PC Build €600-700

gnolan

The budget would preferably be towards the lower end of €600.

1. What is your budget? [€600 - 700]

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? [Browsing / Genealogy / Possible gaming] (i'm not sure of the games - possibly something like MW2)

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? [Yes - 64 bit W7?]

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? [NO]

5. Do you need a monitor? [Yes]

5a. If yes, what size do you need. [22' or 24']

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? [Keyboard/Mouse/Preferably inbuilt card reader/ Microsoft Office suite (optional)/ DVD writer]

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? [No]

8. How can you pay? [Credit Card/Laser]

9. When are you purchasing? [Within the next few weeks]

10. If you need help building it, where are you based? [Might need help - South Dublin]

uncle_sam_ie

Is this build for your 60 year old friend?

Eboggles

I'd go with something like this:

Item|Price
AMD A8-3870K APU mit AMD Radeon HD 6550D Grafikeinheit, Sockel FM1, boxed|€100.67
MSI A55M-P35, Sockel FM1, mATX|€58.00
4GB-Kit GeIL EVO Corsa PC3-17066U CL11 (DDR3-2133)|€29.10
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€19.34
Samsung SSD 830 64GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€67.31
Toshiba DT01ACA Series 500GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€59.31
Antec BasiQ VP350|€34.66
BenQ G2255|€99.00
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Core 1000 black|€35.25
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€521.63

That's just a placeholder for the new AMD Trinity APUs that are great for people who like to do a little gaming on the side. The integrated graphics are at the level of low-midrange discrete graphics cards.

I don't have any peripherals in there (besides the monitor), as it's normally a personal choice. Also, the website (hardwareversand) only does keyboards in a German layout.

Also, if you're a student (or know someone who is a teacher or student) you can avail of Windows 7 64-bit for only €55. The website is software4students.ie. It should be noted that even though it is an "Upgrade Edition", it can still be used for clean installs. Look it up online.

I'm sure someone on the forum would happily build it for you for free, by the way.

gnolan

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Is this build for your 60 year old friend?

Ha! Yes it is - thought i'd survey all my options before making a decision.

Previous thread here

gnolan

Eboggles wrote: »

I'd go with something like this:

Item|Price
AMD A8-3870K APU mit AMD Radeon HD 6550D Grafikeinheit, Sockel FM1, boxed|€100.67
MSI A55M-P35, Sockel FM1, mATX|€58.00
4GB-Kit GeIL EVO Corsa PC3-17066U CL11 (DDR3-2133)|€29.10
LiteOn iHAS124-19 schwarz SATA|€19.34
Samsung SSD 830 64GB SATA 6GB's Paper Box|€67.31
Toshiba DT01ACA Series 500GB, SATA 6Gb/s|€59.31
Antec BasiQ VP350|€34.66
BenQ G2255|€99.00
FRACTAL DESIGN Gehäuse Core 1000 black|€35.25
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€521.63

That's just a placeholder for the new AMD Trinity APUs that are great for people who like to do a little gaming on the side. The integrated graphics are at the level of low-midrange discrete graphics cards.

I don't have any peripherals in there (besides the monitor), as it's normally a personal choice. Also, the website (hardwareversand) only does keyboards in a German layout.

Also, if you're a student (or know someone who is a teacher or student) you can avail of Windows 7 64-bit for only €55. The website is software4students.ie. It should be noted that even though it is an "Upgrade Edition", it can still be used for clean installs. Look it up online.

I'm sure someone on the forum would happily build it for you for free, by the way.

Thanks. I forgot to mention - he seems insistent about getting an Intel CPU.

These new AMD Trinity APUs; are these kind of like the next level of APU? When are they due to be released?

EDIT: Also a HDMI out would be nice - i'm not sure that mobo has one, could be wrong though

Eboggles

gnolan wrote: »

Thanks. I forgot to mention - he seems insistent about getting an Intel CPU.

These new AMD Trinity APUs; are these kind of like the next level of APU? When are they due to be released?

He's 60; not trying to be mean or a bit of a dick but I doubt he's an expert. The cost of a similar Intel build (bearing in mind you'd need a discrete GPU) would be quite high in comparison.

Yeah, they're an evolution of AMD Llano which is the APU I have in the basket right now. The new APUs are going to be generally stronger all round. Trinity could give you really good framerates on newer games at HD resolutions, but at medium settings.

uncle_sam_ie

gnolan wrote: »

Ha! Yes it is - thought i'd survey all my options before making a decision.

Previous thread here

Building your own is the way to go but, I know were your coming from when your doing it for someone else. You unwittingly end up becoming free Tech support. Which can be a pain if it's something silly like "My browser is missing were is it?".

gnolan

Eboggles wrote: »

He's 60; not trying to be mean or a bit of a dick but I doubt he's an expert. The cost of a similar Intel build (bearing in mind you'd need a discrete GPU) would be quite high in comparison.

Yeah, they're an evolution of AMD Llano which is the APU I have in the basket right now. The new APUs are going to be generally stronger all round. Trinity could give you really good framerates on newer games at HD resolutions, but at medium settings.

No, i totally get that. So do you reckon i'd be best off waiting until they're released?

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Building your own is the way to go but, I know were your coming from when your doing it for someone else. You unwittingly end up becoming free Tech support. Which can be a pain if it's something silly like "My browser is missing were is it?".

If this was for myself i'd have no problem. Given that it's for someone else i'd love to just say, "buy that desktop bundle"! I regret offering to help to be honest

Eboggles

gnolan wrote: »

No, i totally get that. So do you reckon i'd be best off waiting until they're released?



If this was for myself i'd have no problem. Given that it's for someone else i'd love to just say, "buy that desktop bundle"! I regret offering to help to be honest

I think it's going to be near the end of September, so it might be worth your while to wait. But if he needs it sooner I'd just get Llano. It's still a very good processor.

gnolan

I've been having a further look around and was taking a look at some of the Value Systems on Scan.

Some of the ones I was looking at were the Scan V10 with 8GB RAM, 1GB Radeon HD 7750 and 1TB HD which comes in around €670 before shipping, not including any monitor, keyboard or mouse.

Another one i was looking at was the Scan G20 with the i5 3450, 8GB RAM, 1GB Radeon 7770 & 1TB HD. That comes in around €760 before shipping and not including monitor, keyboard or mouse.

What do people think of these options? Are scan reliable and what kind of warranty do they offer? I read something about an AVForums loyalty sceme - what does this offer? I also believe you have to ring up to order?

Procrastastudy

Scan are great very well known for there customer service - however shipping between the UK and Ireland is expensive and legal or not - you get lumbered with it if something goes wrong.

On top of that your OS will be tied to the motherboard making future upgrades expensive. The builds given there are also no exactly great value. Not too bad for a prebuilt though.

Item|Price
2 x 8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€72.32
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€75.59
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.60
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€72.44
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.20
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.20
XFX DD RADEON 7770 1000M 1GB D5 mDP HDMI DVI|€114.46
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€181.17
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€626.97

+55 for OS - same spec as the G20

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Scan are great very well known for there customer service - however shipping between the UK and Ireland is expensive and legal or not - you get lumbered with it if something goes wrong.

Do you know roughly how much shipping would be?

So if i get the machine and something goes wrong with it after 6 months there's nothing i can do?

On top of that your OS will be tied to the motherboard making future upgrades expensive.

Will that only effect me then if i decide to change the mobo at some stage and i'll have to buy a new OS?

The builds given there are also no exactly great value. Not too bad for a prebuilt though.

If you can recommend a better value prebuilt i'm all ears - i think i've decided it's not worth my trouble building it myself; given that i won't be the one using it.

Procrastastudy

If it goes wrong the warranty is normally Return to Base - will cost about €30-50 to get it back to the UK - most decent system builders will then send it back to you FOC.

There are no good value prebuilt system available in Ireland. Primarily because prebuilts don't represent good value for money - but let just say you light your cigar with €50 notes and don't have two hours free to build a machine - in the UK you can justify the cost. In Ireland the shipping costs and times devalue the service element so much it's not worth it.

That said Scan are probably one of the better ones.

Chillblast are also worth looking at. For what you want that Aldi/Lild thing would have been ideal.

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

If it goes wrong the warranty is normally Return to Base - will cost about €30-50 to get it back to the UK - most decent system builders will then send it back to you FOC.

Oh right ok, could be worse i suppose. Do you know how roughly much shipping to Ireland is if i was to buy today?

There are no good value prebuilt system available in Ireland. Primarily because prebuilts don't represent good value for money - but let just say you light your cigar with €50 notes and don't have two hours free to build a machine - in the UK you can justify the cost. In Ireland the shipping costs and times devalue the service element so much it's not worth it.

The problems is i'm not comfortable assembling a PC for someone else; if it was for me i probably wouldn't have a problem with it.

Chillblast are also worth looking at. For what you want that Aldi/Lild thing would have been ideal.

What Aldi / Lidl thing do you mean?

Procrastastudy

Should be on the Scan website.

They did a Trinity APU desktop for about €400 wish I'd bought one as a HTPC now

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Item|Price
2 x 8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€72.32
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€75.59
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.60
ASRock B75 Pro3, Sockel 1155, ATX|€72.44
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.20
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.20
XFX DD RADEON 7770 1000M 1GB D5 mDP HDMI DVI|€114.46
Intel Core i5-3450 Box, LGA1155|€181.17
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€626.97

+55 for OS - same spec as the G20

I only noticed your edit there. I know this probably sounds stupid but is installing W7 as straightforward as inserting the DVD when the PC boots up?

I'd be quite anxious about assembling the PC myself. If something goes wrong i'll have to pay, i can't expect him to pay me for a mistake i make.

Is it a very straight forward procedure?

Procrastastudy

It generally is - there can be a lot of chasing down loose ends and lots of driver installations but its not overly difficult if someone is about on this forum.

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

It generally is - there can be a lot of chasing down loose ends and lots of driver installations but its not overly difficult if someone is about on this forum.

Will W7 automatically recognize the drivers that need to be downloaded or do i need to specify each one individually?

Do i need to buy extra cables or does each component from HWVS come with the requisite cables? I'm very tempted now!

Do HWVS have good customer service?

What do you think of that build by the way?

Procrastastudy

W7 will install 90% of the basic drivers on first boot - they are on the W7 DVD - that said most will be out of date. Fairly easy to install new drivers just post as you go really.

You should be fine on cables.

HWVS CS is pretty basic like most component suppliers - if you deal with them via e-mail they're grand. They wouldn't be up to Scan's standard but they get the job done.

Which build sorry?

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

W7 will install 90% of the basic drivers on first boot - they are on the W7 DVD - that said most will be out of date. Fairly easy to install new drivers just post as you go really.

You should be fine on cables.

HWVS CS is pretty basic like most component suppliers - if you deal with them via e-mail they're grand. They wouldn't be up to Scan's standard but they get the job done.

Which build sorry?

The build you posted, which is basically the same as the G20 I was thinking about getting from Scan. The i5-3450 and the Radeon 7770.

Procrastastudy

gnolan wrote: »

The build you posted, which is basically the same as the G20 I was thinking about getting from Scan. The i5-3450 and the Radeon 7770.

The CPU is over powerd and the GPU is a little weak.

I'd go with an i3-2120 and a 6870 (probably) GPU.

How much gaming is going to get done? I'd probably drop the main board down to a H61 chipset.

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

How much gaming is going to get done? I'd probably drop the main board down to a H61 chipset.

Not an awful lot of gaming i'm thinking. He wants it really as an option i think. With that in mind do you reckon sticking with the 7770 would be fine?

I'll admit, i know next to nothing about MOBOs. What does dropping to a H61 chipset mean for me?

Procrastastudy

gnolan wrote: »

Not an awful lot of gaming i'm thinking. He wants it really as an option i think. With that in mind do you reckon sticking with the 7770 would be fine?

I'll admit, i know next to nothing about MOBOs. What does dropping to a H61 chipset mean for me?

H61 is the most basic chipset the Sandybridge CPUs run on - it grand but doesnt have may frills.

I'll do a quick build - I'll leave it as an i5 but really an i3 would be grand.

Item|Price
8GB-Kit G.Skill PC3-10667U CL9|€36.16
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 3 6GB/s|€75.59
BitFenix Merc Beta|€33.20
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 450W|€42.20
XFX DD RADEON 7770 1000M 1GB D5 mDP HDMI DVI|€114.46
Samsung SH-222BB schwarz|€16.60
ASRock H61DEL, Sockel 1155, ATX|€57.20
Intel Core i5-2320 Box, LGA1155|€171.95
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€566.35

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

H61 is the most basic chipset the Sandybridge CPUs run on - it grand but doesnt have may frills.

Thanks for that.

What "frills" would it be missing? Would it in any way limit him if he wanted to upgrade components in the future?

Procrastastudy

RAID, Overclocking, Ivybridge CPUs (I think) not the best performance (might loose 5% over a Z77.

gnolan

Procrastastudy wrote: »

RAID, Overclocking, Ivybridge CPUs (I think) not the best performance (might loose 5% over a Z77.

I guess i want him to be able to easily upgrade components maybe 5 years down the line - if using the H61 means this might restrict him then i might stick with other MOBO?

Procrastastudy

H61, B75, Z75 or Z77 - they'll all be past it in five years. Realistically upgrading the Mobo, CPU and RAM doesn't cost anymore than upgrading the GPU - its just more fiddly. I'd be pretty sure even a socket 2011 system will be dead in five years. The different chip-sets offer more features rather than better upgradability. I've a Z77 SLI board in my main machine as I'm a gamer. I've a H61 ITX board in my HTPC as all it does is stream netflix.

PSU, Case, OS and Drives is what you tend to keep - rest is consumable.