Dad build- As cheap as possible please!

[GamerGuy]

Hey, my dad bought this laptop: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Chromebook-XE500C12-K01US-11-6-Inch-Metallic/dp/B00NJGRLUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423193994&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+chromebookand isn't happy with it, I offered for him to return it and for me to build him a desktop computer with the money instead.

 

My question is, would a 200-300$ desktop (without an OS, any peripherals) preform better than this laptop? If so, please come up with the best parts you can think of so I can build this for him. 

Will be used for:

• Mostly surfing the web
• It'll be connected to a TV sometimes and be used for 720p movies
• Optional: If it can run low end games, that's always a plus. I want to get my little brother and dad to play some games with me multiplayer, but only if possible in

Thanks LTT

 

Keep in mind, since this is going to be for mainly online use, will an SSD here be more needed?

[dadasmithywinkle]

Hey, my dad bought this laptop: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Chromebook-XE500C12-K01US-11-6-Inch-Metallic/dp/B00NJGRLUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423193994&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+chromebookand isn't happy with it, I offered for him to return it and for me to build him a desktop computer with the money instead.

 

My question is, would a 200-300$ desktop (without an OS, any peripherals) preform better than this laptop? If so, please come up with the best parts you can think of so I can build this for him. 

Will be used for:

• Mostly surfing the web
• It'll be connected to a TV sometimes and be used for 720p movies
• Optional: If it can run low end games, that's always a plus. I want to get my little brother and dad to play some games with me multiplayer, but only if possible in

Thanks LTT

 

Keep in mind, since this is going to be for mainly online use, will an SSD here be more needed?

I built this exact rig for my dad for Christmas and he uses it every day with no issues. My dad's beats his Dell E6410 (w/ an i5)'s ass. My dad's has a GT 610 2GB, but I put a 740 in this one in order to run basic games.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ddQ6xr

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ddQ6xr/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Celeron G1820 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($51.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.97 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: Mushkin Silverline 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($27.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GT 740 1GB Video Card  ($44.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($27.99 @ Micro Center) 

Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer  ($12.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $288.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:52 EST-0500

[Sauron]

There you go   this will destroy that laptop twice over.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock B85 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $295.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:54 EST-0500

 

Games will also RUN, not at high settings of course but still. You always have the option to slap in a graphics card later. @dadasmithywinkle no offence but this is much better

 

-edit-

I think an ssd is absolutely crucial. The cpu is pretty good and plenty for what you need, but without an ssd the whole experience won't be as snappy and seamless as it could be. Your father would not notice the difference between using this and using a quad xeon build with 512gb of ram, all thanks to the ssd.

[Statik]

A potato with a keyboard will out preform a chrome book.

[Imakuni]

You could actually go even lower, but for all intents and purposes, this will do

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Celeron G1840 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($26.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($25.49 @ Amazon)
Case: Logisys CS206BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply  ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $152.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:55 EST-0500

[zlolslavez]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Micro Center) 

Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply  ($48.28 @ OutletPC) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($12.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $267.23

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:56 EST-0500

 

ssd,has onboard graphics, might beable to hit low on certain games. for sure better than any laptop at this price point without OS, but you can find a free one somewhere. not great but a case+power supply combo. g3258, and an asus motherboard.

[Deletive]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($87.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus A88XM-A Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($65.98 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Cougar MG100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $289.89

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:56 EST-0500

[theloveablemoose]

Hey, my dad bought this laptop: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Chromebook-XE500C12-K01US-11-6-Inch-Metallic/dp/B00NJGRLUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423193994&sr=8-1&keywords=samsung+chromebookand isn't happy with it, I offered for him to return it and for me to build him a desktop computer with the money instead.

 

My question is, would a 200-300$ desktop (without an OS, any peripherals) preform better than this laptop? If so, please come up with the best parts you can think of so I can build this for him. 

Will be used for:

• Mostly surfing the web
• It'll be connected to a TV sometimes and be used for 720p movies
• Optional: If it can run low end games, that's always a plus. I want to get my little brother and dad to play some games with me multiplayer, but only if possible in

Thanks LTT

 

Keep in mind, since this is going to be for mainly online use, will an SSD here be more needed?

This i guess.

 

You wont be able to play the majority of games but the CPU is strong enough to where you can just slot one later on.

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/L3DqQ7

Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/L3DqQ7/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: BitFenix Neos Black ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $269.93

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:59 EST-0500

[wyattzx]

You could actually go even lower, but for all intents and purposes, this will do

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Celeron G1840 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($26.49 @ SuperBiiz)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($25.49 @ Amazon)

Case: Logisys CS206BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply  ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $152.85

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:55 EST-0500

 

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($48.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($69.99 @ Micro Center) 

Case: Rosewill R363-M-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case w/400W Power Supply  ($48.28 @ OutletPC) 

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer  ($12.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Total: $267.23

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:56 EST-0500

 

ssd,has onboard graphics, might beable to hit low on certain games. for sure better than any laptop at this price point without OS, but you can find a free one somewhere. not great but a case+power supply combo. g3258, and an asus motherboard.

 

Those are some really good Power Supplies for the price!

[brob]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($100.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($34.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($33.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $298.91
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:59 EST-0500

[ChipWoodChainSaw]

[Jack.EXE]

MAKE WAY! COMING THROUGH!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($87.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus A88XM-A Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $292.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:08 EST-0500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Foxconn H81MXV Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($37.81 @ Mwave)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $294.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:10 EST-0500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD 3850 1.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($30.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar AM1ML Micro ATX AM1 Motherboard  ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba  500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  ($51.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $218.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:12 EST-0500

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Celeron G1840 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston 2GB (1 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($15.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba  500GB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive  ($51.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $281.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:16 EST-0500

[GamerGuy]

Those are some really good Power Supplies for the price!

Are they reliable? 

[Imakuni]

 

There you go   this will destroy that laptop twice over.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock B85 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $295.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:54 EST-0500

 

Games will also RUN, not at high settings of course but still. You always have the option to slap in a graphics card later. @dadasmithywinkle no offence but this is much better

 

Your build is actually 364$, without the MIR. Here's a better option:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($100.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($57.80 @ Newegg)

Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: HEC Vigilance MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $300.61

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:03 EST-0500

[wyattzx]

Are they reliable? 

Look closer at the two specific builds I quoted.

[GamerGuy]

So many people thanks <3 I will post a build log if people want

Can someone or a few people please guide me threw these builds and help me find what I need best? I don't know really how to decide

[dadasmithywinkle]

 

There you go   this will destroy that laptop twice over.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($99.98 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: ASRock B85 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($22.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $295.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 19:54 EST-0500

 

Games will also RUN, not at high settings of course but still. You always have the option to slap in a graphics card later. @dadasmithywinkle no offence but this is much better

 

-edit-

I think an ssd is absolutely crucial. The cpu is pretty good and plenty for what you need, but without an ssd the whole experience won't be as snappy and seamless as it could be. Your father would not notice the difference between using this and using a quad xeon build with 512gb of ram, all thanks to the ssd.

 

He still needs a DVD drive for movies, fast RAM since he'll be using the integrated graphics (with your build), and more storage (for family photos, etc.). Also, the mobo I selected was cheaper and had that same if not more features. 

[Imakuni]

So many people thanks <3 I will post a build log if people want

Can someone or a few people please guide me threw these builds and help me find what I need best? I don't know really how to decide

If you'd like to have a powerful gaming machine in the future, just get one of the i3 build, and add a high end GPU. Say, anything from an R9 280 all the way up to a gtx 970. And you'll be able to game very nicely.

[dadasmithywinkle]

If you'd like to have a powerful gaming machine in the future, just get one of the i3 build, and add a high end GPU. Say, anything from an R9 280 all the way up to a gtx 970. And you'll be able to game very nicely.

He has a $300 budget...

[Imakuni]

He has a $300 budget...

"in the future". He could do that. You know, with some games requiring 4 threads to play (Ubisoft, u suck!), he can't really go for the Pentium G builds.

 

If not, just get a cheaper build.

[dadasmithywinkle]

"in the future". He could do that. You know, with some games requiring 4 threads to play (Ubisoft, u suck!), he can't really go for the Pentium G builds.

 

If not, just get a cheaper build.

Oh, yeah. I thought you meant now

[GamerGuy]

 

I really like your build, I won't be wanting to use Mail in Rebate though, should I get a different GPU then? I don't want to feel like I spent 30$ on MiR which I won't use for nothing.

Also, do you recommend an SSD or HD for this kind of build? Will an SSD change much? Is it worth it?

Another question is, isn't AMD better for this budget?

And last question, will it be compared performance wise while playing games like this build? 

Thank you so much!

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ddQ6xris what I'll be working with now

[Jack.EXE]

if you want to check, I finished my post, 4 builds.

[dadasmithywinkle]

I really like your build, I won't be wanting to use Mail in Rebate though, should I get a different GPU then? I don't want to feel like I spent 30$ on MiR which I won't use for nothing.

Also, do you recommend an SSD or HD for this kind of build? Will an SSD change much? Is it worth it?

Another question is, isn't AMD better for this budget?

And last question, will it be compared performance wise while playing games like this build? 

Thank you so much!

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ddQ6xris what I'll be working with now

As a family computer, I'd get an HDD since you can store more things on it. An SSD have faster boot times, which wont matter too much to non-techies.

 

Here's an AMD build to look at, which comes in at $336 before rebates and $272 after:

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/chzfCJ

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

 

CPU: AMD A6-7400K 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($57.80 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($27.99 @ Micro Center) 

Total: $272.74

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:21 EST-0500

[Sauron]

Your build is actually 364$, without the MIR. Here's a better option:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($100.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($39.89 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($57.80 @ Newegg)

Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($50.99 @ NCIX US)

Case: HEC Vigilance MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($18.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $300.61

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 20:03 EST-0500

 

For some reason I couldn't find the 4130 on pcpartpicker  <_< I couldn't bother looking for it so i just took the cheapest i3 I found. That said your build isn't very different, the general concept is the same (although I would advise to get the cx430 if at all possible, I don't trust psus that are not at least 80+ bronze).

 

He still needs a DVD drive for movies, fast RAM since he'll be using the integrated graphics (with your build), and more storage (for family photos, etc.). Also, the mobo I selected was cheaper and had that same if not more features. 

 

The OP mentions 720p movies, which tips me off to the fact that he probably doesn't have them in dvd although those are like 15 bucks, so you can easily fit one on top of pretty much any build. And frankly, the integrated gpu is not fast enough that faster ram will improve the experience more than having 8gb instead of 4. Your build also had a celeron, which was my main gripe with it; those things bottleneck even the 740 you had in there, and give inadequate performance even for running the desktop.

 

So many people thanks <3 I will post a build log if people want

Can someone or a few people please guide me threw these builds and help me find what I need best? I don't know really how to decide

 

Glad to share my reasonment:

 

1) the cpu

 

I chose an i3 because it's the best cpu you can get with your budget without sacrificing other important things. It's a fast dual core with hyperthreading, meaning web browsing, light multitasking and even gaming if in the future you'll add a discrete graphics card will not be a problem. It also comes with integrated graphics, not great for gaming, but games will run, which you seem to be happy with

 

2) the motherboard

 

I chose the cheapest motherboard that had 4 ram slots and the b85 chipset. Nothing stops you from going for something 10 bucks cheaper, but having the option to upgrade your ram and having the better chipset can come in handy down the line. If you decide to spend less you can invest the rest in an optical drive.

 

3) the ram

 

I don't believe any pc should come with less than 8gb of ram in this day and age. 4gb are pretty tight for ANY use right now as windows itself uses a good chunk of it for caching and background processes. 8gb give you breathing room for any task your dad may ever want to accomplish.

 

4) the case and psu

 

I got the cheapest case I could find that had ok customer reviews and the cheapest 80+ bronze psu on the market. As i said, I don't trust psus that come with the case or are not at least 80+ bronze certified.

 

5) the ssd

 

As I explained in my previous post, i really believe it's crucial and makes the experience a lot better for anyone.