ITX PC for e-mail, internet etc.

[MrSadman]

Hi,

 

The last PC i built was based around a 4690K, so I am a bit rusty with my market knowledge. In my past builds I have gotten some tips and tricks from a local tech forum, but it seems to have died out. The LTT forums seemed like a good place to get some advice.

 

My parents asked me to build them a new PC. They want it to be quieter, smaller and boot up faster. They are very basic users, the most demanding task for the machine will probably be watching some videos etc.

 

So, with this in mind I started looking at parts:

CPU:

i3 8100T - should be more then enough power and help with the quiet part of the build

Pentium G5400T - Cheaper then option 1 but I feel weird buying a CPU with 2 cores in 2019

Ryzen 3 2200GE - I think this might only be available for system builders.

 

Motherboard:

So, If I am going to go small, I am going to go ITX. I decided to skip H310 and go for at least B360 chipset. What is needed: DVI or Display Port(existing monitor has no HDMI), at least 4 USB. Do not care for wifi or M.2 slots. Needs to be capable of switching all fans completely off when temps are good. A fast front USB header could be useful.

Gigabyte has 2 ITX boards, one has only HDMI and the other I would imagine is expensive.

MSI has the B360I Gaming. A bit on the expensive side here.

ASUS only seems to have a ROG board
Asrock B360m-ITX, seems like a good fit. Does it allow for turning off the CPU cooler fan when temperatures are low, anyone know?

 

Storage:

860 EVO 500GB - already purchased during black friday sales. No further storage inside the machine. External HDD for backup would be a good idea.

 

RAM: Really whatever I find on the QVL of the motherboard that I end up picking. For example something from Corsair Value Select line. 1x8GB configuration I think.

 

Housing:

Has to be dust proof, look discrete and still nice.
Corsair 250D jumped to mind, however it is out of stock and also a bit pricy. I guess if you want looks then there is nothing really available at a lower price point.

Fractal Core 500 would be a cheaper option but it is not as good looking and the filters are hard to clean. Node 304 comes with fan controllers etc, that I don't need.

Everything small from silverstone seems to have poor dust filtration.

 

PSU:

Something modular/semi modular with atleast 80+ rating and a good pedigree. Needs to have a fanless mode. 

Actual selection will depend on case size, might need an sfx PSU, but those are again more expensive.

Need to check cable lengths.

 

CPU cooler: 

Depends on the chosen case. With 250D a Hyper 212 comes to mind. Need to check clearance.

 

External CD/DVD drive for when they need to use one.

 

Windows 10 Home OEM. These are still cool for home builds right?

 

So, how is my thinking for this build going? Any major mistakes?

Anyone have any experience with ASRock boards and fan control?

Anyone got any recommendations on reading up on setting up a Windows 10 machine? My sysadmin skills are even more rusty : P

 

[mxk]

I think picking up a 2200G, b450 ITX motherboard, stock cooler, windows key from eBay, 450w power supply, and cheap itx case will work.

[Fasauceome]

5 minutes ago, MrSadman said:

Pentium G5400T - Cheaper then option 1 but I feel weird buying a CPU with 2 cores in 2019

only for a gaming PC is a dual core a bad idea. For standard media it's a sensible option.

 

I'll just leave my bio here.

6 minutes ago, MrSadman said:

CPU cooler: 

Depends on the chosen case

stock for a Pentium is fine.

[paddy-stone]

do your parents just want to stream videos to the device? from like netflix, youtube etc? then something like an nvidia shield with a wireless remote and/or keyboard.mouse should be fine. Nice and cheap-ish, no noise, you can put it in stnd-by/sleep instead of having to boot it up also.

Or if they want basic word processing etc too, then yes an intel NUC might be the best choice... TBH if your parents aren't very technical it might be better to go with an android like the shield I mentioned simply to save headaches and such. I know from experience with members of my family

 

[NunoLava1998]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($50.89 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 GAMING-ITX/AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  ($128.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($54.74 @ Newegg Business) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GT 1030 2 GB SC Low Profile Video Card  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Silverstone - ML05B HTPC Case  ($54.12 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair - SF 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply  ($65.53 @ Newegg) 
Total: $469.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-13 16:41 EST-0500

[mxk]

After thinking about the pentium thing, I changed the list.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Pentium Gold G5500 3.8 GHz Dual-Core Processor	$94.46 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI - H310I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard	$81.03 @ Newegg
Memory	G.Skill - Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$47.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$82.99 @ Amazon
Case	Silverstone - Sugo SG13B Mini ITX Tower Case	$50.50 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$49.89 @ OutletPC
Other	windows 10 OEM	$11.99
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$438.85
	Mail-in rebates	-$20.00
	Total	$418.85
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-13 16:48 EST-0500

 

[aisle9]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($50.89 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock - A320M-ITX Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  ($98.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($60.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Inland - 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($49.59 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $330.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-13 16:59 EST-0500

 

For extra power, you could go to a Ryzen 3 2200G and a B450 board, but at added cost, of course.