Low budget Web+Finance build

[Mayoo]

Hi everyone,

I need to come up with a decent, low budget build for someone who only does web and some finance work (this means only 1 application that has a higher load on CPU and RAM). That person had a P4 3Ghz for 7~8 years now so I'm looking for something that will last as long for her use. No big gaming at all. And in case you were wondering, the CPU was overheating at 55C~60C ... with new thermal paste just applied, shutting down the PC anytime (even at idle).

Here is what I came up with (very quickly)

Case: ANTEC One Hundred 64.95$
PSU: ANTEC Green 430w 73.95$
Mobo: Intel DP67BA 113.95$
CPU: Intel i3 2120 3.3Ghz 134.95$
Memory: Kingston ValueRam 2x4Gb 45.95$
HDD: Seagate Barracude 500GB 7200RPM Sata 3 (wtf, why on HDD? ... anyways) 117.95$
Optical: LG DVDRW 24x 29.95$
OS: Win7 Home Premium x64 123.95$

Total: 705.60$

Questions:

1. I am not sure f I should go with something else than P67, I doubt there will ever be upgrades, maybe small 3D game, I'd have to ask her need for that. The previous computer had onboard graphics (Intel D865).
2. Yes the memory is overkill but will it will help for longevity. Should I aim for 2.2Gb or 1x4Gb instead?
3. What do you think of general build? (wow, what an open question )

Thank you.

[ilya]

1. You need an H67 or a Z68 board to use onboard video.

2. Depends on the user's usage. Do they often leave programs running in the background? If they do, 2x4GB has frequently been dropping below the $40 mark.

3. I'd also suggest price matching at NCIX/MemEx/CC, your prices are pretty high. I'm fairly confident you could build a similar calibre system for nearly half that.

[Mayoo]

Wow, thanks for tips I didn't even looked if the board had onboard graphics capability ... I never shopped onboard before . For the prices, I'll get the real prices when I call another place. I just used a quick tool from a web site that has 10%~30% higher prices than normal for build fees ... yeah I know don't mention it, I'll never buy from them .

So based on your findings, here is the updated mobo, I'll also keep the ram as-is. The mobo company change is due to similar prices for ASUS vs Intel. Plus I gain PS2 ports so she will be happy to know that there is no keyboard/mice to buy.

Case: ANTEC One Hundred 64.95$
PSU: ANTEC Green 430w 73.95$
Mobo: Asus P8H67-M 106.95$
CPU: Intel i3 2120 3.3Ghz 134.95$
Memory: Kingston ValueRam 2x4Gb 45.95$
HDD: Seagate Barracude 500GB 7200RPM Sata 3 (wtf, why on HDD? ... anyways) 117.95$
Optical: LG DVDRW 24x 29.95$
OS: Win7 Home Premium x64 123.95$

Total: 699.60$

Thank you.

[Avenger212]

Just a suggestion you may be able to reduce cost even more if you go with an AMD APU build. Like the A4, A6 or A8 CPUs

[geoc]

430w psu for 75 bucks seems really high, you can get a decent quality psu for 30-40 that would suit the needs, if you the user don't mind the looks you can get a generic looking case for 30-40, going AMD can probably shave off another 50-70 bucks. Also, 115 bucks for 500gb?? That is really over the top! Where are you purchasing from?

Here's a quick 2min build from NCIX:

Samsung SH-S243D 16.99
Patriot Sector 5 44.99
Core i3 2100 119.99
MSI P67A 119.99
Antec Basiq 300W 29.99
Seagate 500GB 99.99
AGAiT Vento 33
Win 7 120

Total = 584.99


This is quick 2min build, so there is tons of room for improvement, all parts from NCIX

[SugarJ]

Just bought one of these for my secretary for home use. $449 plus tax. All the parts you have, except a H61 mobo.

Newegg.ca - iBUYPOWER Gamer Power 913i Desktop PC Intel Core i3 2120(3.30GHz) 8GB DDR3 500GB HDD Capacity Intel HD Graphics 2000 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

[Dzzope]

Hard to beat the mass producers for a workstation.

I would usually never suggest it but considering the use, look at dell outlet or the like.