Help Building an Affordable, CPU oriented "Minecraft" Box

[Smoolean]

Hello everyone,

I'm looking to build a computer for a friend of mine. Here are her primary concerns:

She wants it to be fast enough to play Minecraft (a Java game) at a high level We know this isn't exactly the most demanding task for computers in the year 2013, but we thought it would be fun to build a Minecraft box, and building would allow us to get the exact CPU we want, etc...

She doesn't want a case that is as large as something like the Antec Three Hundred (ATX Mid Tower Case). I've build a computer using the Three Hundred, and she mentioned that she would want something a bit smaller. I understand that the smaller the case, the more difficult the assembly becomes, so if anyone is aware of a case that is a bit on the smaller side, but isn't incredibly difficult to assemble the mobo / cpu etc... please feel free to leave suggestions.

Here are my thoughts:

We want pure 100% stock cooling, just the fans that come with the case and the parts. In my own experience, I've had an Intel i5 2500 (never overclocked) and the stock heat sink and stock Antec 300 fans and ventilation have kept things at a nice temperature for the last 1.5 years (according to HW Monitor). So for this project and our budget, we want all stock cooling if possible.

I know this will sound like blasphemy to most people - but I really don't think we need a GPU. She won't be playing any modern games at all.

From what I've heard, the newest lines of Intel CPUs have pretty respectable graphic capabilities as long as you're not trying to run modern games. For just everyday OS use and viewing media they should be fine right?

So I'm thinking that skipping a GPU for our initial build is one way to shave the budget a bit.

Now I'm also a bit torn on the issue of SDD vs HDD. I know it seems like pure insanity to build a computer in 2013 and not put a SSD in it... but I'm just not sure that it's necessary for her uses. Doesn't a SSD primarily speed up the initial load / launch of programs and OS's? And/or when you load a large file in an image editing / video editing program?

My question is - I don't think my friend cares about the initial load times of tasks, I think she's more concerned with the actual performance of the program once it's already fully loaded (Minecraft performance, etc...).

That said - if someone can find a way to pack both a SDD and a HDD into a build that fits our budget, that is perfect!! That was our original idea - to have one of each for the best of both worlds, but we weren't sure if we could fit it into our budget.

Here are our answers to the important basic questions. Thanks for any input!

1. What YOUR PC will be used for:

The only "resource" intense thing that this computer would be used for is playing Minecraft. From what I've heard Minecraft is a very CPU intensive game, and not a very GPU intensive game. Aside from that, it will be used for basic things that a computer from the year 2000 can handle Writing, browsing the web, managing a music collection, and light photo editing.

If anyone knows whether Minecraft would hugely benefit from a GPU or not, please chime in! It's written entirely in Java, if that matters at all.

2. What YOUR budget is:

We'd like to keep this under ~$700.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from:

United States

4. IF YOU have a brand preference:

Since I'm under the impression Minecraft is a CPU based game and not a GPU based game I'm inclined to say that for this project I will be an Intel fanboy (over AMD). But if I'm wrong, and AMD offers a solid performance CPU for something like Minecraft, I will listen to any ideas... I haven't been following CPU product cycles for close to 1.5 - 2 years now.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

The only things we'll be recyling are the monitor, keyboard, and mouse. So everything in the actual desktop will need to be bought new.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds:

We will NOT be performing any overclocking.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using:

1920 x 1080, or 1920 x 1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

As soon as we settle on a good set of parts

X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

We will need to purchase a copy of Windows 64-bit Home. I'm not sure if I should go with 7 or 8. I've heard speed improvements exist in 8, but that the software is really intended for tablets not desktops. I'm still torn on which version to go with.


Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

Don't worry, your budget is plenty for this type of build. You can indeed get away with just using the integrated graphics for Minecraft.

i3 3225 $145
ASRock B75M-ITX $90
Crucial DDR3 1600 8GB $44
Samsung 840 120GB $100
Seagate Momentus XT 500 GB $100
Seasonic 350W $45
Lian-Li Q07 $60
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit $100
Dual 2.5" to 3.5" adapter $6
Total: $690

This doesn't include an optical drive, but most people don't need one these days. Just load Windows 7 onto a USB drive for installation.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Well, I would drop the SSD since your build seems to be $100 over, but otherwise, it looks solid.

 

[wanderica]

I would second that case choice FWIW. I used to use the case as a point to save money when building a new PC, but I purchased a Lian Li case for my most recent build and couldn't be more pleased. They have very well designed cases, and make a quality product. For me personally, however, their cases tend to be sleek and stylish without looking like a rave party exploded on the assembly line.

 

[Sleepingforest]

The only thing I really have to add is this: if you want to set up a home Minecraft server (you know, in case people want to play in a perpetual world together), i would recommend getting more RAM. I hear around a GB per player plus 4 GB is optimal (and you might want some for playing at the same time, on that computer). A 2x8GB setup is only around $70 right now. Just keep in mind that you'll need Windows 7 Pro/Ultimate or Windows 8 Pro to use more than 16GB.

 

[dragantoe]

minecraft is a very cpu intesive game, if she intends to be using texture packs beyond 128x128 and glsl shaders, then i suggest installing optifine for better multicore performance. Also, you can drastically increase performance by allocating ram, so a lot of ram is helpful.
(used to be hard core minecrafter)
all that being said, I recommend you go with the i5 3570k and overclocking it to 4.5, and get at least 16 gb of ram.
If she doesn't want to push the game then sleeping forests suggestion is fine, except just get 16 gb ram and don't get the ssd (I'm personally holding off until they are <$0.50 per gb)

 

[mfenn]

Well, I would drop the SSD since your build seems to be $100 over, but otherwise, it looks solid.

Typo, the sum is only $690.