If your rep says they can't do any better, tell them you're going with a different vendor. They usually magically come up with a better price at that point.
If your rep says they can't do any better, tell them you're going with a different vendor. They usually magically come up with a better price at that point.
A tired old Pentium and 4GB RAM won't last 5yrs+. You want an i5 with 8GB RAM minimum with either a HDD or SSD depending on where you get it from. Contact the big boys and see what they can crank out for you. Dell would give you a pretty good deal on 30 boxes.
mvbighead
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2009
- 3,793
- 1
- 81
While I can certainly appreciate the sentiment of everyone suggesting pre-built, I'll just say this...
I came from a school where all lab computers were self built. They weren't built by one teacher. They weren't built by the IT guy (or gal in our case). They were built by a class of students who were interested in that sort of thing. I was one of those students. We built lab computers for the middle school, junior high, and high school labs. We built classroom systems. The majority of those students went through college and on to become IT professionals, myself included. And repairing self built systems is easy, and a learning experience for students in many cases.
If you have anything like that, I'd say build your own. And you likely have a volume license as a part of the school I suspect, so buying prebuilt which pretty much always includes that license isn't going to save you anything.
Here's what I came up with at your price point:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DGzhLk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DGzhLk/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-S1 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $320.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 09:19 EDT-0400
EDIT: There is still room to spare, so I might consider getting a better board. Not sure where Gigabyte falls these days.
I came from a school where all lab computers were self built. They weren't built by one teacher. They weren't built by the IT guy (or gal in our case). They were built by a class of students who were interested in that sort of thing. I was one of those students. We built lab computers for the middle school, junior high, and high school labs. We built classroom systems. The majority of those students went through college and on to become IT professionals, myself included. And repairing self built systems is easy, and a learning experience for students in many cases.
If you have anything like that, I'd say build your own. And you likely have a volume license as a part of the school I suspect, so buying prebuilt which pretty much always includes that license isn't going to save you anything.
Here's what I came up with at your price point:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DGzhLk
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DGzhLk/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-S1 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $320.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 09:19 EDT-0400
EDIT: There is still room to spare, so I might consider getting a better board. Not sure where Gigabyte falls these days.
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Gunbuster
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 6,852
- 23
- 81
We'll I'll give you that, if you can trick students into doing it for you at something like $900 per credit hour that's the way to go...
mvbighead
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2009
- 3,793
- 1
- 81
$900 per credit hour? Try free, public high school.
If you're given the option of taking another math or language course, vs a course about the basics of personal computers... I know what class I would have taken then and now.
Something else I thought of:
Building a PC is essentially an extinct skill. It's essentially completely useless in any corporate environment and nearly pointless in the home unless you're a gamer type. Having some basic hardware familiarity comes in handy at times but full builds from boxed components has been an enthusiast only activity for at least a decade - It has next to no real-world value. I don't like that this is how it is but hardware has been completely commoditized for a long time. Software is where it's at.
Instead of giving your students that experience, give them the experience of being involved in the deployment and management of a group of machines including OS and software deployment, policy based management, security, backups/imaging, etc. That is useful in the real world.
The best part about this is you can repeat this year after year if you want to re-roll your system image for a new year. Multiple groups of students can benefit from this vs just one going a DIY route.
Viper GTS
Building a PC is essentially an extinct skill. It's essentially completely useless in any corporate environment and nearly pointless in the home unless you're a gamer type. Having some basic hardware familiarity comes in handy at times but full builds from boxed components has been an enthusiast only activity for at least a decade - It has next to no real-world value. I don't like that this is how it is but hardware has been completely commoditized for a long time. Software is where it's at.
Instead of giving your students that experience, give them the experience of being involved in the deployment and management of a group of machines including OS and software deployment, policy based management, security, backups/imaging, etc. That is useful in the real world.
The best part about this is you can repeat this year after year if you want to re-roll your system image for a new year. Multiple groups of students can benefit from this vs just one going a DIY route.
Viper GTS
mvbighead
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2009
- 3,793
- 1
- 81
You're talking as if building a computer takes a full 3 months to accomplish. You could likely teach a group of high schoolers one day, and have them perform it the next. At most you're looking at a week's worth of information. As for our class, we often received donations of pre-built machines that we then disassembled and reassembled for the purposes of learning. Excess was often given or sold to low income households.
Then you have OS deployment, diagnosis/troubleshooting, etc. etc. However far you want to take it.
You may very well be right that it is a dying skill set, but it really is something ANYONE can accomplish if they just take a few minutes to learn the basics. And understanding each step along the way can be beneficial. I would say that the building aspect is likely the least important, but there is still value.
Ketchup
Elite Member
- Sep 1, 2002
- 14,559
- 248
- 106
lsommerer, don't listen to the doubters. I like the approach here.
I like the build in your op, but I would like to know what you are upgrading from. Are you looking for something significantly better in any aspect, or are we just looking at "tired" machines with a good learning opportunity for students?
I like the build in your op, but I would like to know what you are upgrading from. Are you looking for something significantly better in any aspect, or are we just looking at "tired" machines with a good learning opportunity for students?
You may not want to hear what I have to say. This may be a case where talking to a business representative could give you a better deal If you plan on purchasing them all at once with the same exact specifications.
You could approach this a couple of ways. You could buy say 10 or 15 to a higher specification and then purchase some of them to a lower specification just for internet browsing. You could also just buy 10 computers every year. Buying all your computers at once is not such a good idea.
I work at a community college and we have all kinds of different computer labs. We order them all from DELL for most locations and we also order a few Apple computers for certain artistic applications. Then we might also buy server gear from IBM or some other company. We order them in such a way with an education/business discount. Large OEMs will probably offer them at a discount.
Keep in mind they should all be hooked to some kind of a server or other networking gear if you plan on connecting to the Internet. I would not try wireless for 30 workstations without some professional help in sizing the support equipment.
You could approach this a couple of ways. You could buy say 10 or 15 to a higher specification and then purchase some of them to a lower specification just for internet browsing. You could also just buy 10 computers every year. Buying all your computers at once is not such a good idea.
I work at a community college and we have all kinds of different computer labs. We order them all from DELL for most locations and we also order a few Apple computers for certain artistic applications. Then we might also buy server gear from IBM or some other company. We order them in such a way with an education/business discount. Large OEMs will probably offer them at a discount.
Keep in mind they should all be hooked to some kind of a server or other networking gear if you plan on connecting to the Internet. I would not try wireless for 30 workstations without some professional help in sizing the support equipment.
- Oct 25, 1999
- 29,544
- 421
- 126
With all due respect OP, there are few pros and a lot of cons to this project.
That said: "future proof".
At the moment that a Builder uses this term concerning computer hardware, I have sever doubts of his/her capacity to do such a project.
Jack, please don't insult the OP, you know better.
mfenn
General Hardware Moderator
That said: "future proof".
At the moment that a Builder uses this term concerning computer hardware, I have sever doubts of his/her capacity to do such a project.
Jack, please don't insult the OP, you know better.
mfenn
General Hardware Moderator
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vailr
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 5,365
- 54
- 91
The OP's plan was to plan on upgrading again in another 5 years or so. While trying to stay within a yearly budget of ~$70 per machine, if possible.
You may complain that with better funding, you could end up with something "spiffier".
But: unless you're willing to donate $$'s to the OP's school project, try and describe a better method of obtaining (non-refurbished) hardware, that looks good and operates with adequate speed for the intended purpose.
If purchased from Dell/Lenovo/HP with a one year on-site labor warranty, that's going to increase the overall cost to some extent. However: if assembled by the students & simply "self insured", that increases the worry factor somewhat, but could also make the overall cost lower.
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mvbighead
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2009
- 3,793
- 1
- 81
With all due respect OP, there are few pros and a lot of cons to this project.
That said: "future proof".
At the moment that a Builder uses this term concerning computer hardware, I have sever doubts of his/her capacity to do such a project.
10 years ago, sure. But this day and age?
To me, there are two things that dramatically shifted the landscape for computing:
1) Tablets
2) Multi-core home user systems
In the past, going from a single core 2.0GHz whatever to an equivalent 2.4GHz or 3.0GHz provided very little difference in terms of multitasking. It merely meant your computer could get through each job quicker. But when the CPU was pegged, it was pegged and you would see sluggish performance until the work was complete.
As for tablets, the general trend for today's tech is multi-core low wattage that can allow for extended battery life.
So at this point, my wife has my Q6600 CPU and I have an i5 3.2. In terms of day to day office tasks, there is very little difference. When it comes to encoding dvd/bluray rips, mine is worlds faster. I could absolutely do everything I need to do on that Q6600 without a single issue, and that is an 8 year old processor.
The only major differences that I can see are when it comes to waiting for jobs to finish and power consumption. Fairly sure the i5 is hands down better, but there are never any performance issues with that Q6600. It just takes certain jobs longer, which is to be expected. One doesn't really notice the difference of a task taking 1.6 seconds vs 1.2 seconds.
Lastly, the growth of SSD usage can make very old hardware acceptable for daily use, as that is where the majority of lag comes from.
DigDog
Lifer
- Jun 3, 2011
- 14,448
- 2,873
- 126
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/GPhvQ7
$6000. 24 cores, 20TB in raid, 256Gb ram (possibly too much). should be enough for 30 users.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DfGhLk
$188. bottom rung intel. 128gb SSD, 4gb ram, celeron 1610. will work for 2-3 years doing basic office work (no minecraft).
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qF3N4D
$326. as above but with 4 core i5.
incidentally, i used to own that celeron, and it compares well to a Q6600.
$6000. 24 cores, 20TB in raid, 256Gb ram (possibly too much). should be enough for 30 users.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DfGhLk
$188. bottom rung intel. 128gb SSD, 4gb ram, celeron 1610. will work for 2-3 years doing basic office work (no minecraft).
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qF3N4D
$326. as above but with 4 core i5.
incidentally, i used to own that celeron, and it compares well to a Q6600.
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I'm going to try to reply to a lot of what's being suggested in one post, rather than reply individually as I did on the first dozen replies.
First of all, I really appreciate all of the feedback, from people who consider this a good idea and from those who consider it, well, lets just say questionable. I'll try to fill in a little more of the details here.
Just buy from Dell/HP/Lenovo...
I don't think this is a bad idea (see replies above). My initial look at prices seemed to indicate that I couldn't come near what I had in my budget going that route, which is one of the reasons I thought we would just build them. Some of you suggested that I could get better prices than I was seeing, so I have contacted some vendors and they are getting pricing together for me.
I'll let you know when I hear more.
Warranties...
I've always had good luck with the computers we've purchased (or built) and I would consider it odd to have major problems with a lab of machines during the first few years of their life. Maybe a hard drive will flake out or a power supply will go bad. So I'm not so concerned whether I'm dealing with the warranty from Dell or from ASRock.
Of these 30 computers, 25 will go in a lab setting and 5 "spares" will go in the library. When a computer from the lab dies, one from the library will take it's place until we can take a look at it.
The learning experience...
There are students who are into gaming, and they want to know more about how to build their own computers. They ask me at school for advice. They ask you here for advice. I generally tell them what I know and them point them here.
I'll let our students know when we are doing this and there will be a dozen or so who are interested and available. Last time we did this we spent the morning talking about picking out parts and the afternoon building computers.
Last time everyone put together a couple of computers (we worked in pairs where some students knew more than their partners). And I had a few friends helping them test and trouble shoot them at the end. It would be more efficient and less error prone if we did it in more of an assembly line fashion, but less educational.
I also have students who help with the day to day technology related issues that come up, some of them will be interested and available for doing this and some will not be. It's not like I (or they) have to pick to do one or the other.
Future proofing...
It seems like that was a poor choice of words on my part. What I wanted to convey was that I knew that the build I proposed was better than what I actually currently need to run the software that we are currently running. I was trying to answer people questioning why I was considering 8GB of RAM or an SSD.
These computers will see at least one OS upgrade, one or two office upgrades and probably an Adobe Creative Suite upgrade if I can find the money for one. Along with whatever else happens in the next 5 years.
Current machines...
The current machines are mostly adequate to our current needs, but they are starting to fail in normal ways (which is fine) and in odd ways that are hard for me to replicate. This is what I would consider normal for 6 year old machines and to me it means that it's time to replace them.
Here are the specs for the current machines in the lab:
I made some mistakes last time that I'd like to not make again.
Building X computers every year...
This is an interesting idea, but there are a couple of practical problems with it. One is that I would have a lab with 5 different kinds of computers in it. From a students standpoint this isn't necessarily an issue, but it would be more work to maintain. I spend half my day teaching and half of my day as the technology coordinator. It's not a big school, but there are about 110 computers to keep working and all of the various technology that teachers use. I'm currently updating computers on a 5 year cycle: PC Lab, Mac Lab, Teachers, Office, Misc. I'm not doing that because I think it's a good idea, but because that's how much money I have.
Current specs...
Based on advice I've gotten here and elsewhere, I am leaning toward this set of parts (assuming, of course, that I don't get some good offers from vendors):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX/WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q01B Mini ITX Tower Case ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $367.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 17:40 EDT-0400
Here are the reasons for changes:
Thanks again for everyone who has given this some thought. All of your comments have been helpful. I'll be spending some time looking at some of the alternate builds you've proposed.
First of all, I really appreciate all of the feedback, from people who consider this a good idea and from those who consider it, well, lets just say questionable. I'll try to fill in a little more of the details here.
Just buy from Dell/HP/Lenovo...
I don't think this is a bad idea (see replies above). My initial look at prices seemed to indicate that I couldn't come near what I had in my budget going that route, which is one of the reasons I thought we would just build them. Some of you suggested that I could get better prices than I was seeing, so I have contacted some vendors and they are getting pricing together for me.
I'll let you know when I hear more.
Warranties...
I've always had good luck with the computers we've purchased (or built) and I would consider it odd to have major problems with a lab of machines during the first few years of their life. Maybe a hard drive will flake out or a power supply will go bad. So I'm not so concerned whether I'm dealing with the warranty from Dell or from ASRock.
Of these 30 computers, 25 will go in a lab setting and 5 "spares" will go in the library. When a computer from the lab dies, one from the library will take it's place until we can take a look at it.
The learning experience...
There are students who are into gaming, and they want to know more about how to build their own computers. They ask me at school for advice. They ask you here for advice. I generally tell them what I know and them point them here.
I'll let our students know when we are doing this and there will be a dozen or so who are interested and available. Last time we did this we spent the morning talking about picking out parts and the afternoon building computers.
Last time everyone put together a couple of computers (we worked in pairs where some students knew more than their partners). And I had a few friends helping them test and trouble shoot them at the end. It would be more efficient and less error prone if we did it in more of an assembly line fashion, but less educational.
I also have students who help with the day to day technology related issues that come up, some of them will be interested and available for doing this and some will not be. It's not like I (or they) have to pick to do one or the other.
Future proofing...
It seems like that was a poor choice of words on my part. What I wanted to convey was that I knew that the build I proposed was better than what I actually currently need to run the software that we are currently running. I was trying to answer people questioning why I was considering 8GB of RAM or an SSD.
These computers will see at least one OS upgrade, one or two office upgrades and probably an Adobe Creative Suite upgrade if I can find the money for one. Along with whatever else happens in the next 5 years.
Current machines...
The current machines are mostly adequate to our current needs, but they are starting to fail in normal ways (which is fine) and in odd ways that are hard for me to replicate. This is what I would consider normal for 6 year old machines and to me it means that it's time to replace them.
Here are the specs for the current machines in the lab:
- Rosewill Ebony RA-HG-M-01 Black Steel Ultra High Gloss Finished MicroATX Computer Case with 400W (Model:LC-8400BTX) Power Supply
- LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black IDE Model GH22NP20
- ASUS M3A76-CM AM2+/AM2 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
- AMD Athlon X2 4850e Dual-Core 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W ADH4850DOBOX Processor
- Western Digital Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
- Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model BL2KIT25664AA80A
I made some mistakes last time that I'd like to not make again.
- That case/PSU has been bad in just about every way a case & PSU could be.
- The Optical Drives were used very little. To the point where I'm not going to include one in this build.
- The memory is now considered poor. I've had problems with it, but Crucial replaces it.
Building X computers every year...
This is an interesting idea, but there are a couple of practical problems with it. One is that I would have a lab with 5 different kinds of computers in it. From a students standpoint this isn't necessarily an issue, but it would be more work to maintain. I spend half my day teaching and half of my day as the technology coordinator. It's not a big school, but there are about 110 computers to keep working and all of the various technology that teachers use. I'm currently updating computers on a 5 year cycle: PC Lab, Mac Lab, Teachers, Office, Misc. I'm not doing that because I think it's a good idea, but because that's how much money I have.
Current specs...
Based on advice I've gotten here and elsewhere, I am leaning toward this set of parts (assuming, of course, that I don't get some good offers from vendors):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX/WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 530 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q01B Mini ITX Tower Case ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $367.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 17:40 EDT-0400
Here are the reasons for changes:
- There are lots of people with bad experiences with low end SSDs. I think it would be best to avoid them if I can afford to.
- I've backed off on the 8GB of RAM to save some cost. I imagine I will add the other 4GB in a few years.
- I've been convinced that spending an extra $60 on an i3 is worth it, and as long as I can fit it in my budget, I will go on believing that.
- I went with a slightly less expensive motherboard.
- I've still got that stupid Lian Li case in there even though I know that my motherboard and case costs go down if I switch to an ATX or mATX form factor. I think that adds about $30 to the build (just guessing here).
Thanks again for everyone who has given this some thought. All of your comments have been helpful. I'll be spending some time looking at some of the alternate builds you've proposed.
Ketchup
Elite Member
- Sep 1, 2002
- 14,559
- 248
- 106
The only thing I would change is the RAM. Just get 8 GB now. Two reasons for this:
1. It will not only make the computer faster, it will save on ware of the SSDs, which do have a limited life span.
2. DDR4 is about to be mainstream, which, if the past is any indicator, will drive the price of DDR3 through the roof.
1. It will not only make the computer faster, it will save on ware of the SSDs, which do have a limited life span.
2. DDR4 is about to be mainstream, which, if the past is any indicator, will drive the price of DDR3 through the roof.
When I first started looking, I was specifically looking for a case:
- Without an external 5.25 or 3.5 slot (no optical drive needed)
- With a flat top (there will be books that end up being left there)
- Without fan/vent openings on top (Don't need the fans and holes will collect things)
- 2.5 inch drive is easy to remove
- Nice looking :whiste:
- USB 3.0 on front panel would be nice (edited to add this)
No external drive bays led me to the mini-itx cases and this one meets the other needs as well.
I might be compensating for really cheaping out on the case the last time. If you have some ATX mid or ATX mini or micro ATX case that you think I should look at, I would appreciate any suggestions.
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vailr
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 5,365
- 54
- 91
The least expensive Micro ATX Intel 9 series motherboard is $64.99:
ASRock H97M Anniversary
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157547
Or: for another $10, you can go with a Gigabyte branded board:
GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128731
Might provide slightly better "future proofing" by using the newer Intel 9 series chipset.
The i3-4160 CPU would work with either the H81 or H97 motherboard.
ASRock H97M Anniversary
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157547
Or: for another $10, you can go with a Gigabyte branded board:
GIGABYTE GA-H97M-HD3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128731
Might provide slightly better "future proofing" by using the newer Intel 9 series chipset.
The i3-4160 CPU would work with either the H81 or H97 motherboard.
vailr
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 5,365
- 54
- 91
TD has changed ownership since your bad experience. I would personally be comfortable placing an online order for their offerings. Amazon probably has the best customer service, but AFAIK Newegg, TD, SuperBiiz, etc. are all pretty similar in that respect.
http://forums.anandtech.com//www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/
vailr
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 5,365
- 54
- 91
Fractal Design Core 1000 FD-CA-CORE-1000-USB3-BL Black Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case - $26.99 (+ free shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352032
The Lian-Li case (~$55.00 shipped) in your parts list is about one inch wider than this case.
Also: if you don't have a need for an external drive bay, just leave the blank cover plates in place.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352032
The Lian-Li case (~$55.00 shipped) in your parts list is about one inch wider than this case.
Also: if you don't have a need for an external drive bay, just leave the blank cover plates in place.
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I spent some time looking at these 5 micro-ATX cases, and I think I could live with either the Fractal Design Core 1000 or 1100. When I was reading reviews I wrote down that I like the 1100 a little better, but I don't remember why now.
So that's a savings of $20 to $28 plus however much less a comparable micro-ATX motherboard would save. I'll start looking at motherboards with the ones you suggested above. I'm open to other suggestions as well.
I still like the Lian Li case more. But I'm not at all certain I like it $20 more.
edit: I forgot to link to 5 cases mentioned above. They were:
Fractal Design Core 1000
Fractal Design Core1100
Antec VSK4000E
Antec NEW SOLUTION SERIES VSK-3000
DIYPC MA08-BK
Last edited:
mvbighead
Diamond Member
- Apr 20, 2009
- 3,793
- 1
- 81
I did have a fractal design case in my quote from pcpartpicker. I tend to find the cheapest known name brand case from there. Antec/Fractal/LianLi/etc. At the time I quoted, Fractal Core USB3 had the best price, and it was a very sleek and small case from what I could tell.
Does it look like this board might be too big for the Fractal Design Core 1000 case? The ASRock H97M Anniversary is listed as 9.5x10.8 and AnandTech Review had trouble fitting what I think is a 9.6x9.6 board into that case.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5736/fractal-design-core-1000-how-little-is-too-little/3
vailr
Diamond Member
- Oct 9, 1999
- 5,365
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The critical dimension is the depth, from front to back.
9.5" would make it actually 0.1" less depth than the Z68 board in the Anandtech review.
So: should fit okay, as far as I can tell.
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Edit:
If affordable, this MSI H97M Eco board ($89.00 shipped) includes an Intel LAN port, while all of the cheaper ones use Realtek LAN ports.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130797
9.5" would make it actually 0.1" less depth than the Z68 board in the Anandtech review.
So: should fit okay, as far as I can tell.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Edit:
If affordable, this MSI H97M Eco board ($89.00 shipped) includes an Intel LAN port, while all of the cheaper ones use Realtek LAN ports.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130797
Last edited:
If you decide to go down that route, I have a few recommendations on that build:
1) CPU. If you could possibly squeeze an i3-43xx in there, it would help a bit for the future-proofing aspect. You get the HD4600 instead of the HD4400 and an additional MB of L2 cache. But on a budget the 4160/70 is a great chip.
2) Mainboard. Do you really need WIFI on the boxes? If not you could save a bit there by going with a mainboard without WIFI.
3) RAM. There is just no excuse for not running dual channel, especially when using the IGP. Get 2x2GB kits instead, or even better 2x4GB. 4GB is going to feel very small in a few years, if not already. If that's not an option, pick a mainboard with 4 DIMM slots, so its easy to upgrade the memory later. You might have to move to the mATX form-factor for that, but in return it will give you a bit more flexibility all-round.
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