Help with build for family!

needfortofu27

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
13
0
10,510
Could you guys comment on this build? (Does it work, is it bang-for-the-buck)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hOMl

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hOMl
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hOMl/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hOMl/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($51.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Samsung 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Apevia 500W ATX Power Supply ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $360.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-18 02:39 EDT-0400)

Is it relatively cheap for the performance it brings to the table?


Thanks!

Jacob
 
A good concept.
I would change a few details:

1) Why not spend $5 more on a ivy bridge i3-3220. It is 10% faster in compute, takes less power, and has faster graphics.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116775

2) Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
That is why ram vendors will not support ram that is not bought in one kit.
Although, I think the problem has lessened with the newer Intel chipsets. Still,
it is safer to get what you need in one kit.
Buy a single kit of 2 x 4gb. Speed is less important than capacity.
Here is a good inexpensive kit : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424

3) The psu you picked is a tier 5 (not recommended) brand on this list: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx
Stick with a quality brand like Antec, Seasonic, PC P&C, XFX, or Corsair I have used this Corsair CX430 before with good results @$25 after rebate: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026


4) I love s SSD, it is one of the best performance components. I think INtel or Samsung are the more reliable brands available.
This Intel 330 costs no more : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121

5) If you have a need for two copies of windows 7, look into the family pack upgrade kit, which sells for $120 http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-Premium-Upgrade-Family/dp/B002MV2MG0

------------good luck------------
 

deadlockedworld

Distinguished
Hey,

-I'm seconding the power supply recommendation above. Get one by Antec, Corsair, or Seasonic thats at least bronze rated.

-I haven't used Samsung RAM before. I assume its decent because they are "Samsung," but more common choices in this area would be Crucial, Gskill, Kingston.

-The SSD you chose is not really large enough to be an only hard drive. Do you have another hard drive you are putting in this? (basic programs will fit on the SSD, but its likely that music or videos would overflow quickly) If you can only afford one drive, you should go ahead and get a normal 1-2TB western digital hard drive. (The SSD is really a performance part, and I'm not sure its worth it on a build in this price range anyhow)

-"for the family" still doesnt really describe usage. If you can save money on the SSD, I'd suggest springing for cheaper graphics card like an AMD 6570. It would be a lot better than integrated 2000 graphics for whatever kind of videos or games your kids wanted to play.

-Also you need a copy of windows. Get the OEM version of home premium with the windows 8 upgrade.


Edit: I see that I just posted at the same time as above. Apologies for any crossover.
 

needfortofu27

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
13
0
10,510
Ok, forgot to post updated build on last reply.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPTi
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPTi/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPTi/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($51.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $369.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-18 11:19 EDT-0400)

We're not going to be downloading and storing media files like crazy on this. It's going to be for viewing lots of online-videos (they aren't all 1080P HD or anything), browsing the web, but no games, maybe one fps. On my current laptop I'm only using 50GB of hard drive space. (Not a big music or movie collector). But would it really be better to just go with HDD? Is it possible to run both a HDD and a SSD? The speed difference is pretty significant. Also, is the 2130 to 3220 upgrade as one member suggested something I should do?

Also, a copy Windows 7 Ultimate is only $18 at the university I attend, no need to purchase it online.
 

needfortofu27

Honorable
Sep 8, 2012
13
0
10,510
Or would it be overkill to go one step higher with the i5-2310? Thank you all for such cordial and prompt responses by the way!

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPWS
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPWS/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hPWS/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-2310 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-M2(1.0) Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($51.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 330 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill R101-P-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $429.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-18 11:31 EDT-0400)
 

deadlockedworld

Distinguished



Good news on windows and storage space! Both the hard drive and better processor are really budget decisions. Both would add performance, but if you are doing a simple PC, it might not be worth it.

The SSD will speed up boot times and program launch times, but wont make anything faster once its running. It is really nice, but would be a big headache for a non-PC savvy person if you ran out of room on that drive. I'm not entirely comfortable with limiting yourself to 128gb total. Windows is big - mine takes up like 60gb on its own.

The better processor would make the PC a tiny bit faster when doing computing intensive tasks or when multitasking. In my opinion - since you are going with on-chip intel graphics -- upgrading to the better processor is the most worth it if the better model has Intel's 3000 or 4000 graphics. (maybe the Intel Core i3-3225?) I think that would be a good basic PC choice. (unless you spring for the quad core, which is obviously better)

Edit: One comment - the hard drive is much easier to upgrade later than the processor. (you just reinstall windows on a new hard drive) You should plan for the processor to last a little longer.
 

You want to buy it as a "set" so it's all binned the same.
 


Since you are only using 50gb currently, and presumably will not operate any differently with a desktop, 120gb should be plenty.
I have been using a 180gb drive for some time. I still have 70gb free out of 167gb available. That includes the os, half a dozen games and a photo library of 2800 photos. The SSD helps in more than booting, the os does lots of catalog searches and updates.
When you do updates or virus scans, it is very quick.

If you are concerned about space, there are options:
a. You could increase the SSD to 180gb. The 180gb intel 330 will be $154 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167122

b. You could add a hard drive either now, or later. Yes, you can do both. A large hard drive is good for video files which tend to be very large. A WD caviar blue 250gb drive would be $60. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136771

I do not think the i5-2310 quad will be of any great value to you. Only if you were to be using multithreaded enabled apps, like video editors would a quad core be of any help. To my mind, the ivy bridge duo w/ht i3-3220 @3.3 will be better. Ivy bridge cpu's are about 10% faster on a clock for clock basis than a sandy bridge. And. the HD2500 will be a bit stronger than the HD2000 graphics on the i5-2310. This is not important, since HD2000 will do the job anyway.