<$500 general use build

[precisiontech]

Approximate Purchase Date: this week


Budget Range: <$500, preferably closer to $400


System Usage from Most to Least Important: surfing the internet, word processing, photo editing, watching movies


Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com. Closest MicroCenter is 4+ hours away


Country of Origin: US


Parts Preferences: Antec 300, Antec Earthwatts 380 PSU, i3 2100, Asus dvd burner


Overclocking: No


SLI or Crossfire: No


Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080


Additional Comments: Mainly need MB & HD suggestions. I plan on dual booting W7 and Ubuntu. No gaming.

Is 4 GB of RAM enough for my uses or would you suggest 8 GB for future proofing, as DDR3 prices are falling?

Do I really need front intake fans in a non-gaming Antec 300?

 

[wintermint]

Intel Core i3-2100 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078

MSI H67MA-E35 $75 after MIR [$85]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130569

KingstonKVR1066D3N7K2/4G $29 after shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134718

PowerColor AX6770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 6770 $100 after MIR and shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131434

Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ $60
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=Spinpoint%20f3

Antec 300 $60 [Promo code EMCYTZT630 additional $13 off ends 7/28]
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033&Tpk=Antec%20380

Asus DRW-24B1ST $20 free shipping with prime
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1311796860&sr=1-1&condition=new

$534 including shipping, before MIR and promo
$496 after MIR and promo

You can opt for a prettier RAM but once it's in your case, you shouldn't even worry
about how your RAMs look anymore. It's cheaper than G.Skill and has good timings.
You may buy two of them to get 8GB ram if you wish. Another alternative from
my suggestions is switching to a GTS 450 instead. There's a slight decrease in
performance but there's a MIR rebate offfer where it's $87 including shipping.
I also included the preferences you have. You didn't mention anything about an OS
so I didn't include it. As for Antec 300, you don't really need front intake fans but you can probably get them for cheap around Fry's or Amazon. I'm not using front intake and I'm on stock heatsink and I idle around low 30s. You can go without the graphic card since the i3-2100 comes with Intel HD 2000. It's not the best but it will get you by if you have no plans to game.

 

[precisiontech]

OS will be W7 (not included in my budget) & Ubuntu

I am planning on just using the Intel HD 2000 graphics. I don't really need a GPU card at this point for video playback.

Are MSI boards as reliable as Asus or Gigabyte?

 

[michxymi]

I would go for an AMD LLano System. Quad Core and much better GPU perfomance, along with low power consumption and affordable price!

Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX Computer Case w/ 1 x 120mm fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009&Tpk=fractal%20design%20core%201000

SeaSonic SS-300ES Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151085

AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz 4MB L2 Cache Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU AD3650WNGXBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943&cm_sp=Pers_ProductSimilar-_-19-103-943_1_AG-_-19-103-942

MSI A75MA-G55 FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130605&Tpk=msi%20a75

Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104221

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185&Tpk=samsung%20spinpoint%20f3

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233

SUM is 417 $

 

[ScrewySqrl]

llano build will be better with onboard graphics.

 

[precisiontech]

I pretty much set on the i3 2100. Processing power is more important to me than graphics.

 

[wintermint]

Well I hope you like the suggestions so far good luck with your build! and Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte are all reliable brands. You can also go for ASRock. I don't recommend Biostar unless you're really strapped for cash.

 

[rvilkman]

Since onboard graphics is ok here is my suggestion:

CPU: i5 2500k $219.99
( yes i know it's expensive and you can't OC with the mobo, BUT it comes with HD3000, and CPU power was important )
MB: Asrock H61M/U3S3 $74.99
Mem: Gskill 2x2GB 1.5V Cas9 1333Mhz $29.99
GPU: onCPU HD3000
Case: Antec 300 as requested $46.95
PSU: Antec EW 380D as requested $39.99
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB $59.99
DVD: Lite-On 24x DVD burner $19.99

Total: $491.89

oops missed the asus burner thing, well it fits just fine as well.

 

[precisiontech]

So is the i5 2500K worth the extra $95 over the i3 2100? I know it has better graphics & two more cores.

 

[mobohobo]

yes because you can overclock later which provides a performance boost, the sandbridge oc's like a boss...

 

[precisiontech]

I don't ever see myself overclocking and if I did I would need a different board. Correct? If I went with an i5 2500K, I would only have $95 to spend on a decent board.

 

[rvilkman]

Well with the money you also get a quad code CPU instead of a dual core. Another option is to go with the i5 2400, saves you $25.
Which is almost enough for a discrete card anyway. So that last $25 might not be worth it for your use, but the $70 for 2 extra cores is not bad.
Gives you better multitasking performance.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

I don't ever see myself overclocking and if I did I would need a different board. Correct? If I went with an i5 2500K, I would only have $95 to spend on a decent board.

the board listed is only $75, and is a kickass board.

 

[precisiontech]

So between these two MBs:

MSI H67
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130569

ASRock H61
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-157-236&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

Is there a clear advantage of the H67 over the H61? I guess more USB and SSD compatibility?

 

[ScrewySqrl]

a quick side-by side comparison shows the H67 has the following:

More on-motherboard USB 2.0 ports (6 vs 4)
RAID capability vs None.
8 Channel audio vs 6 channel
6 Sound ports vs 3
Ability to overclock the HD2000/3000 that you won't be using.

the H61 has 2 PS2 ports vs 1 for the H67

thats your differences. Unless you really need RAID and 2 more internal USB ports, or want surround sound directly connected to the motherboard, everything else is pretty pointless.

 

[precisiontech]

Here's what I've narrowed it down to:

Antec 300 & Earthwatts 380 PSU $85 (on their way)

WD Caviar Blue - $44
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136770

ASRock H61 $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-157-236&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=2#scrollFullInfo

GSkill 8 GB $45 w/ promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311

i5 2500 + Asus dvd burner $206 w/promo code
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.679470

Total $455

I could trade out the 2500 for the 2500k for an extra $23. Worth it?

 

[rvilkman]

I would say no, because you can't overclock anyway and for $40 you can get a video card that runs circles around even the HD3000 that it would basically get you.

 

[precisiontech]

Best answer selected by precisiontech.