£400 Budget Approx

[ADP1]

£400-500 PC spec

Looking to spec a PC for my parents, as they have had their current PC for about 7 years, and it needs replacing.

They are wanting the PC to come assembled, so we would hope to use the online configurator on the website here. Although, is this restricted to certain cases and parts?

The PC will be used for mainly checking emails, surfing the web, burning CD/DVD's, Skype conversations, and general purpose use.

Their budget is around £400-500, this is for everything, including the case, keyboard, mouse etc (but excluding monitor, and operating syetem). Would like an SSD to install the OS and apps into so the system runs faster.

I will be purchasing a monitor separately, and will be installing Linux Mint as the operating system.

They are likely to be keeping this PC for the next 6-7 years, so they would like something as fast as possible, so as not to go out of date! 250GB should be sufficient for their second HDD, as they have only used about 70GB so far.

Would appreciate any help

It seems with the configurator that I am limited to certain parts and cases?

Many thanks

 

[ADP1]

great thanks.

OK, so I think I will just order the parts and ask for a build quote as suggested.

Can anyone else give me a spec?

Main requirements..

Plenty of memory
Fast as possible processor, preferably i5.
SSD for OS and apps.
HDD for personal storage
Graphics card probably not required?? as they use the PC for emails and browsing mostly.
Can stretch to £450-500 if it would be beneficial.

Thanks

 

[ADP1]

build it yourself for not much more than 500 quid all in?

YOUR BASKET
1 x BenQ GL2250 21.5" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £85.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02733) £73.99
1 x Seagate SSHD 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DX001) SSHD Hybrid Drive £59.99
1 x MSI HD 7770 GHz Edition 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £53.99
1 x Gigabyte B85M-HD3 Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £50.99
1 x Intel Pentium G3420 3.20GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £46.99
1 x SuperFlower Amazon 300W "80 Plus Bronze" Power Supply £29.99
1 x Zalman T1 Plus Mini-Tower USB 3.0 - Black £19.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
1 x Logitech MK120 Desktop Set (920-002552) £13.99
Total : £524.99 (includes shipping : £11.75).



as the build is for your parents, and their computer is 7 years old, do you think they could use linux? (just wondering)
recommend one of the hybrid sshds as it is 70% of the speed of ssds for daily workloads and with the benefit having space like a normal hdd (for not much more cost than a normal 1tb hdd)
also as the sshd is one drive as compared to an ssd+hdd, your parents wont need to bother with choosing which drive to store stuff as there's only 1 drive

I didn't see your last post when I wrote my previous reply. Thanks for the spec. I have already managed to find a monitor, so that won't be required. I have setup Linux Mint 16 on my laptop, and shown them the basics, and they are OK with it. All the apps they use are available, and of course their browser, so they are happy. The money saved on Windows can be better put towards parts. Apparently their current PC is actually about 5 years old

 

[ADP1]

this is my 2p on your budget of 450 quid

YOUR BASKET
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £89.99
1 x Intel Core i3-4130 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £82.99
1 x MSI HD 7770 GHz Edition 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £59.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £53.99
1 x Gigabyte B85M-HD3 Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £50.99
1 x CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle - USB Keyboard & Mouse £29.99
1 x SuperFlower Amazon 300W "80 Plus Bronze" Power Supply £29.99
1 x Zalman T1 Plus Mini-Tower USB 3.0 - Black £19.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
Total : £442.50 (includes shipping : £8.00).

I am liking this spec ,and also just using the SSD for everything. Thanks

The only thing I am wondering about is the 7770. From limited research, it looks like it doesn't have the best linux support. Although that's not to say there will be anything better from that perspective. I could be wrong though, and it will be perfectly fine. Are there any alternative cards that would also be good value for money?

Also.. if I ordered this today via the website. Could I put all these items into my bag, pay for it, and then afterwards, as customer service for a quote to build it? or would I need to ask customer service before I paid for the order, do you know? and how would I then place the order (including build fee?)

Some of the items have very low stock, this is the reason for the question, so I wouldn't want to wait before placing the order.

 

[ADP1]

The more I look at it though, the 7770 does look very good value, so maybe this will be a good option.

 

[ADP1]

ah, yeah, amd dont give much linux support
nvidia don't have a decent price: performance gpu at that price bracket though =(
but if your parents don't game at all then i guess you could take out the gpu

building a pc is reasonably simple, there are loads of guides on youtube
paying an extra 30-50 quid for someone else to build is a bit excessive lol

Thanks. If I skipped the graphics card, which version of integrated graphics would this setup have?

 

[ADP1]

I think I could build the pc ok, but I am just wondered about the processor part. would I need to apply any thermal paste or anything like that?

 

[ADP1]

Thanks for the advice. If I bought this case instead:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-048-NX

Would I need to buy any fans for it?

I prefer the look of this case, as it's a little more plain.

 

[ADP1]

Does that case have any advantages over the Zalman T1 Plus?

I know that it has a different look, but is the increase in price (double) mainly because of the larger size?

 

[ADP1]

the source 210 is a full atx case (bigger), the t1 is a micro atx case

Can I still use this micro motherboard in the full atx case? or do I need to purchase a separate motherboard to fit.?

This motherboard also looks good, has HD audio, and more ports.

Gigabyte B85M-HD3 Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard

 

[ADP1]

Thanks. Apologies, just found that after I had posted.

I think I will change the motherboard to the Gigabyte B85M-HD3 anyway, as it looks like it has more scope for adding to the system in the future.

Thanks for all your help.

 

[ADP1]

Just a final question, please!

I was thinking that it was worth going for the Gigabyte Z87-HD3, instead of the B85M-HD3 as it has more ports and would mean it was more future proofed.

Is this correct? I expect my parents will never really need more than their DVD drive, SSD, a few usb ports. They maybe would upgrade the processor and memory in the future if it slows down, but that's about it.

Would it be worth paying the extra for the Z87-HD3?

My only thinking would be that it is always worth paying a bit extra to have a larger motherboard with more expandability to future the system a little bit.

 

[ADP1]

realistically speaking, if they kept their old computer for 7 years without upgrading, how likely are they going to upgrade say in the next 4-5 years?
and besides, processing power has been relatively stagnant in the past 2-3 years compared to the few years before that



for all intents and purposes considering the usage of this new computer, no.



in this case, i think you'd be paying for "future-proofing" that you'll never use

That is true. They actually had their current computer for about 5 years, rather than 7 apparently. Even in 5 years time, they are unlikely to upgrade much though. With their current computer, all I have upgraded for them is the memory.

I guess the Gigabyte B85M-HD3 does have enough slots inside for their requirements so is probably the better choice. They can always increase the ram to 16gb in the future with this motherboard I think.

I like the look of that Cooler Master black case too.

 

[ADP1]

Bit late to the party, but here we go. (H87N-WIFI was out of stock so upped to the Z87I-AC)
YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Z87I AC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ITX Motherboard £102.95
1 x Crucial M500 240GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive - (CT240M500SSD1) £89.99
1 x Intel Core i3-4130 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £82.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G1600HC9DC01) £49.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced Mini-ITX Case - Black £39.95
1 x SuperFlower Amazon 300W "80 Plus Bronze" Power Supply £29.99
1 x LiteOn IHAS124-14 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £14.99
1 x Gigabyte K7100 Stylish Keyboard £10.99
1 x Gigabyte M6800 1600DPI Gaming Mouse £7.79
Total : £439.22 (includes shipping : £8.00).


_______
Small case, integrated wireless AC (futureproof). i3 could be dropped to a pentium if you feel they won't be making use of it.

Thanks for the spec. I have to say, I also like the Cooler Master Elite 120 case, which means I now have a choice between two Cooler Master cases.

 

[ADP1]

no, the cm 120 is an ITX case, it wont fit the b85 matx board

OK. I am liking the 120 and the 130 cases. The 130 gets good reviews.
Is there an alternate motherboard which is good value and would fit this case?

I like the idea of the 120/130 cases, as it gives a bit more space for the knees to relax above the case!

 

[ADP1]

You can always plonk the ITX board from my spec in there

The board in your spec looks good, the only thing is, it costs over £100, which is double the price of the other Gigabyte board, so it's something to consider.

Is there another good value board which is cheaper?

 

[ADP1]

If you're not bothered about onboard wifi either of these are solid choices:
YOUR BASKET
1 x ASRock B85M-ITX Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ITX Motherboard £62.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
Total : £131.58 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Thanks.. OK, just looking to see which of these motherboards has the best linux compatibility.

 

[ADP1]

If you're not bothered about onboard wifi either of these are solid choices:
YOUR BASKET
1 x ASRock B85M-ITX Intel B85 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ITX Motherboard £62.99
1 x Asus H81I-Plus Intel H81 (Socket 1150) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £58.99
Total : £131.58 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Wireless is not important. Hmm. Can't seem to find anything positive regarding M85M and linux. Am still looking into the Asus. Any other options?

 

[ADP1]

Although one of the mini cases looks appealing, maybe it would be better to stick with the Gigabyte board with a taller case. I am not finding many positive reviews for the ASRock or Asus boards regarding linux compatibility unfortunately.

 

[ADP1]

OK, so in the end I went for the N200 case and the Gigabyte B85M-HD3.

Just wondering.. I just found out that the Gigabyte B85M-HD3 only has one "sys_fan" connection on the board to plug a fan into. The N200 comes with two case fans fitted, so where should I plug in the second fan into if there is no space for it on the motherboard?

Thanks