Please help tweak build for Parent's Computer

[letsgetsilly]

I’m building a new computer for my parents. It’s going to be used for standard parent work, like browsing the web, writing emails, looking at pictures, etc.

I’m also going to set it up to play games so that me and my father can play strategy games along the lines of Company of Heroes together online. High graphics and resolution are not important, just framerate and stability. I also want it to have a decent enough video card so that when I come home I can play Starcraft 2 and other games on it, potentially some LAN gaming.

My budget is around the $5-800 range, and they’ll appreciate anything cheaper. I’m buying in the US from Newegg most likely, and I’ve got Amazon prime so I’ll look to take advantage when possible.

I won’t be using any of my current parts, other than their existing keyboard, mouse, and LCD. I’ll use my own license of Windows 7.

I’ve created a list of components that are mainly pulled from the Anandtech budget guide located here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4164/budget-system-builders-guide-february-2011/5

Please let me know if you have any alternative suggestions or deals. Here’s the breakdown:

Processor - AMD Athlo II X4 640 3ghz AM3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103871

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-880GM-D2H w/ AMD 880G chipset - $80

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128458

Video card - XFX HD 5670 1 GB - $95

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150467

Case - Antec 300 Case - $55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129066

Hard Drive - HItachi 1TB HD - $55

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822145304

DVD Burner - LG Burner - $20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827136177

Power Supply - Antec Earthwats 500W - $60

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371007

Memory - 4GB Patriot DDR3 1333 -$40

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220537

Thanks in advance!

 

[mnewsham]

Samsung f3 hdd is better. You can get an HD 5770 1gb for about 105

 

[letsgetsilly]

Samsung f3 hdd is better. You can get an HD 5770 1gb for about 105

Noted. Is the 5770 just a small step up?

 

[mnewsham]

Its an entry level gaming card good for mid-high settings at 1920x1080. The redwood (5670) is in most ways exactly 1/2 of a juniper (5770).

 

[betasub]

A good step up. A GPU that is theoretically about twice as powerful, plus better memory (+20% bandwidth).

 

[letsgetsilly]

A good step up. A GPU that is theoretically about twice as powerful, plus better memory (+20% bandwidth).

Awesome. I'm sold, thanks for the tip!

I want this computer to be available to play games for the next few years. Every once in a while I'll come home and have the need for a LAN machine, so I'm totally comfortable throwing an extra $100 into the machine to make it last a little longer.

I was debating on the nVidia 460, but the power draw is significantly larger. The machine will be used for gaming like 2% of the time, so throwing in a power-hungry video card doesn't seem to make a ton of sense.

What do you think?

 

[fffblackmage]

Don't worry too much about it, most modern video cards idle with very low power consumption.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I want this computer to be available to play games for the next few years. Every once in a while I'll come home and have the need for a LAN machine, so I'm totally comfortable throwing an extra $100 into the machine to make it last a little longer.

Until you said this, I thought you were kinda off your rocker.

For old people office/photo/email type stuff, it's ridiculously overpowered.

That said, the build looks okay - except for space/aesthetic reasons (most nongamers don't like refrigerators humming in their offices) I'd probably use a mATX case to take advantage of your smaller motherboard.

 

[letsgetsilly]

Until you said this, I thought you were kinda off your rocker.

For old people office/photo/email type stuff, it's ridiculously overpowered.

That said, the build looks okay - except for space/aesthetic reasons (most nongamers don't like refrigerators humming in their offices) I'd probably use a mATX case to take advantage of your smaller motherboard.

I'm a little confused by the line "most nongamers don't like refrigerators humming in their offices). Do you think the machine will be loud? I was under the impression that it would be quite quiet.

I will look into a smaller case, that's a good idea. Although this computer will reside underneath a large desk fairly hidden, so space isn't that big of an issue.

Thanks for your response.

 

[fffblackmage]

The Antec 300 should be decently quiet. You could always disable a fan or two to make it quieter.

 

[mfenn]

The loudest part of the system is likely to be the stock AMD cooler. Its fan doesn't drop very low. To combat this, you can either get the Hyper 212+ or the easier to mount Freezer 7 Pro.