Sub $300 Office Build

[AmazingJason]

Approximate Purchase Date: This week

Budget Range: Below $300 after rebate

System Usage from Most to Least Important: I'm a full-time trader and a part-time tax accountant, and I will primarily be using this PC for work purposes. When I trade, I will have open:

1) Trading platform on a dual-monitor setup with 5 charts, 2 quote/order entry screens. Not terribly intensive because I don't use any studies on the charts and I don't perform any scans.
2) Firefox with 5-10 tabs
3) An Open Office spreadsheet
4) Firewall, AV running in the background

When I do tax work, I use these additional applications:
1) Lacerte
2) Quickbooks

Parts Not Required: Case (Antec 300), Video card, PSU (Antec Basiq 430W), keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com, Microcenter

Country of Origin: USA

Parts Preferences: No preference. My priority is performance/price ratio and high reliability.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: N/A

Additional Comments: This is my first ever computer build. My primary concern is compatibility between parts, no overheating, and high reliability. I would like everything to work and to work well for the long haul.

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CPU:
AMD Phenom II X4 840 = $99.99

CPU Cooler:
Stock Cooler = $0.00

Motherboard:
BIOSTAR A770E3 AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard = $0.00 (Part of CPU/Mobo bundle)

Memory:
PNY XLR8 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) = $28.99 (After Rebate)

Video Card (Given to me by friend):
NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 = $0.00

Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB = $50.99 ($10 New Customer Bonus)

Case (Already purchased):
Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower = $29.99 (Friend is giving me $15 for two front fans and to switch top fans)

Power (Already purchased):
Antec Basiq BP430 430W = $19.99 (Discount plus Rebate)

Optical (Provided to me by cousin when needed):
External DVD Burner = $0.00


Total Cost = $229.95

 

[jbakerlent]

Looks good. How much is the CPU+MOBO combo? That Phenom II is really an Athlon II, but if it's cheap it doesn't matter . You could get a 880G/785G chipset and skip the GTX 250 altogether (they have onboard graphics). That WD is an older model, but it's still fine - you could consider a Spinpoint F3 also.

 

[AmazingJason]

The CPU/Motherboard combo at Microcenter is $99.99. As for skipping out on the GTS 250, I require one to run a dual-monitor setup.

After consulting with a friend, I purchased a higher wattage power supply: OCZ Fatal1ty 550W Modular Gaming Power Supply for $40 AR. Better safe than sorry

 

[jbakerlent]

As for skipping out on the GTS 250, I require one to run a dual-monitor setup.

No, not if you get a decent 785G/880G board.

Edit: $100 is a decent deal though I don't like Biostar nor the Phenom rebranding gimmick.

 

[AmazingJason]

No, not if you get a decent 785G/880G board.

Edit: $100 is a decent deal though I don't like Biostar nor the Phenom rebranding gimmick.

You're right. I figure since I'm getting a free and capable video card that I could skip the onboard video and have the option of light gaming. As for the motherboard, it's essentially free, appears reliable based on Newegg reviews, and fits my needs. I will unlikely be doing any overclocking, and features like SATA III and USB 3.0 are unnecessary to me.

The reason I'm attracted to the x4 840 is its high performance/price ratio. I've also considered the x4 965, which is $30 more. Both will probably more than enough for what I need. I was repairing my cousin's dual-core 1.6 GHz laptop last week, and THAT seemed to fly, lol (I currently use an 8 year-old Pentium 4).

 

[jbakerlent]

Ah, I see. I'd go for it then, a new build for $230 is excellent.