Advice on this config for BASIC system please?

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:41

Hi all, I'm building a basic spec system for my friend. He just wants a good all round computer suitable for downloading and storing loads of music, other than that just everyday work.

I had a look through and specced this.. can anyone give me any pointers as to whether the processor+motherboard+ram are good config or not etc.. and where i can possibly save money i.e. don't bother with tri-core maybe get the lowest dual core... I don't know the new chips.

What do you think:

YOUR BASKET
1 x LG E1951S 18.5" Widescreen LED Monitor - Glossy Black £76.99
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £61.99
1 x AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £59.99
1 x Asus F1A55-M LX AMD A55 (Socket FM1) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard £49.99
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £34.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 311 Midi Tower - Black/Orange £29.99
1 x Corsair XMS3 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (TW3X4G1333C9A) £17.99
1 x Akasa AK-CC4009EP01 Venom Pico Compact CPU Cooler (Intel LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1) £16.99
1 x Asus 24x DVD±RW DRW-24B3ST SATA ReWriter - Black (Retail) £16.99
1 x Logitech MK120 Desktop Set (920-002552) £15.98
1 x TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN781ND) £9.98
Total : £406.88 (includes shipping : £12.50).

Budget is £500 MAX and it needs new keys, mouse and screen as well as OS

Have I done an okay job?
Thanks

jamesfreddie · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:43

If its just for downloading you don't need that APU.

You will get away with a Celeron 1155 dual core. Without a problem.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £85.99
1 x BenQ G925HDA 18.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £74.99
1 x Intel Pentium G840 2.80GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £52.79
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D3V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £44.40
1 x Antec VP350P 350W '80 Plus' Continuous Power Supply £31.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £31.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £31.19
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £21.98
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
1 x Blaze K3285 Multimedia Slim USB Keyboard - Black £7.99
1 x Logitech S96 PS/2 Optical Wheel Mouse Black - OEM (953688-1600) £5.99
Total : £428.21 (includes shipping : £19.10).

Or a Tri-Core LLano Option

YOUR BASKET
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS) £85.99
1 x BenQ G925HDA 18.5" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Black £74.99
1 x AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £59.99
1 x Gigabyte A55M-DS2 A55 Chipset (Socket FM1) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.20
1 x Antec VP350P 350W '80 Plus' Continuous Power Supply £31.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Beta Gaming Case - Black £31.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £31.19
1 x Corsair A50 High-Performance CPU Cooler (Socket AM2/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £21.98
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
1 x Blaze K3285 Multimedia Slim USB Keyboard - Black £7.99
1 x Logitech S96 PS/2 Optical Wheel Mouse Black - OEM (953688-1600) £5.99
Total : £431.21 (includes shipping : £19.10).

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:48

^
I wouldn't waste money on a cooler for a system that cant be overclocked, the stock Intel cooler for a Celeron is quiet.

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £61.99
1 x Gigabyte H61MA-D3V Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £44.40
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £34.99
1 x Intel Celeron G530 2.40GHz Socket LGA 1155 Processor - Retail £34.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £31.19
1 x Cooler Master Elite 311 Midi Tower - Black/Orange £29.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
1 x Logitech MK120 Desktop Set (920-002552) £15.98
1 x TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN781ND) £9.98
Total : £472.39 (includes shipping : £19.10).

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:50

hey thanks jamesfreddie, although when the celeron is pretty much the same price why not go for the Llano tri-core.
Do you know if the motherboard and processor go together well? There won't be any bottlenecking or anything by having a lower end motherboard and a tri-core? I know the tri-core is no monster CPU but I just don't know the lower end components.
I also like the idea of Asus mobo as I've had Gigabyte problems in the past.

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:52

Llano, £500 all in,

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £61.99
1 x AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £59.99
1 x Gigabyte A55M-DS2 A55 Chipset (Socket FM1) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.20
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £34.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £31.19
1 x Cooler Master Elite 311 Midi Tower - Black/Orange £29.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
1 x Logitech MK120 Desktop Set (920-002552) £15.98
1 x TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN781ND) £9.98
Total : £493.19 (includes shipping : £19.10).

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 14:52

claypigeon101 said:
hey thanks jamesfreddie, although when the celeron is pretty much the same price why not go for the Llano tri-core.
Do you know if the motherboard and processor go together well? There won't be any bottlenecking or anything by having a lower end motherboard and a tri-core? I know the tri-core is no monster CPU but I just don't know the lower end components.
I also like the idea of Asus mobo as I've had Gigabyte problems in the past.

The Gigabyte boards are good, UK warranty, excellent support etc.

• With Llano the IGP loves faster RAM speeds.
• Tried a Llano+Gigabyte solution here - http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18338581

NeoRed · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:25

I3-2120 system thats £15 over including shipping, just an alternative.

jamesfreddie · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:27

NeoRed said:
I3-2120 system thats £15 over including shipping, just an alternative.

1) PSU is a no.

2) You don't need a i3 for this build.

honosuseri · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:32

Does your friend have a HDTV?

He could run the rig through the TV if he does. Which will save him buying a monitor, which in turn frees up cash to get more storage space.....or have bluray playback rather than just a DVD drive.....those llano specs do make great lil HTPCs

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:33

jamesfreddie said:
1) PSU is a no.

Theres nothing wrong with a CX430W!!!!

I think you mean the case+PSU bundle

he should have just pick a case on its own.

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:33

stulid said:
Llano, £500 all in,

YOUR BASKET
1 x OcUK E2250SWDA 22" Widescreen LED Monitor - Black £89.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-Bit - OEM (GFC-02050) £79.98
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (ST500DM002) £61.99
1 x AMD Llano A6-3500 2.40GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor £59.99
1 x Gigabyte A55M-DS2 A55 Chipset (Socket FM1) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £40.20
1 x Corsair Builder Series CX 430W V2 '80 Plus' Power Supply (CMPSU-430CXUKV2) £34.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £31.19
1 x Cooler Master Elite 311 Midi Tower - Black/Orange £29.99
1 x Sony Optiarc AD-7280S 24x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £15.98
1 x Logitech MK120 Desktop Set (920-002552) £15.98
1 x TP-Link 150Mbps Wireless PCI Express Adapter (TL-WN781ND) £9.98
Total : £493.19 (includes shipping : £19.10).

Hey stulid, that's a great build, thanks, though I'm curious, why 8GB RAM? I've got 4GB in my win7 ddr2 system and it runs plenty fast enough. Even a saving of £12 by buying 4GB is worth it to by friend.

jamesfreddie · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:34

stulid said:
Theres nothing wrong with a CX430!!!!

I think you mean the case+PSU bundle

Oops i only saw the case + PSU.

Sorry.

But I would change that case any way.

jamesfreddie · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:34

claypigeon101 said:
Hey stulid, that's a great build, thanks, though I'm curious, why 8GB RAM? I've got 4GB in my win7 ddr2 system and it runs plenty fast enough. Even a saving of £12 by buying 4GB is worth it to by friend.

8GB is so cheap.

There is no point in going any lower.

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:35

claypigeon101 said:
Hey stulid, that's a great build, thanks, though I'm curious, why 8GB RAM? I've got 4GB in my win7 ddr2 system and it runs plenty fast enough. Even a saving of £12 by buying 4GB is worth it to by friend.

Why not have 8GB of RAM when its so cheap, Win7 64bit can see it unlike a 32bit OS, depends which programs your friend uses.

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:35

honosuseri said:
Does your friend have a HDTV?

He could run the rig through the TV if he does. Which will save him buying a monitor, which in turn frees up cash to get more storage space.....or have bluray playback rather than just a DVD drive.....those llano specs do make great lil HTPCs

Nah he wants a monitor, he only has a big TV downstairs and he wants it for the office. But great idea, thanks anyway!

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:35

stulid said:
Why not have 8GB of RAM when its so cheap, Win7 64bit can see it unlike a 32bit OS, depends which programs your friend uses.

True. I'll put it to him. Thanks!

claypigeon101 · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:43

Man, you guys are great. I love asking for help on OCUK forums, everyone's so willing to help.

Can I ask, is there a general consensus on motherboard? If I'm going with the tri-core Llano.
The cheapest Gigabyte is HERE (click) and the cheapest Asus is HERE (click).

Being so cheap will they let the processor down at all?

honosuseri · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:45

claypigeon101 said:
Nah he wants a monitor, he only has a big TV downstairs and he wants it for the office. But great idea, thanks anyway!

That's fair enough. Just wanted to point out the option.

In regards to the RAM i agree with my fellow forum members, it's also worth remembering when you are using an IGP it will often "steal" RAM to assist it, you can choose the amount used in the BIOS. So if you have 8GB of RAM, setting 1GB to the IGP isn't really a concern

Good luck with the build, i hope it's trouble free. Any more questions or problems come back to us

stulid · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:46

claypigeon101 said:
Man, you guys are great. I love asking for help on OCUK forums, everyone's so willing to help.

Can I ask, is there a general consensus on motherboard? If I'm going with the tri-core Llano.
The cheapest Gigabyte is HERE (click) and the cheapest Asus is HERE (click).

Being so cheap will they let the processor down at all?

That ASUS board (this one? - http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-497-AS&groupid=701&catid=1903&subcat=2058)

Only has a Dsub (VGA) connector, if you get a monitor with DVI input the Gigabyte does include DVI.

NeoRed · 17 Mar 2012 at 15:54

jamesfreddie said:
Oops i only saw the case + PSU.

Sorry.

But I would change that case any way.

Just dump the psu that comes with it in the bin, changing it to any of the cases in this thread rases the total price of my spec by £10 as the shipping go's up.