i3 build for the old man

[Dr. Chagas]

So my Dad's P4 died over the weekend, rofl. He's ready to upgrade and gave me a budget of $600 CAD. He wants something he can hook up to his TV from time to time (quasi-HTPC,) and wants it to run quiet.

Part list is all Canada Computers. Shopping locally maks returns waaaay easier. Anyways, what do you guys think? Have any suggestions?



Intel Core i3 530
$127.99

Gigabyte GA-H55M-S2H mobo
$94.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws 4GB DDR3 RAM @ 1333MHz
$109.99

Corsair CMPSU-400CX 400W PSU
$59.99 (plus knock of $20 with the mail in rebate)

Cooler Master Elite 342 case or maybe the Elite 341
$39.99 each



All that's missing is a harddrive. He's asking for something 'quiet' and in the 1TB range.

[Scottyboy85]

Maybe this

NCIX.com - Buy Western Digital WD WD10EALS Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3GB/S 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive OEM - WD10EALS In Canada.

EDIT:

sorry forgot u were shopping local at canada computers

Canada Computers - Western Digital Caviar Blue (WD10EALS) 1000GB (1TB) SATAII 7200RPM 32MB (OEM)

or

Canada Computers - Western Digital Caviar Green (WD10EARS) 1000GB (1TB) SATA 3 Gb/s 64MB (OEM)

I have a WD blue in my old rig and it quiet. My father has the green and he has no problems with noise

[rip10793]

i recommend the WD GREEN too.

EDIT: check this out;
the samsung f3 1tb
its faster than the above drive and quieter according to this.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...0,2430-11.html

[_dangtx_]

or maybe go with a 45 watt amd phenom II for half the price of the intel build? :)

[Dr. Chagas]

Originally Posted by _dangtx_

or maybe go with a 45 watt amd phenom II for half the price of the intel build? :)

Which of the Phenom II cores consume 45 watts? I can't find any.

[_dangtx_]

one sec.....

AMD Athlon II X2 235E Dual Core Energy Efficient Processor AM3 2.7GHZ 2MB Cache 45W Retail Box - DirectCanada

that pr get a 240/250 and undervolt it. its teh same cpu, just undervolted from factory.



or this guy AMD Athlon II X4 605E Quad Core Energy Efficient Processor AM3 2.3GHZ 2MB Cache 45W Retail Box - DirectCanada

if you want to get close to the i3 price but have way more power

[jcmaz]

What Dangtx said.

I recommend a 5670 since it has multiple outputs for monitor/hdtv etc... It is quite power efficient too :)

[_dangtx_]

i think the lower end nv might be better at power efficieny. maybe go with a fanless unit





techPowerUp :: HIS Radeon HD 5550 GDDR5 Review :: Page 1 / 32

[Dr. Chagas]

Pairing the build with an AMD processor and mobo offered a 40 dollar savings.

$74.99 3.0ghz Athlon II X2
$94.99 ASUS M4A77TD

vs

$127.99 i3
$94.99 gigabyte mobo


Not worth it considering the Intel route offers higher caches. My dad's not a gamer, clock speed means little to him, he only cares about programs loading quickly and videos playing smoothly.



Oh, and thanks for the recommendation on the caviar green guys. I can't believe 1TB is only 70 dollars.

[_dangtx_]

actually you can shave another 10 on the cpu, and 20-30 on the mobo