SYSTEM ORDERED! [Cheapest build needed] A web browsing machine for my mom.

[Yuriman]

I see no strong reason to go with an ATX midtower. It will be mostly empty. At least do miniITX.

 

[Cerb]

I see no strong reason to go with an ATX midtower. It will be mostly empty. At least do miniITX.

Strong reason: cost.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Foxconn Bay Trail dual-core NanoPC barebones ($100):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856119098

or, alternatively, this H61 mini-ITX mobo for $36:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...41&ignorebbr=1
and this mini-ITX case+PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...05&ignorebbr=1

My HTPC is built with those two parts, a G1610, and a 2GB stick of RAM (had 2x4GB in, removed them for troubleshooting purposes, and just never replaced them), and a Kingston V300 120GB (as OP picked out).

It's really snappy. I use the HDMI out to an HDTV.

Why saddle your mom with even a micro-ATX tower? Why not build her something small and "cute". (Or use the Bay Trail Atom nanoPC I linked at the beginning of this post.)

 

[norseamd]

Added a different microATX case that comes with a PSU for same price but NO mail-in rebate. This PSU should be no problem yes? (I see this one isn't bronze-rated, just efficiency rating).

Well my personal preference is to never get anything but a power supply from a trusted brand like Seasonic or one of their rebrandings done by popular companies like Corsair or XFX. There are a few other companies that make excellent power supplies also. Reliability is what you are going to want the most out of any characteristic. After that stuff like efficiency ratings and other stuff like modularity. There are a few guides that will tell you about power supplies even by the individual models and they will also tell you what models are original manufacturer or are just rebrandings.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Some people dissed the HEC-made ThermalTake TR2-430 430W PSUs, but they were always reliable for me. I ditched mine because people on the forums said that they were crap, so I bought some Antec BP500 "Basiq" units, and had to replace one after a year because the cheap fan went bad and was making grinding sounds. (The TR2-430's dual 80mm fans were silent for 3 years.)

I bought some Antec EarthWatts 650W (made by Delta), I and a friend still have ours running reliably, nearly 5-6 years later.

I also have a pair of Antec VP-450 PSUs that have been running for 3-4 years quite reliably.

I also have some EarthWatts 500W units that have sat on the shelf for some years, broke one out recently for a G3258 build.

 

[norseamd]

2. The AMD APU is a CPU with integrated graphics processor. The Intel CPUs also have integrated graphics processors, but unless it is one of the highest end intel IGPs, they tend to be less powerful than the AMD offerings. However you sacrifice some CPU performance, so it's a trade off. However, if you have a micocenter close by, you might be able to get a better deal. Currently Micocenter offers the A10-6800K (quad core 4.1ghz) with the Gigabyte GA-F2A58M-HD2 motherboard for $120, which is about the same price as your current intel CPU/motherboard. However the A10-6800k has a MUCH more powerful GPU. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1262?vs=1256 It goes toe to toe with the G3420 in CPU aspects, but as you can see the G3420 can't keep up in the graphics department. However depending on your mothers usage, you may not care about graphics performance. Both should be able to do HD youtube no problem.

Plus this A10-7850 is a quad core. This is another CPU from AMD that does however use the module designs which is more than hyperthreading but not as good as true full cores actually are. However if you are able to get this CPU for the same cost as some of the other processor you were looking at then it might very well be a much nicer choice with obviously a much more powerful GPU. This is actually the top of the line APU from their last generation of APUs so it probably outperforms at least the lower end of the I3s as far as CPU power and probably outperforms most if not all I3s for GPU power and also GPGPU compute.

 

[norseamd]

Some people dissed the HEC-made ThermalTake TR2-430 430W PSUs, but they were always reliable for me. I ditched mine because people on the forums said that they were crap, so I bought some Antec BP500 "Basiq" units, and had to replace one after a year because the cheap fan went bad and was making grinding sounds. (The TR2-430's dual 80mm fans were silent for 3 years.) I bought some Antec EarthWatts 650W (made by Delta), I and a friend still have ours running reliably, nearly 5-6 years later. I also have a pair of Antec VP-450 PSUs that have been running for 3-4 years quite reliably. I also have some EarthWatts 500W units that have sat on the shelf for some years, broke one out recently for a G3258 build.

Yah I may be somewhat of a snob when it comes to power supplies but if that thing blows up then your whole computer might be a very expensive table ornament.

 

[norseamd]

Edit: Though I agree with your comment about getting 8GB of RAM.

And I will also suggest getting 8 GB of RAM for this computer. I would say this might be more important than any type of processor.

 

[Yuriman]

Plus this A10-7850 is a quad core. This is another CPU from AMD that does however use the module designs which is more than hyperthreading but not as good as true full cores actually are. However if you are able to get this CPU for the same cost as some of the other processor you were looking at then it might very well be a much nicer choice with obviously a much more powerful GPU. This is actually the top of the line APU from their last generation of APUs so it probably outperforms at least the lower end of the I3s as far as CPU power and probably outperforms most if not all I3s for GPU power and also GPGPU compute.

7850 is pretty respectable: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1200?vs=1192

Matches a middle-i3 in MT loads (give or take), 2/3 of the single-threaded performance but packs a much stronger iGPU. Unfortunately, that iGPU is likely to sit idle its entire life, it won't be overclocked, and the APU is more expensive. Between the two, my vote goes to the i3 for this build.

 

[norseamd]

7850 is pretty respectable: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1200?vs=1192 Matches a middle-i3 in MT loads (give or take), 2/3 of the single-threaded performance but packs a much stronger iGPU. Unfortunately, that iGPU is likely to sit idle its entire life, it won't be overclocked, and the APU is more expensive. Between the two, my vote goes to the i3 for this build.

Actually it was a A10-6800 but in some way they are similar.

 

[VirtualLarry]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856501007

ECS LIVA is $109.99. Not a bad option either.

 

[Yuriman]

^ I'd be much happier with a dual Haswell Celeron than BT-D, personally.

 

[Termie]

The PC sitting next to me is about 1/10 the size of what a lot of you are suggesting, and costs less too:

Antec ISK110-VESA ITX case: $58
MSI H81I: $65
4GB of Crucial DDR3-1600: $40
Crucial MX100 128GB SSD : $70
Pentium G3258: $70

That's $303. All from Amazon.

OP, if you'd like to give your mom something that she'll be blown away by, this is it.

And seriously, 8GB in a mom-puter? I challenge any one of you to give me a scenario in which she's going to notice the difference.

 

[escrow4]

The PC sitting next to me is about 1/10 the size of what a lot of you are suggesting, and costs less too:

Antec ISK110-VESA ITX case: $58
MSI H81I: $65
4GB of Crucial DDR3-1600: $40
Crucial MX100 128GB SSD : $70
Pentium G3258: $70

That's $303. All from Amazon.

OP, seriously, if you'd like to give your mom something that she'll be blown away by, this is it.

And for goodness sake, 8GB in a mom-puter? I challenge any one of you to give me a scenario in which she's going to notice the difference.

Longevity. I'd expect more than a plain old dual core with 4GB of RAM in 2015 if you want the box to last. mini-ITX has no expansion for upgrades either, even in a basic box, you want some headroom for upgrades hence standard ATX. I've built in that case too, its horrible if you have fat hands.

 

[Yuriman]

Longevity. I'd expect more than a plain old dual core with 4GB of RAM in 2015 if you want the box to last. mini-ITX has no expansion for upgrades either, even in a basic box, you want some headroom for upgrades hence standard ATX. I've built in that case too, its horrible if you have fat hands.

What kind of upgrades? New motherboard/processor? More RAM?

 

[sm625]

You should wait a couple weeks, and keep an eye open.

 

[escrow4]

What kind of upgrades? New motherboard/processor? More RAM?

Whichever. You have options.

 

[Madpacket]

+1 for the Asus VivoPC.

I just bought one for my parents from TD for $220 after taxes and shipping as it came with a legit Windows 8 license and I couldn't build a custom box for that price. It's perfect as a "web browser" machine and is very quiet and energy efficient (18W idle, 30W max load). It's also surprisingly small and well built and accepts standard 3.5" hard drives so easier and cheaper to replace if you have issues. Asus warranty generally decent as well.

 

[Yuriman]

Whichever. You have options.

I can't think of any upgrades I'd want to put in a PC for my parents that would fit in an ATX midtower and wouldn't fit in a mini ITX case. Some of them fit standard ATX power supplies, while others use external power bricks. Seems like wasted space.

 

[escrow4]

I can't think of any upgrades I'd want to put in a PC for my parents that would fit in an ATX midtower and wouldn't fit in a mini ITX case. Some of them fit standard ATX power supplies, while others use external power bricks. Seems like wasted space.

Think long term. I'd expect this build to last at least 5yrs, for that timeframe I'd definitely spend an extra $30 to $40 on an i3 as well as a decent H97 board.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Think long term. I'd expect this build to last at least 5yrs, for that timeframe I'd definitely spend an extra $30 to $40 on an i3 as well as a decent H97 board.

The i3 I can sort of understand, software gets more bloated over time, but in terms of platform features, what would make an H97 more valuable than an H81, five years from now? I guess I fail to see the point. Unless you are suggesting that there will be no other SATA SSDs on the market in five years, that they will all be M.2 or SATAExpress?

 

[escrow4]

The i3 I can sort of understand, software gets more bloated over time, but in terms of platform features, what would make an H97 more valuable than an H81, five years from now? I guess I fail to see the point. Unless you are suggesting that there will be no other SATA SSDs on the market in five years, that they will all be M.2 or SATAExpress?

I always overspec (to a degree, its not like you need a 5960X here :awe, a decent H97 board can be onsold or repurposed, but a $50 H81 frisbee (if it even lasts 5yrs) with limited ports and slots is useless.

 

[mnewsham]

I always overspec (to a degree, its not like you need a 5960X here :awe, a decent H97 board can be onsold or repurposed, but a $50 H81 frisbee (if it even lasts 5yrs) with limited ports and slots is useless.

in 5 years i doubt the H97 would be any more desirable than the H81.

 

[Yuriman]

And, even so, ITX is a standard and it's just as easy to find a mini ITX H97 board as an H81. A small case will not limit the replacement of a CPU and motherboard.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I think I know why an H97 was suggested. Broadwell may not work with an H81.