~$650 build for the parents

[pilleater]

Hi Everyone,

I'm putting together a new PC for my parents. They're by no means heavy users as they only surf the web, watch YouTube, play HD MKVs and are thinking about NetFlix. To answer some of the questions in this forum's sticky:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Web surfing, YouTube, NetFlix, HD H.264 decoding

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
$650 inclusive of all taxes

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada, of course

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
Intel, Gigabyte, Mushkin, WD

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
No reuse of parts. Will be connecting PC to HDTV via HDMI.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Not many relevant threads.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No OC

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
This week or the next

9. What resolution and settings do you use?
No gaming, but must support general 1080p video output

Here are some of the parts that I've already chosen:
Intel Core i3 2120 (LGA1155) - Canada Computers | CPU | Intel Core i3-2120 Dual-Core Socket LGA1155, 3.30Ghz, 3MB L3 Cache, 32nm (Retail Boxed) (BX80623I32120)
GIGABYTE GA-H77M-D3H (onboard video, micro ATX, LGA1155) - Canada Computers | Motherboards | Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H Socket 1155 Intel H77 Chipset Dual Channel DDR3 1600/1333/1066 MHz 2x PCI-Express x16 GigaLAN 7.1-CH HD Audio 2x SATA 6Gb/s 4x SATA 3Gb/s 3.1 x mSATA 10x USB 2.0 4x USB 3.0 VGA/DVI/HDMI Micro ATX
Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2x4GB) - Canada Computers | Memory | Mushkin Silverline 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333MHz CL9 DIMMs (996770)
Thermaltake TR2 RX 650W (modular) - Canada Computers | Power Supplies | Thermaltake TR2 RX 650W Modular Power Supply TRX-650M
Cooler Master Elite 343 (micro ATX only) - Canada Computers | Cases | Cooler Master Elite 343 Black Micro ATX, 2x Ext 5.25" Bays, 1x Ext 3.5" Bay, 5x Int 3.5" Bays, 1x 120mm Fan, 2x Front USB 2.0 (RC-343-KKN1)
WD Caviar Black 750GB - Canada Computers | Hard Drives | Western Digital Caviar Black (WD7502AAEX) 750GB SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache (OEM)
Enermax Wireless keyboard/mouse combo - Canada Computers | Keyboards, Mice, Tablets, Digital WhiteBoard | Enermax 2.4Ghz Wireless Desktop Combo w/ Nano Receiver (KM001W)

What does everyone think? As well, am I missing any parts (I'm not reusing any existing parts)?

The motherboard that I've chosen includes an Intel HD Graphics solution plus an HDMI port. Would that be appropriate for 720p/1080p H.264 video decoding or is having a dedicated graphics card more appropriate?

Thanks!

[b1lk1]

Canada Computers | CPU | AMD A4-3400 Dual Core 2.70GHz APU , Socket FM1, 1Mb L2 Cache, 65W 32nm (AD3400OJGXBOX) - $59.99
Canada Computers | Motherboards | Asus F1A55-M LX PLUS Socket FM1 AMD A55 FCH Chipset Dual Channel DDR3 2250(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz 2x PCI Express 2.0 Slots 8-Channel HD Audio GigaLAN 6x SATA 3Gb/s 12x USB 2.0 VGA Micro ATX -$64.99
Canada Computers | Memory | ADATA Premier Series 4GB DDR3 1333MHz CL9 DIMM (AD3U1333C4G9-R) - $19.99
Canada Computers | Hard Drives | Seagate Barracuda (ST500DM002) SATA3 6.0Gb/s 500GB 16MB Cache (OEM) - $79.99
Canada Computers | Cases | Cooler Master TC-101 Mid ATX w/500W PSU Black (TC-101-KKR500) - $34.99
Canada Computers | Keyboards, Mice, Tablets, Digital WhiteBoard | Enermax 2.4Ghz Wireless Desktop Combo w/ Nano Receiver (KM001W) -$19.99

My build is $279.94 before taxes and is still a screamer for your parents. Why are you building them so much power/ram/etc when they don't/won't need it? With my build you can add:

blue ray drive - Canada Computers | CD/DVD/RW /Blu-Ray Drives | ASUS BC-12B1ST/BLK/B Black 12X Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Drive SATA (OEM) $64.99

for a total of $344.93 and with tax it is $389.77 out the door.

You could even add:

Canada Computers | Video Cards | Asus HD7750-1GD5 AMD 7750 Chipset (820Mhz) 1GB (4600MHz) GDDR5 DVI/HDMI/Display Port PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card - $119.99

for a total of $525.36 TAXES IN and this machine will play most games on good medium settings or better. Your PC is $635 after taxes with no dedicated graphics card or bluray/dvd drive. I know you specified Intel, but for this build AMD is really the best possible choice.

[W4ff1e]

Originally Posted by b1lk1

Canada Computers | CPU | AMD A4-3400 Dual Core 2.70GHz APU , Socket FM1, 1Mb L2 Cache, 65W 32nm (AD3400OJGXBOX) - $59.99
Canada Computers | Motherboards | Asus F1A55-M LX PLUS Socket FM1 AMD A55 FCH Chipset Dual Channel DDR3 2250(O.C.)/1866/1600/1333/1066 MHz 2x PCI Express 2.0 Slots 8-Channel HD Audio GigaLAN 6x SATA 3Gb/s 12x USB 2.0 VGA Micro ATX -$64.99
Canada Computers | Memory | ADATA Premier Series 4GB DDR3 1333MHz CL9 DIMM (AD3U1333C4G9-R) - $19.99
Canada Computers | Hard Drives | Seagate Barracuda (ST500DM002) SATA3 6.0Gb/s 500GB 16MB Cache (OEM) - $79.99
Canada Computers | Cases | Cooler Master TC-101 Mid ATX w/500W PSU Black (TC-101-KKR500) - $34.99
Canada Computers | Keyboards, Mice, Tablets, Digital WhiteBoard | Enermax 2.4Ghz Wireless Desktop Combo w/ Nano Receiver (KM001W) -$19.99

My build is $279.94 before taxes and is still a screamer for your parents. Why are you building them so much power/ram/etc when they don't/won't need it? With my build you can add:

blue ray drive - Canada Computers | CD/DVD/RW /Blu-Ray Drives | ASUS BC-12B1ST/BLK/B Black 12X Blu-Ray/DVD Combo Drive SATA (OEM) $64.99

for a total of $344.93 and with tax it is $389.77 out the door.

You could even add:

Canada Computers | Video Cards | Asus HD7750-1GD5 AMD 7750 Chipset (820Mhz) 1GB (4600MHz) GDDR5 DVI/HDMI/Display Port PCI-Express 3.0 Graphics Card - $119.99

for a total of $525.36 TAXES IN and this machine will play most games on good medium settings or better. Your PC is $635 after taxes with no dedicated graphics card or bluray/dvd drive. I know you specified Intel, but for this build AMD is really the best possible choice.

Very solid build, definately recommend going with that, although you may want to look at an htpc case as this is a media pc (sort of) but they aint cheap so idk, depends where its situated i suppose.

[Adzsask]

To much for what you need, downsize a couple things in OP, Pentium gxxx duel core CPU,H61/H67 motherboard, no need for the Z77, coolermaster elite 430 is much nicer inside to work with, and a corsair CX430 watt PSU is plenty. With the money saved from these changes to your original build, you can grab a basic video card(GT210,GT430) and add a small SSD, or grab a larger spinner hard drive, hope this helps.The parts I am describing, I have made 3 builds with basically the same parts, everyone is happy no problems at all and I made the builds all near a year ago now.

[Dzzope]

Get an amd apu and save a bit.. B1lk1 has it nailed.

[Arinoth]

Exactly, I'm running an amd apu for my htpc and it's running great. In my parent's on rig back at their place they are running on a G series Sandy Bridge processor. Works pretty good however I've found the amd apu has more raw power for video playback and overall web browsing.