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Low budget build for gf

Rhezuss

Rhezuss

Diamond Member
My gf is shopping for a new computer. At first she wanted a laptop but after checking some and seeing her budget was a bit low, the choices were not satisfying for what she wanted to do with this rig.

She'll mostly use it for photo editing (Hi-Res), movies and streaming. No gaming at all except for bejeweled 😛

Now, she settled for a desktop, like she has now. Her budget is around 400CAD before taxes for the box since she'll keep her LCD (Dell 19" 1280x1024), mouse, keyboard and speakers. After checking on the egg, I managed to get this thing (prices are in canadian$):

- ASRock A75M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX with UEFI BIOS + AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core: 202CAD
- G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333: 35CAD
- XIGMATEK NRP-PC Series ACXTNRP-PC402 400W ATX12V Ver.2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply: 45CAD
- Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" -Bare Drive: 40CAD
- ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM: 21CAD
- Rosewill R101-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case: 35CAD
TOTAL: 430CAD shipping and taxes included

She keeps her stuff sometimes for too long so she wants to use this rig for at least 4 years.

I think it's a fairly nice build with low power consumption and with the APU she'll be able to enjoy watch movies and series on it for a long time.

Please comment and prpose something else if you think it would be better.

Thanks a bunch!
 
I like everything in that build except the Xigmatek PSU. Overclockersclub reviewed the unit, it had mediocre noise/ripple and efficiency. JonnyGuru's review of the 500W equivalent isn't positive either. Another problem for me is the 3 year warranty (given your GF wants to use it for longer than that), but it's hard to find a budget-friendly one with 5 year warranty. So here's my recommendation:

Antec Earthwatts 380W 45 CAD http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817371033

The cheapest yet good quality PSU I can find with 5-year warranty is Seasonic S12II 430W for 75 CAD.
 
lehtv said:
I like everything in that build except the Xigmatek PSU. Overclockersclub reviewed the unit, it had mediocre noise/ripple and efficiency. JonnyGuru's review of the 500W equivalent isn't positive either. Another problem for me is the 3 year warranty (given your GF wants to use it for longer than that), but it's hard to find a budget-friendly one with 5 year warranty. So here's my recommendation:

Antec Earthwatts 380W 45 CAD http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product...82E16817371033

The cheapest yet good quality PSU I can find with 5-year warranty is Seasonic S12II 430W for 75 CAD.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion, I switched the PSUs. 380W will be enough for her needs anyways.
 
mnewsham said:
Edits HI-res photos, uses 1280x1024. Conflicting statement D:
Click to expand...

Yeah I know. What I mean is that she loves photos and she's in a photo group. She recently bought a $1k Reflex camera with some lences.

She works a lot with Photoshop and Lightroom and other programs like that.

And yeah, she have an old 1280x1024 LCD monitor ahahha.

What I meant is that she need power to work her photos.
 
Blain said:
While she waits for you to build her this PC, brew her some nice Ethiopian Sidamo coffee with This KitchenAid grinder.
It grinds at a nice low RPM and doesn't burn the oil in the beans.
I have the red version, but the black grinds just as well.
Click to expand...

You are my hero. :wub::wub:

😳

mnewsham said:
Edits HI-res photos, uses 1280x1024. Conflicting statement D:
Click to expand...

That's what I thought as well. OP, the next task after this upgrade is to get her a new monitor!
 
Blain said:
Forget any build... Dump Her!
There are plenty of nice girls out there that appreciate a good Cup-O-Joe.
Click to expand...

Well not planning to do it yet. She loves horny kissing me while I sip my morning coffee so she's a keeper.

@mfenn: Yeah, i'm talking her into buying a new one. Maybe i'm gonna get her at Christmas, she'd love working on a nice screen.
 
Rhezuss said:
Well not planning to do it yet. She loves horny kissing me while I sip my morning coffee so she's a keeper.

@mfenn: Yeah, i'm talking her into buying a new one. Maybe i'm gonna get her at Christmas, she'd love working on a nice screen.
Click to expand...

horny kissing? 😕 :awe: 😱 :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Don't let her see these emails - especially the lead title - she might get the idea you consider her to be low budget. 🙂
 
Ok, if i'd check the Intel side...would you get a G620 or a i3 2100? I know the G620 is like $40 cheaper but for a long term use, would an i3 2100 be a better move?

How about web streaming, video and all this stuff with Intel HD graphics compared to AMD HD 6530D on the A6-3650?
 
Rhezuss said:
Ok, if i'd check the Intel side...would you get a G620 or a i3 2100? I know the G620 is like $40 cheaper but for a long term use, would an i3 2100 be a better move?

How about web streaming, video and all this stuff with Intel HD graphics compared to AMD HD 6530D on the A6-3650?
Click to expand...

Won't really matter on either count. The i3 2100 and HD 6530 are faster than the other choice, but it's an incremental improvement at best. By the time one is too slow to use for everyday tasks, the other will be too.
 
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