Hello everyone. I've built myself a computer earlier this year (i5 2500K, HD 7850 2GB, Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3, Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB). This time I'm building one for my girlfriend.
First and foremost, let's get this out of the way...
Approximate purchase date: January 2013
Budget range: 4500 kuna ($750)
System usage: Internet, gaming, office, multimedia
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to upgrade: Case and everything inside it
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website for parts: www.nabava.net (Croatian site, index for most Croatian stores)
Location: Croatia, Zagreb
Parts preferences: Intel CPU, AMD GPU
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your monitor resolution: 1920x1080
Additional comments: Prices are in local currency (kuna), current exchange rate is $1 = 5.72 kuna, things are more expensive here than in US
Why are you upgrading: Old PC is old
This is what I've come up with so far:
CPU: Intel Core i3 3220 3.2GHz (882 kn = $154)
GPU: MSI HD 7850 1GB GDDR5 OC (1324 kn = $231)
MoBo: Asus P8H77-V (826 kn = $144)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB 1600MHz (350 kn = $61)
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500GB (429 kn = $75)
PSU: XFX Core Edition 450W (419 kn = $73)
Case: Thermaltake V4 Black Edition (304 kn = $53)
i3 2120 should be enough for her needs. She's not a gamer, mainly because her computer is too old to run YouTube videos properly, let alone modern games. However, she would like to play a game here and there. Currently she's interested in Portal and Portal 2 and her sister is interested in more recent Tomb Rider titles. Next step up is i5 2400 which is, in my opinion, too big of a step up in both price and performance.
HD 7850 should be enough for most modern games in full HD resolution. Details don't have to be highest, she doesn't care for that. I personally have overclocked HD 7850 with 2GB and it runs games on ultra details at 2560x1440 just fine, with playable FPS (I just have to reduce AA and AO in most demanding games).
I'm not sure about the motherboard. High end motherboard is obviously not needed because there will be no overclocking or CrossFire, but I still don't want to get something cheap and low quality. I tried to find some good H67 or even P67 board, but it seems their availability is very limited so I guess H77 is the way to go. Any recommendations?
8 GB of RAM is more than she needs, but with current RAM prices, it would be a shame to go any lower.
500 GB of space is enough for her needs. I personally have Caviar Blue (640GB) and my brother also has one (500GB) and we're both satisfied with it.
XFX is reliable (rebranded Seasonic) and affordable and 450W should be enough for i3 and HD 7850. Should I go with 550W just to be safe? I have XFX 650W and no problems so far.
I'm not sure about the case. I've read mixed reviews about Thermaltake V4, but for that money, I don't think there's better option. Case selection in that price range is rather poor, at least where I live. Most good cases are $90 and up, which is too much in my opinion. I was thinking about Antec 300, but it seems to have disappeared from the market. Any recommendations? Try to look for it on www.nabava.net first (if you manage to figure it out since it's not in English) and see if you can find it.
Thanks for help.
First and foremost, let's get this out of the way...
Approximate purchase date: January 2013
Budget range: 4500 kuna ($750)
System usage: Internet, gaming, office, multimedia
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to upgrade: Case and everything inside it
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website for parts: www.nabava.net (Croatian site, index for most Croatian stores)
Location: Croatia, Zagreb
Parts preferences: Intel CPU, AMD GPU
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your monitor resolution: 1920x1080
Additional comments: Prices are in local currency (kuna), current exchange rate is $1 = 5.72 kuna, things are more expensive here than in US
Why are you upgrading: Old PC is old
This is what I've come up with so far:
CPU: Intel Core i3 3220 3.2GHz (882 kn = $154)
GPU: MSI HD 7850 1GB GDDR5 OC (1324 kn = $231)
MoBo: Asus P8H77-V (826 kn = $144)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB 1600MHz (350 kn = $61)
HDD: WD Caviar Blue 500GB (429 kn = $75)
PSU: XFX Core Edition 450W (419 kn = $73)
Case: Thermaltake V4 Black Edition (304 kn = $53)
i3 2120 should be enough for her needs. She's not a gamer, mainly because her computer is too old to run YouTube videos properly, let alone modern games. However, she would like to play a game here and there. Currently she's interested in Portal and Portal 2 and her sister is interested in more recent Tomb Rider titles. Next step up is i5 2400 which is, in my opinion, too big of a step up in both price and performance.
HD 7850 should be enough for most modern games in full HD resolution. Details don't have to be highest, she doesn't care for that. I personally have overclocked HD 7850 with 2GB and it runs games on ultra details at 2560x1440 just fine, with playable FPS (I just have to reduce AA and AO in most demanding games).
I'm not sure about the motherboard. High end motherboard is obviously not needed because there will be no overclocking or CrossFire, but I still don't want to get something cheap and low quality. I tried to find some good H67 or even P67 board, but it seems their availability is very limited so I guess H77 is the way to go. Any recommendations?
8 GB of RAM is more than she needs, but with current RAM prices, it would be a shame to go any lower.
500 GB of space is enough for her needs. I personally have Caviar Blue (640GB) and my brother also has one (500GB) and we're both satisfied with it.
XFX is reliable (rebranded Seasonic) and affordable and 450W should be enough for i3 and HD 7850. Should I go with 550W just to be safe? I have XFX 650W and no problems so far.
I'm not sure about the case. I've read mixed reviews about Thermaltake V4, but for that money, I don't think there's better option. Case selection in that price range is rather poor, at least where I live. Most good cases are $90 and up, which is too much in my opinion. I was thinking about Antec 300, but it seems to have disappeared from the market. Any recommendations? Try to look for it on www.nabava.net first (if you manage to figure it out since it's not in English) and see if you can find it.
Thanks for help.
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