New Build Home Use PC - Approx £400

Exitalterego

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Apr 17, 2013
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So yesterday my boss asked me to build him a PC for general home use. I said "OK, not a problem" except that now I've come to think about it I do have a bit of a problem. I've always built my own computers so have plenty of experience in putting them together but they have always been monster gaming rigs, not small low power home systems which means I don't really know what to look for or take into consideration. So here's my cry for some assistance.

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There a few things to keep in mind when suggesting systems though.

Firstly, small form factor is crucial. He has said that he would like something similar in size to his office PC (a Dell Optimax 780). I'm therefore thinking a mini-ITX board and case should be used.

Secondly, and possibly most awkwardly, my boss wants to have two monitors plugged in, except that these are old VGA monitors, so there needs to be a GPU with dual VGA adaptors.

Thirdly, and what is causing me the most concerns are PSU's. I really have no idea what kind of power consumption this type of machine would need or what to look for to fit in a mini-ITX case.

Forthly, usage will pretty much be limited to web browsing and office work.

Finally, he doesn't want something that after 2 years use will take 10 minutes to open a browser window or communicate with a printer.

With all this in mind I have looked at the following parts:
Intel Core i3-xxxxT - low power models
Mini-ITX motherboard
An SSD for OS and other key programs - currently thinking 120GB should suffice but smaller may be better.
An HDD for file storage - less than 500GB. He largly keeps important files backed up onto external drives.

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As per the asking for "New Build Help" sticky, here is the template and answers.

Approximate Purchase Date: Any time within the next month

Budget Range: approx. £400. Less would be preferable

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Internet surfing and general office usage

Are you buying a monitor: Probably not

Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM) **Include Power Supply Make & Model If Re-using**

Do you need to buy OS: Most likely yes (Windows 7 Home Premium) 64-bit

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: dabs.com, ebuyer.com or scan.co.uk

Location: Liverpool, UK

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Unknown

Additional Comments: Needs to be a small form factor. No desktop towers need apply!

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Thanks in advance for any help!
 

yasserBasha

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Mar 23, 2013
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11,060
How about this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£49.14 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£41.40 @ Aria PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£25.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial V4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£47.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.82 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6670 2GB Video Card (£54.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£29.38 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply (£34.50 @ Ebuyer)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£68.39 @ Aria PC)
Total: £395.60
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-18 12:29 BST+0100)

Tell me what you think
 

Poprin

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Dec 13, 2012
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YasserBasha has hit the nail on the head there I would say, I personally wouldn't bother with the standard HDD if he uses external, depends on the files he will be saving but with modest apps and light office use 128gb SSD will more than suffice... that's all I use in mine currently and I've got plenty of space even with about 4 large games installed.
 

Poprin

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Dec 13, 2012
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Although just realised that pricing is for a 64gb SSD... so maybe spend a bit more on a 128gb SSD instead and leave out the HDD would be a better suggestion.
 

yasserBasha

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Mar 23, 2013
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Well ... he wants an SSD for boot and standard HDD for storage, and he stated that he wouldn't mind less space than 120gb.

But thank u poprin, and i hope The OP replies to his own thread .. :D
 

Exitalterego

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
3
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10,510
Hi guys,

Thanks to yasserBasha for the build suggestion. I'll take it to my boss and see if he is happy with it. I'll also mention the possibility of just using the single larger SSD to him and see what he wants to do.

It's also nice to see that since you've done that build, the total price seems to have dropped another £30 :p

I'll get back to you guys if there are any revisions to be made.

 

yasserBasha

Honorable
Mar 23, 2013
853
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11,060


The build dropped £30 beacuse the HDD i put ran out of stock!! :(
so the HDD will cost app. £45 and the build will cost £407.

If you are to use a single SSD, don't get other than Samsung 840 pro series :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009LI7CTY/?tag=pcp0f-21

That is the best, by ALL means
Best luck
 

jack95755

Honorable
Apr 18, 2013
7
0
10,510
CPU AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor £76.27 £76.27 Aria PC Buy
Motherboard ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard £58.70 FREE £58.70 Amazon UK Buy
Memory Patriot Intel Extreme Master, Limited Ed 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory £41.45 FREE £41.45 Amazon UK Buy
Storage Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive £45.54 £45.54 Aria PC Buy
Video Card Asus Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card £47.99 £5.98 £53.97 Overclockers.co.uk Buy
Case Fractal Design Core 1000 MicroATX Mini Tower Case £29.38 FREE £29.38 Ebuyer Buy
Power Supply Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply £34.50 FREE £34.50 Ebuyer Buy
Optical Drive Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer £11.13 £11.13 Amazon UK Buy
Operating System Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

£20 over is okay, right?