16 replies to this topic

[Scott P]

The wife is getting on my case about her computer. It is a four year old E7300 that freezes on the splash screen. She doesn't need much, but I'd like to give her something that will last a good three years or so. It's a task machine used for Quicken, Paint Shop Pro (basic editing), Netflix/HBO streaming, itunes, etc. No gaming at all and I do not see that changing. I also don't see it using more than one monitor. She started playing with those All in One touch screen units and liked them. She does admit that she has no idea why she likes it other that it was cool. I figure I'd see what it would cost to build something versus the cost of one of those things.

 

I was thinking an AMD A10-5800 would be a great value and suit her needs while leaving some room to grow. I'd get a board with USB 3.0 and the Sata 3. I figure on 8 GB of RAM, possibly an SSD and a separate storage drive. She probably won't see the benefit of an SSD 9other than fast boot up), so that might get left out. I have a ModStream 520 PSU that I'll probably re-use.

 

At the A10 price point, I'd be looking at the dual core i3 chips from Intel. I figured the extra cores and better video performance (as I understand it) would give her some overhead in case her uses change.

 

Thoughts? Recommendations?

 

[TehStranger]

I would go with a core i3. Get a cheap 64GB SSD for boot (I recommend any intel or maybe an OCZ agilty 4) and a 500GB or 1TB for storage 8GB of ram might be a bit too much but I also think 4GB would almost be a bit too little so I personally would go with 8GB, as for the motherboard just grab a cheap mATX asus board.

Edited by TehStranger, 19 February 2013 - 10:35 AM.

[RedFury77]

It sounds like a good build to me.  In fact it might even be a little bit overkill with the A10 and SSD drive, but it will be really nice.

 

If she gamed, then an I3 plus a dedicated graphics card would be better me thinks.  But, since no gaming, the A10 has better built in graphics and I hear they are pretty good at stuff like editing etc.

 

I would go with a SSD drive, but go with at least a 120gb.  I had a 64gb and felt like I had to watch it like a hawk to make sure I didn't accidentially fill it up.  I quickly swapped in a 120gb and don't have to think about it at all anymore.  Plus you could load a few extras right on the drive, like photoshop, which would really benifit from the ssd speed.

 

For under $500 bucks it is a solid build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/EAmZ

 

You could totally go cheaper if you wanted, but if that fits your budget then that is a good system for sure.  

 

 

[ComputerEd]

Get an i3 with an ITX case and board and she will love the small size and lots of power

[paulktreg]

How about a laptop?

[Scott P]

No desire for a laptop. I'm actually selling the one we have.

[Scott P]

If I go the i3 or even i5 route, which chipset should I go for? I assume the Z77 would be overkill.

[RedFury77]

To get sataIII and usb3.0 you are probably looking for a 7 series chipset board.  H77 z77 z75 B75.

 

They are a bit more expensive, here is one of the cheaper ones at $75 after rebate: http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

[Scott P]

Thanks! That was the info I was looking for. I'll have to see what Fry's has in the ad tomorrow. They have an i3 3240 and MSI H61M-E33 mobo for $160 after rebate. I'm thinking about holding out for something nicer since I would have to flip the mobo.

[wevsspot]

While I'm usually jumping right on the Intel bandwagon, I don't really see any drawbacks to the A10 as a base starting point.  But to look at your challenge in another light............. if you don't need the very latest in technology why not just build her a rig similar to yours?

 

I mean you can get the 965BE at Newegg for $94.99 and AM3/AM3+ boards are cheap and plentiful.  One board I really like that hits your USB3.0 and SATAIII requirements is the MSI 990FXA-GD65.  It is a great board and last time I bought one I paid $129 bucks for it.  So you could get great motherboard and super cpu for a little over $200.  That would leave you a good chunk for a 128Gb or larger SSD, a storage drive and a pretty decent video card.

[Scott P]

I thought about that. Actually, I thought about giving her my components and building something for myself. But I'd rather give her something current technology-wise and something that has room to grow. I don't want to replace her four year old CPU with a three year old one, especially when she keeps the same machine for so long. My thinking is to give her something fast, quiet, efficient and longer-lived.

 

I also figure to stay with Windows 7 rather than upgrading to Windows 8.

[wevsspot]

Gotcha.  Well if you want to make a splash with new tech then just about any one of the i3 Ivy Bridge processors and a matching m/b should do the trick.  Really a pretty good selection of Ivy Bridge processors you could choose from.  Priced depending on clock speed and Intel HD Graphics model.  Since you'll be using a dedicated graphics card you could get the i3 3220 for $129.99 @ Newegg.

 

While M-ATX or ITX may float some boats, I personally prefer the real estate of a full ATX board and good mid-tower case.  If you're looking for a great entry level Z77 board you can't go wrong with the Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H.  That will set you back $149.99 @ Newegg.