Build for the Mom and Pop

[VanCovenHiven]

Hey Ladies and Gents, pleasure to be a part of the forum.

My parents recently expressed interest in upgrading to a new computer. Naturally, I begged them to allow me to build one so that they could save some cash, avoid Best Buy, and well... I could enjoy putting another PC together.

- Live in the US

- Budget around $600 (Excluding OS)

- Will never be used for gaming

- Typical Office / Email / Workstation

My Dad did express an interest in connecting to his new 60 inch Samsung LED for HBO Go and ITunes library. I'm also planning on buying them a solid monitor for their eyesight.

- Building in a Fractal R4

- Would like a SSD Boot

- One Terabyte of storage

I'm getting held up on the CPU / GPU. Will they even need a GPU to connect their T.V. / Monitor (With good quality) It's something I've never delved into. Would Intel's integrated graphics handle the job just fine or should I look into an AMD A10 APU?

I would like to use as much of the budget as possible, my parents have always bought cheap, bottom of the barrel, and would like something a bit more premium.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[orangecat]

Core i3 with intel HD graphics and 4GB of 1333Mhz ram with a asus p8z77-m pro and a 120Gb ssd and a 1tb hdd for storage and a corsair cx 700 watt.

 

I know its very basic but you can go form there.

[Godlygamer23]

700 watt PSU seems a bit much. Maybe more like 500 or 600 watts. Integrated Intel graphics will do the job. TVs are mostly 1080p(or lower), so it's just the pixels becoming larger. No difference between a 1080p monitor and 1080p TV with the Intel graphics.

[Semi1114]

500 watts is far too much for a computer without a dedicated graphics card.

[Semi1114]

a10, a 400 watt power supply, 4 gb of ram etc.

[Aunik]

whatever floats your boat... but really you should wait for next gen intel cpu's.... apparently they will have better integrated graphics :) 

[petersleepy]

amd apu's anyone?

[Godlygamer23]

amd apu's anyone?

Semi put the A10 in their post. But an APU would work great.

[CornOnJacob]

- Live in the US

- Budget around $600 (Excluding OS)

- Will never be used for gaming

- Typical Office / Email / Workstation

- Building in a Fractal R4

- Would like a SSD Boot

- One Terabyte of storage

I'm getting held up on the CPU / GPU. Will they even need a GPU to connect their T.V. / Monitor (With good quality) It's something I've never delved into. Would Intel's integrated graphics handle the job just fine or should I look into an AMD A10 APU?

I would like to use as much of the budget as possible, my parents have always bought cheap, bottom of the barrel, and would like something a bit more premium.

Any help is greatly appreciated!

I put together this partlist for you: partlist

It covers all the bases you were looking for, as well as an efficient (and modular) PSU, 8GB of RAM, and an optical drive. Don't use an AMD APU if you won't be gaming (the i3 has better CPU performance). Even a Raspberry Pi can play back movies, videos, etc. without stutter at 1080p--an i3 with integrated graphics will be more than enough to hook up to your TV. All you have to do is use the video/display output on the motherboard.

 

I hope this helps!

[Guerrero]

Core i3 with intel HD graphics and 4GB of 1333Mhz ram with a asus p8z77-m pro and a 120Gb ssd and a 1tb hdd for storage and a corsair cx 700 watt.

 

I know its very basic but you can go form there.

700 watt? wat de h*** are we gonna crossfire some 7970's?

[VanCovenHiven]

Wow! Thanks for all the immediate responses. If Intel's integrated graphics will do the job just fine, I'll go with it for the superior CPU performance. I'll talk to the parents as well to see if they can hold out for Haswell. That parts list hit it pretty well on the nail Jacob, you rock!

[Guerrero]

Wow! Thanks for all the immediate responses. If Intel's integrated graphics will do the job just fine, I'll go with it for the superior CPU performance. I'll talk to the parents as well to see if they can hold out for Haswell. That parts list hit it pretty well on the nail Jacob, you rock!

Don't plan to get a Haswell i3 soon since they'll release in September (maybe like how ivy bridge did) and I would suggest you get an aftermarket cpu cooler and fans to get a quieter system  :)

[WoodenMarker]

I think something like this will do: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/10zHx $450

 

The integrated graphics will be more than enough for high def media. 

I picked a smaller case also by fractal design since it's a lot cheaper, smaller, and has front usb 3.0.

The psu can support up to a 7870 upgrade if the computer ever needs to support gaming.

[CornOnJacob]

Wow! Thanks for all the immediate responses. If Intel's integrated graphics will do the job just fine, I'll go with it for the superior CPU performance. I'll talk to the parents as well to see if they can hold out for Haswell. That parts list hit it pretty well on the nail Jacob, you rock!

I'm glad to be of service :)

 

P.S. Guerrero is right. The i3s usually come out relatively late, and your parents won't really need the (small) performance boost from Haswell anyway. If you think they will need a more powerful CPU, then go for an FX-6300 (but they probably won't).

[VanCovenHiven]

Don't plan to get a Haswell i3 soon since they'll release in September (maybe like how ivy bridge did) and I would suggest you get an aftermarket cpu cooler and fans to get a quieter system  :)

Good call and Wilco. Was planning on buying some Gentle Scythes out of pocket as a little gift. I'll look into a better CPU cooler as well.

[Godlygamer23]

You could also pick up one of these. http://www.zotac.com/products/mini-pcs/zbox-dvd/product/zbox-dvd/detail/zbox-dvd-id31-plus-4/sort/crdate/order/DESC/amount/10.html

[CornOnJacob]

amd apu's anyone?

 

 

Semi put the A10 in their post. But an APU would work great.

I've found that APUs aren't really worth it, especially when you aren't gaming. They need fast RAM in order to reach their full potential, and you could put that money towards a better well-rounded system. They are great for certain people (gamers with a really tight budget who can get fast RAM cheaply), but it sounds like the OP's parents are not those people.

[Godlygamer23]

I've found that APUs aren't really worth it, especially when you aren't gaming. They need fast RAM in order to reach their full potential, and you could put that money towards a better well-rounded system. They are great for certain people (gamers with a really tight budget who can get fast RAM cheaply), but it sounds like the OP's parents are not those people.

True.

[Shyxlol]

Is an boot SSD really that good for your parents? Like, I'm used to telling every program to custom install to my HDD etc but are you sure they want to deal with something like that? (Not counting programs that automatically install to your main drive which you can only move with juntioncs/mklink)

Depending on your board you could go for a smaller SSD to cache your HDD (Intel Smart Response - honestly I don't know if those boards actually have it ^.^) or a hybrid drive.

[WoodenMarker]

Core i3 with intel HD graphics and 4GB of 1333Mhz ram with a asus p8z77-m pro and a 120Gb ssd and a 1tb hdd for storage and a corsair cx 700 watt.

 

I know its very basic but you can go form there.

A z77 board is useless for a locked cpu like the i3. A b75 board would be better because it's cheaper while retaining front usb 3.0 headers. 

1600 ram is pretty much the same price as 1333 now if you look around a bit. 1600 and ivy go well together.

A psu like the cx700 is enough for a gtx titan. For a build without a dedicated graphics card, a good 300w is more than enough. I've seen builds using the 2500k with only a 180w.

[WoodenMarker]

Is an boot SSD really that good for your parents? Like, I'm used to telling every program to custom install to my HDD etc but are you sure they want to deal with something like that? (Not counting programs that automatically install to your main drive which you can only move with juntioncs/mklink)

Depending on your board you could go for a smaller SSD to cache your HDD (Intel Smart Response - honestly I don't know if those boards actually have it ^.^) or a hybrid drive.

I think a 60gig ssd is enough for an average user's os and apps. Most people just forget to route their documents/pictures/etc shortcuts to a directory on the hdd. If the op does that for his parents like how I often do, things should be fine.

Also, caching is good if the budget is very small but that is not the case.

[orangecat]

A z77 board is useless for a locked cpu like the i3. A b75 board would be better because it's cheaper while retaining front usb 3.0 headers. 

1600 ram is pretty much the same price as 1333 now if you look around a bit. 1600 and ivy go well together.

A psu like the cx700 is enough for a gtx titan. For a build without a dedicated graphics card, a good 300w is more than enough. I've seen builds using the 2500k with only a 180w.

I went z77 because it has more features and leave room for a better upgrade and a 700 watt for upgrading and it will most likely last longer then a 500 watt because there would be less stress on the psu components.

[WoodenMarker]

I went z77 because it has more features and leave room for a better upgrade and a 700 watt for upgrading and it will most likely last longer then a 500 watt because there would be less stress on the psu components.

I don't think the system will ever upgrade to a 3570k or 3770k. A z77 is a waste of money in this scenario.

A cx430 alone will probably last long enough to become obsolete. Even if the op were to upgrade to a 7950, a good 500-550w would be enough. A 700w is way overkill. 

 

Something I often repeat on this forum is to save your money, and buy a large bowl of steaming nachos and top it with bacon.

[Semi1114]

I think something like this will do: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/10zHx $450

 

The integrated graphics will be more than enough for high def media. 

I picked a smaller case also by fractal design since it's a lot cheaper, smaller, and has front usb 3.0.

You might as well get the i5 4430 for the next gen integrated graphics from intel.

[WoodenMarker]

You might as well get the i5 4430 for the next gen integrated graphics from intel.

That would cost more. Why not stick with the must cheaper 3220?