Need help building custom pc please

[bigdave787]

hi, first time posting here, i currently have a macbook pro which i dont really NEED ya know and i have finished my first year in college (pc maintenance and networks).. anyway my dads last 2 laptop were cheap and broke down after a year or so and i was thinkin about building my own desktop pc for my room and then give him my macbook because.. well why not hes my dad. So the pc i plan on building does not have to be special, not really going to be gaming.. just want to build a solid pc to do college work on (visual basic and ms word etc) plus the odd bit of surfing the web and using email and so on.. my price range is planning on something around 400-700 EUROS not including a monitor as il maybe pick a second hand samsung screen on adverts or something.. can someone help me out? im not asking for you to go and put everything together but just a start like the motherboard, best cpu to go with and ram and il try go from there.. any help with be appreciated everyone, Thanks in advance.

 

[Jonathan Sifleet]

Try reposting this in systems.

 

[serge44]

For your needs you should be able to make one quite cheaply. I'd go with an APU (CPU and GPU integrated into one chip), probably this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

It's a $70 AMD-A6 quad-core 2.6 GHz that has a Radeon 6530D in its guts. It'll be more than enough for what you want and will also let you be able to do some moderate gaming and play HD videos smoothly. You don't need to buy a discrete video card with this. Pair it with a motherboard such as this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641

That's a $58 MSI A55M-P33, which is quite solid and has a UEFI bios. Some people don't like MSI, but you could easily find something in its same range.

As for RAM, DDR3 1333MHz should be your pick, just get a reputable brand such as G.Skill or Corsair. My advice is get a 4GB kit (2x2GB) or a 8GB kit (2x4GB) if you do intend to game a bit more or run heavier programs, although I believe that 4 GB should do the trick for your needs, and that'd be around $40 (the 8GB Kit could be around $60-70).

The rest is easy:
+ HDD: WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, around $60.
+ PSU: Any good brand 450-500W, preferably 80+ certified. The Anteq Basiq BP430 (430W) is $50.
+ Any case you like (your MB is a micro ATX so if you don't plan on adding a huge fan or video card, get a small and neat microATX one). The Antec VSK-3000 is just about $20 bucks.
+ Any DVD-RW ($20?).

And voilá, there's a good, solid, and relatively fast PC at a ridiculous $318, all included except monitor, mouse and keyboard.

 

[bigdave787]

For your needs you should be able to make one quite cheaply. I'd go with an APU (CPU and GPU integrated into one chip), probably this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

It's a $70 AMD-A6 quad-core 2.6 GHz that has a Radeon 6530D in its guts. It'll be more than enough for what you want and will also let you be able to do some moderate gaming and play HD videos smoothly. You don't need to buy a discrete video card with this. Pair it with a motherboard such as this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641

That's a $58 MSI A55M-P33, which is quite solid and has a UEFI bios. Some people don't like MSI, but you could easily find something in its same range.

As for RAM, DDR3 1333MHz should be your pick, just get a reputable brand such as G.Skill or Corsair. My advice is get a 4GB kit (2x2GB) or a 8GB kit (2x4GB) if you do intend to game a bit more or run heavier programs, although I believe that 4 GB should do the trick for your needs, and that'd be around $40 (the 8GB Kit could be around $60-70).

The rest is easy:
+ HDD: WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, around $60.
+ PSU: Any good brand 450-500W, preferably 80+ certified. The Anteq Basiq BP430 (430W) is $50.
+ Any case you like (your MB is a micro ATX so if you don't plan on adding a huge fan or video card, get a small and neat microATX one). The Antec VSK-3000 is just about $20 bucks.
+ Any DVD-RW ($20?).

And voilá, there's a good, solid, and relatively fast PC at a ridiculous $318, all included except monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Hi thanks for your help serge44.. the only thing is i would want to use wireless internet so what network card would you suggest?

 

[serge44]

For your needs you should be able to make one quite cheaply. I'd go with an APU (CPU and GPU integrated into one chip), probably this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

It's a $70 AMD-A6 quad-core 2.6 GHz that has a Radeon 6530D in its guts. It'll be more than enough for what you want and will also let you be able to do some moderate gaming and play HD videos smoothly. You don't need to buy a discrete video card with this. Pair it with a motherboard such as this one:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641

That's a $58 MSI A55M-P33, which is quite solid and has a UEFI bios. Some people don't like MSI, but you could easily find something in its same range.

As for RAM, DDR3 1333MHz should be your pick, just get a reputable brand such as G.Skill or Corsair. My advice is get a 4GB kit (2x2GB) or a 8GB kit (2x4GB) if you do intend to game a bit more or run heavier programs, although I believe that 4 GB should do the trick for your needs, and that'd be around $40 (the 8GB Kit could be around $60-70).

The rest is easy:
+ HDD: WD Blue WD10EZEX 1 TB, around $60.
+ PSU: Any good brand 450-500W, preferably 80+ certified. The Anteq Basiq BP430 (430W) is $50.
+ Any case you like (your MB is a micro ATX so if you don't plan on adding a huge fan or video card, get a small and neat microATX one). The Antec VSK-3000 is just about $20 bucks.
+ Any DVD-RW ($20?).

And voilá, there's a good, solid, and relatively fast PC at a ridiculous $318, all included except monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Hi thanks for your help serge44.. the only thing is i would want to use wireless internet so what network card would you suggest?

Most WiFi adapters come in USB now. This one's quite neat, it's USB but has a powerful antenna within it, at $16:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

This one's PCI, I personally prefer them, and the Motherboard I previously recommended DOES have a PCI port. If you decide to get another motherboard, make sure it has a PCI port if you're getting this one. $13:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166021

And if you're close to your router and don't need the extra reach, this is as compact as it gets, $10:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315091

They all work the same, although I personally lean towards connecting a desktop PC trough a ethernet cable to the router. But I'm sure you'll be alright.