Feedback on $300 basic office ($500 total)

the123guy

Distinguished
Jun 5, 2010
51
0
18,630
Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP
Budget: $500
System usage: Basic, web, office

Parts not required: OS. Am planning on using Linux Mint since I've heard its the easier for first time Linux users to understand. I know Ubuntu is probably the most recommended. I know Ubuntu suggests 32-bit over 64-bit. Why would something like this matter? I also like the fact that Linux Mint offers an OEM version.

Preferred website for parts: Newegg

Parts preference: Stick to $300 for the rig budget and $500 total budget. If there is anything that will improve performance
for little to no additional cost or reduce cost with little to no reduction in performance, that would be great.

Overclocking: No
Monitor Resolution: 1440x900

Additional Comments: I've read some of the other threads and think that all the pieces are fine. This will end up being my second build so I'm taking what I learned last time into account as well. The only thing I'm not too certain is the CPU. It seems like all the other parts are over the top and it has this CPU. (I will list some other alternatives I believe won't go over budget with some gain).

I also chose the peripherals with cost in mind. A larger, more expensive monitor doesn't seem like something they would need. Also I went with corded mice and keyboard so that they wouldn't have to deal with batteries. If they feel like they need wireless I'll order that instead. Are those built in speakers in monitor any good?

BIOSTAR A880G+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS

Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Rosewill RK-7310 Black 105 Normal Keys 7 Function Keys USB Wired Super Slim Multimedia Keyboard

ASUS VH198T Black 19" 5ms LED Backlight LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 ASCR 10,000,000 :1 Built in Speakers

Logitech B100 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical 800 dpi Mouse - OEM

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

Logitech S120 2.3 Watts (RMS) 2.0 Speaker System - OEM

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

Total: $452.89

ALTERNATIVE CPU

AMD Athlon II X2 260 Regor 3.2GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

AMD Athlon II X2 265 Regor 3.3GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor
 
Solution
Please, dear god, spend the extra $50 and get a 23-24" monitor. Its SO worth it.
Agreed that the spinpoint is unnecessary. Also note that newegg prices fluctuate constantly, and there are weekly sales. $10 here and there can make a huge difference in a budget build.

I purchased one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255
over christmas break for my dad who had a 19" monitor for many years. For several days he kept raving about how great it was to have a larger screen, and how he could put up two documents (or a browser/document) side by side and actually read them both.

A 23" 1080p monitor has about 50% more screen area and pixels than a 19"
It all depends on the office of course, but most office machines I have seen never break 150GB of space.

Currently I'm recommending the 500GB WD Caviar Blue for budget office builds.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

I recommend a USB 3.0 capable board if at all possible. It really makes a striking difference in flash drive speeds. Then there's the expandability of a 4 DIMM board.

I've built several office machines this year and all were quad core AMD builds with 880G boards, MSI and Asus. I think the CPUs you listed are OK though.

 

the123guy

Distinguished
Jun 5, 2010
51
0
18,630
I've read before that unless your MOBO supports SATA 6.0 Gb/s you won't gain anything if your HD does. I know that basic use won't even put a dent in a 1TB HD, but you never know what the person might be using it for in the future. How would more cache improve HD performance?
 

genghiskron

Distinguished
Mar 15, 2011
1,115
0
19,460
Please, dear god, spend the extra $50 and get a 23-24" monitor. Its SO worth it.
Agreed that the spinpoint is unnecessary. Also note that newegg prices fluctuate constantly, and there are weekly sales. $10 here and there can make a huge difference in a budget build.

I purchased one of these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009255
over christmas break for my dad who had a 19" monitor for many years. For several days he kept raving about how great it was to have a larger screen, and how he could put up two documents (or a browser/document) side by side and actually read them both.

A 23" 1080p monitor has about 50% more screen area and pixels than a 19"
 
Solution
Yep I recommend the WD based on price and reliability, with adequate speed. It happens to be labelled as 6GB/s, but that's not relevant.

The PSU is excellent for the price. I've used that and the Seasonic S12II, which is normally a bit more. Of the two the Seasonic is better, but probably more for a home machine or HTPC.