Budget build what platform?

[felang]

So I´ve been wanting to replace my niece´s pc (p4) with something a little more modern. It would mostly be used for school work (MS Office), and basic web browsing and flash games.

I´m definitely getting a small SSD as a boot drive (64gb) and already have 2x2 GB of DDR3, various HD´s and a Corsair PSU lying around. So would only need to buy a mobo + CPU as I believe integrated video would be more than enough.

So, what options should I be looking at? What´s the best "bang for the buck" currently? Don´t really care if it´s AMD or INTEL... my budget is not really set but I obviously would like to spend as little as possible.

 

[AtenRa]

I would get a Llano A6-3670K

 

[exar333]

Llano or G630 with a cheap motherboard would be more than enough. Get the best deal.

 

[felang]

I´m starting to lean towards LLano just because it seems to do a lot better in Gaming than INTEL HD Graphics, and because H61 mobo´s don´t seem to natively support SATA 6gb.

 

[lehtv]

If all you play are flash games, I don't think graphics capability should be a big concern. H67 boards tend to be more expensive than FM1 sata 6gb/s boards though.

 

[Ketchup]

If it is for a niece who is doing school work/ flash, do you think an SSD is worth the hassle?

 

[felang]

If it is for a niece who is doing school work/ flash, do you think an SSD is worth the hassle?

Not really... I just think it makes the system a lot "snappier" and I can get a decent 60gb drive for about 65 bucks... it´s more about me being annoyed by long boot times than actually needing an ssd.

I could always use it as a boot drive for my htpc if I feel it´s not worth it for that particular pc.

Also, what do you guys think about the sandy bridge based pentiums, for example the G620 vs let´s say a Llano A6-3650 or a Core i3-2100?

 

[Dave3000]

I recommend an i5 2300 or 2400 paired withan H67 chipset based motherboard. Those motherboards have an HDMI port and use the integrated video capabilities of the Sandy Bridge CPUs. No need for dedicated graphics cards for MS Office or internet browsing if you have intergrated graphics on a motherboard or a on a CPU.

 

[Chiropteran]

Do you have access to a microcenter? FX-4100 or 6100 with the free motherboard bundle would be incredibly cheap and perfectly acceptable for the needs you listed.

 

[Charlie98]

I would get a Llano A6-3670K

Actually, I was just looking at that APU for a possible HTPC build, with a Gigabyte D2H FM1 board.

The Intel 3000HD graphics are pretty good, but I would expect the AMD graphics to be better, even.