88M motherboard. Pros: $85 less than the i3. Slightly more CPU power and considerably more GPU power than Build 3. Cons: Larger case, 10x the electricity usage (CPU rated for 50W over the N3150's 6W).
Build 3: $416: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/2RWnTW
The build includes an ASRock mini-ITX motherboard with a built-in Celeron N3150, and 8GB of DDR3. Pros: Smaller case, 10x lower electricity usage (and less heat). Cons: Possibly insufficient CPU power for windows 10.
So basically I'm thinking Build 3 would be the ideal solution as long as the CPU power is adequate. Again, he only does very basic internet and email tasks so I think it would be fine but figured I'd ask. I've built a computer with the A6-5400K before for a customer with similar usage (internet/email) and it's been more than sufficient. However, I've never tried playing 1080p Youtube with the A6 (it's connected to a 1280x1024 monitor) and that will indeed be a part of this upcoming computer's usage (1080p monitor). Do we think the N3150 would be sufficient? The lower electricity usage would be a big plus to this customer.
My only other question is if anyone could find any lower-wattage but still high quality PSUs for the price. I've heard that PSUs are much less efficient under very low power loads, and Build 3 would probably only require at most 30-40W, which makes a 500W supply a bit unnecessary. But, given the $20 MIR and my trust in Corsair that PSU may be the best option.
Thanks!
EDIT: Take Build 1, swap the i3 out for a G3900 and call it build 4.
I made a table of benchmarks and power usage.
N3150 A6-5400K G3900 i3-6100
Power 6W 65W 51W 51W
PassMark 1698 2135 3143 5483
Price $416 $427 $450 $510
The 3 builds all have the same 24" ASUS monitor with built-in speakers, Windows 10 Home, ASUS DVD Burner, Corsair CX500 PSU (yes the wattage is too high but you can't beat the price), Logitech MK120 mouse/keyboard combo, and $40 Transcend 120GB SSD. The customer doesn't have any base storage minimum so I figured the cheap SSD would be a nice addition. I've purchased one before and wasn't disappointed.
Build 1: $513: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/ZVKPxr
This build includes an i3-6100, 8GB of DDR4 and a cheap ASUS H110 motherboard. Pros: More CPU power. Cons: $85 premium. Not sure if the CPU power is worth the extra cash for his usage.
Build 2: $427: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/tvymP6
This build includes an AMD A6-5400K, 8GB of DDR3 and a cheap ASRock A88M motherboard. Pros: $85 less than the i3. Slightly more CPU power and considerably more GPU power than Build 3. Cons: Larger case, 10x the electricity usage (CPU rated for 50W over the N3150's 6W).
Build 3: $416: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/raybob95/saved/2RWnTW
The build includes an ASRock mini-ITX motherboard with a built-in Celeron N3150, and 8GB of DDR3. Pros: Smaller case, 10x lower electricity usage (and less heat). Cons: Possibly insufficient CPU power for windows 10.
So basically I'm thinking Build 3 would be the ideal solution as long as the CPU power is adequate. Again, he only does very basic internet and email tasks so I think it would be fine but figured I'd ask. I've built a computer with the A6-5400K before for a customer with similar usage (internet/email) and it's been more than sufficient. However, I've never tried playing 1080p Youtube with the A6 (it's connected to a 1280x1024 monitor) and that will indeed be a part of this upcoming computer's usage (1080p monitor). Do we think the N3150 would be sufficient? The lower electricity usage would be a big plus to this customer.
My only other question is if anyone could find any lower-wattage but still high quality PSUs for the price. I've heard that PSUs are much less efficient under very low power loads, and Build 3 would probably only require at most 30-40W, which makes a 500W supply a bit unnecessary. But, given the $20 MIR and my trust in Corsair that PSU may be the best option.
Thanks!
EDIT: Take Build 1, swap the i3 out for a G3900 and call it build 4.
I made a table of benchmarks and power usage.
N3150 A6-5400K G3900 i3-6100
Power 6W 65W 51W 51W
PassMark 1698 2135 3143 5483
Price $416 $427 $450 $510
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram