Help noobie build of budget system

[Econdoc]

Here is the info that the "NOTICE Sticky" in General Hardware asks for:
Used for Home/Student work, email, web surfing (No gaming, no video)
Budget ~ $500
Country: USA
Brand Preferences: I have been looking at ASROCK mobo and Intel i3-2100 CPU, but am not firm on it. Advice is always welcome and my skin is thick. J
I am going to re-use monitor, speaker, keyboard, mouse
I do not plan to do any overclocking
I would like to use on board video if possible. No need for extra graphics card.
I will put Windows 7 64-bit on new system, purchased separately.

My Goal:
I am trying to “future proof” this box in the sense that I would like it to have USB 3, SATA 3, on board Gigabit Network. I think that I have narrowed down the mobo choice to ASROCK H61 or H67 Northbridge.

I have two MAJOR sources of confusion:
1. I find it very difficult to compare the differences between the H61 and H67 chipset.
2. I am totally confused by the symbols that are appended to the mobo name (by ASROCK and other mobo makers). For example, for the ASROCK H61, there are nine (9)!!! mobos
H61M/U3S3 H61iCafe H61DE/S3
H61M-GE H61M-DGS H61M-HVS
H61M-S H61M-VS H61M-ITX
There must be some logic to the codes that follow the H61, but I cannot make heads or tails of it. It would help immensely if someone could “decode” this for me.

I will need a case, PSU, Hard drive (SATA 3, of course and 500GB is probably enough), and an Optical drive.

Any suggestions, criticism, directions, instructions, etc. are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[DaveSimmons]

H67 adds SATA 6 Gb/sec ports, but this only matters if you are buying a SSD instead of a regular hard drive.

The codes are not standard, but there are 3 motherboard sizes: ATX, Micro-ATX, mini-ITX. That matters for the size of the case that you buy. A big case will hold all 3 kinds of boards, a Micro-ATX case will only hold that and mini-ITX, a mini-ITX case will only hold mini-ITX.

 

[Ken g6]

For your budget, and since you're not gaming or doing anything CPU-intensive apparently, you're generally better off buying a pre-built system. Here's a Lenovo at NewEgg. It even has gigabit Ethernet. (None of the pre-builts seem to indicate USB 3.0.) Better deals may also be had at Dell Outlet.

Edit: You might also consider a laptop/notebook. Here's an ASUS with an Intel processor, 500GB HDD, and gigabit Ethernet, that fits your budget if you consider that you don't have to buy Win7 to go with it.

 

[bononos]

.....
My Goal:
I am trying to “future proof” this box in the sense that I would like it to have USB 3, SATA 3, on board Gigabit Network. I think that I have narrowed down the mobo choice to ASROCK H61 or H67 Northbridge.

I have two MAJOR sources of confusion:
1. I find it very difficult to compare the differences between the H61 and H67 chipset.
2. I am totally confused by the symbols that are appended to the mobo name (by ASROCK and other mobo makers). For example, for the ASROCK H61, there are nine (9)!!! mobos........

The wikipage says H61(vs 67) has less memory slots, no raid, less usb ports, no sata 6Gb. But that doesn't stop motherboard manufacturers like Asrock using 3rd party controllers/solutions to provide those functions. Eg. an Asrock H61M may have sata 6Gb ports. Mb manufacturers may also omit certain features to cut corners and lower prices - mbs with no video ports mean integrated graphics is not supported.

Go to the Asrock website to check the differences btwn models.

 

[mfenn]

For your budget, and since you're not gaming or doing anything CPU-intensive apparently, you're generally better off buying a pre-built system. Here's a Lenovo at NewEgg. It even has gigabit Ethernet. (None of the pre-builts seem to indicate USB 3.0.) Better deals may also be had at Dell Outlet.

I agree. If you really want USB 3.0, that can always be added via an expansion card. Trying to "future proof" any machine doesn't make sense, a $500 machine even less so.

 

[Econdoc]

DaveSimmons said: “H67 adds SATA 6 Gb/sec ports, but this only matters if you are buying a SSD instead of a regular hard drive.” I am confused. If I get a SATA 3 hard drive, say a Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache, can't I get the benefits of SATA 3 without a SSD drive?


To other responders: Many think that I am wasting money by “rolling my own.” I respect your opinion, but I would like to know why you feel that way. If I can build a box with USB 3, with SATA 3, with a 80+ PSU, and with gigabit LAN, why buy a Dell or Lenovo with a small PSU, to which I will have to add USB 3, SATA 3, and gigabit LAN later? Am I missing something? Thanks again for all the input.

 

[Ken g6]

DaveSimmons said: “H67 adds SATA 6 Gb/sec ports, but this only matters if you are buying a SSD instead of a regular hard drive.” I am confused. If I get a SATA 3 hard drive, say a Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache, can't I get the benefits of SATA 3 without a SSD drive?

No. The only difference between SATA2 and SATA3 is bandwidth available (6Gbps vs. 3Gbps). The problem is that no current mechanical drive can read or write data fast enough to exceed the SATA2 limit. Certainly not a run-of-the-mill Caviar Blue.

If I can build a box with USB 3, with SATA 3, with a 80+ PSU, and with gigabit LAN, why buy a Dell or Lenovo with a small PSU, to which I will have to add USB 3, SATA 3, and gigabit LAN later?

As far as the 80+ PSU is concerned, are you really that worried about minimizing power use? If so, get the laptop I linked to - it will use far less power than a simple 80+ PSU would save you. If you're concerned about reliability...well, these pre-built computers have warranties for a reason.

Both computers I linked to have gigabit LAN.

So USB 3.0 is the only catch. Is there any particular reason you think you need it? External hard drive/flash drive that supports USB 3.0? HD webcam? I can't think of any other reason you'd need it.

 

[Ken g6]

Well, I finally did the math, and I may have been wrong. If you're willing to pay $500 for this build, plus the $100 for Windows 7 separately (Edit: Or less if you're a student), you can get a better machine by building, if only by virtue of adding an SSD!

CPU: i3-2120, $128
Mobo: ASRock H61ICAFE, $73 with shipping. (Beware: RAM installation is a little tricky, and you can only use two slots.)
(By the way, if you're near a Micro Center, you might get a cheaper deal on an i3-2100 + mobo there.)
RAM: Crucial DDR3 1600 8GB $37
HDD : Hitachi 500GB $80 (3-year warranty for the same price as the WD)
SSD : Crucial M4 64GB: $80
ODD : Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430, $30 AR AP
PSU: Corsair CX430, $37 AR with shipping

Total: $483 AR AP with shipping

 

[Econdoc]

Thanks to all. This has been very educational! I thought that SATA III was capable of 6GB/s transfer speeds and that the WD Blue SATA III drive would fly. Ken g6 made me do some more research. Thanks Ken! And thanks for the suggested parts list for the build. Excellent choices.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Well, I finally did the math, and I may have been wrong. If you're willing to pay $500 for this build, plus the $100 for Windows 7 separately (Edit: Or less if you're a student), you can get a better machine by building, if only by virtue of adding an SSD!

CPU: i3-2120, $128
Mobo: ASRock H61ICAFE, $73 with shipping. (Beware: RAM installation is a little tricky, and you can only use two slots.)
(By the way, if you're near a Micro Center, you might get a cheaper deal on an i3-2100 + mobo there.)
RAM: Crucial DDR3 1600 8GB $37
HDD : Hitachi 500GB $80 (3-year warranty for the same price as the WD)
SSD : Crucial M4 64GB: $80
ODD : Lite-ON DVD Burner $18
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430, $30 AR AP
PSU: Corsair CX430, $37 AR with shipping

Total: $483 AR AP with shipping

thats one hellofa build

 

[Econdoc]

You have all been a great help. I am in the process of ordering parts and had the following questions:
When I get the i3-2120 CPU, I think it comes with a fan/heatsink. Will it also contain thermal grease or will I need to add that to the order?
Will the mobo or the case come with standoffs or is that a separate purchase?
What about SATA cables for the HD, SSD, Optical drive? Extra purchases?

As you can see, I am trying to order ALL the parts and avoid running out to get a $2 screw.

 

[Ken g6]

The heat sink should have grease pre-applied.

Usually the case has some kind of standoff mechanism.

The mobo appears to come with 2 SATA cables. You might be short one. You don't have any leftovers? Worst case: you hook up the optical and SSD first, install Windows, then swap the cable to the HD until you can get a third cable.

 

[mfenn]

The heat sink should have grease pre-applied.

Usually the case has some kind of standoff mechanism.

The mobo appears to come with 2 SATA cables. You might be short one. You don't have any leftovers? Worst case: you hook up the optical and SSD first, install Windows, then swap the cable to the HD until you can get a third cable.

Or just buy another cable with the order.

EDIT: I still think that the Dell Outlet is your best bet. I just added an Inspiron 620 to my cart with an i3 2120, 6GB of RAM, 500GB HDD, Windows 7, etc etc. for $343 after coupon code 3$G5F870$KB6LL. That's nearly half the price of Ken's build once you factor in the cost of Windows.