Budget build for poor man.

gerry410 · Apr 27, 2011

Hey all, I wanna put a low budget pc together for my girlfriend. She's big on facebook, itunes and photos. I don't need a good video card or a powerful processor. I don't wanna go overboard if its not necessary. Any advise on appropriate hardware for the needs is appreciated.

Approximate Purchase Date: May, 2011

Budget Range: from $400.00 to $600.00 After Rebates

System Usage : surfing the internet, itunes, u tube

Preferred Website: newegg.com, micro center, directron

Country of Origin: USA

I'm not sure what processor is best. It's not going to be a gaming rig but more for general use.

Overclocking: No

Tanks y'all

dalauder · Apr 27, 2011

CPU: $189 i3-2100/H61 combo on Newegg
Mobo: Included
Case: $40 Anything with good airflow
RAM: $59 G.Skill 8GB in Hot Deals section
Graphics: $105 5830
HDD: $61 Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB on Amazon
DVD: $20
PSU: $40 OCZ 600W http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6491962&CatId=1483

TOTAL: $411

Heck, if you were open to overclocking, you should switch it to an i5-2500K/MSI P67 combo on Newegg for $322. That'd be $543 Total and crazy amazing!

oxxfatelostxxo · Apr 27, 2011

Yea was gonna suggest, your best bet is to look around newegg or tigerdirect for combo packages. Would save the most money that way... usually

Also unless she plays games. Go with a integrated graphics card will save you a good amount of money. Facebook games dont count....

geekapproved · Apr 27, 2011

dalauder :

You keep mentioning this $59 8GB ram, but I can't find any such thing on Newegg. Newegg does not have a "Hot Deals" section.

genghiskron · Apr 27, 2011

you should buy her a laptop/netbook. it is a far better choice for her needs/budget range. It will come with a monitor, OS, and keyboard, it will be portable, and will easily handle facebook, itunes, and photos. It will allow the two of you to watch dvd's/streaming movies in bed.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834215057

with the money you save, it would probably be smart to get some sort of warranty.

addison · Apr 27, 2011

Just buy her a prebuilt with a dual core CPU and a nividia geforce 9400 gt. The geforce 9400 gt is good and good for what she needs it for the pc is like 300 for a intel plus a 9400 gt is a cheap 60$

Subidoo · Apr 27, 2011

^+1 to dalauder's build. The i3-2100 would be an Excellent way to go. You can even drop the Graphics card and use the Integrated graphics if you're just planning on watching Youtube videos.

genghiskron · Apr 27, 2011

if you think a $600 desktop system is a excellent idea for a girl who wants to check facebook, you need your head examined. an IPOD on wifi can do these things.

addison · Apr 27, 2011

geekapproved · Apr 27, 2011

??

You forgot a cpu fan.

The mobo has onboard video, why do you need a $50 video card?

addison · Apr 27, 2011

Cpu with fan :

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6620918&CatId=2326 39.99 It is good what she needs it for.

Excluding the video card but if she does use ITUNES then http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4459743&Sku=C44-3400 29.99

And for the OS: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213932&CatId=4622 99.99

Subidoo · Apr 27, 2011

You really don't need a Video Card, or a Sound Card. Both are great stocked and would save some $$, which is probably a great plus.

ScrewySqrl · Apr 28, 2011

there is a solid barebones kit at CompUSA/Tiger Direct right now
This is a remarkably solid kit for $299, add windows 7 OEM for a $399 total cost:
http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=401991&sku=B69-1318

dalauder · Apr 28, 2011

#1: 9400GT's are absolute garbage.
#2: You guys do realize my build has an i3-2100/H61? That means integrated video. If you skip the video card in my build, then it's $306.
#3: Yeah, a notebook might be good. Staples had i3's on sale for $375 yesterday. You should check slickdeals.
#4: Hot Deals section on Tom's Forums. I posted it there yesterday. The deal is dead now, but the memory is still only $69 http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/101635-8-desktop-memory-newegg
#5: If you want to buy in May, come back in May. The prices will change.

Jim_L9 · Apr 28, 2011

ScrewySqrl :

I don't normally find their barebones kits to be a good deal, but this one looks good.

addison · Apr 28, 2011

dalauder :

#1. The 9400 gt is good what she needs it for and your build is crap because mine had a quad core for a lower price and could pwn your. And was like 300$ without the os and it would be 450$ and mine would do i say 3x faster than your "i 3" could that processor is crap.

Subidoo · Apr 28, 2011

Between the i3 2100 and the AMD Phenom II x4 955.
It is a pretty decent comparison in most, but you just have to read the Benchmarks and decided on your own.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/88?vs=289

marco324 · Apr 28, 2011

tigerdirect Barebone Blowout: DIY, EZ Build & Gaming Rigs from $199... $89 19" LED...2TB Ext HD, plus 10 Software Steals‏

http://www.tigerdirect.com/email/WEM2664.asp?SRCCODE=WEM2664BY&cm_mmc=email-_-Main-_-WEM2664-_-tigeremail2664

damasvara · Apr 28, 2011

Guys, guys... It's just for facebook and light gaming here. If the girl plays light gaming as in "facebook game" (flash based), then all she needs is a mere cheap dual core CPU with IGP. From Intel it would be the cheapest Sandy Bridge i3, as for from AMD it would be (the absolutely cheaper) Sempron 180/Athlon II X2 with 785G/880G chipset.

Considering the relatively high budget for casual use, the the i3 platform with 4GB of RAM would be the best option IMO. Based on rel life experience, my new laptop, Acer C-50 1GHz dual core with HD6250 graphics (Fusion APU) and 768MB RAM, I can browse facebook just fine. I can even play HD videos and gaming with pre-2005 games flawlessly. Just think how more capable system will handle them. It's gonna be like a walk in the park. No sweat. Which reminds me, the Zacate E-350 is a dual core 1.6GHz with even beefier graphics than the C-50. Plus, you can get it for around $120. Pair that motherboard to a 4GB of DDR3 RAM and the girl should be happy. But again, if the aim is to maximize the budget, then the the i3 platform is absolutely the best option, since it's CPU + motherboard combo is only around $50 more expensive than the Zacate.

The conclusion is, get an i3 with IGP and 4GB RAM. That should be more than enough for your needs. Cheers!

dalauder · Apr 28, 2011

addison :

If you're gonna say it like that, then I'll put it like this:
Addison, you are an idiot. Just because it's a quad doesn't mean it's better. Look up some benchmarks. I have. Have you? 2009's quad cores aren't better than 2011's hyperthreaded duals in any way (Phenom II x4 BE's when overclocked provide some exceptions). 3x faster? You are just fabricating arbitrary numbers. Go read a benchmark that shows a Phenom II x4 is as good as an i3-2100 (or 3x better--LMAO!) and post the link here.

Look up some benchmarks on the 9400GT. I dare you. You will find that card is absolute garbage. It is worse than an i3-2100's integrated graphics. If you don't believe me, find a benchmark that indicates otherwise and then come back here.

dalauder · Apr 28, 2011

@damasvara--thank you! That is what I've been saying all along.

Do not buy that combo for 1 reason: That PSU is bad. You do not want a bad PSU. I highly recommend you buy the OCZ I linked above. It's a great deal for a very good.

My combo is $300, just like the Tiger Direct one, but includes a good PSU and fast hard drive ($190 CPU/mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.631850 ).

damasvara · Apr 28, 2011

@dalauder: Now, now... Settle down. Although I agree with you in most aspect, I'd have to say that your opinion that a dual core with "quad-core-like" feature is better than a true quad core is not entirely true. For some applications that utilizes core numbers instead of speed alone, the Phenom will win hands down. But I do have seen the benchmarks for gaming, and i3 really is impressive. It really beat the hell out of the Phenom quad. It's most likely because of the more advanced Sandy Bridge architecture (duh!).

As for the i3 IGP vs the 9400GT, I really can't say, since I've never seen the review yet... Just keep the insults aside. Prove your point by intelligent means. Remember, this is a computer forum, where the knowledgeable shares knowledge and opinions in a civilized manner.

NOTE: I got my friend banned for fighting in a thread, just so you know... :lol:

EDIT: This is the reply for your post before the latest one, to avoid any confusion...

dalauder · Apr 28, 2011

Okay, you're right. I shouldn't call the guy an idiot. Sorry Addison. I don't agree with you giving advice without researching, but that makes your advice bad and I'm talking about your advice, not you as a person. I'm just frustrated that you're making up facts instead of researching. But I shouldn't make it a personal attack. To be clear, I'm sorry.

For 95% of what this guy will be doing, an i3-2100 will perform faster. If he was a hardcore overclocker or used a lot of apps that loaded all cores simultaneously, then the Phenom II's would have a purpose.

With the 9400GT, I'm just frustrated because I bet Addison doesn't even know how many CUDA cores it has. It's 16. A GT 210 has 16. And CUDA core count roughly translates to performance, but you can assume the newer GT 210 performs better in video decoding and power usage.
i3-2100 Integrated Intel HD 2000 vs. Radeon 4550
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/sandy-bridge-core-i7-2600k-core-i5-2500k,2833-7.html
Radeon 4550 vs. GT 210
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gt-220,2445-4.html
From these, you can see that a 9400 GT performs very similarly to i3-2100's integrated graphics. It also will provide lower 1080p playback quality while costing more money and having a larger power draw.

EDIT: I just read your banned comment after I completed this (the apology was written beforehand).

dalauder · Apr 28, 2011

@damasvara--You made me feel all stupid for being a jerk...I guess that's good sometimes.

@OP (GERRY)--That $40 Sempron above will not cut it. It's just too budget oriented. You'd do much better ponying up the $15 for an Athlon II x2. If you don't have the $15, PM me and I'll paypal it to you (serious, not a joke). AMD's the way to go for sub-$250 builds. If you spend $320 though, you should get an i3-2100 or better Intel CPU.

Hextech · Apr 28, 2011

I would highly recommend the i3-2100 hands down. Most it's bench marks easily out performs the AMD Phenom II x4 955. And consider that the i3-2100 is the 2nd gen Intel that uses the Sandy Bridge not to mention the upgrade factor on that CPU would be nice as the prices drop.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2120-2100_4.html

Check the bench mark tests against other CPU's. Make sure you page through the other tests.

Budget build for poor man.

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