My second build, a workstation for my mom - Will this work?

[Dico200]

Hello!

I'm planning to do my second PC build shortly. My mom is sick of using slow PCs and would love to have a PC workstation built by me. I have got a list of parts now:

Case - BitFenix Colossus Mini-ITX
Mobo - ASRock Z97M-ITX/ac
CPU - Intel Core i5 4460
CPU Cooler - CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
Memory - Corsair DDR3 Vengeance LP 2x4GB 1600Mhz
PSU - Corsair CS650M
SSD - Samsung 850EVO 250GB
HDD - Seagate 7200RPM 2TB

This is the build. These are the checks I have done so far to see if this will work:
- The motherboard is compatible with the CPU, as it has an LGA 1150 socket.
- The CPU and motherboard support no more than 1600Mhz clock on the RAM, so this RAM should work.
- There are 2 RAM slots in the mobo, check
- I should have enough power with this PSU (there's no GPU in the build)
- The 159mm tall CPU cooler fits in the 170mm clearance of this case
- The PSU fits perfectly in the case, at a size of PS2. However, the case specifications say there's clearance for 85mm height, the PSU is 86mm. I assume this is an error and it should fit fine.

I want to know if you see any errors with this list, incompatibilities that is. Any other advice is appreciated, I'm a very novice PC builder. I wonder if I should buy extra fans, the case provides 2 120mm fans, however it supports 5 (a mix of 120 and 140mm fans). I want the PC to be quiet.

Thank you very much!

 

[lucas_7_94]

CPU: Depends from which she's upgrading, if there only normal usage, a i3 will be good enough
Motherboard: You can go for B* or H* motherboards, they're cheaper and they will do the job as the Z97 will do.
CPU Cooler: Do you really need it? You can use the default stock cooler which comes with the CPU.
RAM: Depending the usage, maybe she will be fine with 4GB. 8GB is optional.
PSU: 650W is high for a non OC and no GPU. 350~ 450W is good enough for that system.

 

[greens]

The only thing i can think of would be to use 2x 1TB drives mirrored to prevent data loss. She probably doesn't have any backup solution or network storage to keep her data safe.

 

[Dico200]

The only thing i can think of would be to use 2x 1TB drives mirrored to prevent data loss. She probably doesn't have any backup solution or network storage to keep her data safe.

I did consider getting a RAID 1 option. Now that you mention it, 2x 1TB drives is a pretty good idea, I might do that. Thanks!

 

[bignastyid]

PSU choice is not good for longevity(poor capacitors) and 650w is massive overkill for a system using an igpu. I see absolutely no need for a Z97. Why are you using last gen parts?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H110I PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($33.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $540.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 12:47 EDT-0400

 

[Dico200]

CPU: Depends from which she's upgrading, if there only normal usage, a i3 will be good enough
Motherboard: You can go for B* or H* motherboards, they're cheaper and they will do the job as the Z97 will do.
CPU Cooler: Do you really need it? You can use the default stock cooler which comes with the CPU.
RAM: Depending the usage, maybe she will be fine with 4GB. 8GB is optional.
PSU: 650W is high for a non OC and no GPU. 350~ 450W is good enough for that system.

That's true, an i3 is alright, however she'd like to have similar performance to what she had at her work office (where she was fired from). I had initially selected an H81-I motherboard from Asus but it's pretty crappy. This motherboard isn't much more expensive and comes with a few more things in-built, so I am happy with it. I asked a friend for advice and was told that the 430W PSU I had would have me burning rubber. She said 600-650W will give comfortable room and performance, and she supported this with some form of proof. I'll be happy with this PSU. The cooler is not expensive and I used it in my previous PC build. Really good in my opinion, keeps the CPU very cool and it's much quieter than garbage intel stock coolers. I might indeed downgrade to 4GB, that's an option. Thanks for the ideas and advice

 

[greens]

CPU: Depends from which she's upgrading, if there only normal usage, a i3 will be good enough
Motherboard: You can go for B* or H* motherboards, they're cheaper and they will do the job as the Z97 will do.
CPU Cooler: Do you really need it? You can use the default stock cooler which comes with the CPU.
RAM: Depending the usage, maybe she will be fine with 4GB. 8GB is optional.
PSU: 650W is high for a non OC and no GPU. 350~ 450W is good enough for that system.

That's true, an i3 is alright, however she'd like to have similar performance to what she had at her work office (where she was fired from). I had initially selected an H81-I motherboard from Asus but it's pretty crappy. This motherboard isn't much more expensive and comes with a few more things in-built, so I am happy with it. I asked a friend for advice and was told that the 430W PSU I had would have me burning rubber. She said 600-650W will give comfortable room and performance, and she supported this with some form of proof. I'll be happy with this PSU. The cooler is not expensive and I used it in my previous PC build. Really good in my opinion, keeps the CPU very cool and it's much quieter than garbage intel stock coolers. I might indeed downgrade to 4GB, that's an option. Thanks for the ideas and advice

I think in this day and age a work station should have 4 cores, i'm with you.

I also think the corsair psus get a lot of hate. Sure, the caps might not be the best, but for the money? and like you say, it will be running at less than half capacity, giving it a nice light and easy load.

If you do decide to downgrade ram (i wouldn't, apparently none of these guys use chrome) make sure you use two sticks to get dual channel. and buying 2x2GB sticks just seems like, a waste of money?

I think you did good man.

 

[Dico200]

PSU choice is not good for longevity(poor capacitors) and 650w is massive overkill for a system using an igpu. I see absolutely no need for a Z97. Why are you using last gen parts?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H110I PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($33.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $540.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 12:47 EDT-0400

You make a good point! I don't know why I'm using last gen parts. I should probably even consider new gen parts. I'll look into that. That's a nice parts list, would it work with the Colossus Mini-ITX or Micro-ATX?
A rewiew on the CS650M mentioned that it has a few japanese capacitors and a few from decent brands, could this be incorrect? I know very little about PSUs. Are Japanese capacitors good for longevity? I'll look into a cheaper mobo too then, I want to find one that conveniently includes wifi connectivity though.
The motherboard in your setup - I think it doesn't have wifi, I can get a PCI card for that. But it requires DDR4, which I believe is a bit more expensive right?
Thank you very much for your reply

 

[Dico200]

CPU: Depends from which she's upgrading, if there only normal usage, a i3 will be good enough
Motherboard: You can go for B* or H* motherboards, they're cheaper and they will do the job as the Z97 will do.
CPU Cooler: Do you really need it? You can use the default stock cooler which comes with the CPU.
RAM: Depending the usage, maybe she will be fine with 4GB. 8GB is optional.
PSU: 650W is high for a non OC and no GPU. 350~ 450W is good enough for that system.

That's true, an i3 is alright, however she'd like to have similar performance to what she had at her work office (where she was fired from). I had initially selected an H81-I motherboard from Asus but it's pretty crappy. This motherboard isn't much more expensive and comes with a few more things in-built, so I am happy with it. I asked a friend for advice and was told that the 430W PSU I had would have me burning rubber. She said 600-650W will give comfortable room and performance, and she supported this with some form of proof. I'll be happy with this PSU. The cooler is not expensive and I used it in my previous PC build. Really good in my opinion, keeps the CPU very cool and it's much quieter than garbage intel stock coolers. I might indeed downgrade to 4GB, that's an option. Thanks for the ideas and advice

I think in this day and age a work station should have 4 cores, i'm with you.

I also think the corsair psus get a lot of hate. Sure, the caps might not be the best, but for the money? and like you say, it will be running at less than half capacity, giving it a nice light and easy load.

If you do decide to downgrade ram (i wouldn't, apparently none of these guys use chrome) make sure you use two sticks to get dual channel. and buying 2x2GB sticks just seems like, a waste of money?

I think you did good man.

Thank you but I should definitely look into slightly cheaper motherboards and new-gen intel cpus!

 

[bignastyid]

PSU choice is not good for longevity(poor capacitors) and 650w is massive overkill for a system using an igpu. I see absolutely no need for a Z97. Why are you using last gen parts?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H110I PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($33.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $540.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 12:47 EDT-0400

You make a good point! I don't know why I'm using last gen parts. I should probably even consider new gen parts. I'll look into that. That's a nice parts list, would it work with the Colossus Mini-ITX or Micro-ATX?
A rewiew on the CS650M mentioned that it has a few japanese capacitors and a few from decent brands, could this be incorrect? I know very little about PSUs. Are Japanese capacitors good for longevity? I'll look into a cheaper mobo too then, I want to find one that conveniently includes wifi connectivity though.
The motherboard in your setup - I think it doesn't have wifi, I can get a PCI card for that. But it requires DDR4, which I believe is a bit more expensive right?
Thank you very much for your reply

The only good capacitors are on the CS is on the primary side(nippons). The secondary side is teapo caps, while not horrible, they are not real good either and would work for the system but there are better choices available for the system that cost less and are better quality.

The motherboard in my build does support wifi, it supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) up to 867Mbps speed.

Currently there is not alot of price difference between ddr3 and ddr4. When ddr4 first came out it was expensive but since it is now main stream price have dropped alot.

 

[Dico200]

PSU choice is not good for longevity(poor capacitors) and 650w is massive overkill for a system using an igpu. I see absolutely no need for a Z97. Why are you using last gen parts?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.74 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H110I PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($85.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($33.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($79.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $540.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-12 12:47 EDT-0400

You make a good point! I don't know why I'm using last gen parts. I should probably even consider new gen parts. I'll look into that. That's a nice parts list, would it work with the Colossus Mini-ITX or Micro-ATX?
A rewiew on the CS650M mentioned that it has a few japanese capacitors and a few from decent brands, could this be incorrect? I know very little about PSUs. Are Japanese capacitors good for longevity? I'll look into a cheaper mobo too then, I want to find one that conveniently includes wifi connectivity though.
The motherboard in your setup - I think it doesn't have wifi, I can get a PCI card for that. But it requires DDR4, which I believe is a bit more expensive right?
Thank you very much for your reply

The only good capacitors are on the CS is on the primary side(nippons). The secondary side is teapo caps, while not horrible, they are not real good either and would work for the system but there are better choices available for the system that cost less and are better quality.

The motherboard in my build does support wifi, it supports 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual band (2.4GHz, 5GHz) up to 867Mbps speed.

Currently there is not alot of price difference between ddr3 and ddr4. When ddr4 first came out it was expensive but since it is now main stream price have dropped alot.

Alright, I will definitely look into adopting some if not many of your parts then!