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Nephew going to college. Want to build him a computer. Space in dorm room limited.

C

college_student

Member
Hi all,

My nephew is going to college so I want to build him a machine that he can take with him. I realize that a lot of college students use the computers in the labs etc, but I know that he prefers to work in his dorm. As such, an important consideration will be space. Something low profile or slimline might be good (not a requirement though)? I want the machine to last him for 4 years (the duration of his degree). This is possible, bc my laptop lasted me. I asked him about laptops, but he really prefers desktops, so anyway:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

He is going to school for computer science, specifically AI, etc. He doesn't game on a PC, so no need for dedicated GPU. But a lot of the algorithms, etc. can benefit from multiple cores, etc. Enough RAM is probably good too. A 3770K at Microcenter seems like a good option?

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$500

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

USA -- Live near Microcenter. Newegg, Amazon, w/e...

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel is nice.

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

His school gives him a good deal on the OS, so don't worry about that. He also has a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and internal DVD drive.

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

I don't know, I guess it would be nice to give him the option?

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

Its 1920 x 1200

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Probably by May. I want to give it to him as soon as he graduates.

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

No

Thanks,
-DV
 
I would say he doesn't really need a giant processor, as his CS department should have machines he can remote into to do the heavy lifting when required. Also, at $230+tax for the i7-3770k at microcenter, you've used half your budget on the processor.

A good starting point may be the mini-ITX system that tomshardware built recently.
 
jaedaliu said:
I would say he doesn't really need a giant processor, as his CS department should have machines he can remote into to do the heavy lifting when required. Also, at $230+tax for the i7-3770k at microcenter, you've used half your budget on the processor.

A good starting point may be the mini-ITX system that tomshardware built recently.
Click to expand...

I don't want him to have to rely on that. As far as putting 50% of my budget into the CPU, well for this build the CPU (followed by the RAM and possibly an SSD) are the only real big things that are important for his applications. The rest of the components are cheap (case, a PSU--saw the Corsair 430W for $20 the other day)..

Thanks,
-DV
 
If you get a 3570k you can get $40 off any compatible motherboard, which will save you a bundle. You will probably need $100+ for 16GB RAM (2x8GB kit) for an ITX based build.
 
Zap said:
If you get a 3570k you can get $40 off any compatible motherboard, which will save you a bundle. You will probably need $100+ for 16GB RAM (2x8GB kit) for an ITX based build.
Click to expand...

Can you suggest an ITX based build, or link me to the supposed tomshardware one?

Thanks,
-DV
 
I can predict the future. 😉

Coming the second/third week in Sep. the Boy Student would call and report that the above was a big mistake and he would like to have a Windows/Hakintosh Laptop or a OSX/BootCamp MacBook.

It involves issues like.

What most of the peers are using.

Desktop sitting in the dorms on a Desk while the owner is Not around is a security problem in the college environment.

In some Cases a Desktop might entice spending more time on Gaming than Study.

On brakes and vacations the student can take the Laptop with him with all his stuff.


😎
 
You could get him a really basic laptop, plus a cheap keyboard/mouse/monitor. Then he can bring the laptop around, but dock into his dorm room's hardware while he's there. You can get a refurb from the Dell Outlet for around $400, then throw in a $100 monitor and a $10 KB/M combo.
 
Sleepingforest said:
You could get him a really basic laptop, plus a cheap keyboard/mouse/monitor. Then he can bring the laptop around, but dock into his dorm room's hardware while he's there. You can get a refurb from the Dell Outlet for around $400, then throw in a $100 monitor and a $10 KB/M combo.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I absolutely agree with your idea.
 
college_student said:
I don't want him to have to rely on that.
Click to expand...

Why not? Learning how to effectively use a remote (probably Linux/UNIX) system is fundamental tool for a computer scientist.

There's a more pragmatic reason as well. Let's say you do your coding on your local Windows or <insert random Linux distro here> box and it works. That's great! Now you hand it in to your prof and it doesn't compile on the departmental machine where he does his grading, and it doesn't compile so you get an automatic 50 point deduction. That's not so great.
I only made that mistake once.
 
college_student said:
Can you suggest an ITX based build
Click to expand...

Actually, I would probably do the $120 Core i3-3225. You should see the computers that the undergrads get to use at the university. A 3225 would probably be competitive. It also is eligible for the $40 combo discount. Get the cheapest ITX motherboard that uses either the H77 or B75 chipset. Get 8GB RAM (2x4GB).
 
Build him a Mini-ITX system using the ASRock H77-ITX motherboard ($95-$40 at MC), and the i3-3225 that Zap mentioned ($120), in a Silverstone Sugo SG-05 case ($110). If he ever gets into gaming, he can add a video card, and in the meantime, the case is really compact and he'll think it's cool (hopefully!). That's about $285, and all you'd need to add would be RAM (~$60) and the drives (~$30 slimline optical plus SATA adapter, ~$100 Samsung 840 120GB SSD, ~$75 1TB hard drive). That puts you at $565 before tax.

Here's the Silverstone with a 300W PSU for $110: http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Te...verstone+sg-05

And here's what's on offer at Microcenter: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/6a6590ad#/6a6590ad/33
 
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I went through school with an engineering degree with a good bit of CS, and you will not need anything more than a basic C2D to get through college.

TBH, you'll be much better off with a lightweight laptop, just so you can always have it with you. There won't be much programming of anything heavy. I ran MATLAB simulations on a Atom Netbook... and that's heavier than most CS coursework.
 
A quad core i-5 would be nice with about 8 gigs of RAM. Sometimes going with a faster more capable processor saves time in the long-run. If you have to do any computer graphics it will go 4 times as fast compiling code.
 
mfenn said:
Why not? Learning how to effectively use a remote (probably Linux/UNIX) system is fundamental tool for a computer scientist.

There's a more pragmatic reason as well. Let's say you do your coding on your local Windows or <insert random Linux distro here> box and it works. That's great! Now you hand it in to your prof and it doesn't compile on the departmental machine where he does his grading, and it doesn't compile so you get an automatic 50 point deduction. That's not so great.
I only made that mistake once.
Click to expand...

Yea, I made that mistake. My laptop had a later version of the compiler on it, which did automatic stuff that made it gloss over an error I had missed. Thankfully my prof allowed me to resubmit when I showed him it executing properly on my system.

To answer OP's question, what Termie listed looks pretty good. Man, I love me some Microcenter sales.
 
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When I began college for a computer engineering degree at one of the nation's top engineering colleges, I came prepared with top of the line AMD K6-III system and 1024x768 CRT running the second edition of Windows 98!

Don't get caught up worrying over if the system is powerful enough for the coursework. It is. And after having built hundreds of computers from parts as a job post-college, I would suggest looking at pre-built machines. They're less expensive.
 
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Termie said:
Build him a Mini-ITX system using the ASRock H77-ITX motherboard ($95-$40 at MC), and the i3-3225 that Zap mentioned ($120), in a Silverstone Sugo SG-05 case ($110). If he ever gets into gaming, he can add a video card, and in the meantime, the case is really compact and he'll think it's cool (hopefully!). That's about $285, and all you'd need to add would be RAM (~$60) and the drives (~$30 slimline optical plus SATA adapter, ~$100 Samsung 840 120GB SSD, ~$75 1TB hard drive). That puts you at $565 before tax.

Here's the Silverstone with a 300W PSU for $110: http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Te...verstone+sg-05

And here's what's on offer at Microcenter: http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/6a6590ad#/6a6590ad/33
Click to expand...

Nice system!
 
Thanks for all the help guys.
Maybe it is better for me to consider getting him a nice portable laptop instead.

Let me consider this for a little while.

Thanks again,
-DV
 
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