Parent Build

[hoofhearted4]

So, if you dig through the archives, youll see I made this exact same thread about a year and a half ago. i figured Id just remake it, instead of necroing it.

 

Ive been planning this build for my Parents (more specifically my Mom) for a while now. ive finally built up the money to build it for her. below is what ive picked out. I havent payed to much attention to the hardware market since i build my PC in 2012, so im not 100% sure if what i got is whats necessary. If anything, i feel like i dont need to go as strong as i did...what i have listed and the price is as expensive as id like to go. while i dont mind spending the amount, if I can cut some prices here and there, I wont complain. the price comes up to $700...$620. but ill explain a little more after the list.

 

Case: SilverStone PS09B

Mobo: MSI FM2+ Micro ATX

CPU: AMD 760K

PSU: Seasonic 360W 80+ Gold

RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600 Corsair Vengeance**

Optical: Asus DVD Burner

OS: Windows 7 Pro 64bit

 

**so the first thing i Need to point out, is this is not the RAM going into her PC. she will actually be getting my current RAM, 8GB DDR3 1333 G.Skill, and the RAM listed will be going into my PC. also, you will notice the absence of a Hard Drive. She will be getting a 128GB Crucial M4 that i already have, so its price is not included. As far as the PC goes, I was just looking to get the best bang for my buck, while staying cheap. she will be upgrading from an old Windows Vista (or XP, idr, because currently has Windows 7 x32), 4GB DDR2 RAM (which i had upgraded her from 1GB), a 1GHz Dual Core Processor, and an old IDE HDD. so you can see, that no matter what goes in it, she will be receiving a hell of an upgrade. that said, i dont need the best of the best, or anything crazy. no GPU is necessary as she only plays a few facebook games here and there. She mainly uses it for Internet and email, and Excel. but i wanna make sure that whatever goes in there, will last her as long as possible. her PC really does need to be future proof as it could be another 10 years before it gets upgraded again.

 

The only other stipulation is the case. It needed to be as unfancy as possible. no fancy edges or colors or anything. but i wanted to have USB 3.0, because by the time this thing gets upgraded again i wouldnt be surprised if USB 4.0 is out haha. and it need to be front facing, as ports located on the top wouldnt be accessed easily where the PC Tower will be...and on that note, no front door or anything either, as it wouldnt be able to be opened fully haha.

 

let me know what you guys think. if i could shave any money off anywhere on the build. or if theres something im over or under thinking.

 

thanks all!

Edited July 16, 2014 by hoofhearted4

[mfcfbro]

If this computer will be used for just daily things and nothing strenuous, you could cut back quite a lot and save a fair amount of money. Quad cores are pretty unnecessary and quite frankly unsupported by many applications because they simply don't need it, unless of course it would be used for very modern games.

[hoofhearted4]

eh, my thing is just trying to keep it looking forward. quad core at this point is pretty main stream (even if not used effectively), even most smart phones run quad now. so looking ahead, considering this could be her PC for the next 10 years, id rather grab her a quad core now. Dual Cores might be enough for now, but whos to say in the coming years. if not in applications, then maybe in OS, wouldnt surprise me if Windows 9 and later start using 2 or more cores by themselves. know what i mean?

[Thor.]

My 8 year old machine has similar specs, coupled with a amd fx 940 quad and a gt9800, you can easily use it as a htpc for HD streaming no problem.

 

runs windows 7 like a brand new, rates around 7.4 on experience index. 64bit compatible :dance:

Edited July 15, 2014 by Thor.

[kalikka]

Uhh.... A10-6800k and AM3+ mobo?

Is that a brainfart?

Because A10-6800k uses FM2 socket, so you need FM2 mobo.

 

I built two FM2+ ITX setups a month ago (for HTPC and work use) to a Node-304 case with a 400W SuperFlower GG PSU (Rosewill PSUs are OEM SuperFlower).

I would go with FM2+ mobo because they have support for both the FM2 and FM2+ APUs. Check the mobo homepages for CPU support lists.

 

I used GA-F2A88XN-WIFI on both of the rigs. Was thinking about getting Asrock equivalent but the Gigabyte has support for the newest wifi standards (which were released this year).

 

PS. Played through Dust: an Elysian Tail with A10-7850K. More than happy with the iGPU performance. Although installing the APU on a mobo that doesn't have native BIOS support for the APU is PITA.

Edited July 15, 2014 by kalikka

[hoofhearted4]

um yes, it was. i was taking parts from the build i had a year ago, which used an AM3 CPU. just an oversight, but im glad you caught it. ill change it tonight once i have the chance.

[Thor.]

I had to find a ddr2 mini atx board for my socket am2+ cpu, you have no idea how hard it is to find one that supports socket am2+ and ddr2.

A 8 year pc and its still going on strong, it was ahead of its time, considering it almost keeps up with that particular cpu. May be about20% slower in some tasks but that's a given considering its age.

 

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/AMD-Phenom-II-X4-940-vs-AMD-A10-6800K

 

One thing about the 940's is its overclock ability.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Thor.

[hoofhearted4]

Thor, its nice to hear about your builds and all, but this thread isnt about you haha. id appreciate if youd keep your comments in reference to the build and topic.

 

also, Mobo has been updated

 

quick question. doesn anyone know what the difference between Bolton D# and Hudson D# and whatnot? what should i be looking at?

 

also, looked at some other CPUs. would something like this work? still quad core. same L2 cache. still a good clock. just no iGPU, which doesnt matter. anything shed want to do could be handled no problem with just on board mobo video. so would i be ok going with that CPU instead? save myself $60?

 

was trying to see if i could save anything on the PSU because i know i dont need 500W, i found was This. still Seasonic. and id save $20. still 80 Plus Gold which is nice, and modular, which is a must as well. 360W should be plenty for this build ya? i did a quick check in a calc and it only came up to 220W.

 

i guess ill look as cases, see if i can save anything there. alright. found 4 that im chosing between, SilverStone and Fractal both at $40 and Cooler Master and NZXT both at $50. id be saving money in any choice. i like the SilverStone cause its got the noise reduction which is nice. i personally have a Fractal, so id recommend them always. which is why im looking at that case. the later two, nothing special about either of them, but they look to be solid cases none the less, and still cheap. so in the pool they go. any opinions or anything other suggestions anyways has?

 

upon further looking, the Fractal is out, because of the position of the USB ports. the Tower will be sitting in a cubby sort of, and things on the side will no be able to be accessed. the SilverStone power button is on the side, however that should be find (plus she never turns her computer off lol)...Reading reviews and the SilverStone seems to be in the lead. no real reason. the CM and NZXT, people complain about the 2.5" mounting. which considering thats what ill be using, sort of matters. yes i could spend the few dollars on a mounting bracket, and arguably, an SSD doesnt even have to be mounted, but no one sais anything about it in the SS's few reviews, plus even if i had to buy a bracket, itd still be cheaper. so for now, unless im swayed, the SS is the winner.

 

the only other place i could see saving money would be the OS. i used to get it for free from school, but thats no longer the case. i cant find it any cheaper then newegg, and she needs it to upgrade from x32 to x64 to utilize the RAM, at the very least. wish it didnt cost so much just to upgrade the bit.

Edited July 16, 2014 by hoofhearted4

[Thor.]

I can give some idea for a cheap build, quads is pushing the boundaries or apu's. Not the greatest chips out there.

 

if you want longevity i suggest 8 core cpu's for any task.

 

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285&cm_re=amd_fx-_-19-113-285-_-Product

 

and the case i recommend would be the Haf xb lan case, it can fit any mobo gaming hardware and then some in a small HTPC design.

 

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119265&cm_re=haf_xb-_-11-119-265-_-Product

 

its a game changer when it comes to small form factor. Why not step it up a bit and go full atx :dance:

Edited July 16, 2014 by Thor.

[hoofhearted4]

no need for 8 core. i dont see 8 cores being used for anything any time for a long time. further in the future then im looking.

 

as far as the case goes, its a no. that case wont fit where i need it to go, i need a tower design. plus its ugly, well to my mom it would be (its not too bad for me). shed want simple and ordinary. if i was going to get a case like that, id get the Fractal Node anyways. i dont need space as no GPU will ever be going in it, and there will be minimal cables. dont need ATX case, because it wont fit, and again i dont need the space.

 

this is a simple build for simple use. this is not a dream build, this is not a gaming build. this isnt for me. i just want to make sure that the parts ive listed are worth getting. if theres something better for the money, or something. i do want the best, but i want the best for as cheap as possible. the computer wont be used for much beyond internet and Excel, but i want it to still be a strong computer in 5-10 years.

 

ive updated the OP, with the parts im currently considering, ive been able to drop the price by about $100, down to just $620 after everything. (with a $5 MIR i just noticed, woooo), that would be the Case, CPU and the PSU updated, if anyone would care to comment on those changes?

 

 

and in reference to Kalikka's comment to the Gigabyte board with the lastest wifi, this computer will be connected directly. wifi is a non issue here.

Edited July 16, 2014 by hoofhearted4