Basic office computer

[The_Prycer]

EDIT: I believe I have reached a happy medium of price:performance with this build 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor	$54.30 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$64.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Value 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$29.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Corsair MP300 120 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$31.99 @ Amazon
Case	DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$19.98 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$54.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$256.14
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 14:33 EDT-0400

 

 

I'm literally going to be loading Linux on this thing and using it solely to read and write email, write invoices, print invoices, and send those invoices off to my NAS for later. I have no desire for gaming performance and no need for internal storage beyond what it takes to hold my OS, blank file formats, and a few ISO files in case my USB sticks get lost or broken. However, I want the ability to fix/upgrade this system without having to hunt across resale sites and AMD relaunching their Athlon series has given me the ability to do that as I need to keep the cost of this unit as low as possible because expense reports.

 

It's finally upgrade time at work (we're getting 10GB Ethernet!) so I was given an expense report to fill out and told to find a cheap desktop for around $300. I told my boss I could just build the thing and it'd be way cheaper so here I am with an expense report to fill out and a point to prove. For reference, my old work unit used an Athlon II X2, so this is a welcome upgrade. 

 

So here's the build and why I chose each part

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sH49q4

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.30 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 4 GB (1 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($17.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Corsair MP300 120 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($31.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Raidmax Scorpio 535 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $239.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 10:20 EDT-0400

 

 

CPU: I could have gone cheaper with an older A-8 unit, but I don't want to have to hunt across the Internet should something break and since it uses the same socket as the Ryzen series I have the ability to build a gaming capable system out of this should I get a bigger budget next year and get to take this one home. While I know I technically could grab a cheap Ryzen 3 or even a higher end Athlon for a bit more, I don't require the increased performance that would offer.

 

CPU Cooler: Box comes with an adequate one. Although for the lulz I'd considered getting one of those behemoth fanless heatsinks just so I could have the hot rod aesthetic

 

Motherboard: Nice 450M mATX unit. Offers all the I/O I need and is the cheapest mobo I am willing to use. Gives plenty of upgrade paths should I choose to make the system beefier in the future.

 

Memory: single stick of DDR4 2400. While it's tempting to toss 8GB in there for funzies, having to justify that on an expense report isn't so fun. Was the same price as the 2133 version so why not get the faster of the two.

 

Video Card: Running the Vega 3 integrated graphics. First person to tell me to drop a 570 in this and use a non-integrated CPU is getting slapped.

 

Storage: Since I will be keeping literally nothing on this system that is not absolutely essential (thanks external storage) and I do a fair amount of file transfer across a 10GB line (I already have a 10GB NIC), having a little 120GB NVME drive instead of a 240GB SSD is justifiable. Also I intentionally cheaped out on the case so not having to fumble around installing a drive in that box is a bonus.

 

Case: Literally the cheapest case. Once again, justifying things on expense reports isn't fun, but I get an NVME drive on my work computer out of the deal so the lack of features on this is something I'm just going to have to deal with. Since I don't have to install an optical drive or any SATA cables that makes this slightly more workable. 

 

PSU: Not the best, but not the worst. Reviews seemed relatively positive and given the stupidly low tdp of this unit I'm not too concerned. Was the cheapest semi-modular power supply I was willing to put in this thing. While I could have saved a whole $17 by going non-modular, the case I'm using doesn't offer much in the way of cable management and the cases I would have gained access to with that extra $17 weren't really that much better. If I didn't cheap out on the case I would have gone with a non-modular unit, but since I'm only plugging a few things in, the modularity beats out having a nicer box to put it all in.

 

 

I guess if I really, really wanted to I could run Age of Mythology, Doki Doki Literature Club, or maybe some low end Rocket League on this thing.

[Akira Shimazu]

dual core isn't optional even for office computer. at least 4core. on everything even just mediocre use. and psu is like wtf is 535Watt? why not something like CX 2015 450W? its better to pull some money than seeing everything burn down.

[Epimetheus]

8gb of ram is just 15 dollars more, and you're already way below the budget. Multi tasking and web browsing now use a lot of ram, so i wouldn't be much comfortable with just 4gb.  Besides, using dual channel ram is greatly beneficial for your apu, not just for gaming but for general usage too

[Epimetheus]

9 minutes ago, Wolfycapt said:

dual core isn't optional even for office computer. at least 4core. on everything even just mediocre use. and psu is like wtf is 535Watt? why not something like CX 2015 450W? its better to pull some money than seeing everything burn down.

oh come on, offices still use celerons, and i used to get decent gaming performance with just a pentium g5400 just a few months ago. Besides, that pc is going to run linux

[flibberdipper]

20 bucks more and you get 8 gigs of decently quick RAM (which you probably will notice) and a PSU which isn't garbage at the cost of NVME (which you won't really notice).

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XPY2KB

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot Signature Premium 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX500 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-06 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $257.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:09 EDT-0400

[Akira Shimazu]

1 minute ago, Epimetheus said:

8gb of ram is just 15 dollars more, and you're already way below the budget. Multi tasking and web browsing now use a lot of ram, so i wouldn't be much comfortable with just 4gb.  Besides, using dual channel ram is greatly beneficial for your apu, not just for gaming but for general usage too

 

Just now, Epimetheus said:

oh come on, offices still use celerons, and i used to get decent gaming performance with just a pentium g5400 just a few months ago. Besides, that pc is going to run linux

yeah browser eat ram

 

well. depend inusage just to make sure it runs fine

[EL02]

5 minutes ago, flibberdipper said:

20 bucks more and you get 8 gigs of decently quick RAM (which you probably will notice) and a PSU which isn't garbage at the cost of NVME (which you won't really notice).

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XPY2KB

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot Signature Premium 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX500 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-06 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $257.04
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:09 EDT-0400

He/she may be able to spend a little more, since the given price was $300.

R3 2200g would be a better option (only $30 more).

[cluelessgenius]

16 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

 

dangerous path youre walking their.when i started working fresh from college i tried to convinve my boss of the same thing. building it myself would be cheaper at the same perfomance or way faster at the same price point. but what i didnt realize is that in a buisness downtime is way to expensive to risk it. lets say you get good parts with good warranties. but if that psu fails youll still need to take it out and send it off to the manufacturer and wait for the replacement while you cant work now. realize what and hour of your work costs your boss. if you cant work for a day even and hes still paying you and now also loosing what every value your work provides the company. i still alwas cringe when i see our freaking terra systems that cost way to much but they are relativly local and the warranty those big pricetags include mean that theyll come and replace th thing within a day if need be. its just a different kind of thinking in the business world.

also im not sure exactly but for the workload your describing couldnt your even get away with getting a rasperry pi 4?

[The_Prycer]

1 minute ago, Wolfycapt said:

dual core isn't optional even for office computer. at least 4core. on everything even just mediocre use. and psu is like wtf is 535Watt? why not something like CX 2015 450W? its better to pull some money than seeing everything burn down.

I admit the wattage is fairly high on the PSU, but I need the modularity. I'm certainly open to suggestions regarding it though. for the extra $5 though, the Corsair is probably better constructed so I might opt for that instead.

 

New Athlons are 2/4 so for literally just filling out text document  invoices that are going to read something like

 

"Judy from the front desk was experiencing sluggish performance as reported in claim 1127BG, enacted fix A, B, and C to restore system performance. No replacement parts required"

 

Started at 10:12, finished at 10:30

 

and then transferring those files to network storage after printing them off and checking my email again isn't going to be particularly processor intensive. 

 

Occasionally I might have to create a new boot drive, but I'm really not doing anything more than that.

 

 

 

[brob]

At this price point with the described usage Intel is better.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Pentium Gold G5400 3.7 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($62.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI B360M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($67.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Team L5 LITE 3D 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill SCM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $273.73
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:15 EDT-0400

[flibberdipper]

3 minutes ago, EL02 said:

He/she may be able to spend a little more, since the given price was $300.

R3 2200g would be a better option (only $30 more).

I do agree, but I went with the Athlon since they stated that they don't need the power of a 2200G. Certainly makes a lot more sense to ditch the R3 and get a PSU that isn't a firestarter though.

[Epimetheus]

7 minutes ago, brob said:

At this price point with the described usage Intel is better.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Pentium Gold G5400 3.7 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($62.89 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI B360M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($67.89 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($37.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Team L5 LITE 3D 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill SCM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $273.73
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:15 EDT-0400

by costing more, with same cpu performance and way worse gpu performance?

[The_Prycer]

11 minutes ago, flibberdipper said:

20 bucks more and you get 8 gigs of decently quick RAM (which you probably will notice) and a PSU which isn't garbage at the cost of NVME (which you won't really notice).

 

I've considered the 8GB upgrade, but the system I'm upgrading from had a whopping 2GB of RAM so I'm not too concerned with having more RAM at the moment. I'll probably grab an extra stick of RAM with my own money just to boost the system though.

 

That is a negative on that PSU. While it's certainly better than the unit originally picked (i'll probably swap it out for that 2015 Corsair model) I've intentionally picked a cheap ass case and will require either semi or full modularity to make working inside of it bearable

[flibberdipper]

1 minute ago, The_Prycer said:

I've considered the 8GB upgrade, but the system I'm upgrading from had a whopping 2GB of RAM so I'm not too concerned with having more RAM at the moment. I'll probably grab an extra stick of RAM with my own money just to boost the system though.

 

That is a negative on that PSU. While it's certainly better than the unit originally picked (i'll probably swap it out for that 2015 Corsair model) I've intentionally picked a cheap ass case and will require either semi or full modularity to make working inside of it bearable

CXM is the only sensible step up if you want semi-modularity, though dealing with non-modular units in a case with 5.25" bays isn't that bad at all. And more RAM is never really a bad thing in a company machine like this, you never know if it'll be repurposed later down the line and need more or if the workload will change. Better safe than sorry after all.

[The_Prycer]

12 minutes ago, cluelessgenius said:

dangerous path youre walking their.when i started working fresh from college i tried to convinve my boss of the same thing. building it myself would be cheaper at the same perfomance or way faster at the same price point. but what i didnt realize is that in a buisness downtime is way to expensive to risk it. lets say you get good parts with good warranties. but if that psu fails youll still need to take it out and send it off to the manufacturer and wait for the replacement while you cant work now. realize what and hour of your work costs your boss. if you cant work for a day even and hes still paying you and now also loosing what every value your work provides the company. i still alwas cringe when i see our freaking terra systems that cost way to much but they are relativly local and the warranty those big pricetags include mean that theyll come and replace th thing within a day if need be. its just a different kind of thinking in the business world.

also im not sure exactly but for the workload your describing couldnt your even get away with getting a rasperry pi 4?

So this exact situation is why I'm getting a new unit. Luckily I work in an office with only 12 other people so I was able to do manual invoices that will be entered digitally after the fact.

 

It's actually sort of ironic, I-the IT guy-have the least powerful computer out of everyone in the office

[brob]

5 minutes ago, Epimetheus said:

by costing more, with same cpu performance and way worse gpu performance?

 

Better cpu performance and gpu performance does not matter in this use case.

 

@The_Prycer, I actually prefer to use non-modular psu for office systems. It means no lost cables. Sometimes going as inexpensive as possible initially ends up be much more expensive in the longer term.

[VEXICUS]

I'll recommend something like this instead...

Much better components...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.30 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($38.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: HP EX900 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($36.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $276.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:33 EDT-0400

[Epimetheus]

24 minutes ago, brob said:

 

Better cpu performance and gpu performance does not matter in this use case.

 

@The_Prycer, I actually prefer to use non-modular psu for office systems. It means no lost cables. Sometimes going as inexpensive as possible initially ends up be much more expensive in the longer term.

the main point is, your solution costs more

[brob]

9 minutes ago, Epimetheus said:

the main point is, your solution costs more

 

It is well within budget and performs better than the alternatives so I'm having real trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Just because a system is less expensive it is not necessarily a better solution.

[The_Prycer]

14 minutes ago, brob said:

 

It is well within budget and performs better than the alternatives so I'm having real trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Just because a system is less expensive it is not necessarily a better solution.

So the closer I get to $300 the less value I get from building this. Sure, I could drop the same amount and have a totally ballin' budget gaming PC or something, but I'm trying to show my boss that I can get a system together for much less than they think it should cost. This way, when it comes time to do the big boy upgrades to the $2000 computers the brokers use, my input might be valued more because I'd much rather build 12 computers than over pay on some workstations so my end of the year bonus is bigger.

 

I see where you were going with the Intel build though and I think if my budget was closer to $350 that I might go with something similar.

[The_Prycer]

57 minutes ago, brob said:

 

Better cpu performance and gpu performance does not matter in this use case.

 

@The_Prycer, I actually prefer to use non-modular psu for office systems. It means no lost cables. Sometimes going as inexpensive as possible initially ends up be much more expensive in the longer term.

Generally speaking, yes. However, I've picked a really crappy case and managing those cables will be a pain in the ass I don't really care to do. For everyone else's full sized ATX computer, they get non modular.

 

I'm sure there's a few extra dollars I could spend to extend the life of this system, hence why I posted this here to make sure I wasn't picking a terrible part (as appears to be the case for the PSU) so I'm not wasting money that could be better spent paying me.

1 hour ago, VEXICUS said:

I'll recommend something like this instead...

Much better components...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($54.30 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($71.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($38.99 @ B&H) 
Storage: HP EX900 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($36.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.98 @ Newegg Business) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $276.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 11:33 EDT-0400

The PSU is probably where I'm going. It's $5 more than my choice and I've never had a bad experience with Corsair 

 

Your mobo choice gives slightly bigger RAM options, but aside from that I'm unaware if there is a difference in performance or build quality.

 

The RAM is something I'm bouncing back and forth on. On the one hand I know having dual-channels will improve performance as will the jump from 4 to 8, but on the other hand I can't really justify why I'd need anything more than 4 when I'm doing just basic text editing and email on a Linux machine. If I do go for the 8GB I'll probably end up going the $30 route for the 2400 G.Skill version since 2400MHz is really all the speed I need since I'm not doing much of anything

 

I don't really need more than the 120GB of storage. I store everything externally at this point and the biggest file I've created in the last 6 months was 537 kilobytes. Now if your choice is faster or constructed better, that's another matter.

 

I could probably get away with just using a Raspberry Pi running Puppy for 99% of my workload if they'd let me bring one in to give you an idea of how barebones of a unit I really need.

 

 

[VEXICUS]

8 minutes ago, The_Prycer said:

...

Windows update suck up a lot of storage. Also the ssd that I recommended is $6 more for twice the storage space.

[Epimetheus]

1 hour ago, brob said:

 

It is well within budget and performs better than the alternatives so I'm having real trouble understanding the point you are trying to make. Just because a system is less expensive it is not necessarily a better solution.

So you're telling me that your system is a better solution because you're suggesting an as powerful cpu for more? While saying that performance doesn't matter? What the hell

[The_Prycer]

9 minutes ago, VEXICUS said:

Windows update suck up a lot of storage. Also the ssd that I recommended is $6 more for twice the storage space.

But I'm running Linux. The most I deal with when it comes to windows updates is having an ISO that's compatible with all the software currently running in the office and at least 3 older ones in case an update borks us. 

 

While I don't really think I need 240, doubling my storage for $6 is honestly not the worst idea just in case I have some particularly large files I need to store for whatever reason

[The_Prycer]

So for about $21 more than my original build, I believe i have a significantly nicer system in place with this. Adding this to the OP as an Edit just in case anyone doesn't see this post

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Athlon 200GE 3.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor	$54.30 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$64.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Value 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$29.99 @ Newegg
Storage	HP EX900 250 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$36.89 @ OutletPC
Case	DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$19.98 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$54.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$261.04
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-27 13:56 EDT-0400