$300 Office PC

[AlanAlan]

I am looking into replacing my Dad's old work computer. He usually use Microsoft office and just uses it to browse the Internet.  Should I do build a pc for him or buy a used pc? My budget is around $300? What should I do.

[The Sloth]

get a NUC 

[BDunkz]

1 minute ago, AlanAlan said:

I am looking into replacing my Dad's old work computer. He usually use Microsoft office and just uses it to browse the Internet.  Should I do build a pc for him or buy a used pc? My budget is around $300? What should I do.

build, its cheaper, you get a great experience, and you can chose the parts you want. one sec ill make up a parts list

[DocSwag]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($73.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($61.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY - CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ Dell Small Business) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $329.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 01:59 EDT-0400

[BDunkz]

1 minute ago, DocSwag said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($73.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($61.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY - CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ Dell Small Business) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $329.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 01:59 EDT-0400

and you can always add more storage if you need to in the future

[LienusLateTips]

Get a NUC.

[Schakal_No1]

24 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

get a NUC 

If he gets a NUC he still needs RAM and a harddrive. That would probably be more than his 300$.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($73.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - H110M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($59.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($58.86 @ Newegg) 
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($55.56 @ Amazon) 
Case: Antec - ISK 110 VESA Mini ITX Desktop Case w/90W Power Supply  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $312.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 02:28 EDT-0400

[AlanAlan]

7 hours ago, nerdslayer1 said:

get a NUC 

Is getting a used nuc better?

[AlanAlan]

7 hours ago, herman mcpootis said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($73.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - H110M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($59.49 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($58.86 @ Newegg) 
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($55.56 @ Amazon) 
Case: Antec - ISK 110 VESA Mini ITX Desktop Case w/90W Power Supply  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $312.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 02:28 EDT-0400

 

7 hours ago, BDunkz said:

and you can always add more storage if you need to in the future

 

7 hours ago, DocSwag said:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($73.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($61.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY - CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ Dell Small Business) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $329.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 01:59 EDT-0400

Out of the two builds given which one is the best?

[The Sloth]

1 hour ago, AlanAlan said:

Is getting a used nuc better?

Get the Pentium build

[DocSwag]

1 hour ago, AlanAlan said:

 

 

Out of the two builds given which one is the best?

Do you want as small as possible or not? Herman's build is better if you're going for a smaller build, otherwise mine.

[AlanAlan]

36 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Do you want as small as possible or not? Herman's build is better if you're going for a smaller build, otherwise mine.

Yes I was planning it to be very small and compact. I feel like they offer the same amount of power because they both use the Pentium G4560 right? Is there possibility for gaming upgrades on yours because it is a bigger case?

[Drake10114]

2 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

Is getting a used nuc better?

No,

NUC uses laptop grade cpu's, etc. They are also nearly impossible to upgrade down the road (everything is pretty much soldered). They are roughly the same price as building 1 yourself, but w/ less upgradeability and performance (so paying the same for less)

You will get better performance from going desktop grade.

As for the 2 builds, depends on size of what you want.

Personally I'd go for the bigger of the 2, since having room means more space to add stuff (i.e. HDD for storage), and usually easier to work in.

[AlanAlan]

2 minutes ago, Drake10114 said:

No,

NUC uses laptop grade cpu's, etc.

You will get better performance from going desktop grade.

As for the 2 builds, depends on size of what you want.

Personally I'd go for the bigger of the 2, since having room means more space to add stuff (i.e. HDD for storage), and usually easier to work in.

will building the bigger one give the possibility of adding a graphics card?

[Drake10114]

6 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

will building the bigger one give the possibility of adding a graphics card?

Why would your dad need a gpu? IGPU on Kabylake can do 3 displays, and 3 1080p displays are fine for office work.

Also I would maybe get a single 8gb stick for @DocSwag's build, instead of 2x4gb, since it will allow your dad to upgrade to 16gb fairly easy in the future.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($79.44 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($61.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.85 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY - CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ Dell Small Business) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $335.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 12:01 EDT-0400

 

Lol @ Pentium going up $6 USD over 3hrs....

[Herman Mcpootis]

23 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Yes I was planning it to be very small and compact. I feel like they offer the same amount of power because they both use the Pentium G4560 right? Is there possibility for gaming upgrades on yours because it is a bigger case?

the ISK 110 has absolutely zero space for a GPU so if you want to upgrade it with a graphics card in the future you'll need to get a different case. doesn't have to be the core 1100, you can find a small m-itx case that supports one.

[Drake10114]

1 minute ago, herman mcpootis said:

the ISK 110 has absolutely zero space for a GPU so if you want to upgrade it with a graphics card in the future you'll need to get a different case. doesn't have to be the core 1100, you can find a small m-itx case that supports one.

But why would a GPU be needed? Since it won't be used for gaming, and IGPU's on kabylake are more than adequate.

[AlanAlan]

5 hours ago, herman mcpootis said:

the ISK 110 has absolutely zero space for a GPU so if you want to upgrade it with a graphics card in the future you'll need to get a different case. doesn't have to be the core 1100, you can find a small m-itx case that supports one.

 

5 hours ago, Drake10114 said:

But why would a GPU be needed? Since it won't be used for gaming, and IGPU's on kabylake are more than adequate.

Yeah I know he doesn't need a graphics card. I am saying if in the future he might want to play games.

 

 Would 2 4GB Ram Sticks be better?

[DocSwag]

8 hours ago, Drake10114 said:

Why would your dad need a gpu? IGPU on Kabylake can do 3 displays, and 3 1080p displays are fine for office work.

Also I would maybe get a single 8gb stick for @DocSwag's build, instead of 2x4gb, since it will allow your dad to upgrade to 16gb fairly easy in the future.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($79.44 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($61.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($59.85 @ Amazon) 
Storage: PNY - CS1311 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ Dell Small Business) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($31.98 @ Newegg) 
Total: $335.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-02 12:01 EDT-0400

 

Lol @ Pentium going up $6 USD over 3hrs....

The mobo I chose has 4 ram slots so 2x4 can still go to 16

[DocSwag]

9 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

Yes I was planning it to be very small and compact. I feel like they offer the same amount of power because they both use the Pentium G4560 right? Is there possibility for gaming upgrades on yours because it is a bigger case?

Both can hold another gpu so I don't think mine would be that much better, except that hermans build had a weak psu so you would need a psu upgrade to do a gpu upgrade.

[Herman Mcpootis]

59 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Both can hold another gpu so I don't think mine would be that much better, except that hermans build had a weak psu so you would need a psu upgrade to do a gpu upgrade.

forget about the 90w PSU, case itself wouldn't even have space for a gpu made the rig to be small as it could, but he can go for cases like the SG13 or elite 130 instead if he thinks he might add one in the future.

[aisle9]

19 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

I am looking into replacing my Dad's old work computer. He usually use Microsoft office and just uses it to browse the Internet.  Should I do build a pc for him or buy a used pc? My budget is around $300? What should I do.

Hunt down a SFF Optiplex with a Sandy Bridge i7, 8GB of RAM and a hard drive. It'll cost you less than $300.

[Drake10114]

17 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

 

Yeah I know he doesn't need a graphics card. I am saying if in the future he might want to play games.

 

 Would 2 4GB Ram Sticks be better?

No really, since having 1 8gb stick is the same price, and allows for better upgradeability, but currently he probably won't use 8gb of ram, so more won't due anything and having those extra dimm slots won't really help in the end, since I doubt he'd push past 16gb anytime soon.

Depending on your dad's age, prsonality, etc. he may not care for games, and see a computer as a working tool, not for entertainment, and even then, I doubt he would get into demanding games that an IGPU can't handle.

[maxtch]

So what hardware does he currently have? I would suggest keeping his current case, PSU, hard drive and peripherals, and give its internals a makeover. This way you only spend money on parts that actually matters: CPU, RAM and maybe a SSD.

Quote

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2B79XH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2B79XH/by_merchant/

• CPU: Intel - Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
• Motherboard: MSI - B250I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($81.98 @ Newegg) 
• Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($58.86 @ Newegg) 

Total: $250.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-03 15:10 EDT-0400

Add in a M.2 SSD if you feel generous, the motherboard can take one. Also being mini-ITX it is almost guaranteed to fit in any existing case (maybe except PC/AT or earlier ones) I also kept the PCIe slot and one RAM slot open in event of a future upgrade.