Spec me a home pc please!

Danm54

Danm54

Danm54

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So im after a basic pc really, just for my parents to browse the net and run a few programs (whatever parents do!)

So im thinking an i3 system, on-board graphics, 4gb ram, 500w PSU, something like a 6gb/s Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB all housed in an Antec 300.

Now the sticking point is mobo's, ive been out the game for about a year so there's a fair bit of new stuff out.

Whats best bang for buck? Must be Intel though!

Looked at this briefly, any good?
Asus P7P55D-E Intel P55 (Socket 1156) DDR3 Motherboard

Also OS, my little sister will use Word etc and I think Power Point was another program they wanted, am I looking at Home Premium with an office add on?

Budget is as cheap as possible, £400-£500

Thanks all!!
 
You're correct about an i3. However get the 1155 SB version. Get yourself an H67 1155 motherboard and throw in 4GB of the Corsair ram for 30 quid.

Add a cheap quality PSU, any case you like and a Samsung F3 drive and there you have it :)

Office isn't an addon, it's a standalone application. It doesn't come with Windows. If you want powerpoint and word you will need to buy MS office seperately from the operating system.

Windows 7 HP is the one to go for.
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £89.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 English PC Attach Key PKC (79G-02020) £77.99
1 x Silverstone Temjin TJ08B Midi Tower Case - Black £74.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x MSI H61M-E33 Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION** £46.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £29.99
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
Total : £498.82 (includes shipping : £13.75).



Posh case :) Can get a coolermaster case, silencio / 430 Elite. Or some other El Cheapo. Would bring it to £450.
 
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i'd go with most of ollies spec, but as he mentioned go with something like the Cooler Master Elite 330 case, and i'd maybe consider getting the Intel Pentium G620 2.60GHz processor based on your spec'd usage.
 
will your parents be doing anything other than general use + internet (ie, anything that will be demanding on the processor or graphics

if they're not then go for something like this. theres really no need to get anything more expensive:


YOUR BASKET
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-01900) £89.48
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £64.99
1 x Intel Pentium G620 2.60GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £53.99
1 x Lepa W-Series 450W '80 Plus' Power Supply £43.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Corsair Value 2GB (1x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low-Voltage Single Channel Module (VS2GB1333D3) £9.59
Total : £428.41 (includes shipping : £12.50).

i tried to keep things as upgradeable as possible where it would mean not spending a massive amount of money, so this is compatible with USB3 and SATA 6GB/s, has a case that will take full ATX boards (and looks to have fantastic cooling for the money)

the only downside is the case is not available until the 14th september

*edit*
added MS office home + student. i went for the more expensive one because the cheaper one is just an activation key. it might do what you need, i really dont know but i thought it better to be safe than sorry
 
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Just use the Antec PSU in the original spec with the spec above and you have a winner for an all round family fun PC :D

P.S. Choose any case. They're all six and half a dozen, it's a personal choice based on looks rather than functionality with these builds.

The Xigmatek is great for under 30 quid. I've done a couple of builds in it and it's really nice and easy to work with. Super easy in fact. Standoffs are a bit fiddly and require a spanner to put them in however. Unless you have fingers like the terminator.
 
Reaper 392 said:
will your parents be doing anything other than general use + internet (ie, anything that will be demanding on the processor or graphics

if they're not then go for something like this. theres really no need to get anything more expensive:


YOUR BASKET
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-01900) £89.48
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x MSI H67MA-E35 Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro-ATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) **B3 REVISION** £64.99
1 x Intel Pentium G620 2.60GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £53.99
1 x Lepa W-Series 450W '80 Plus' Power Supply £43.99
1 x BitFenix Merc Alpha Gaming Case - Black £32.99
1 x Samsung SH-S222AL/BEBE 22x DVD±RW SATA Lightscribe ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Corsair Value 2GB (1x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low-Voltage Single Channel Module (VS2GB1333D3) £9.59
Total : £428.41 (includes shipping : £12.50).

i tried to keep things as upgradeable as possible where it would mean not spending a massive amount of money, so this is compatible with USB3 and SATA 6GB/s, has a case that will take full ATX boards (and looks to have fantastic cooling for the money)

the only downside is the case is not available until the 14th september

*edit*
added MS office home + student. i went for the more expensive one because the cheaper one is just an activation key. it might do what you need, i really dont know but i thought it better to be safe than sorry
Click to expand...

give them a little more ram to 'play' with.
 
Buchanan0204 said:
Just use the Antec PSU in the original spec with the spec above and you have a winner for an all round family fun PC :D

P.S. Choose any case. They're all six and half a dozen, it's a personal choice based on looks rather than functionality with these builds.

The Xigmatek is great for under 30 quid. I've done a couple of builds in it and it's really nice and easy to work with. Super easy in fact. Standoffs are a bit fiddly and require a spanner to put them in however. Unless you have fingers like the terminator.
Click to expand...
the lepa has a higher power rating (admittedly its exactly the same on the 12V line, but theres more room for stuff elsewhere). it also has an extra PCI 6 pin connector.

also, with the cases you'd be right if we were talking expensive cases, but with the cheaper ones there are some gems and there are some mediocre ones. the one i recommended will almost certainly be better than the xigmatec. the guys at OcUK said its got a very agressive preorder price
 
Reaper 392 said:
the lepa has a higher power rating (admittedly its exactly the same on the 12V line, but theres more room for stuff elsewhere). it also has an extra PCI 6 pin connector.

also, with the cases you'd be right if we were talking expensive cases, but with the cheaper ones there are some gems and there are some mediocre ones. the one i recommended will almost certainly be better than the xigmatec. the guys at OcUK said its got a very agressive preorder price
Click to expand...

I don't think an extra 6 pin PCI-E connector will make much difference considering he wont even be using one of them, never mind two.

The Antec is a tried and tested PSU, It also has a three year warranty compared to the LEPA which only has a two year warranty. An extra year on warranty definitely merits a swap. Considering there is no price difference.

It also appears to have a higher efficiency rating according to most online reviews done on both units. Which is always a winner in winter time with electricity bills.

Regarding the case. I wasn't slagging your choice... I only stated it was a personal option and it didn't make a difference what one he chose. I doubt very much mum and dad are going to care about a tool less PCI bay or hot swap drive cages... or even the black interior.
 
cheap option

YOUR BASKET
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-01900) £89.48
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x Intel Pentium G620 2.60GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £53.99
1 x MSI H61M-E33 Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION** £46.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Cooler Master Elite 342 Case - Black £27.98
1 x Corsair Value 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Low Voltage Dual-Channel Kit £19.18
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
1 x Xilence XPF80R Red Wing 80mm Quiet Fan £3.98
Total : £418.98 (includes shipping : £12.50).




expensive option

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £89.99
1 x Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 (3 User) - Retail (79G-01900) £89.48
1 x Fractal Design Define Mini Computer Case £79.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Bundle - Home Premium 64 Bit £68.40
1 x Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA 6Gb/s 16MB Cache - OEM (WD5000AAKX) £32.99
1 x MSI H61M-E33 Intel H61 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION** £46.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £43.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9AD3B1K2/4G) £29.99
1 x LG GH22NS70 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM £16.99
Total : £513.82 (includes shipping : £12.50).



:)
 
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Thanks everyone, good shout on the Intel Pentium G620, never even looked at it!!

Im at £425 with the Antec 300, prefere the looks over the Coolermasters. (Even though its not mine)

And yes ill be going with 4GB of ram, dont really see the point of building a pc with any less these days.

One problem is that mobo is out of stock, also only has 3Gb/s sata ports.

This is a little more but has 6Gb/s sata ports, worth the extra?
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-172-MS&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1907

Cheers
 
olivier, as the owner of the elite 342 i'm going to recommend you change to the bitfenix merc alpha. if you remove the 80mm fan from your build it will mean they get a decent quality case that isnt made from the thinnest metal you have ever seen, accepts ATX motherboards and only costs £1 more.

it also has WAY better cooling, but i doubt they would care about that tbh
 
Got the wrong end of the stick, my bad!

Why do the spec mecanical drives at 6Gb/s then?


Anyway, that other board looks good enough (I always over spec things and spend too much) looks like im about sorted then.

Cheers
 
Reaper 392 said:
olivier, as the owner of the elite 342 i'm going to recommend you change to the bitfenix merc alpha. if you remove the 80mm fan from your build it will mean they get a decent quality case that isnt made from the thinnest metal you have ever seen, accepts ATX motherboards and only costs £1 more.

it also has WAY better cooling, but i doubt they would care about that tbh
Click to expand...

Aye, struggling to find a cheap case. :) The Xigmatek looks a decent bet. The Merc looks decent (still on pre-order), seems to be missing dust filters, like most cases in that price range anyway. I would add an exhaust fan though. The PSU(s) are exhausting into the case.

Was thinking of the Fractal Design 1000. Looks decent too but difficult to get any feedback on that one.

The Antec 300 is solid.
 
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