Build-Off Week 15: Office PC

[CornOnJacob]

Welcome to Week 15 of the LTT Build-Off! The rules and guidelines can be found here.

This week's challenge is simple: build a basic office/home pc for $550. This is the kind of thing your parents would use. Email, web surfing, word processing, and maybe the occasional Powerpoint or photo edit. You do need peripherals (kb + m & speakers), but not a monitor.
I know that this is a departure from the recent slew of epic builds and high budgets, but hopefully this will prove to be a little more of a challenge with the budget.

This contest will run from Fri. October 18th to Thurs. October 24th. Voting will take place on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th.

EDIT: Since we have so many entries, here is a tip for those voting. Look at things like the SSD and monitor first to narrow down your options, because "horsepower" is not a deciding factor to this build's quality.

Also, consider the two questions to be one poll. I just can't add > 20 options to a question.

 

UPDATE: Congrats @WoodenMarker for winning another build-off!

[Loe]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($71.97 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.46 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Logitech K100 Wired Slim Keyboard  ($9.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Mouse:  Microsoft Optical Mouse 200 for Business Wired Optical Mouse  ($6.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Speakers:  Cyber Acoustics CA-2002 6W 2ch Speakers  ($13.33 @ Amazon) 

Total: $443.66

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 15:48 EDT-0400)

[CornOnJacob]

 

I added everything because I could. Also please negate the monstrosity that this is. I just wanted to give it a shot.

I had put $600 as a placeholder--the actual budget is $550. Sorry about that (I forgot to change it before publishing). All you really need to do though is take out the OS.

[MoYo]

No need for a atx case, let's go for a nice mini itx pc in a bitfenix phenom!

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.96 @ Mwave) 

Memory:  Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  BitFenix Phenom Arctic White Mini ITX Tower Case  ($83.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Keyboard:  Logitech MK320 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($29.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Speakers:  Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers  ($22.20 @ Mwave) 

Total: $598.03

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 15:32 EDT-0400)

[CornOnJacob]

 

No need for a atx case, let's go for a nice mini itx pc in a bitfenix phenom!

 

PCPartPicker part list

Total: $598.03

I'm really sorry about the change in budget--please see my reply to Lowe.

[MoYo]

I'm really sorry about the change in budget--please see my reply to Lowe.

oh okay will have to change it then.

[ixi_your_face]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QkXC

 

BAM. Well under the actual budget too

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A6-3500 2.1GHz Triple-Core Processor  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard:  ASRock A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM1 Motherboard  ($89.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Kingston Beast 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($53.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Storage:  Toshiba  2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($84.99 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Inwin BP655.200BL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/200W Power Supply  ($41.18 @ NCIX US) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($17.99 @ Newegg) 

Monitor:  Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Keyboard:  Gigabyte KM5300 Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($14.99 @ Microcenter) 

Speakers:  Cyber Acoustics CA-2002 6W 2ch Speakers  ($13.33 @ Amazon) 

Total: $475.44

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 15:45 EDT-0400)

 

I added the monitor because if i didn't it'd would have been at ~$300 and why not, right?!

[MoYo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus H81I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.96 @ Mwave) 

Memory:  Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($64.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  BitFenix Phenom Arctic White Mini ITX Tower Case  ($83.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Microcenter) 

Keyboard:  Logitech MK320 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($29.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Speakers:  Logitech Z130 5W 2ch Speakers  ($22.20 @ Mwave) 

Total: $491.06

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 15:39 EDT-0400)

[CornOnJacob]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QkXC

 

BAM. Well under the actual budget too

Please use the BBCode markup for the part list and paste that in, not just the link. It also looks like you have some spare room in the budget.

 

P.S. A triple core processor? mind == blown

[ixi_your_face]

Please use the BBCode markup for the part list and paste that in, not just the link. It also looks like you have some spare room in the budget.

 

P.S. A triple core processor? mind == blown

 

Edited. And that i do!

[Flyguygamer]

Here is mine, it comes with kb, mouse, headset with mic, and monitor, with an ssd.

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A4-5300 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($46.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($30.83 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V200 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($52.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ Microcenter) 

Case:  Ultra XBlaster V2 ATX Mid Tower Case w/450W Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 

Case Fan:  Kingwin CF-012LB 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.99 @ Microcenter) 

Case Fan:  Kingwin CF-012LB 40.0 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($3.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($94.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor:  Hannspree HL161ABB 15.6" Monitor  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Mouse:  Toshiba PA3765U-1ETG Wired Optical Mouse  ($3.59 @ Microcenter) 

Headphones:  Syba CM-5023 Headset  ($5.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Total: $488.30

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 17:18 EDT-0400)

[bruceso94]

A10 quad core fine for day to day tasks 

8gb of ram is hundreds for a office pc 

ssd for fast boot up times 

1tb for mass storage

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A85X Extreme4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($85.66 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($46.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Storage:  Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($39.99 @ Microcenter) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  V7 CK0A1-4N6P Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($10.95 @ Mwave) 

Mouse:  AZIO Levetron Wired Optical Mouse  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Speakers:  Creative Labs Inspire T10 10W 2ch Speakers  ($36.99 @ Adorama) 

Total: $528.49

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 19:30 EDT-0400)

[tristan1035]

 

A10 quad core fine for day to day tasks 

8gb of ram is hundreds for a office pc 

ssd for fast boot up times 

1tb for mass storage

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A85X Extreme4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($85.66 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($46.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Storage:  Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($39.99 @ Microcenter) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  V7 CK0A1-4N6P Wired Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($10.95 @ Mwave) 

Mouse:  AZIO Levetron Wired Optical Mouse  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Speakers:  Creative Labs Inspire T10 10W 2ch Speakers  ($36.99 @ Adorama) 

Total: $528.49

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-18 19:30 EDT-0400)

 

That build is pretty good, but having some 2133 ram would be MUCH better.

[jddf000]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A6-5400K 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($61.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($69.97 @ Outlet PC) 

Memory:  Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($77.32 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer  ($14.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard  ($10.63 @ Amazon) 

Mouse:  Logitech M100 Wired Optical Mouse  ($5.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Speakers:  Cyber Acoustics CA-2016WB 3W 2ch Speakers  ($11.82 @ Amazon) 

Total: $457.65

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 14:27 EDT-0400)

[lachyman]

Here is my entry:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($77.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory:  Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($48.96 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($79.99 @ Amazon) 

Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer  ($15.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Keyboard:  Adesso MKB-135B Wired Standard Keyboard  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 

Mouse:  Logitech M500 Wired Laser Mouse  ($25.99 @ Newegg) 

Headphones:  SteelSeries 3H VR Headset  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $548.85

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 10:23 EDT-0400)

CPU: Dual-core will be great in office environment, on top of that i3 has Hyperthreading so the casual editing will be less pain in the ass.

MoBo: A nice B85 board with USB 3.0 headers and other stuff we need.

RAM: I picked 8GB, because the budget was fairly high por an office PC, and since there will be some editing going on it might be helpful. This is not an APU based gaming rig, you don't need higher speed RAM for general use computers.

SSD: 120GB SSD is all that an office PC needs, Words and Excels don't take up much space.

Case: A compact case with USB 3.0 for a few bucks.

PSU: Non-modular PSUs are a pain in the ass, especially in small cases. So I picked the CX430M, it is also powerful enough to hold a nice GPU as well, like the GTX660, because this system has some potential to play games.

ODD: DVDs are still pretty frequent in the office environment, so it's nice to have an ODD.

 

Keyboard: I decided not to cheap out here. A typist needs a typist's keyboard, that's where this fully mechanical Cherry MX Blue keyboard comes in.

Mouse: The less important part of an office rig, but still shouldn't be made out of the cheapest chinese plastic and the worst quality teflon around, so I picked the M500, it also has the 2 helpful thumb buttons.

Headset: I can't see a reason to get speakers for an office rig. I'd rather get headphones so I can use them for Skype and so on.

[CornOnJacob]

PCPartPicker part list

Total: $488.30

 

 

PCPartPicker part list

Total: $475.44

neither of you two have power supplies in your builds. You need to add those in order to enter.

 

Guy above hasn't got a PSU

Thanks

[ixi_your_face]

neither of you two have power supplies in your builds. You need to add those in order to enter.

 

 

Uhh. I think you'll find the PSU is included w/ the case.

[CornOnJacob]

Uhh. I think you'll find the PSU is included w/ the case.

I'm sorry. I even looked for that and I didn't see it. sigh 

[NanoMasky]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  ASRock B85M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($66.97 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Corsair 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Microcenter) 

Keyboard:  Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire XT Wired Slim Keyboard  ($74.99 @ Amazon) 

Mouse:  Logitech M305 Wireless Optical Mouse  ($35.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Speakers:  Creative Labs A220 9W 2.1ch Speakers  ($25.56 @ Amazon) 

Total: $543.07

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 16:21 EDT-0400)

I even added a Fancy Mechanical Keyboard

[ixi_your_face]

I'm sorry. I even looked for that and I didn't see it. sigh 

 

Is coo! 

[ilikemacandpc]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($79.98 @ Outlet PC) 

CPU Cooler:  Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 45.0 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler  ($17.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($69.97 @ Outlet PC) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($39.99 @ Microcenter) 

Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Video Card:  MSI GeForce GTX 650 1GB Video Card  ($79.99 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Silverstone PS08W MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($38.60 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($37.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive:  Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Keyboard:  Logitech MK120 Wired Slim Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($14.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Speakers:  Logitech S120 2.3W 2ch Speakers  ($9.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Total: $531.42

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 17:52 EDT-0400)

 

CPU: Great Value- Quad core and overclockable

MB: Solid choice

HDD+SSD: Mass storage plus an ssd cache for some extra zippy-ness

RAM: 8GB of Corsair Vengeance. Plus, they look good. 

GPU: Yeah, a dedicated card. The GTX 650 will do well if the kiddies decide they want to do some gaming on their home pc. 

PSU: Corsair CX430 Modular. High quality. Modular. What else is there to say?

Case: Wanted to differentiate it from the black boxes that most people use. So I chose the white PS08. 

ODD: The parents may have some CDs with old stuff they want to look at. So I included one. 

CPU Cooler: It will look good with the white, blue, and black color scheme. Should be quiet as well. 

Peripherals: Logitech makes solid budget speakers, mice, and keyboards. So, I chose their bare bones SKUs. 

[cjeffcoatjr]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QLsd

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QLsd/by_merchant/

Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QLsd/benchmarks/

 

CPU: AMD A8-6600K 3.9GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

Motherboard: Asus A85XM-A Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($64.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($48.96 @ NCIX US) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Microcenter) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Microcenter) 

Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  ($16.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($87.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK270 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse  ($24.99 @ Amazon) 

Speakers: Creative Labs Inspire T6160 50W 5.1ch Speakers  ($64.99 @ Adorama) 

Total: $543.83

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 18:05 EDT-0400)

 

I went with USB 3 because some of my parents friends, will share pictures that they have on a USB 3 drive. Also I know that my mom usually has like 40 tabs open in chrome, while making a power point, so thats why the 8 gbs of ram.

[WoodenMarker]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($58.80 @ Amazon) 

Memory:  Patriot G Series Sector 5 Edition 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($49.25 @ TigerDirect) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($84.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Video Card:  PowerColor Radeon HD 5450 1GB Video Card  ($9.99 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 

Keyboard:  Cooler Master Storm QuickFire Rapid Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Mouse:  SteelSeries Sensei RAW Wired Laser Mouse  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 

Speakers:  Creative Labs A220 9W 2.1ch Speakers  ($25.56 @ Amazon) 

Total: $548.51

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-20 17:10 EDT-0400)

 

5600k and HD 5450 for up to 6 displays (3 from the APU and 3 from the dedicated) for better multitasking. 

Since adding anymore for the hardware wouldn't feel any faster, I decided to spend more on peripherals that would make the office experience that much more bearable.

[TheMonsterMan8]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  AMD A8-5600K 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard:  ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard  ($91.97 @ Newegg) 

Memory:  Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case:  Apex MI-008 Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply  ($49.19 @ Outlet PC) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($94.98 @ Outlet PC) 

Keyboard:  Gigabyte Force K3 Wired Gaming Keyboard  ($14.99 @ Microcenter) 

Mouse:  Logitech B120 Wired Optical Mouse  ($9.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Total: $476.09

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-20 03:39 EDT-0400)

 

Derp.

 

Taking your inspiration, I based this on my parents. As my dad sometimes likes to rock around on ScumVM (Even playing Simon 3D - So intense!) I thought it'd be best to stick in an APU. Otherwise, meh. Not really my kind of PC.

[Giggitygoebbels]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3420 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.44 @ Mwave)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V6 GT 93.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($9.99 @ Mwave)

Motherboard: Asus H81M-C/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.98 @ Outlet PC)

Memory: Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($48.96 @ NCIX US)

Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda Green 1.5TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6670 1GB Video Card ($48.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Antec VSK-4000 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)

Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)

Keyboard: Logitech K100 Wired Slim Keyboard ($9.98 @ Outlet PC)

Mouse: Logitech M100 Wired Optical Mouse ($5.99 @ Mac Mall)

Speakers: Genius SP-S110 1W 2ch Speakers ($8.98 @ Outlet PC)

Total: $506.24

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-20 04:16 EDT-0400)