1500-3000 non-gaming PC

[wasabi-warrior]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP, but im not in a rush.

Budget Range: $1500-$3000

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly office stuff, its a business computer, its not a gaming machine, but needs HDMI output at the least.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: just go newegg.com to show me.

Country of Origin: Australia

Parts Preferences: Intel based machine.

Overclocking: Maybe, probably not.

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe, but i doubt its needed.

Monitor Resolution: Depends what monitor I buy with the system,

Additional Comments: As far as cases go, this computer wont get cleaned very often if its not easy (because the current one is a nightmare). Accessible fan filters would be nice. Also, my place tends to get warm in that room, but that could be because the current box there is a Pentium 4. So nice cool cases wouldnt hurt, but its not a HUGE priority, seeing as im not overclocking it, and its not running hardcore games.
I have a few local stores where i can get stuff cheaper than retail normally. But they have limited range. I just want a general idea of what parts i should go for, and i can purchase equivelant parts here. A few examples of good CPU+mobo combo's wouldnt hurt. Wouldnt mind the PC being a little future proof as well. Hence the larger budget.
The build is for my parents, who are a little worried about liquid cooling, so im steering clear of that.

I wouldnt mind an all out sortof build within that budget, focused on performace rather than graphics. And a slightly more reserved budget friendly version. Which ever you decide to contribute, i appreciate it very much. You guys always help me out.

Thanks.

 

[rvilkman]

CPU: i5 2400 $195 USD
- This will be enough performance for your programs and it will provide 4 cores for multitasking

Mobo: Asus P8H67 $130 USD
- For your use anything more is a waste, you don't overclock and SLI/Crossfire really is of no use to you. So a high quality H67 board works fine.

Memory: Gskill 2x4GB 1.5V CAS9 1333MHz $65 USD
- For multitasking and stuff 8GB of ram, 4 might be enough, but it's cheap so why not.

GPU: Radeon 6570 (fanless) $75 USD
- This you can actually leave out if the onboard graphics is enough for you, but this is generally a nice addition takes the graphics to another level completely from the integrated on the intel CPU.
- fanless to make no extra noise

Case: Antec 300 or Antec 300 Illusion $70 USD
- Great airflow, adjustable fans, removable dust filter at the front. If you can't get the illusion model just get 2 quiet adjustable fans to add to the front.
Noctua NF-S12B FLX are great if you can find them, a bit pricy but adjustable and very quiet while still moving a lot of air.
- the filter according to reviews is easy to remove so that should help you
- the case is really quiet with the fans on low or middle setting when you turn them to high you can hear the fans but it's still not loud.

PSU: Seasonic X560 80+ Gold rated $129 USD
- during normal operations the fan probably doesn't even spin so makes this very quiet while providing very stable power efficiently.

SSD: Intel 510 120GB $277 USD
- For responsiveness and speed to launch applications and windows this will make it a joy to work with the computer. At 120GB it should have enough space for most if not all of the business programs and the OS. Chose intel for reliability and performance in business applications.

HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB $65 USD
- For storing any bigger data, obviously this is optional, but generally a good thing to have with the SSD.
- for business use maybe the F3R model which is like $30 or more expensive and 5 year warranty might be in order.

DVD: Asus/Lite-On/Sony etc 24x DVD+/-RW ~$20 USD
- Will handle SW installation and stuff and can be used for backups on DVD's.

Total: 1030 USD. So I'm guessing that would be at the lower end of your budget.


And obviously you need Windows 7 64-bit, but you probably have the SW side in order for a business machine anyway.

 

[geofelt]

1) I think your budtet is 3 to 3 times what you need.

2) A good dual core will be all you need, unless you have some heavy multicore enabled apps.
A i3-2xxx of some sort will be plenty. Perhaps the 2105 @$140.

3) The i3 integrated graphics will be plenty, no need for a discrete graphics card.
A H67/Z68 based motherboard will enable the onboard graphics. One will cost under $100.
Pick your favorite vendor, and check for hdmi output, 6gb sata, and usb3.0. Here ia an Intel motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121506
The H67 chipsets are supposed to be compatible with the 22nm ivy bridge processors due out in 6 months or so, providing you with a cpu upgrade option. I don't think you will need it.

4) For a case, I highly recommend the Antec SOLO, it is a very quiet case with washable air filters that are easy to clean.
Cooling is good, particularly since you don't need a hot discrete graphics card. I have usen it, or it's variants like the P150 or designer 500 in several builds.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129018

5) Ram is cheap, and while 4gb should be adequate, I suggest 8gb in a 2 x 4gb configuration.
Here is some rationale for 8gb:
http://blog.corsair.com/?p=65
I find that windows is keeping many of my apps resident in ram for quick relaunch.
Here is a typical kit of g.skil ram:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

6) An aftermarket cooler is optional. But I would consider one anyway. They are cheap, and a large tower type cooler with a slow turning 120mm fan will keep your cpu cooler and quieter under load. The Xigmatek gail will be about $30. Most others are good too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082

7) I don't know how much hard drive capacity you need. But for performance, I strongly suggest a SSD for your os and apps. Everything you do will feel much quicker.
A SSD will cost about $2 per gb, and you should have something in the range of 80gb at least, and perhaps 120gb or 160gb. If you need more storage, then add a WD 1tb drive for overflow, storage, and backup.
Most SSD's will perform about the same in a desktop environment, despite the benchmark hype. A SSD is perhaps 10x faster than the best Hard drives. Look at Intel first, they have had the fewest return issues in the past.
http://www.behardware.com/articles/810-6/components-returns-rates.html
I like the 320 series. There have been reports of failures following power outages, and Intel will no doubt fix that if it hasen't already.
Regardless, I suggest a small ups to condition your power and allow for a graceful shutdown anyway.

8) The psu requirements are minimal. As small as 200w should do it, but there is no need to chase such a small unit.
Pick a quality unit in the 350 to 450w range. My short list of quality units would include Seasonic, PC P&C, Antec, Corsair and XFX. Do not go cheap on a psu.
Here is an Antec 380w unit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033

I have not added this up, but it is well under your budget. Save the rest. The big budget item is the SSD which is they key to your performance and satisfaction.
--------good luck-----------

 

[wasabi-warrior]

No offence, but an i3?
Im sure it will be "enough" to keep it running, but so's the current Pentium 4. Its just rubbish.

I really appreciate your advice, because nearly everyone on here knows their stuff, so if you really think that is future-proof enough, i might run with that.

I did forget to mension (my fault sorry) that dual monitor output would be on the GFX, but its not hard to find a card with it (i think i can manage). And i think its been established i should get an SSD and 8gb of ram. All im interested in now is the foundation really (CPU+Mobo+PSU). Im no good with PSU's because im not sure how big to go. Wouldnt hurt to go a little more in case something gets added, correct? So a 450W roughly?

Thanks for the response guys.

 

[rvilkman]

The H67 boards onboard graphics actually let you run dual monitors. Pretty much all cards now support that too.

As for the PSU. If you need to for some reason upgrade the graphics at some point i would say something in the lines of 450-550w.

The reason I suggested the i5 was that it would provide the future performance and the multi tasking case that seems to be common in office PCs. I generally have up to a dozen programs open including several browsers and those do end up eating memory and CPU.

 

[boeing114]

No offence, but an i3?
Im sure it will be "enough" to keep it running, but so's the current Pentium 4. Its just rubbish.

Haha, I think you are greatly underestimating and i3 with the new Sandy Bridge Architecture.

The newest i3 processors are comparable and beat in some applications the top of the line Core2Quad and previous generation i5s. The i3-2100 is clocked at 3.1 ghz, and has 2 cores with 4 execution units (2 in each core, also known as hyperthreading). I think you'd be greatly surprised with the new i3s performance. If you are still on the border, get a quad core like the i5-2300 for $60 more

 

[wasabi-warrior]

The H67 boards onboard graphics actually let you run dual monitors. Pretty much all cards now support that too.

I generally have up to a dozen programs open including several browsers and those do end up eating memory and CPU.

Havent looked close enough at those boards to notice the standard dual output, thanks for pointing that out.
And yes, as i said, its my parents computer, and they have the habit of minimizing and not closing. Or just having huge amounts of stuff open.


I'll try and put up a list tomorrow of what im considering now, and you guys can tell me what you think.
EDIT: I had a very busy "tomorrow" and the next few days after, will put it up when i can.

 

[ps3hacker12]

Haha, I think you are greatly underestimating and i3 with the new Sandy Bridge Architecture.

The newest i3 processors are comparable and beat in some applications the top of the line Core2Quad and previous generation i5s. The i3-2100 is clocked at 3.1 ghz, and has 2 cores with 4 execution units (2 in each core, also known as hyperthreading). I think you'd be greatly surprised with the new i3s performance. If you are still on the border, get a quad core like the i5-2300 for $60 more

totally agree, the newer i3-2100 sandy bridge is comparable to the one of the BEST Core2quad EXTREME EDITION processors:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/48?vs=289

comparing to to a pentium4 is just silly:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/92?vs=289

even comparing it to a pentium core 2 is silly:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/70?vs=289

it is comparable to even some first gen i7s:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/108?vs=289

 

[wasabi-warrior]

Best answer selected by wasabi-warrior.