New Build - Work PC

[MKOdoric]

Hi Everyone,

I'm updating my gaming computer and have decided to use some of the old components to update my old man's computer as well. I'd like a critique on what I intend to include in his build.

1. The PC will be used for accounting work, some Skype, and general internet browsing. No gaming whatsoever. Ability to run older programs is a must, so therefore I'm stuck with 32-bit Windows 7. Dual screen support is a must.
2. My budget for the upgrade is around $500, this price is independent of the parts I'm giving to him.
3. Buying the parts from Canada.
4. I'd say I'm more partial to ATI videocards, but really I want the best card for the situation.
5. The parts I'm handing down are my E8400 on an Asus P5Q motherboard, this includes 4 gigs of RAM as well. The E8400 is currently overclocked to 4ghz, I'm going to restore it to stock speeds.
6. I've searched and read similar threads. I'm posting here to see if I'm missing anything, and I'm looking for videocard advice. I don't know much about the low end/passive cooling cards.
7. Default Speeds.
8. One monitor will run at 1920x1080, the secondary will run at 1280x1024

The Build:
Processor: e8400 (reused)

Motherboard: P5Q (reused)

RAM: 4 gigs patriot (reused)

OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional x86 (32-bit) SP1 DVD - OEM 139.99

Case: Antec Sonata IV Case w/ 620W Power Supply, USB 3.0 109.99 (On sale for $20 cheaper than the similar Sonata III Case+PSU combo)

UPDATE: Changing the case to an Antec Three Hundred Versatile Mid Tower Gamer Case w/ Corsair CMPSU-430CX V2 430 Watt Power Supply 94.98 (I was concerned about the passively cooled videocard not having enough airflow, then I saw this deal locally. As far as research has led me to believe, the PSU is of decent quality and the case will provide more airflow.

Hard Drive: Seagate 500GB Barracuda 7200rpm SATA III w/ 16MB Cache 39.99x2 (He wants 2 drives, so that all his work can be backed up on the second drive if the first were to fail, in addition to backups on 2 external usb drives.)

Videocard: Asus EAH6450 Silent Radeon HD 6450 512MB DDR3 PCI-E w/ DVI, HDMI 54.99
or
Gigabyte Radeon HD 6670 1GB DDR3 PCI-E w/ DVI, HDMI 59.99 (with rebates)

DVD Drive: Samsung SH-S243D 24x DVD-Writer, SATA, Black 19.99

Additional Comments:
1. Total works out to $400, so I have room to work within the budget.
2. The videocard. He'd like the computer to be as silent as possible, so I'd be more inclined to go with the 6450, but the 6670 almost the exact same price, making the additional performance something to consider. I'm also very open to suggestions when it comes to the videocard. Comments?
3. The OS. I'm not sure if he needs Windows 7 Pro. It's my understanding that Premium doesn't allow you to run programs in compatibility mode, hence my choice of Pro. If I'm wrong in this matter, I'll just go with Premium. I have Pro 64-bit on my computer, and even in compatibility mode for Windows XP, I can't get some of his older programs to run, which I attribute to the fact that I'm on 64-bit, meaning he'll need 32-bit.
4. Anything else you guys may see that I've missed?

Thanks everyone in advance for any input, I appreciate it.

 

[lehtv]

GPU: XFX 5450 fanless, lifetime warranty, $25 AR (newegg)

OS: I doubt Win 7 Pro is needed. Home Premium can't enter "Windows XP mode", read up on that to determine whether it's actually needed.

Case/PSU: 620W is way overkill. But that deal is hard to beat...

 

[mfenn]

I agree with lehtv. There is a difference between "XP Mode" (really just a VM that you can accomplish with VirtualBox) and "Compatibility Mode", which runs the programs in a slightly modified environment that emulates older features. XP Mode is Pro and up only, but you can do the same thing for free assuming you have an XP license. Compatibility mode works with any version of the OS.

 

[MKOdoric]

Thank you for the replies!

I'll have a look at that GPU, would rather buy local and not have to deal with rebates, but if the price is right, looks good to me.

Regarding the PSU, agreed, it's way above and beyond what the machine will ever need, but like you said, price can't really be beat.

Regarding the question about Premium vs Pro. I tested his programs under "compatibility mode" on my machine and couldn't get them to run. I received a message telling me it's not compatible with my version of Windows, despite running it as XP service pack 3, which I know the programs runs under. I believe this is because I'm running a 64-bit machine. Based off of this, Home Premium 32-bit should work. He won't be running a VM anytime. He just wants the PC to work.