Building a computer for friend of my dad...

[Wrestler10307]

Alright so I'm supposed to be building a computer for one of my dad's friends, and all he uses it for is office work (Microsoft office, internet, etc.)

I have two questions...

1)I want to stick to an i5 because I want quad core, but I don't know which one with which motherboard. I would have gone with i5-3570k but he won't need the K to overclock, which can mean the motherboard can be less expensive. Can anyone suggest a pair?

and 2) How much is a fair price to charge for ordering parts and putting the pc together? I've built four or five others, but never for money. I don't want to charge him too much, but it needs to be worth my time (is 200/250 fair?)


Thanks guys

[shroudster]

i'd gladly put a build together for 50 bucks......
also what kind of money is he gonna spend for an office PC? you do know that don't have to cost more then say 400 total. (could go even cheaper if just office work)

[Wrestler10307]

Probably 600 bucks for the computer itself. I don't really want to use AMD unless there is no reason not to (Guess there isn't?)

Edit: Will also need a copy of windows 7, so that makes it a little higher.

[shroudster]

http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds
easiest way to find what you need.
for office AMD does just fine.

[chazus]

If you are absolutely set on Intel, this build would work. Otherwise the one Shroud listed would do too.

Office work (Word/Excel/Internet) is pretty much stomped by any current generation hardware. You could, in theory, go even cheaper, and get just about the same results. There's no reason to get a system any more powerful than what's listed, and an i5 likely will not help much.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($123.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-E33 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Mac Mall)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.95 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $427.65

[Wrestler10307]

Alright this helps, any idea on a fair number to charge to put it all together? I guess I'm including installing all those dreadful windows updates too.

[Killora]

Alright this helps, any idea on a fair number to charge to put it all together? I guess I'm including installing all those dreadful windows updates too.

Could just put a 10-20% markup on the parts and there you go. That's what i'd do.

[shroudster]

Could just put a 10-20% markup on the parts and there you go. That's what i'd do.

or a case of beer

[Lathais]

To be honest, when it comes to office PCs, I highly recommend going Dell/pre-built. Different story for higher end gaming PCs obviously, but it is really really hard to beat Dell/Prebuilt when going for Office PCs. The tech is older, made in Bulk and Dell buys it in bulk cheaper then we can. They sell it off in deals with monitors/peripherals for as cheap as it can be built by me or you without the monitor/peripherals. Often times you can even get a printer with it, or for cheap added on. They practically give the monitors away with the computers though, so especially if you need a monitor to go with it, or he still has an old CRT on the PC he is upgrading, Dell is the way to go.

The other benefit, especially if for a business, is the warranty. Sure, when you build yourself, the parts are warrantied, but you then either have to troubleshoot it yourself or pay someone to do so. You are also left with no PC for a couple weeks while waiting on RMAs and Replacement parts. With a Dell warranty, if the PC stops working for whatever reason you simply call Dell and get it handled promptly, not leaving your business short a PC for up to several weeks. The peace of mind is something you can't put a value on as a business.

Just my experiences when helping my Dad look at options for purchasing several office PCs for his business in the past.

[Wrestler10307]

To be honest, when it comes to office PCs, I highly recommend going Dell/pre-built. Different story for higher end gaming PCs obviously, but it is really really hard to beat Dell/Prebuilt when going for Office PCs. The tech is older, made in Bulk and Dell buys it in bulk cheaper then we can. They sell it off in deals with monitors/peripherals for as cheap as it can be built by me or you without the monitor/peripherals. Often times you can even get a printer with it, or for cheap added on. They practically give the monitors away with the computers though, so especially if you need a monitor to go with it, or he still has an old CRT on the PC he is upgrading, Dell is the way to go.

The other benefit, especially if for a business, is the warranty. Sure, when you build yourself, the parts are warrantied, but you then either have to troubleshoot it yourself or pay someone to do so. You are also left with no PC for a couple weeks while waiting on RMAs and Replacement parts. With a Dell warranty, if the PC stops working for whatever reason you simply call Dell and get it handled promptly, not leaving your business short a PC for up to several weeks. The peace of mind is something you can't put a value on as a business.

Just my experiences when helping my Dad look at options for purchasing several office PCs for his business in the past.

I actually kind of thought of that but he specifically wants one built. Thanks for the input.

[Lathais]

I actually kind of thought of that but he specifically wants one built. Thanks for the input.

In that case, Chazus' build is excellent(as always) and I would charge no more than $50-75 to put it together. Even at that you are practically ripping him off IMO. I never charge friends or friends of the family to do the actual building, especially on an Office PC that he could buy from Dell for about the same price minus the build charge. They usually do compensate me in some way, but if it is cash/check I refuse it.

[chazus]

Same with me. Friends family get work done free of charge usually. Or favors, at most. HOWEVER. Sometimes labor is necessary for business transactions, or at least to keep paperwork straight. If my father needs computer work done for his company, we usually agree to charge labor of some kind so it's on record, and also because it's from the company, and not him.

However, I rarely turn down money that is offered first >.>

[slasher0161]

The build chaz linked it pretty well what I built my mates old man a few months back, I was able to reuse several parts so in total the build cost even less. I didn't charge him for the build (even though the hard drives drove me up the wall to the point I gave him one of my old hard drives just to get the bloody thing working [silly me forgot to format the hard drive before changing it from and amd to intel processor, drivers weren't playing the game]). The charge to him was simply have a beer and smoke with me afterwards. If its for a business and he needs it on books then I would say go $50 and use it to buy a slab of beer and have one with him afterwards.

As an aside though i've always worked on the principle of i'll help you out just give me a hand if I need one later (which 9/10 unless I can't do it myself I won't call in the favour for). Its using a system like this i'm was able to get hold of my little project car at the moment for a couple of cartons of beer and get the thing roadworthy and registered for the cost of parts (Peugeot 306 cabriolet, has had over 7 grand of work done on it and only cost me $3000 [of which $1400 was rego]). Just a little thought to sit on.

[Wrestler10307]

Well I guess the problem I'm seeing here is that I need to make it worth my time. I've spent maybe an hour on the phone with him discussing what he needs, what he uses it for, etc. I also need to take into account the time it takes to actually put everything together, install windows, Office, other misc software, windows updates, etc, then also take into account if there is anything else I have to do (tech support etc,) later down the line.

Also he needs a monitor to replace his 17", so I'll probably go with a 23" asus like the one I have.

[yurano]

Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($24.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.95 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)

RAM is one of the things I wouldn't skimp on in a casual user PC, especially since 8GB is so cheap. Bloatware cripples the computer due to paging and most people don't like to reformat.

You can also go with a MiniITX case: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/inwin-case-bp655200bl