First time build help

[aarons10]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within 2 weeks

Budget Range: 600-950. If I have to spend a little more to get parts that will last I would rather do that than get a cheap part.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Surfing the internet, student use (Microsoft word, excel etc.)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg, Amazon

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: ASUS motherboard, Western Digital Harddrive, Intel Processor, Antec 300 illusion case, windows 7 OS.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024

Additional Comments: I would like it to be somewhat quiet, and efficient at cooling.
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[tekman42]

Try this....the cpu is a monster...the ram is fantastic...the power supply is rock solid...the motherboard is decent...onboard video...you don't game so onboard is sufficient...the cooler is one of the BEST for the money and extremely efficient.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703027
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262011
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148529

The total is around $875 but there's several rebates and checkout discounts...there's some shipping involved but you are getting an awesome system that will perform fantastic for your needs...in fact a bit of overkill but reliability should be extremely good and all products are MORE than sufficient...not cheaping out here at all.

P.S. I didn't include a keyboard or mouse but those should be decided by you but you can get a good usb mouse and keyboard very cheaply from newegg or Amazon.

Respectfully,
tekman42

 

[bigcyco1]

Yeah tekman42 put together a nice little beast for you you could go cheaper but you need to go with amd which i don't recommend.

 

[geofelt]

For surfing and general use, you really don't need anything better than a $100 i3. Perhaps a i3-2100 or even a G620.

How many expansion slots do you plan on using? Without a discrete graphics card the answer is probably none.
A ITX motherboard is less expensive.

Put it in a case you love. Look at the lian li M-atx and ITX cases. Splurge on a case. You will be looking at it for some time.
For example this lian li Q11 itx case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112297
It is small enough to be comfortable on top of a desk. The Q07 is even smaller.

Today, use a SSD for the os and some apps. It will make everything feel quick. It is more important to performance than the cpu. 120gb may be all you ever need. I would prefer the Intel 330 series, the Samsumg 830 series is good too.
If you need more for storage, get a hard drive later.

Withou a discrete graphics card, you need only a 300w psu which is hard to find.
The Corsair VX430 at $30 is a quality unit at a bargain price.
Other good units come from seasonic, antec, xfx, and pc p&c.
DO NOT go cheap on the PSU.

 

[tekman42]

actually guys...I changed the third item from the bottom...the power supply....that's now a PC{pwer&Cooling 750W for $30 BUCKS LESS, and added something rather important...a harddrive
I chose a Crucial M4 128Gb sata III which bumps the cost up $90 but with $30 off the power supply and a $20 buck rebate on the psu...the total is still between $900 and $950 so right on the mark...

Thanks for the suggestion geofelt...I knew I was forgetting something but got a bit preoccupied...

The machine I recommended isn't breaking the land speed record and for just surfing the web, and productivity tasks..ie office...this machine will be exceptionally snappy and very quick...also...if aarons10 wants to upgrade to play a few games and/or something like cad or adobe...the machine can provide an excellent platform for very quick computing....also video conversion or anything else...like compiling code..the performance is far above what is needed as requirements...but it also will remain a relevant machine for the next 3-5yrs without becoming completely outdated.

Ie...ROI here is excellent...Return On Investment...make the sucker pay for itself...also I heard him saying he didn't want to go "cheap" his words, not mine...if you dip down to the $600 budget...he loses in some very important areas...like in psu quality and reliability...a much different cpu...without any option to learn overclocking and "FREE" performance that is derived from overclocking...the guy may just develope and interest in learning a bit more about computers and joining an online community of like minded others that have come to overclocking and the forums looking for answers to questions to illuminate their experiences and provide answers from other knowledgeable people who have already "been there" "done that" ya know

Just thinking a bit ahead...also this is right on the money per budget and gets him an excellent and FUN experience from a very snappy machine! Better than a slow machine that he must wait on or has become irrelevant in 2 years and completely outdated in 3-4 years...there's a lot of room for upgrading later but he has fairly high-end performance parts already...

Respectfully,
tekman42

 

[aarons10]

Best answer selected by aarons10.