Help - First Time Desktop build - Ubuntu - $500-600

[rajboo]

Making my first Desktop after having issues in my laptops, time for me to invest in a solid, reliable workstation at home.

Approximate Purchase Date: in 2 weeks
Budget Range: $500-600
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Basic Apps, Remote desktop to work, Surfing the internet, Watching movies

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts I already have : Logitech Wireless keyboard and mouse

Do you need to buy OS: No - Planning to install Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Location: Fremont, CA US

Parts Preferences: I would like to have AMD for price to performance value.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: Dell 23-inch Wide ST2320L 1920x1080 full HD

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet, reliable and future upgradeable PC.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I always wanted to have a desktop, now two of my laptops are in repair (Macbook Pro with I/O component issue and HP HDX16 with a backlight issue) so it’s time for me to get my Desktop.

 

[pacioli]

It is too bad the Micro Center on the other side of the SF Bay just closed... That would have been your best bet for building a new system...

Here goes...

Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115234
ASRock H77M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157303
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104262
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Total $510.93
This will handle any web surfing/movie watching/remote desktopping you throw at it.
Since you are not gaming you don't really need a discreet graphics card. You could add a high end GPU to this system and it would perform near the most top end system on the market.

 

[deminderaser]

CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 V2 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply -- $69.99

AMD FX-4170 Zambezi 4.2GHz (4.3GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4170FRGUBOX -- $129.99

BIOSTAR A880GZ AM3+ AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -- $59.99

Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive -- $109.99

SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM -- $18.99

Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm Fan, 1x Rear 120mm Fan, front mounted dual USB 3.0 -- $59.99

AMD 100-505649 FirePro V4900 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 Workstation Video Card -- $159.99

ADATA Premier Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model AD3U1333C4G9-DRH -- $44.99

Price is about $653.93 for the price it is a very very good internet surfer and movie watching and also can play most games on high quality this is a very great build for you, in my opinion its the best price for a quality computer.

-deminderaser

 

[rajboo]

Thanks pacioli and deminderaser. I like the intel option and AMD option minus the video card.

 

[pacioli]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
Above is Tom's CPU Hierarchy. It is gaming focused but you still get the idea.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
Above is the passmark ranking.
The FX 4170 is a good CPU. It is basically a factory overclocked FX 4100.
Having said that the intel CPU option is much more powerful while using a lot less energy. Notice in Tom's hierarchy the i5 3470 is two tiers above the FX 4170.
Passmark benchmarks the i5 3470 at 7429 and the FX 4170 at 4606. The i5 3470 wins slightly from a price/performance standpoint $0.027/point vs $0.028/point.
The Ivy Bridge chip i5 3470 comes with Intel's HD 2500 graphics on the chip. This graphic solution is excellent at decoding DVDs, Blu-Rays, and 1080P media. It surfs the internet fine but would lag if you were to do any gaming.
As far as the remote desktop the i5 would be your best bet.

 

[rajboo]

Thanks pacioli. I am impressed with your comparison and went through the CPU section, looks like AMD Trinity is around the corner will it be worth to wait a bit (not sure how long). I am thinking to replace the HD with a SSD. My wifey watches Netflix not sure that will work on Ubuntu, but sure there should be some alternative.

 

[pacioli]

I don't think Netflix works on Linux... yet...
AMD Trinity looks promising so far. We'll see what the real benchmarks are once it is released.
You can always wait for the next/newest/better thing. The fact is the current generation of CPUs from Intel is powerful, efficient, and inexpensive. Intel is almost outmaneuvering themselves as I can see myself not needing to upgrade my PC for two or three years.
The AMD solutions work fine too. If you are running an AMD rig your experience will be nearly identical no matter which CPU you get... it's just that at the moment Intel has the price/perf lead over AMD at virtually all price points.
AMD's lower end chips, like the FX 4100, are great in productivity applications. The thing that bugs me most is that the FX series seems like a step back when compared to the former AMD flagships, the Phenom II 955-985 BE. I'd rather have a 965 BE than an FX 4170 any day. I believe this is why AMD has been re-releasing the old Phenom 2 chips on Newegg for the past month.

 

[rajboo]

Best answer selected by rajboo.