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Office PC, what do you think -- desktop or mini?

E

eli2k

Member
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
- No gaming. Just email, youtube, Internet browsing, music. This will be a system for my mom for her to use, to replace a 5 year old slow machine. I looked at these mini PC/NUC machines, they look nifty, but when looking at the cost, a decent machine would cost a lot. So I thought maybe a desktop build would be better use of money.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
- $500 upper limit +/- 20%

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
- US. I have access to Fry's, Microcenter nearby.

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 an i5 overkill for these purposes, or just stick with i3?

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
- I have a Lian-Li V351 case I think I will use to build this out. It supports micro and mini atx. Unless you think I'll need a different case.
- I also have an OCZ Agility 3 120gb SSD, this isn't a bad drive is it? It hasn't been used very much. I also plan to add one additional mechanical drive, which is available at hand.
- Keyboard/mouse/display/speakers are taken care of. If you can suggest a good wireless mouse with long battery life, I'd be interested in taking a look at it.
- One optical drive to be salvaged from the old PC.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
- No overclocking.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
- Standard resolution, Intel's IGP should be enough to run it.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
- Within this month.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
- No software.

Thanks for everyone's input and advice!
 
eli2k said:
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
- No gaming. Just email, youtube, Internet browsing, music. This will be a system for my mom for her to use, to replace a 5 year old slow machine. I looked at these mini PC/NUC machines, they look nifty, but when looking at the cost, a decent machine would cost a lot. So I thought maybe a desktop build would be better use of money.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
- $500 upper limit +/- 20%
Click to expand...
Honestly, I think that you would be a perfect candidate for a Gigabyte Brix J1900 unit (especially if you will be using it with a VGA monitor), or an MSI Cubi.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
- I have a Lian-Li V351 case I think I will use to build this out. It supports micro and mini atx. Unless you think I'll need a different case.
- I also have an OCZ Agility 3 120gb SSD, this isn't a bad drive is it? It hasn't been used very much. I also plan to add one additional mechanical drive, which is available at hand.
- Keyboard/mouse/display/speakers are taken care of. If you can suggest a good wireless mouse with long battery life, I'd be interested in taking a look at it.
- One optical drive to be salvaged from the old PC.
Click to expand...
Does she need the optical drive? If it's an actual need, and will have regular use, then I would suggest a traditional tower build, and NOT a mini-PC build.

You can re-use the 2.5" SSD in both of the mini-PCs that I mentioned.
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
- Standard resolution, Intel's IGP should be enough to run it.
Click to expand...
No need for a discrete card? A mini-PC should fit well, pending info on optical drive usage.
 
I agree with Larry. For typical "Mom tasks" a NUC (or NUC-sized) machine with an SSD will be plenty of processing power.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Honestly, I think that you would be a perfect candidate for a Gigabyte Brix J1900 unit (especially if you will be using it with a VGA monitor), or an MSI Cubi.


Does she need the optical drive? If it's an actual need, and will have regular use, then I would suggest a traditional tower build, and NOT a mini-PC build.

You can re-use the 2.5" SSD in both of the mini-PCs that I mentioned.

No need for a discrete card? A mini-PC should fit well, pending info on optical drive usage.
Click to expand...

She definitely still uses the optical drive regularly, because she still watches these Asian films on DVD. I was considering an external optical drive if I went the miniPC route. The MSI Cubi-004BUS would be what I'm looking at if I went with that.
 
Intel G1840 boxed @ $35

http://www.microcenter.com/product/432157/Celeron_G1840_28GHz_Boxed_Processor

Crucial 8GB DDR3 kit @ $55:

http://www.microcenter.com/product/...el_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)

Gigabyte H81M-S2H @ $55 (I have this board, great H81 board):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128758

Corsair CX 430 @ $40:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...6&cm_re=corsair_cx_430-_-17-139-026-_-Product

Asus DVD burner @ $20:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...35204&cm_re=dvd_burner-_-27-135-204-_-Product

Win 8.1 OEM - ~ $100

TOTAL: $305 (not counting rebates you may find floating around).

Add a suitable small mATX case you like. I wouldn't drop below 8GB RAM if you want this to box to last 5yrs.

EDIT:

Coolermaster Silencio for $60 after rebate decent mid-tower for mATX:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ..._re=cooler_master_mATX-_-11-119-302-_-Product
 
Last edited:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167089
i3-5005U Cubi in white, $279.99.

Minimum Configuration Requirement of Cubi for 4K Video Playing
1) CPU: Core i3 or above
2) Memory: 2 x SO-DIMM DDR3L 1666/1333 instead of one (for example: 2GB x 2 can deliver much better FPS than 4GB x 1), in other words, dual-channel memory required.
Click to expand...

Also, a note: Newegg's site lists 8GB max for RAM capacity, but MSI's site and Intel ARK both list 16GB max, in two DIMMs.
 
That celeron g1840 makes all the j2900 and amd 5350 type processors irrelevant unless you really want that 25w or so tdp. Also worth considering are the g3258 and g3260 at microcenter. Frys also had a $50 promo for the g3270 last monday and they may have it come up again. I think they also had a really good promo on the antec isk 110 but I'm not sure... I also just noticed that Newegg has the asrock h97m itx/ac for $50 AR right now. If you want to go mini pc, imo, this is the best fit for a great deal.
 
melloyellow said:
That celeron g1840 makes all the j2900 and amd 5350 type processors irrelevant unless you really want that 25w or so tdp. Also worth considering are the g3258 and g3260 at microcenter. Frys also had a $50 promo for the g3270 last monday and they may have it come up again. I think they also had a really good promo on the antec isk 110 but I'm not sure... I also just noticed that Newegg has the asrock h97m itx/ac for $50 AR right now. If you want to go mini pc, imo, this is the best fit for a great deal.
Click to expand...

Hmm, that's a good deal on the H97M ITX board. OP, listen to this man.

An ITX build would still be smaller, lower-power, but could have the ability to use a real DVD+RW drive. I built my Mom a PC like that, using an HEC ITX case from Newegg, and a slim laptop-style DVD drive. The case included the wiring harness for the laptop DVD drive's special SATA connector. (Hint, it's not like a 2.5" HDD's SATA connector, it's smaller, and combined.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121114
 
Last edited:
melloyellow said:
That celeron g1840 makes all the j2900 and amd 5350 type processors irrelevant unless you really want that 25w or so tdp. Also worth considering are the g3258 and g3260 at microcenter. Frys also had a $50 promo for the g3270 last monday and they may have it come up again. I think they also had a really good promo on the antec isk 110 but I'm not sure... I also just noticed that Newegg has the asrock h97m itx/ac for $50 AR right now. If you want to go mini pc, imo, this is the best fit for a great deal.
Click to expand...

Where do you see the H97M board for $50? This is the same thing? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157526

escrow4 said:
Its faster in single threaded tasks than old Core 2 Quads, sips power, runs cool quiet and is more than sufficient for a basic box. I'm using a G1850 myself.
Click to expand...

Thanks. What do you think of this PSU -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139049 same model as yours but modular and it's a lower price?

What do you think about this board -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128687R
 
Last edited:
eli2k said:
Thanks. What do you think of this PSU -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139049 same model as yours but modular and it's a lower price?
Click to expand...

That's a good substitute. The CXM series are sometimes lower than the CX series due to retailer discounting (i.e. stock clearing).

eli2k said:
What do you think about this board -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128687R
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go with an open box board unless you're willing to risk having to ship the board back in the case of a failure.
 
melloyellow said:
It looks like that price was there for like a day and then gone. No idea what's up with newegg there =/

Here you can kinda see it in the price history graph:
https://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97mitxac
Click to expand...

I see. 🙁

Any other motherboard recs? Otherwise GA-H81M-S2H it is. What about this one -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128687 --- free shipping w/shoprunner will balance out shipping cost w/the other board. I can't tell the differences between all the Gigabyte boards, they're all so similar; some have DVI, some have HDMI, some have more USB ports.
 
Last edited:
eli2k said:
I see. 🙁

Any other motherboard recs? Otherwise GA-H81M-S2H it is. What about this one -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128687 --- free shipping w/shoprunner will balance out shipping cost w/the other board. I can't tell the differences between all the Gigabyte boards, they're all so similar; some have DVI, some have HDMI, some have more USB ports.
Click to expand...

That board has no internal USB 3 connector which auto disqualifies it in my view. Its 2015 not 2005, you want the option of internal USB 3 baked in no matter how cheap the board or chipset is. It also has way less back panel USB 3 compared to the S2H. Lastly it doesn't have the audio PCB separation or caps.
 
Haswell Celeron is the way to go. Web browsing loves its Javascript, and based on my outsider's perspective, that language doesn't really make use of multiple cores.

The Haswell Celeron has 10 execution units in its graphics, whereas its Ivy Bridge predecessor had only 6. Now, both have sufficient grunt for 1080p playback, but if it "gets old" and can't play 2K or 4K in the future, Haswell i3s should have depreciated by then.

I run a Sandy Bridge G550 box(slower and older CPU due to clockspeed and older architecture) with 8GB RAM and a Sandisk Ultra Plus SSD, and it certainly feels adequate even with a LOT of Google Chrome tabs open.

OP, what are the specs the old computer has? Don't need much info except the CPU and hard drive.
 
Torn Mind said:
Haswell Celeron is the way to go. Web browsing loves its Javascript, and based on my outsider's perspective, that language doesn't really make use of multiple cores.

The Haswell Celeron has 10 execution units in its graphics, whereas its Ivy Bridge predecessor had only 6. Now, both have sufficient grunt for 1080p playback, but if it "gets old" and can't play 2K or 4K in the future, Haswell i3s should have depreciated by then.

I run a Sandy Bridge G550 box(slower and older CPU due to clockspeed and older architecture) with 8GB RAM and a Sandisk Ultra Plus SSD, and it certainly feels adequate even with a LOT of Google Chrome tabs open.

OP, what are the specs the old computer has? Don't need much info except the CPU and hard drive.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice.

Old PC has an old mechanical 5400 rpm drive. And the CPU --- an old E2160 😀 I went with the Gigabyte H81M-S2H board and the celeron.
 
escrow4 said:
That board has no internal USB 3 connector which auto disqualifies it in my view. Its 2015 not 2005, you want the option of internal USB 3 baked in no matter how cheap the board or chipset is. It also has way less back panel USB 3 compared to the S2H. Lastly it doesn't have the audio PCB separation or caps.
Click to expand...

Thanks, good tips and things to look for when I build a future system.
 
Why do people want to build their parents a PC with the weakest piece of junk low end processor on earth that was out of date 2 years ago? Is that how they express their love for their parents? I would think you want to use the latest i3 or at least fairly recent so it would last about 5 years into the future. The object being with this philosophy is to not repeat this process any time in the near future. Of course you might like building them a computer every 2 years.

Maybe what parents need is to have a fund like a computer Christmas fund. Every 3 years take the money out and buy a computer. If you saved $10 every 2 weeks, that would be $240 a Year. After 3 years you would have $720 for a computer. Maybe adjust for inflation.
 
You might also consider spending a it more and getting her a Mac Mini. I did this a few years ago for my 75 year old mother and tech support over the years has been limited to trivial tasks. There is something to be said for simplicity and ease of use, not to mention the extremely tiny form factor and lack of noise.
 
piasabird said:
Why do people want to build their parents a PC with the weakest piece of junk low end processor on earth that was out of date 2 years ago? Is that how they express their love for their parents? I would think you want to use the latest i3 or at least fairly recent so it would last about 5 years into the future. The object being with this philosophy is to not repeat this process any time in the near future. Of course you might like building them a computer every 2 years.

Maybe what parents need is to have a fund like a computer Christmas fund. Every 3 years take the money out and buy a computer. If you saved $10 every 2 weeks, that would be $240 a Year. After 3 years you would have $720 for a computer. Maybe adjust for inflation.
Click to expand...

52 weeks in a year / 2 = 26 x $10 = $260 a year, or $780 after three years.
 
piasabird said:
Why do people want to build their parents a PC with the weakest piece of junk low end processor on earth that was out of date 2 years ago? Is that how they express their love for their parents? I would think you want to use the latest i3 or at least fairly recent so it would last about 5 years into the future. The object being with this philosophy is to not repeat this process any time in the near future. Of course you might like building them a computer every 2 years.

Maybe what parents need is to have a fund like a computer Christmas fund. Every 3 years take the money out and buy a computer. If you saved $10 every 2 weeks, that would be $240 a Year. After 3 years you would have $720 for a computer. Maybe adjust for inflation.
Click to expand...

I find myself in this boat. Sure, a NUC is probably enough for blah blah blah. But then she decides she wants to do something else, or have multiple things going at once, and all of sudden it crawls for something and she has you on the phone.

At the $$ amount you have available, I'd go lowest i5 with a decent amount of ram. I realize many favor the NUC, but a NUC with an external DVD drive to play movies??? That just doesn't seem like an appealing looking build to me.

Something like the below is well under budget:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mV7hwP
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mV7hwP/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $337.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-30 17:43 EDT-0400

And more than enough power to last the next 5-10 years for home office use.
 
I somewhat concur. I don't think I would stick my Mom with a Bay Trail or AM1 setup. I did build her a second PC recently, with a 1037U embedded CPU ITX board. Partially because of the low-power nature, but yet still "Big Core" architecture, partially because it was cheap, and partially because of the CPU cooler height (or lack thereof), and clearance in the ITX case I chose. It has a slim laptop DVD drive in it too, because she still watches DVDs. (Lots of older folk do, I imagine.)

I agree that a NUC, with an external DVD drive, might be a little ungainly.

I did give her 16GB of RAM, and a decent SSD though, so she should be set in that dept.
 
piasabird said:
Why do people want to build their parents a PC with the weakest piece of junk low end processor on earth that was out of date 2 years ago? Is that how they express their love for their parents? I would think you want to use the latest i3 or at least fairly recent so it would last about 5 years into the future. The object being with this philosophy is to not repeat this process any time in the near future. Of course you might like building them a computer every 2 years.

Maybe what parents need is to have a fund like a computer Christmas fund. Every 3 years take the money out and buy a computer. If you saved $10 every 2 weeks, that would be $240 a Year. After 3 years you would have $720 for a computer. Maybe adjust for inflation.
Click to expand...

Because you don't need more than a Celeron for basic tasks. If a $100 Android tablet can do it with hardly any slowdown a $50 Celeron will do it just as well. 5yrs in the future buy another Celeron for $50 which will likely be as fast as an i5 is today for $200. 5yrs ago in 2010 a basic desktop Celeron would be a Wolfdale E33xx for something half decent.
 
escrow4 said:
5yrs ago in 2010 a basic desktop Celeron would be a Wolfdale E33xx for something half decent.
Click to expand...

I'm glad that you think that those are at least half decent, because I finally threw together a pair of E3300 dual-core ITX rigs, with 40GB SSDs donated by another AT forum member. One has a DVD drive, one does not. Looking for someone to buy / give to. Only downside, the mobo doesn't have HDMI, not a PCI-E X16 slot (only an X1), so that basically means that they are stuck with GMA graphics. So not ideal for a HTPC, by any means.
 
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