What type of performance will I get from this build?

[Guest]

Hello, I am looking to make a new build (first one) and want to have a decent system. I have this list, and I was wondering what can I get performance wise from these parts? If you can make the build any cheaper that would be awesome! I am looking for a build to watch movies, YouTube videos (not HD) and listen to music. I would like to browse the web, and use Microsoft paint. I will not be overclocking. Here is the build, if you can get it cheaper for similar performance then tank you!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/at32

 

[Thomas_89]

Hello, I am looking to make a new build (first one) and want to have a decent system. I have this list, and I was wondering what can I get performance wise from these parts? If you can make the build any cheaper that would be awesome! I am looking for a build to watch movies, YouTube videos (not HD) and listen to music. I would like to browse the web, and use Microsoft paint. I will not be overclocking. Here is the build, if you can get it cheaper for similar performance then tank you!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/at32

I made a couple of changes to your build;
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($112.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61M-DS2 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ES 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.05 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($98.99 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Microsoft JWD-00046 Wired Standard Keyboard ($10.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: V7 M30P10-7N Wired Optical Mouse ($6.43 @ Amazon)
Total: $501.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

Different mobo, just cheaper with same quality
Much larger HDD so you can actually store the music and movies you want to watch
I picked the 64-bit only version of Win7, no need to pay $50 extra for the full version.
Also added an dedicated graphics card. It's much better than the integrated one and will help you run Windows, HD movies, and perhaps an occasional video game much smoother.

 

[TheBigTroll]

the only thing id change in thomas's build is the i3 2100. you can get yourself a 2120 for not that much more (5-8 dollars) and get a boost in performance. or you could wait out for the new ivy bridge i3s coming out at the end of the month

 

[geofelt]

I have some suggestions:

1) Buy windows 7 home premium oem version. It will be $50 cheaper.
2) You need a power supply. Antec makes good ones, and this case includes one for $89:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129071
3) Without a need for lots of storage, splurge a bit on a SSD for the os and some apps. A Intel 330 120gb is $105 after rebate. It will make everything feel much quicker. You can always add a hard drive later if you find you need it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121
4) Current Intel sandy bridge cpu's are plenty strong enough for your purpose. You can pick anything from a G530 on up.
I suggest a G630 @2.7 is plenty for $68.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116406

 

[dominyon]

Based on what you claim you will be using it for you don't even need an i3 processor of any kind. You could get away with a Sandy Bridge Pentium G620 2.6GHz ($63.99), G630 2.7GHz ($67.99), G640 2.8GHz ($78.99), G850 2.9GHz or G860 3.0GHz ($89.99). These are equivalent to the i3-2xxx series chips except they lack hyperthreading & nothing you mentioned you will be using your PC for requires much processing power whatsoever so you wouldn't even notice the lack of hyperythreading. You could save anywhere from $22 to $60 here.

You also don't need 8GB of ram to watch videos, browse the web or use paint. You could get away with 2GB easily under windows 7 32 bit or 4GB for 64 bit to be safe. That's another $15 or so savings.

Btw, I got my prices from newegg. And in case you hadn't noticed the hard drive in your build is intended for a laptop so you'd need a conversion kit to get it into most towers. And since it doesn't appear you need much storage space you could even get just a 60GB SSD with a conversion kit for just a few dollars more, not that you need the speed for anything you are doing based on what I've already explained but it will make booting and copying/pasting/loading of things ridiculously faster than a laptop drive.

Mushkin Enhanced Chronos 60GB SSD w/ adapter $67.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226247

or

OCZ Agility 3 90GB SSD for a bit more storage space $79.99 but requires bracket adapter

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227757.

You could take my advice and get these parts + SSD for about the same price or less than what you originally mocked up. An SSD gives you a much zippier feeling experience to any computer.

Also you do not have a PSU listed in your build and the case does not come with one. You don't need much power at all for this machine. Something in the 350W range would be sufficient and can be had from name brands such as Antec, FSP or Seasonic for the $30-$50 range.

 

[dominyon]

I have some suggestions:

1) Buy windows 7 home premium oem version. It will be $50 cheaper.
2) You need a power supply. Antec makes good ones, and this case includes one for $89:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129071
3) Without a need for lots of storage, splurge a bit on a SSD for the os and some apps. A Intel 330 120gb is $105 after rebate. It will make everything feel much quicker. You can always add a hard drive later if you find you need it.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121
4) Current Intel sandy bridge cpu's are plenty strong enough for your purpose. You can pick anything from a G530 on up.
I suggest a G630 @2.7 is plenty for $68.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116406

Aw you beat me, well done. Posted while I was writing mine and looking up all the pricing.

 

[geofelt]

Aw you beat me, well done. Posted while I was writing mine and looking up all the pricing.

Great minds run in the same gutter

 

[Guest]

Best answer selected by pizza5647.