Help with PC Build

[vandeda]

Hi all. It is time for a new computer. I will be honest, I do not need anything special and will be my first PC build. But I'm usually willing to try something new, so why not try a computer build. Here's what I'm looking for:

1. What will YOUR PC be used for
Word, Excel, Powerpoint, internet, e-mail. I don't game, just do those basic tasks. Here's the thing, I keep my computers for longer than I should (my current machine is 8 years old and running XP. Its old, slow, and it's operating system will be retired shortly), so I would prefer something that will stand the test of time by working well over the years (i.e., speed and reliability/durability) as I will likely keep this computer for 6-8 years also.

2. What is YOUR budget
Up to $800 with taxes/shipping factored in

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

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
Doesn't apply

5. IF YOU have a brand preference.
No preferences. Just decent performance and durable/reliable. That's it.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I will use my current monitor. It's nothing special, but I rather spend the money on a computer that will last awhile, and then score a good deal on a used monitor (periodically people post a good deal on monitors at work).

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

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
Whatever. I'm not gaming, so this is not of higher importance.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Soonish. As noted, Windows XP will be expiring soon. I have a slightly newer (i.e., only 6 years old I believe) laptop that has Vista, but it too is a little long in tooth.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
I may need Windows. It is possible that I can get it through work through a program worked out with Microsoft. I just can't remember if Windows is one of the options.

Thank you very much!
Dan

 

[mfenn]

I should point out that guarantees of long-term reliability comes from engineering and validation. It's certainly possible to build your own PC and get lucky with parts that work well together for a long period of time, but it's more of a gamble than with a machine that was designed as a single unit like a Dell Optiplex or similar. Simply buying expensive components does not guarantee reliability.

You can get a Dell Optiplex 3020 with a Core i3 4140, 4GB of RAM, 500GB, Windows 8.1, and a 5-year NBD on-site warranty for $590. That's going to be your safest option when looking at long term reliability.

Assuming that you really do want to build something yourself, I would go with:

i5 4430 $175 AP
ASRock H87M Pro4 $81
Team DDR3 1600 8GB $73
Crucial M500 240GB $130
LG Blu-Ray burner $54
Seasonic 300W power supply $40
Cooler Master N200 $50
Total: $603 AP

There's enough room left in the budget to include Windows 8 if you need to.

 

[mynameisjake]

Here is my idea...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37502

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130: You are only doing internet work; an i5 will be overkill for internet browsing. This will cost about $125.

Motherboard: MSI H87M-G43: This is a very good board, very good for budget builds. This will cost $90.

Memory: 4GB Corsair Vengeance: The motherboard has 4 RAM slots and if you insert 1 4GB stick, you can upgrade to 16GB. Now, since you dont game, dual-channel wont matter because you wont notice a difference. $50

Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive: Now, a hybrid drive is inbetween an SSD and a normal HDD. PArt of it has Flash Memory and the other part is a spinning disk. The SSHD will recognize your most opened files, and put them on the Flash memory. $100

Case: Rosewell Line M: This is a very upgradable case in the futurw and will be able to hold all your parts. $50

PSU: Corsair CX 430W: This is a very good PSU and is cheaper than a SeaSonic 300W while still being very good. $20

This PC wll run you about $400.

 

[mfenn]

Here is my idea...

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/37502

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130: You are only doing internet work; an i5 will be overkill for internet browsing. This will cost about $125.

Motherboard: MSI H87M-G43: This is a very good board, very good for budget builds. This will cost $90.

Memory: 4GB Corsair Vengeance: The motherboard has 4 RAM slots and if you insert 1 4GB stick, you can upgrade to 16GB. Now, since you dont game, dual-channel wont matter because you wont notice a difference. $50

Hard Drive: Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive: Now, a hybrid drive is inbetween an SSD and a normal HDD. PArt of it has Flash Memory and the other part is a spinning disk. The SSHD will recognize your most opened files, and put them on the Flash memory. $100

Case: Rosewell Line M: This is a very upgradable case in the futurw and will be able to hold all your parts. $50

PSU: Corsair CX 430W: This is a very good PSU and is cheaper than a SeaSonic 300W while still being very good. $20

This PC wll run you about $400.

If by $400, you mean $500, then yeah we are in agreement. Some points about your build:

- The Seagate hybrid drives only have 8GB of MLC flash. That's hardly enough to cache any kind of reasonable working set. Given that the OP's computer is old and he didn't mention doing any space-intensive tasks, a 240GB drive is likely plenty of space.
- Putting only 4GB of RAM into a machine that isn't on a tight budget is shortsighted. You're also paying a huge premium on that 4GB DIMM.
- Ditto for the i3, except that it's much more of a pain to upgrade
- The machine will draw about 70W total, so either PSU is overkill from a capacity perspective. $20 AR is certainly a good price for the CX430, but I'd take a Seasonic over a CWT any day.