Low Budget Reliable Casual PC ($325)

[first@home]

Good evening. I am looking into building a PC for a family member. They will not be doing any gaming. They simply need something for casual tasks, such as Internet browsing, picture backups, and Facebook activities. At most, they will be using Photoshop Elements to keep track of photos and perform minor editing. I would like to piece something together that will be reliable and save money, but at the same time, it needs to be 'fast' for them. The budget I have is around $325. The case and the power supply are already in my possession, so they will not be included in the budget.

I really just wanted an opinion on better choices at this price range or if this is a reliable build. Thanks.

Here's my list of parts thus far: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/F4zVmG

Intel Pentium G3258 Haswell Dual-Core 3.2GHz LGA 1150 BX80646G3258-----$70
MSI Z97 PC Mate LGA 1150 Intel Z97 ATX Intel Motherboard------$100
G.SKILL Ripjaws X 4GB 2 x 2GB DDR3 F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL-------$47
Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM -------$55
LG Internal Super Multi Drive SATA Model GH24NSB0B------$14
LOGISYS Computer PS480D 480W ATX12V Power Supply-----$0
5.25" Generic Multi Memory SD Card Reader with FireWire------$19.70

Total current cost: ~$306

 

[noob222]

The one that you have looks great. You could even go with a cheaper Motherboard if you wanted like sa B81 or B85 seeing how this system won't be overclocked and you really won't be taking advantages that the Z series carries a premium for. I dont know how well that the included intel graphics will perform in video streaming. If you find that it is laking you can put the $45 saved on the Mobo into an r7-240

 

[first@home]

The one that you have looks great. You could even go with a cheaper Motherboard if you wanted like sa B81 or B85 seeing how this system won't be overclocked and you really won't be taking advantages that the Z series carries a premium for. I dont know how well that the included intel graphics will perform in video streaming. If you find that it is laking you can put the $45 saved on the Mobo into an r7-240

Thanks very much. I will consider this for sure.

 

[plywrlw]

How about this? You can swap out the SSD for a HDD if necessary for extra storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $298.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 17:10 EDT-0400

 

[noob222]

How about this? You can swap out the SSD for a HDD if necessary for extra storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $298.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 17:10 EDT-0400

Looks like an awesome build man good luck

 

[first@home]

How about this? You can swap out the SSD for a HDD if necessary for extra storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $298.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 17:10 EDT-0400

Thanks for the input. In this situation, I feel that I would greatly favor using the i3-4130. I will drop the $100 mobo and use the difference to pay for the 4130. Keep the comments coming if anyone else has an opinion.

 

[first@home]

Hey again guys. I was just wondering about how the A8-6500 by AMD compares to the Intel i3-4130. Passmark.com lists their average CPU performance as being very close to each other while GPU performance on the AMD wins out by a good amount. Can anyone comment on the better choice for reliability and over all performance. This PC is only for 720p at most, but I'd like it to be as balanced as possible.

Maybe with this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130741

 

[plywrlw]

Hey again guys. I was just wondering about how the A8-6500 by AMD compares to the Intel i3-4130. Passmark.com lists their average CPU performance as being very close to each other while GPU performance on the AMD wins out by a good amount. Can anyone comment on the better choice for reliability and over all performance. This PC is only for 720p at most, but I'd like it to be as balanced as possible.

Maybe with this motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130741

If they're not going to be using to play games then get the i3. I have a Pentium G3220 in my HTPC that plays blu-rays at 1080p using the integrated graphics just fine and the i3's integrated graphics are much better. The per thread performance of the A8 cannot touch the i3's