PC Spec/Check for missus' dad

Indie · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:07

Hi All,

Building a PC for my missus' dad.

I have a £200 budget for CPU, Mobo, PSU, Case

Already have:
Kingston HyperX 8GB 1600MHz
500GB Seagate 7200RPM HDD

He will be using it litterally to search the net with, checking emails and keeping upto date

no gaming what so ever.

I'd prefer to go for something socket 1155 so will have the upgrade path. May also want to add a small SSD to it at a later date.

In regards to the case, he doesn't want anything cheap looking. must be nice and sturdy and look quite smart.

I came out with something like this, what do you guys think/recommend?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £89.99
1 x ASRock H77M Intel H77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £62.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046) £36.98
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £29.99
Total : £219.95 (includes shipping : FREE).

zakblood · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:16

for net only use it will be fine, for looks maybe you could use a mini case etc as all your bits etc except m/b would fit and would look better etc, but yes may not be long term in upgrade path etc

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-298-OE&groupid=43&catid=2385&subcat=2213

shadow_boxer · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:26

Looks good. Get him to pick a case he likes the look of. You could even get away without the i3 and go for a 1155 Pentium if it'll only for browsing the net.

Robbiec053 · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:29

Solid build, Im a big fan of the recent bitfenix cases.

apeksdiver · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:33

Go for a smaller case, unless he really likes the one you have picked.

Doomedspeed · 12 Dec 2012 at 17:39

Cheaper and a smaller case.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £89.99
1 x MSI B75MA-P45 Intel B75 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £53.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020046) £36.98
1 x Zalman T1 Mini Tower Case - Black £17.99
Total : £198.95 (includes shipping : FREE).

Indie · 13 Dec 2012 at 08:41

I do like the BF Prodigy - I've got two of them, white and black used for mine and missus' PC. but don't think I'd be able to fit the Prodigy and the i3 in the budget.

I did think about getting a cheaper 1155 processor but, he's had his current PC for... feels like eternity, its an AMD Athlon XP 2500+ running at 1.1GHz - So if I go with the i3, it should certainly last the term, and still have room to upgrade at a later date with a 2nd hand i5 or something..

I'll have a look to see if there are smaller cases knocking around that are still quite stylish. In regards to the Zalman T1 - has anybody ever actually built inside one of these? The exterior looks nice but inside it looks like it has little to no cable management...? any opinions would be great!

...and thanks for the input so far!

Doomedspeed · 13 Dec 2012 at 09:15

Indie said:
I'll have a look to see if there are smaller cases knocking around that are still quite stylish. In regards to the Zalman T1 - has anybody ever actually built inside one of these? The exterior looks nice but inside it looks like it has little to no cable management...? any opinions would be great!

...and thanks for the input so far!

Just bought a mate a T1 for his build, should be cracking on with that next week sometime, i could let you know then. I assume there is no cable management what-so-ever.

Indie · 13 Dec 2012 at 09:44

Doomedspeed said:
Just bought a mate a T1 for his build, should be cracking on with that next week sometime, i could let you know then. I assume there is no cable management what-so-ever.

Ohhh excellent, certainly let me know how you get on, I don't suppose i'll be ordering this until after the weekend anyway. Would save a few dollar though, if not i'll just pay the extra and he can have the BF Merc

Much appreciated, sir!