Low-Noise Low-Range Office PC

[ingodwestream]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within next 2 days

BUDGET RANGE: $300-400 or less

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT:
*Microsoft Office 7
*Internet
*Photoshop

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard/mouse - monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com , Amazon, etc. online. No Fry's or Microcenter nearby

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United States

PARTS PREFERENCES: Windows 7 32-bit, 2GB Ram, AMD CPU for low cost and lower wattage. Manufacturers with decent warranty and phone support. Connecting to modem wirelessly through Netgear RangeMax NEXT (802.11 draft -n). wonder if this ok. Recertified: NETGEAR WNDA3100-100NAR IEEE 802.11a/b/g, IEEE802.11n Draft USB 2.0 RangeMax Dual Band Wireless-N Adapter

OVERCLOCKING: No

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1024x768 but possible upgrade monitor

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I got such a good response and info on the media PC that I built. I thought I would come back and take into consideration any advice on this office PC. 80% chance I will be building 2 identical desktops. One will be in the minister's office, the current on is VERY OLD...something over 10 years! So I'd like to match or beat this in noise level and heat. Other is for secretary... in a bigger room... a little more flexibility in noise level. Submitting proposal on new build vs upgrading 10+ and 9 year old desktops!

Thanks!

 

[ingodwestream]

Oh... also want virtualization on CPU for Win 7's XP Mode. What is AMD V-tech dual-core entry level chip?

 

[ingodwestream]

Checked my closet parts shelf. Found a new Antec EA-380 80-plus 380 PSU,
Visiontek X1650 Pro 256mb,
Diamond HD2600Pro 256mb, and
EVGA e-GeForce 6200LE :lol: 256mb PCI-E video cards.

 

[ingodwestream]

ASUS M3A78-EM AMD 780G $59
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz $50
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $50


CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified
or
Antec EarthWatts Green(No power cord included) EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case $20
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB $55


this what i have so far... advice?

 

[shortstuff_mt]

This is going to be harder than you think if you need the OS included in the price. You have to get Windows 7 Professional to use XP mode. That's $140, leaving $260 for the system.

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM $139.99

As much as it pains me to say it, you might be stuck buying a pre-built computer unless you can stretch the budget a bit or are a student and qualify for the $30 Windows 7 from www.win741.com

Here's a shot at a build with quality components, but the components themselves come to $342.90.

Antec Two Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129070

Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W Continuous Power ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029 (Does NOT come with a power cord)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304792&guid=4b2863d71a23453e80d6df7f16d62731 $64.94 (Case + PSU combo)

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688

ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131406

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.308613 $137.99 (CPU + motherboard combo)

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&Tpk=samsung%20f3%20500 $54.99

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-2GBHK - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231205&cm_re=g.skill_2gb_ddr3-_-20-231-205-_-Product $54.99

LG Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136177&cm_re=24x_sata-_-27-136-177-_-Product $29.99

Total W/O OS, $342.90

Total W/OS, $482.89

 

[ingodwestream]

nice combo deals... i forgot to check thoses. especially the case/psu combo. an upgrade from the rosewill case for free.

the mobo/cpu combo is $30 more than what i had came up with before your post. besides the newer socket, is there any performance advantages of this over the x2 5400 am2? I could probably do without the XP Mode..and there's plenty of students at the church . I was thinking of salvaging the dvd drive from the Dell Deminsion 4550. what you think? Thanks... at least we are in the ballpark.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

There is a considerable difference between the two CPU's. The Athlon II x2 240 has twice the System Bus Speed, is rated at a lower wattage, has twice the L2 Cache Size, and is 45nm, where the old CPU is 90nm.

Here's a comparison of the CPU's:

http://products.amd.com/en-us/DesktopCPUSideBySide.aspx?id=587&id=36

 

[ingodwestream]

Thanks shortstuff_mt, i'm going to read that link now. I'm thinking the Antec case is too "tech-ish" for 50+ year old users in a HoW office.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The Antec 300 has a more subtle look and has a combo with the same PSU, but it costs $20 more.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.304791

 

[ingodwestream]

ok thanks for the case info... just did some research on the mobo...trying to shave dollars where i can without sacrificing performance/quality.
What about non-EVO M4A785-m? $117 combo


from what i can see i would only be losing ddr3 support, estata port, and 1394 ports. is there anything im missing? i was thinking some good ddr2 800 would be sufficent for the low intensive apps that will be run on this.
thanks a lot for the AMD chip advice, that's in the cart no doubt.

 

[ingodwestream]

combo deal link

sorry

 

[shortstuff_mt]

That's a pretty nice combo that wouldn't be a bad way to go. I would avoid building around an AM2+ motherboard and DDR2 RAM, but if it helps get the build within budget, go for it!

 

[ingodwestream]

thanks for all your help. took awhile to get the proposal approved. I did have to go ahead with ddr2 ram... 4gb. along with athlon II 250 and ECS 780 chipset mobo. But got it all into the build budget. Everyone is happy.