New computer build for room mate

Hobbsgoblin · Jan 27, 2009

Hi everyone,

I've agreed to build a computer from scratch for my room mate, and I figured this was the place to go for advice. My room mate wants the best bang for his buck and doesn't know much about computers. He will be using it mainly for casual stuff like browsing the web, watching movies, etc. But he also wants it to be fast, good at multitasking (perhaps, in the future, on windows 7), and capable of watching streaming HD video. But he doesn't play any computer games. Another request was 802.11n wireless capability, and he wants a quad core processor.

His budget is $775, including monitor and peripherals, and without taking mail-in rebates into account. He also want's to get all the components from the same retailer, so I chose the obvious: newegg. I am buying from the US of A. He has no brand preference, so suggestions for alternatives are welcome, but for the processor I would like to stick with Intel this time. He wants to buy the components asap, so quick responses are appreciated!

This is what I have picked out:

~~~NEW build~~~

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128347

Core 2 Quad Q8200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115055

Geforce 8400 GS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814139018

or

Radeon HD 4650
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102805

G.Skill 4gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122

WD 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218

Linksys 802.11n PCI adapter + antenna
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833124069
(Is this all I need for my room mates wireless?)

Antek case with power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129031
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129045

Mouse and Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16823109156

And that's it. What I want to know is:

Is there anything I'm missing? Any cables or cards that would not come with the components?

Are all these components compatible?

Do you have any general opinions or suggestions about my choices? Or any advice for when we put it all together?

Thanks,

Dan

Edit: I should add that a copy of XP has already been acquired... and that the optical drive is not very important, but will probably be This LG

DSF · Jan 27, 2009

Is he aware that a quad core chip is a waste of money for him, and will be for the foreseeable future? The fact is that the things he does use very little CPU power. Even an entry level chip will do everything he wants and still have the energy to run around the block and make him breakfast.

Also, Raidmax bundled PSUs are crap. At least get something from a reputable manufacturer like the Antec Earthwatts 380W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005

Edit: And a few comments about the RAM:
G.Skill isn't off-brand, it's good stuff. Don't get 4x1GB though, get 2x2GB. You'd be paying $62 for 4GB if you bought two of the kit you chose. 4GB of DDR2 shouldn't cost more than $45.

Blain · Jan 27, 2009

Originally posted by: DSF
Is he aware that a quad core chip is a waste of money for him, and will be for the foreseeable future?

Also, Raidmax bundled PSUs are crap. At least get something from a reputable manufacturer like the Antec Earthwatts 380W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005

* I doubt it.
* Very true

heyheybooboo · Jan 27, 2009

For less than the price of your mobo. cpu and vid card you could purchase an AMD Phenom II 940/920 & Asus/Gigabyte 790gx/780g combo deal. You could also throw in 2x2Gb GSkill DDR2 1066MHz for $55 and still come in under budget (IIRC it is on the Asus 790gx QVL list).

The IGP on the 790gx/780g would be roughly similar (if not a touch better) than the video card you selected.

Hobbsgoblin · Jan 27, 2009

Originally posted by: DSF
Is he aware that a quad core chip is a waste of money for him, and will be for the foreseeable future? The fact is that the things he does use very little CPU power. Even an entry level chip will do everything he wants and still have the energy to run around the block and make him breakfast.

Also, Raidmax bundled PSUs are crap. At least get something from a reputable manufacturer like the Antec Earthwatts 380W:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371005

Edit: And a few comments about the RAM:
G.Skill isn't off-brand, it's good stuff. Don't get 4x1GB though, get 2x2GB. You'd be paying $62 for 4GB if you bought two of the kit you chose. 4GB of DDR2 shouldn't cost more than $45.

I have informed him that a quad core is overkill, even for gamers, but he "just wants one". Who am I to argue?

And good point on the ram, I forgot they made 2 gig sticks these days (I haven't built a computer in a while

). Glad to hear G.Skill is a good brand, but do you know anything about the volt issue?

Blain · Jan 27, 2009

Spend a tad more on a current HD vs the old school Seagate you linked.
> 640GB WD SE16 :thumbsup::laugh:

theAnimal · Jan 27, 2009

I'd recommend going with AMD for this build.

Here is a combo Phenom II & mobo (which includes very good onboard graphics, so you can scrap the video card) for $255.

Bump the RAM up to 2x2GB.

And up the HDD to 640GB.

You'll need a wireless networking adapter to do 802.11n.

And finally, do not use that PSU. If you like the case buy it without a PSU and add this one.

Or for a case with a good PSU, this one.

yh125d · Jan 27, 2009

Motherboard - I'm going to go ahead and assume that there won't be any overclocking in which case you can save him some $ by going with something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128347
HD - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822152052 - Same price, double the storage. Good company
Case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811119161 - Good, cheap case
PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817256032 - Much better brand than whatever junk would come with the raidmax case. Still plenty of power
RAM - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820134730 - 4gb, Kingston is a good brand. (as is G.Skill)
GPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102805 - For only $20 more than the 8400, you get alot more grunt. Not sure how the 8400 would handle BD playback, or the windows 7 graphical effects, but the 4650 will handle them much better.
Wireless - http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833124297 - Something like this is what you'll want

If you can convince him that he doesn't need a quad (he doesn't), swap in a http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115206 and if you can't, go for a q8200 instead. still plenty of horsepower for him.

Denithor · Jan 27, 2009

Since he wants a quad, buy him a quad. It's his money to waste...

Q8200 (2.33GHz, 4MB cache) $170
(cheaper, cooler, easily overclocked)

Gigabyte E7AUM-DS2H $130
(replaces UD3R + 8400GS)

G.Skill 2x2GB DDR2-800 1.8V $40
(cheaper, lower volts, two sticks instead of four)

WD6400AAKS $75
($20 more for nearly 400GB more storage & better performance)

Corsair 400CX $38
(after rebate & coupon code on page)

Optional:
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drive $120
Asus VH226H 21.5" FullHD LCD $200
(These two will allow him to watch Blu-ray & HD DVD movies at full 1080p resolution.)

Use the same case ($65), DVDRW ($25), wifi antenna ($27) & keyboard/mouse ($20) you picked out.

To answer your question about Wireless N: no this antenna will not give him wireless N speeds by itself. You also need a wireless N router to connect to get true N speeds. However, this card will give him better range than a G antenna so it's probably still worth it.

EDIT: And if you go for this build, using the mATX motherboard, you can consider getting him a smaller case: Apevia X-Qpack.

Hobbsgoblin · Feb 2, 2009

Hobbsgoblin · Feb 3, 2009

Bump. Can anyone tell me if this build will work?

TidusZ · Feb 3, 2009

Get out the sock puppets and explain to him why a Q8200 is overkill for "casual stuff like browsing the web, watching movies, etc"

He'd be better off with an e5200 and more cash to spend on a monitor or bigger hard drive to hold more movies. If he ever does try to game, that quadcore on a 8400gs will be like an elephant trying to ride a unicycle. It ain't right, and it ain't tight. BTW, I don't think you included the monitor in your parts list above, which you said you needed? Even a cheap 22" will be around $180 CDN.

Will the build work? Yeah, I don't like to admit it but yes it will work.

crimson117 · Feb 3, 2009

The Antec NSK4480 is not a good deal when at full price ($100) especially since it's not free shipping, either (total $120.12 shipped to NY at newegg).

Instead, go buy the Antec Sonata III at Provantage, for ~$125 shipped

I even mentioned this in my newegg review of this case.

"Other Thoughts: I bought this case for about half price after discounts and a mail-in rebate. But if it's not on sale, or if your budget has some flexibility, consider upgrading to an Antec Sonata."

EDIT: mrSHEiK124 found a great price ($80 shipped) on the black version of the case you selected. I still like the Sonata III, but for $50 less, this NSK4480B is a good budget choice.

mrSHEiK124 · Feb 3, 2009

Holy crap, the 640GB WD went OOS at $59.99
<---Just paid $80 a piece for two or three of them a while back

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.155923
ASUS M3A78-T + Phenom II 920 = $297.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129045 Go with this case, free shipping, and an extra 50W in the power supply. Even if you only want the 380W version, buy the black one NSK4480B since it's currently $20 less, and has free shipping.

Since the 640GB WD is OOS, you could buy it from Amazon for $69.99 with free shipping linky or you could get him the 640GB WD Caviar Black for $79.99 from Newegg. It's faster, he'll notice it more in "casual use" than a faster quad core. linky

I can't recommend this RAM strongly enough: Text. It's only $26.99 AR ($56.99 before rebate), it's solid, and it works great with AMD 7*0 boards.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827136152
Good DVD Burner

Does he even have an 802.11n router? IMO, paying that much for that card isn't worth it, tell him to buy $20 worth of Cat5 and run cable to wherever he needs it.

I'm getting $651.93 (without shipping) using the $99.99/Free Shipping/430W Antec case, $79.99 WD Black drive, your KB/Mouse, Linksys card, and all the parts I posted. That leaves him some cash for a nicer keyboard/mouse, a nice monitor, etc.

crimson117 · Feb 3, 2009

For the video card, if your friend is truly not a computer gamer, then save some money and get a Radeon HD 3450 for $30 ($20 after $10 MIR).

This review found that the 3450 can play blu-ray content perfectly.

I think you forgot to include a DVD drive, and a monitor.

I agree with Denithor's suggestions:

Optional:
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drive $115
Asus VH226H 21.5" FullHD LCD $200
(These two will allow him to watch Blu-ray & HD DVD movies at full 1080p resolution.)

mrSHEiK124 · Feb 3, 2009

Originally posted by: crimson117
The Antec NSK4480 is not a good deal when at full price ($100) especially since it's not free shipping, either (total $120.12 shipped to NY at newegg).

Instead, go buy the Antec Sonata III at Provantage, for ~$125 shipped

I even mentioned this in my newegg review of this case.

"Other Thoughts: I bought this case for about half price after discounts and a mail-in rebate. But if it's not on sale, or if your budget has some flexibility, consider upgrading to an Antec Sonata."

Click to expand...

Amazon also has it for $126.93 with free shipping.

I told him he should go for the NSK4480B if he really wants it, since it's $79.99 AND free shipping. Or the NSK6580B since it's $99.99, FS, and 430W.

My personal suggestion would be an Antec Three Hundred + Antec EarthWatts 650W PSU from NewEgg for $124.94 shipped: Text
The Sonata has always had a love it or hate it look, whereas the Antec 300 might be a little bit more testosterone friendly.

Originally posted by: crimson117
For the video card, if your friend is truly not a computer gamer, then save some money and get a Radeon HD 3450 for $30 ($20 after $10 MIR).

This review found that the 3450 can play blu-ray content perfectly.

I think you forgot to include a DVD drive, and a monitor.

I agree with Denithor's suggestions:

Optional:
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD/DVDRW combo drive $115
Asus VH226H 21.5" FullHD LCD $200
(These two will allow him to watch Blu-ray & HD DVD movies at full 1080p resolution.)

Click to expand...

If the most graphically intensive thing he's doing is watching Blu-Ray movies, he should just go for AMD 780G/790GX integrated graphics. They handle it perfectly, and cost $0.

s44 · Feb 4, 2009

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
If the most graphically intensive thing he's doing is watching Blu-Ray movies, he should just go for AMD 780G/790GX integrated graphics. They handle it perfectly, and cost $0.

They handle the video perfectly, but they neuter the audio something awful, doing only lossy surround sound.

Nvidia's 8200/8300/9300/9400 integrated chipsets will do both 1080p decoding and surround PCM.

For quad, I'd go Phenom II.

mrSHEiK124 · Feb 4, 2009

Originally posted by: s44

Originally posted by: mrSHEiK124
If the most graphically intensive thing he's doing is watching Blu-Ray movies, he should just go for AMD 780G/790GX integrated graphics. They handle it perfectly, and cost $0.

Click to expand...

They handle the video perfectly, but they neuter the audio something awful, doing only lossy surround sound.

Nvidia's 8200/8300/9300/9400 integrated chipsets will do both 1080p decoding and surround PCM.

For quad, I'd go Phenom II.

True, but irrelevant for someone who clearly isn't using it as an HTPC, hooked up to $1000+ speakers. And IIRC the 8200 doesn't do Dolby TrueHD either (780G DOES), so it'd have to be surround PCM, which only newer/more expensive home theater equipment supports over HDMI. IMO, this is a browsing the web, using office, etc. PC, and I've never seen an nVIDIA chipset do that without giving someone a headache.

BlahBlahYouToo · Feb 6, 2009

Originally posted by: Hobbsgoblin
Hi everyone,

I've agreed to build a computer from scratch for my room mate, and I figured this was the place to go for advice. My room mate wants the best bang for his buck and doesn't know much about computers. He will be using it mainly for casual stuff like browsing the web, watching movies, etc. But he also wants it to be fast, good at multitasking (perhaps, in the future, on windows 7), and capable of watching streaming HD video. But he doesn't play any computer games. Another request was 802.11n wireless capability, and he wants a quad core processor.

His budget is $775, including monitor and peripherals, and without taking mail-in rebates into account. He also want's to get all the components from the same retailer, so I chose the obvious: newegg. I am buying from the US of A. He has no brand preference, so suggestions for alternatives are welcome, but for the processor I would like to stick with Intel this time. He wants to buy the components asap, so quick responses are appreciated!

This is what I have picked out:

~~~NEW build~~~

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L LGA 775
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128347

Core 2 Quad Q8200
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115055

Geforce 8400 GS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814139018

or

Radeon HD 4650
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102805

G.Skill 4gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122

WD 640gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136218

Linksys 802.11n PCI adapter + antenna
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16833124069
(Is this all I need for my room mates wireless?)

Antek case with power supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129031
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811129045

Mouse and Keyboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16823109156

And that's it. What I want to know is:

Is there anything I'm missing? Any cables or cards that would not come with the components?

Are all these components compatible?

Do you have any general opinions or suggestions about my choices? Or any advice for when we put it all together?

Thanks,

Dan

Edit: I should add that a copy of XP has already been acquired... and that the optical drive is not very important, but will probably be This LG

is this the blind leading the blind?
you don't sound like you know how to put together a system for yourself, let alone for another person.

is this by chance a chick at school you're trying to impress? if so, you don't have to lie and say it's for a roommate. you'll still get the same amount of help here.

syseng · Feb 14, 2009

Although I was an AMD fan for years, Intel is way ahead on performance now. I suggest you look at some of the comparison reviews of the Intel Core 2 Duo - especially the tests invloving streaming media. I just built such a system and believe the Intel was a much better deal for the performance.

New computer build for room mate

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