Best CPU for non-gaming

[PalkiaRock484]

So I might be building a PC for my friend who doesn't game (But she does play Sims 3). She wants it to be fast, but not expensive. Would a pentium be a good processor? Right now I have my eyes on the A8-7600 and the i3-4160. She just needs it for office and stuff and can handle sims 3. The only thing keeping me away from the AMD cpu is the stock heatsink cause I've heard they're really loud, since the hyper 212 evo seems a bit extreme, unless someone knows about a good aftermarket low profile one, cause I might do it in a small mini itx case. Basically I'm just asking for the best value cpu for office.

[PalkiaRock484]

Also I most likely won't be overclocking since it's not my computer. (Unless any of you know a stable overclock that could stay on without monitoring, because she is not tech savvy at all. She thought restarting the computer erased everything if that puts it into perspective.) 

[Laputacake]

Between the 2 you mentioned hands down the I3 and even with it's iGpu its still capable of running Sims and the intel stock cooler is fine. Throw in a 250GB SSD and you'll be golden. What's the budget?

[EPPHO]

I would go for A10 APU.

[amftech512]

3 minutes ago, Laputacake said:

Between the 2 you mentioned hands down the I3 and even with it's iGpu its still capable of running Sims and the intel stock cooler is fine. Throw in a 250GB SSD and you'll be golden. What's the budget?

I would even go for the Pentium G3258, that will get you great performance for what you need for an outstanding price. I also like the idea of an SSD, that will be perfect for office use.

[PalkiaRock484]

 

3 minutes ago, Laputacake said:

Between the 2 you mentioned hands down the I3 and even with it's iGpu its still capable of running Sims and the intel stock cooler is fine. Throw in a 250GB SSD and you'll be golden. What's the budget?

Building the computer is still not final yet. I'm trying to get her a rough cost. Budget would be $300 maybe? Not including windows. But is there any cpu that might perform better or one that's a better value. Also would dual core be good enough or should I shoot for a quad core

 

[R00t]

Quote

Budget would be $300 maybe?

is that $300 for the entire build or just for the cpu?

[PalkiaRock484]

I also have my eyes on the i3-6100 because of hyperthreading, but I don't know if that would help that much for this application

 

 

[PalkiaRock484]

3 minutes ago, R00t said:

is that $300 for the entire build or just for the cpu?

entire build, Maybe $130 for the cpu, but the cheaper the better

She just wants it to be fast

[amftech512]

2 minutes ago, PalkiaRock484 said:

 

Building the computer is still not final yet. I'm trying to get her a rough cost. Budget would be $300 maybe? Not including windows. But is there any cpu that might perform better or one that's a better value. Also would dual core be good enough or should I shoot for a quad core

 

For your case, this is what I would suggest:

 

-Intel Pentium G3258

-Some kind of Micro ATX motherboard that supports onboard graphics

-8 GB of ram (don't cheap out on ram, web browsers can be memory hungry)

-Case with a built in power supply

-Optical drive

[PalkiaRock484]

2 minutes ago, amftech512 said:

For your case, this is what I would suggest:

 

-Intel Pentium G3258

-Some kind of Micro ATX motherboard that supports onboard graphics

-8 GB of ram (don't cheap out on ram, web browsers can be memory hungry)

-Case with a built in power supply

-Optical drive

I was thinking more of mini-itx

[PalkiaRock484]

Wait actually, she'll probably want wifi so I'll go with micro atx so I can get a card

Or I can just get a usb dongle and get a header to usb adapter for the mobo and put it inside the case

[R00t]

I would use these part-

 

-Intel Pentium G3258

-MSI H81m-P33

-Kingston Hyperx fury black (8gb)

-Asus GTX 750ti 2gb

-EVGA 430w 80+

[PalkiaRock484]

1 minute ago, R00t said:

I would use these part-

 

-Intel Pentium G3258

-MSI H81m-P33

-Kingston Hyperx fury black (8gb)

-Asus GTX 750ti 2gb

-EVGA 430w 80+

She doesn't need a GPU. She's only playing sims, and I might just get a case with a PSU included, or get a CX PSU.

[amftech512]

Ok, here's a rough parts list:

 

CPU:

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-G3258-Pentium-Processor-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616783&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+pentium+g3258

 

Motherboard

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Intel-1150-DDR3-Motherboard/dp/B00F4J5D9K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616908&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lga+ll50+mini+itx

 

RAM:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-PC3-12800-240-Pin-BLS8G3D1609DS1S00/dp/B006YG9E7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616968&sr=8-1&keywords=8gb+ddr3

 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-USA-Premier-SP550-ASP550SS3-120GM-C/dp/B013J7PP96/ref=pd_sim_147_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41eTpVdcMvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=EKCK7J57S5DDM7H2V94X

 

Case

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-250-Watts-Connector-RS-MI-01-BK/dp/B004Q7J1S0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466617167&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+itx+case+power+supply

 

Total:  $245.74

 

Not including peripherals. 

[PalkiaRock484]

3 minutes ago, amftech512 said:

Ok, here's a rough parts list:

 

CPU:

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-G3258-Pentium-Processor-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616783&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+pentium+g3258

 

Motherboard

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Intel-1150-DDR3-Motherboard/dp/B00F4J5D9K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616908&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lga+ll50+mini+itx

 

RAM:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-PC3-12800-240-Pin-BLS8G3D1609DS1S00/dp/B006YG9E7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616968&sr=8-1&keywords=8gb+ddr3

 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-USA-Premier-SP550-ASP550SS3-120GM-C/dp/B013J7PP96/ref=pd_sim_147_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41eTpVdcMvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=EKCK7J57S5DDM7H2V94X

 

Case

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-250-Watts-Connector-RS-MI-01-BK/dp/B004Q7J1S0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466617167&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+itx+case+power+supply

 

Total:  $245.74

 

Not including peripherals. 

Looks really good. I might Upgrade that ssd to 240gb and I was also looking at this case 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154091 since it had more reviews on newegg, but I trust rosewill more.

[Laputacake]

18 minutes ago, PalkiaRock484 said:

 

Building the computer is still not final yet. I'm trying to get her a rough cost. Budget would be $300 maybe? Not including windows. But is there any cpu that might perform better or one that's a better value. Also would dual core be good enough or should I shoot for a quad core

 

The best value CPUs are second hand but new an I3 will be the best. The 6100 will also have better iGPU but the boards will be more expsenive,

[Nena Trinity]

The APU with highest CPU clock while still being cheap!

[PalkiaRock484]

9 minutes ago, amftech512 said:

Ok, here's a rough parts list:

 

CPU:

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-G3258-Pentium-Processor-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616783&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+pentium+g3258

 

Motherboard

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Intel-1150-DDR3-Motherboard/dp/B00F4J5D9K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616908&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lga+ll50+mini+itx

 

RAM:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-PC3-12800-240-Pin-BLS8G3D1609DS1S00/dp/B006YG9E7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616968&sr=8-1&keywords=8gb+ddr3

 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-USA-Premier-SP550-ASP550SS3-120GM-C/dp/B013J7PP96/ref=pd_sim_147_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41eTpVdcMvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=EKCK7J57S5DDM7H2V94X

 

Case

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-250-Watts-Connector-RS-MI-01-BK/dp/B004Q7J1S0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466617167&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+itx+case+power+supply

 

Total:  $245.74

 

Not including peripherals. 

Does that mobo have a usb 2.0 header? cause the case only has 2.0 but the mobo looks like it only has a 3.0 header. Would I need to get an adapter or am I being stupid and the mobo has a 2.0 header that i just can't see

[dlink377]

I personally use i3-6100, Asrock H110M-ITX (cheapest ITX board out there), chepeast DDR4-2133 Kingston 8GB x2 = 16GB, Samsung 750 EVO 120GB, cheap OEM mini ITX case, picoPSU with 12V 10A power adapter. I spend $305 for all that.

[PalkiaRock484]

Would an i3-6100 be worth the extra money in the long run instead of getting a pentium?

4 minutes ago, dlink377 said:

I personally use i3-6100, Asrock H110M-ITX (cheapest ITX board out there), chepeast DDR4-2133 Kingston 8GB x2 = 16GB, Samsung 750 EVO 120GB, cheap OEM mini ITX case, picoPSU with 12V 6A power adapter.

 

[amftech512]

4 minutes ago, PalkiaRock484 said:

Does that mobo have a usb 2.0 header? cause the case only has 2.0 but the mobo looks like it only has a 3.0 header. Would I need to get an adapter or am I being stupid and the mobo has a 2.0 header that i just can't see

Yes, it has two usb 2.0 headers. They are just hard to see because they have USB in barely legible letters written all over them. They're right above the chipset cooler.

[PalkiaRock484]

2 minutes ago, amftech512 said:

Yes, it has two usb 2.0 headers. They are just hard to see because they have USB in barely legible letters written all over them. They're right above the chipset cooler.

Ah I see them now. Just seems like a weird layout to me.

[dlink377]

2 minutes ago, PalkiaRock484 said:

Would an i3-6100 be worth the extra money in the long run instead of getting a pentium?

 

I just buy i3-6100 for the better iGPU and more efficient power consumption since I am using pico PSU to save space and money.

 

I forgot to add that I spent $305 for whole kit. Also I buy 1U slim cpu cooler.

[PalkiaRock484]

19 minutes ago, amftech512 said:

Ok, here's a rough parts list:

 

CPU:

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-G3258-Pentium-Processor-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616783&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+pentium+g3258

 

Motherboard

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Intel-1150-DDR3-Motherboard/dp/B00F4J5D9K/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616908&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=lga+ll50+mini+itx

 

RAM:

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-PC3-12800-240-Pin-BLS8G3D1609DS1S00/dp/B006YG9E7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466616968&sr=8-1&keywords=8gb+ddr3

 

SSD:

https://www.amazon.com/ADATA-USA-Premier-SP550-ASP550SS3-120GM-C/dp/B013J7PP96/ref=pd_sim_147_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41eTpVdcMvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=EKCK7J57S5DDM7H2V94X

 

Case

https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-250-Watts-Connector-RS-MI-01-BK/dp/B004Q7J1S0/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466617167&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+itx+case+power+supply

 

Total:  $245.74

 

Not including peripherals. 

Oh yea, would the stock heatsink fir in that case?