Building A Computer for My Grandma

[Klutzington]

So, here it is. I'd like to keep it around $400-$430 with the monitor excluded.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($46.74 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S200HLAbd 20.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $533.67

Any tweaks you guys think would give me higher quality parts?

[n0cturnal]

Why not get a NUC?

[Surfd]

What exactly does grandma do with her pc? For that matter, why does she even NEED a PC? Unless she is a gamer, she could probably do everything she needs to do on a cheap Netbook / Notebook or even a good Tablet.

[vesseblah]

So, here it is. I'd like to keep it around $400-$430 with the monitor excluded.

Get a laptop. Multiple options for less than $500 with monitor and OS included. And your grandma will be happier without cable mess behind the computer.

[Klutzington]

Why not get a NUC?

I just googled what a NUC is... what exactly can you do with it? Does it come w/ some sort of storage in it... or?

---------- Post added 2013-06-24 at 04:46 PM ----------

What exactly does grandma do with her pc? For that matter, why does she even NEED a PC? Unless she is a gamer, she could probably do everything she needs to do on a cheap Netbook / Notebook or even a good Tablet.

She and her husband (my grandpa) are using it for their office. They are in the service of selling horses and other business things along those lines. I might consider getting them a laptop, but I am sure that they wanted a desktop. I could ask them if they would rather another laptop - a stationary one for that matter.

[Deleted]

Or you can get her an AMD apu. Something like an A8-5600K or even lower.

[Klutzington]

Get a laptop. Multiple options for less than $500 with monitor and OS included. And your grandma will be happier without cable mess behind the computer.

No need for OS. I have an extra copy laying around of Windows 7.

---------- Post added 2013-06-24 at 05:02 PM ----------

Or you can get her an AMD apu. Something like an A8-5600K or even lower.

Thank you very much. I am changing the cpu to that and changing the board. It just reduced the price.

---------- Post added 2013-06-24 at 05:33 PM ----------

I've only saved $10 from the last build, so I was wondering if the AMD cpu actually runs better than the i3, since I'm not OC'ing. I'm talking about integrated graphical power as well as just raw processing power. $10 isn't big, so I'll just pick the cpu that's overall better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($46.74 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer S200HLAbd 20.0" Monitor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $523.67

The iGPU of both CPUs just need to run well on a monitor with a resolution of 1600x900.

[n0cturnal]

I just googled what a NUC is... what exactly can you do with it? Does it come w/ some sort of storage in it... or?[COLOR="red"]

It is a mini-PC, you just add RAM and a mini PIC-E SSD to it and you have a fully working PC.

You buy one of these http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856102001 , http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16856102004, add a So-DIMM stick and a mini PCI-E SSD of preferred size.

It makes almost no noise and it is small enough to fit on the back of a monitor.

[Kaleid]

I just googled what a NUC is... what exactly can you do with it? Does it come w/ some sort of storage in it... or?

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/...uc-family.html

Looks interesting.

[Deleted]

text and build etc

The iGPU of the AMD is much better, cpu side is less.
But the thing is. Your grandparents will most likely not use the full cpu power both of them anyway. (Or thats what im geussing from what you said. An old E8400 will most likely be more than enough as an example).

So I would just go with the overal better performance which should be the AMD. And for that reason, you could lower the speed of the RAM aswell to save some extra money if needed.

I think also have seen 1080p screens for 110 dollar btw on pcpartpicker. If they are using it for web based stuff etc, the higher resolution will probably work better.

[chazus]

Is there any reason not to simply go with a pre-built dell? They have systems that are just fine for what they need, monitor included, for under $400. At such a low need for power, sometimes doing a custom built with 'good parts' is not worth the money. I mean you COULD spend more, but they likely won't be able to tell the difference.

[Ripox]

Is there any reason not to simply go with a pre-built dell? They have systems that are just fine for what they need, monitor included, for under $400. At such a low need for power, sometimes doing a custom built with 'good parts' is not worth the money. I mean you COULD spend more, but they likely won't be able to tell the difference.

This.

I would just get a prebuilt Dell at that budget and that use, they're good at those things, simply the power of being such a large company with economies of scale can get you the whole package for under $400

[Klutzington]

Is there any reason not to simply go with a pre-built dell? They have systems that are just fine for what they need, monitor included, for under $400. At such a low need for power, sometimes doing a custom built with 'good parts' is not worth the money. I mean you COULD spend more, but they likely won't be able to tell the difference.

Ah okay. I guess I will look. I wanted to build them a computer which will last for like 6 or 8 years. They use little to no storage space and their current computer has been used for 7 years since they bought it new. They have a pre built Del atm.

[vesseblah]

They use little to no storage space

In that case you might get better doing it yourself with an SSD instead of HDD. It will speed up especially low spec computers quite notably. Don't think low end Dells have cheap SSD option, but you'll never know...

[yurano]

I just googled what a NUC is... what exactly can you do with it? Does it come w/ some sort of storage in it...

A NUC is like a tiny Steam-box with no graphics, no RAM, no storage (HDD/SSD) and no OS preloaded.

The NUC isn't very cost effective, but its form factor is very nice.

[Deleted]

~$450 with monitor

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Integrated with Motherboard
Motherboard: ASRock E350M1/USB3 Mini ITX E-Series E-Series E-350 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1066 Memory ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($93.99 @ Adorama)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Enermax 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($28.25 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC e2351F 60Hz 23.0" Monitor ($117.47 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $451.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-24 20:25 EDT-0400)

If you want something with HDMI and built-in speakers:

Asus VH238H $138 after MIR

[stellvia]

Seems like it would be decent enough, Notarget. Except I wouldn't go with a crummy PSU. You don't even need anywhere near a 450W for that, so I recommend a solid SeaSonic 300W one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151086 ($40)

Also: If the goal is not necessarily the cheapest system possible -- but one that will last another 7 years while being fast: Why go with such a weak CPU? I think the original idea of going with a Core i3 is the best idea. Paired with the SSD it will be VERY fast for general computing.

Keep in mind, they need a Windows license unless you happen to have a spare Win7 key from a system not in use you could toss their way.

This Newegg code should work for you until the 30th to get 10% off any Windows8 version: BTEXPVS46

[Tahapenes]

From what you're describing, I don't see a need for a lot of things. I agree with Notarget, they really don't need anything more than a E-350. For what they need to do, I would go with the following:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Integrated with Motherboard
Motherboard: ASRock E350M1/USB3 Mini ITX E-Series E-Series E-350 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Inwin BP655.200BL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/200W Power Supply ($41.18 @ NCIX US)
Total: $235.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-25 02:09 EDT-0400)

You can add in a optical drive if you want and a monitor will put you well under $400 as well.

[Deleted]

Seems like it would be decent enough, Notarget. Except I wouldn't go with a crummy PSU. You don't even need anywhere near a 450W for that, so I recommend a solid SeaSonic 300W one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817151086 ($40)

Also: If the goal is not necessarily the cheapest system possible -- but one that will last another 7 years while being fast: Why go with such a weak CPU? I think the original idea of going with a Core i3 is the best idea. Paired with the SSD it will be VERY fast for general computing.

Keep in mind, they need a Windows license unless you happen to have a spare Win7 key from a system not in use you could toss their way.

This Newegg code should work for you until the 30th to get 10% off any Windows8 version: BTEXPVS46

They don't need to buy an OS (already mentioned), for office, browsing etc. the E-350 is plenty fine. It's not I think they need 450W it's just that that was the cheapest low wattage PSU while still being decent enough quality, it's normally $45. For $450 including a decent 23" monitor I think that's pretty good.

[chazus]

The thing is, computers are lasting longer and longer, and the power they have outstrips the base software more and more.

A good Pentium 2, when Pentium 2's were new, still sucked. The best CPU on the market still took forever to load windows, and run programs, and browse the internet.

Nowadays, the weakest, cheapest, crappiest CPU will run basic needs (word processing, email, internet) probably indefinitely, until the system physically dies. If you're trying to save money, just go with the cheapest.

Heck, instead of buying a $600 system now, just buy a $300-400 system every 3-4 years.