Multitasker ~$500

[Sophtie]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next two weeks?

BUDGET RANGE: ~$500

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: surfing the internet, streaming video, writing papers ALL AT ONCE

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: usa

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: no

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: no

MONITOR RESOLUTION: n/a (not important)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Building for a friend. He just wants something cheap that lets him buffer a couple videos in separate tabs while running a music playing program, surfing other sites online and writing a paper all at the same time with no slowdown. So lots of memory basically. I've built one pc before but I don't know what parts would be good for him at this price range so any help would be appreciated.

 

[wielander]

You don't really need that much memory for the usage you're talking about (general internet browsing, light multimedia, and light productivity). 4GB is standard and would be more than enough. A quad-core processor might handle the multitasking better, although I don't think a modern dual-core would be strained yet, either. An AMD build is probably your best bet at this price rage; AMD quad-core processors start at half the price of Intel ones.


If you act fast you can get this Silverstone Case (One of the best brands, nice case to work with, tool-less construction, good airflow, ugly as heck) and 400W 80 Plus PSU (more than you will need).
$50 with promo code EMCYXYX52

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.480176


Athlon II X4 620 (Bargain option, Good performance with 4 cores for multitasking)
4GB DDR3 1333 CL9 (You don't need more than 4GB for just multitasking, only certain highly demanding programs will benefit from more than 4GB)
$139 after $20 rebate (I realize you may not be buying immediately; this combo or a similar one will be available in 2 weeks)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488576


Phenom II X4 945 (Faster than Athlon, In range for your budget, 4 cores for multitasking)
4GB DDR3 1333 CL9
$181

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488282


MSI 870A-G54 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard (Everything you could want, USB 3.0 & SATA III, 4 DDR3 slots for adding more ram, Dual PCI-E)
$80 after $20 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275


Hitachi Deskstar 1TB (1TB drives have generally higher density platters and better performance, they also don't cost much more than smaller ones)
$70

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304&cm_re=1tb_hard_drive-_-22-145-304-_-Product


Lite-On DVD Burner w/Lightscribe (When you're ready to buy, just pick whatever is cheapest and has decent feedback)
$24

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333


Total (including shipping and rebates):
$363 w/Athlon X4
$405 w/Phenom X4


Optional:


Sapphire HD 5670 Graphics Card (The motherboard's integrated graphics are plenty for watching videos and internet browsing, but this low end graphics card would allow for light gaming)
$66 after $15 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102871&cm_re=hd_5670-_-14-102-871-_-Product


Kingston SSDNow 64GB SSD Desktop Kit (For general productivity and web browsing an SSD can make a bigger difference in performance than a better processor, this kingston model is cheap and has decent performance and feedback)
$100 after $30 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139133

 

[Sophtie]

sweet. i'll throw in a second dvd burner and windows 7 64 and be good to go. thanks!

 

[gerry410]

read the toms hardware build your own articles. They did all the guess work for you and its tested and rated.

 

[wielander]

read the toms hardware build your own articles. They did all the guess work for you and its tested and rated.

Although the tom's hardware articles are a good place to start, they don't lay out the best build for every possible situation. Ideally everyone that comes here asking for advice would read all of the documentation and figure it out for themselves. Even then, though, they will need the community/the hivemind to get the ideal config and absolute best deals.

 

[batuchka]

Actually i advise peeps to really study Toms builds at times: no offence but there was one build with a CM Extreme PSU and one month even a HD 5830 when clearly the GTX 460 has rendered it a pointless card @@

 

[Sophtie]

damn, didnt act quick enough on the case. any other suggestions for case and psu? thanks.

 

[wielander]

The OCZ ModXStream 600W is a decent power supply (well built, 80 plus certified, modular). Again, it's more than you will need. Here are some combos:


w/Hitachi Deskstar 1TB $90 after $30 in rebates:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506882


w/Lite-On SATA DVD Burner $54 after a $20 rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.499345


w/Rosewill Blackbone Case (acceptable quality, good feedback) $65 with promo code EMCYXYV23 and after a $20 rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506570


Or you could go with this nicer Antec 300 Case (Very highly regarded case, excellent feedback, sturdier, good airflow and noise isolation) & Lite-On SATA DVD Burner for $70:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492942

 

[batuchka]

CM Extreme PSU isn't a disaster but seriously even in my entry level configs there is always room for an entry level 80+ PSU like Antec EA380, Corsair CX400, etc hehe

 

[Sophtie]

alright here's what im thinkin:

cpu/memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488282

psu/case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506570

mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130275

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304

dvd (2 of em): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333

os: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

final thoughts? if no objections i'll probably build this for him.

 

[sp12]

Where's your GPU? Ram looks kinda crappy.

 

[Sophtie]

od question. i thought for a second the mobo had integrated graphics. well, adding a gpu ups the price a little high so it looks like i need another mobo suggestion.

 

[wielander]

Oh, sorry, I didn't notice the lack of a graphics solution either. Integrated graphics up the price of motherboards too.

GIGABYTE GA-880GA-UD3H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$113

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128444

or

ASRock 880G EXTREME3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
$113

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157191

or

Galaxy Geforce 210 Video Card (Cheap but still better than integrated graphics)
$21 after $15 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162041&cm_re=g210-_-14-162-041-_-Product

or

Powercolor HD 5450 Video Card
$25 after $15 rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131339&cm_re=hd_5450-_-14-131-339-_-Product

 

[batuchka]

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: surfing the internet, streaming video, writing papers ALL AT ONCE

od question. i thought for a second the mobo had integrated graphics. well, adding a gpu ups the price a little high so it looks like i need another mobo suggestion.

No gaming even a 785G/HD 4200 IGP would be fine else hit a decent dsicrete if gaming is on the table ^^

 

[Sophtie]

no, the only gaming he does is madden on a 360. maybe fifa. nothing on a computer.

alright, so how's this look?

mobo/os: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437524.13-128-444

cpu/mem: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.488282

psu/case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506570

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304

dvd (x2): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136147

 

[wielander]

dvd (x2): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136147

Those are IDE drives. You want SATA.

LG 22X, no lightscribe
$17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136180

Lite-On 24X w/lightscribe
$24
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333


You will need an extra SATA cable if you are installing two optical drives.

 

[Sophtie]

ok sorry for the delay, ive been busy the past few days...

some of the combos expired so how's this look then?

mobo/os: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.437524.13-128-444

cpu/mem: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.489225

psu/case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.506570

hdd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145304

dvd (x2): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136180

sata: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812816032

i don't know if the cable is right or if the memory is quality. i also opted for the athlon since i need to keep this build as close to $500 as possible. thanks for all the help so far.

 

[wielander]

i don't know if the cable is right or if the memory is quality. i also opted for the athlon since i need to keep this build as close to $500 as possible. thanks for all the help so far.

People have been saying bad things about OCZ ram. It may be slightly more likely to be incompatible/DOA. If it works out of the package (and it should), you won't know the difference, though. You would have to spend at least $20 more to get a set of ram from a more reputable brand.

That processor is quite capable; I wouldn't worry about not spending more on it. You can't cut back much more on the rest of the build.

SATA cables are overpriced. Retail DVD drives (not OEM) come with a SATA cable so you just need to buy one retail drive.

OCZ ModXStream 600W Modular 80 Plus Power Supply
Lite On 24X SATA DVD Burner (Retail so you don't need the extra cable)
$52 after a $20 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.511529

Rosewill Destroyer (Slightly better case)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" HDD
$95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.493012

the extra drive,

Lite On 24X SATA DVD Burner (Retail)
$20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106334

 

[Sophtie]

awesome, i'll go with that, thanks. one last item: wireless adapter. b/g/n or just n. any recommendations? i was thinking this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

 

[wielander]

I don't like USB wireless adapters. Their performance is dependent upon good drivers and they can still be bottle-necked by the USB2.0 bus bandwidth (480mbps). 802.11n isn't always faster than 802.11g, but it usually performs better. I suggest this ASUS PCI-E 802.11n adapter for $27.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320048

 

[Sophtie]

Best answer selected by Sophtie.