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Half-Grand Office PC Build

Revolution 11

Revolution 11

Senior member
I have finally convinced my dad to abandon his junk 2006 budget PC, from a company I can't even remember. Severely RAM-starved, overheating, and just a bad experience.

This PC will be just for business. No GPU recommendations. No overclocking. A quad-core Intel is normally what I would strive for in gaming builds but the budget is lower than I am used to. A dual-core Intel would work fine. A Pentium or lower could work as long as it is fast enough. I am not sure how useful hyper-threading will be so a G2120 might be the better choice.

8 GB of RAM would be preferable, since all users of that old computer have encountered countless instances of disk thrashing, lockups, etc.

The only part I am sure on is the BitFenix Shinobi non-windowed case. Possibly a waste of money but it looks very sleek and is not a eyesore like other budget cases.

The PSU should be of Seasonic design. I am not sure what other manufacturers are good but the power environment is very dirty and unstable. Voltage fluctuates constantly, and frequent storms cut the power often. Data loss is not a big problem, there are backups and the data is not mission-critical.


1. The PC will be used for office software (word processor, spreadsheets) and for Internet browsing. Security cameras will also be accessed from this computer.

2. Price should range between 400-550 USD.

3. Located in North Carolina, no Microcenter nearby.

4. Not Applicable.

5. I want to use Intel because single-threaded performance will be important. No video-editing or Photoshop will be needed. A lot of time will be spent with this computer so the case should not be very ugly.

6. We are reusing a old keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitor. All parts inside the case will be new, including the case.

7. All default speeds, no mess with cooling, delidding, etc.

8. We plan to use a old budget monitor, not sure on resolution but definitely not 1080p or higher.

9. This will be bought sometime during August 2-4 and built when parts arrive later.

X. We have all required software already bought.
 
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I've built some office computers and I'd recommend and i3-3220, 4GB of RAM (should be more than enough for office use), 128GB SSD and "cheap" mobo with H77 chipset.
 
Does "all software" include a valid windows license? If you don't have a valid Windows license, I'd recommend the Dell outlet.

Assuming that you have a license:

Haswell Core i5 4430 $175 AP
ASRock B85M $73
Team DDR3 1600 8GB $59
Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB $96
Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Seasonic S12II 430W $60
Bitfenix Shinobi $60
Total: $541 AP

This is a Haswell quad core, but it's closer to the top end of your budget. If you want to be lower, grab a Core i3 3220 for $110 and a Biostar B75MU3B for $45 AP.

You didn't mention any great media storage needs, so I did an SSD-only build for better responsiveness. If you need a lot of storage, you could easily swap that to an HDD.
 
That build looks great. Can you put together a build on the lower end of my budget at 400 USD? We are still not sure if a quad-core will be needed and I want to offer my dad at least two options. The second build has no restrictions, you can offer any PSU or case as well but keep the budget as low as possible.
 
That's a good point. Expansion could happen in the future, regarding hard drives. I assume a standard ATX case is good forever, even if every other part fails over time.
 
That's what I would put together if it were for my dad and he would be going to use it as an office machine:

Ivy Bridge Core i3 3220 129.99$ (aditional 20% off until 08/01)
ASUS P8H77-M LE LGA 1155 74.99$
SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB 89.99$
Kingston 1x4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 37.99$
Fractal Design Core 1000 29.99$ (19.99$ after rebate)
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 80+ Bronze 44.99$
ASUS 24X DVD Burner 17.99$

Total 425.93$ After rebate 415.93$ After rebate with promotion 389.93$

It is a micro ATX case because there's no need for a big case in such a computer, uses only one stick of RAM in order to be cheap to upgrade to 8GB if it's necessary in the future and has a low wattage 80+ PSU for keeping high efficiency.

Ypu can still throw 1TB drive and 4GB of RAM more and you'll be at the 500$ dollars mark.
 
Here's the thing. I can compromise on all parts for budget reasons but not the RAM. My dad has a bad habit of leaving multiple browsers open for weeks at a time with many tabs. The current PC would run much faster if it had more RAM. The rest of your build looks good.

I will have to ask my dad which budget option is better. Probably will end up scavenging parts of both builds.
 
ggadrian said:
That's what I would put together if it were for my dad and he would be going to use it as an office machine:

Ivy Bridge Core i3 3220 129.99$ (aditional 20% off until 08/01)
ASUS P8H77-M LE LGA 1155 74.99$
SanDisk Extreme SDSSDX-120G-G25 2.5" 120GB 89.99$
Kingston 1x4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 37.99$
Fractal Design Core 1000 29.99$ (19.99$ after rebate)
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 80+ Bronze 44.99$
ASUS 24X DVD Burner 17.99$

Total 425.93$ After rebate 415.93$ After rebate with promotion 389.93$.
Click to expand...

Looks pretty solid. I'd properly drop down to either this or this (has HDMI instead of DVI) mainboard and use the cash saved for going straight to 8GB RAM. It helps significantly with multitasking and the B75 has almost all the features of the H77, minus a SATA3 port.
 
This is the office box I built for myself:

- G1610 - $46
- Asrock B75M-DGS - $55
- 4GB RAM (up to 8 if required) - $39 (8GB more $$$)
- Samsung 128Gb 840 Pro - $130 ish
- Spare case I had lying around (I'd get a cheap Corsair Carbide, I used a HAF 912 Advanced with USB 3)
- Onboard sound + video
- Win 8 is 99

Done.

EDIT: Filezilla + 10 tabs in Chrome + a few .pdf's + basic media player, no problems, barely 2GB RAM usage. 8 is very efficient.
 
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escrow4 said:
This is the office box I built for myself:
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Using escrow4's build and after further details from my dad, this is the final build I have come up with.

$80 CPU = Intel Pentium G2120 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80637G2120

$55 Mobo = ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

$52 RAM = Crucial 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT102464BA1339

$45 PSU = CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$60 Case = BitFenix Shinobi Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

$65 Hard Drive = Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

$18 Optical = ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Total Cost = $370

There is a discount of $13 if the Asus burner is bought with the Western Digital drive. If there are any last-minute suggestions, please give them tonight.
 
Revolution 11 said:
Using escrow4's build and after further details from my dad, this is the final build I have come up with.

$80 CPU = Intel Pentium G2120 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80637G2120

$55 Mobo = ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

$52 RAM = Crucial 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model CT102464BA1339

$45 PSU = CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

$60 Case = BitFenix Shinobi Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

$65 Hard Drive = Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM

$18 Optical = ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

Total Cost = $370

There is a discount of $13 if the Asus burner is bought with the Western Digital drive. If there are any last-minute suggestions, please give them tonight.
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If you really want it to feel better and faster than his "disk thrashing" old PC, I'd say an SSD is a must, and would make a significantly greater difference than 4 -> 8GB of RAM. It's not just a coincidence that every person who suggested a build included an SSD despite the tight budget.

You could also save money by going with a smaller case.. the $20 Fractal mATX is a great deal. There's no real reason to get a mid tower if you've got no need for extra HDDs or cooling.
 
The old PC is "fast enough" when it has enough RAM. The problem is that just opening 8 tabs in Firefox will starve it of RAM. I never said it had 4 GB of RAM to start with. More like 768 MB or so. Windows XP alone can bring it to its knees.

I don't need to get 8 GB of RAM but it is cheap enough at $25+ over 4 GB.

Bootup occurs in the morning and computer shuts down at night. Otherwise it is always on. Between the hard drive and the SSD, capacity is more useful.

But I will consider the SSD issue as a future upgrade.
 
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Sure, go ahead and list them. But the PSU should be of decent quality. I have listed the troubles we have had with dirty and unreliable power, especially during storms. All the power infrastructure in the building is from the mid 70's. No choice but to go with the flow.
 
Revolution 11 said:
The old PC is "fast enough" when it has enough RAM. The problem is that just opening 8 tabs in Firefox will starve it of RAM. I never said it had 4 GB of RAM to start with. More like 768 MB or so. Windows XP alone can bring it to its knees.

I don't need to get 8 GB of RAM but it is cheap enough at $25+ over 4 GB.

Bootup occurs in the morning and computer shuts down at night. Otherwise it is always on. Between the hard drive and the SSD, capacity is more useful.

But I will consider the SSD issue as a future upgrade.
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SSD is practically instantaneous while 7200 RPM has a little lag. That's been my experience with both types of drives
 
Alright, I went with all the parts listed in post #14 except for Torn Mind's Corsair PSU rebate suggestion.

The case will be reused for future builds, so I don't see a expense problem for that and ATX size gives some flexibility for different sized builds.

Will post later when the parts arrive. Thanks.
 
I think that you should have gone with an SSD. It's a shame that public perception has put SSDs are put into the "faster boot speeds" bucket. That's really only of the least useful benefits on the desktop. The real benefit is near-instantaneous desktop interaction (application launches, installs, patches, etc). I'm at the point now where I can instantly tell if I'm sitting at an HDD-based machine and using one for any length of time frustrates the hell out of me. You just get used to all desktop interactions being fast when you have an SSD.

Otherwise, the parts look good to me.
 
I know where you are coming from but since my dad has never used a SSD, he doesn't know what's missing. Nevertheless, I will be keeping a eye out for hot SSD deals.

A final concern is that I don't know if the Intel CPU comes with a thermal paste. If not, which paste?
 
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Revolution 11 said:
A final concern is that I don't know if the Intel CPU comes with a thermal paste. If not, which paste?
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If its a boxed CPU, no problem. The heat-sink comes with thermal paste pre-applied.

I'd not worry too much about cooling a G1610. The max power draw is in the 15-20W range with idle somewhere between 5-7W.

OT, I have one working at 0.488V here and it only consumes 11-12W fully loaded...
 
mfenn said:
I think that you should have gone with an SSD. It's a shame that public perception has put SSDs are put into the "faster boot speeds" bucket. That's really only of the least useful benefits on the desktop. The real benefit is near-instantaneous desktop interaction (application launches, installs, patches, etc). I'm at the point now where I can instantly tell if I'm sitting at an HDD-based machine and using one for any length of time frustrates the hell out of me. You just get used to all desktop interactions being fast when you have an SSD.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

My home gaming/working rig has an SSD.

My work comp does not.

It's night and day, and makes me curse the fickle gods of accounting. In/around my work areas, this has caused a number of somewhat perverse purchasing decisions. Namely, that people are buying laptops w/ ssds for work instead of desktops that are objectively more compute powerful, even for folks who are working more or less exclusively at their desk, in order to get no-questions-asked SSD access.
 
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