Birthday Present Build for Wife

[xkm1948]

My wife has been using an old HP laptop for almost 5 yrs. For her birthday I would like to get a lovely new PC for her. She prefer light colored PC setup. So here are my requirements:

1. Nothing black! She prefer white or other light colored case. White bezel monitor and bright colored peripherals. Just not black! I have shown her the Xigmatek Nebula C and she was really interested in the pink and lime green version. I am also think about Fractal Design R5 White. She would prefer a smaller case so she can put it on her desk.

2. She's an accountant and works from home a lot. I want to get her a good sized monitor.

3. She rarely plays any demanding games. So not so much requirement for the graphic power. Although I am very tempted to put in a R9 Nano.

4. Hopefully the rig can last her a good 3~4 yrs.

5. Low noise. As quiet as possible.

6. Budget is about $2000 including entire rig plus keyboard, mouse.

Thanks!


EDIT: She does a lot of Photoshop as well.

 

[tabascosauz]

I did a H440 build for my mother (also an accountant), which was in part hand-me-down, but the H440 seems to meet your requirements.

Maybe a 6600K? I was a little disappointed to see that the E3 v5s have not been released yet; the 1230v2 is the workhorse of my mother's rig.

For PS, you may want 16GB DDR4. Also, you may want to spend a little bit more on the monitor if she's the type that uses PS for photography (like me). Any IPS tends to "work", but my ultimate choice would be something like a U2414H, U2515H or U2715H for color accuracy, a sturdy design, and DP.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/79pDWZ I haven't used PCPartPicker in so long; it feels extremely foreign to me now.

 

[erixx]

I build a In-Win Mini H-Frame for my wife, she loves it and alongside my case it really gives a cool touch to the office... see needs no GPU so iGPU is enough It is an open case, only fan is the intel fan and the PSU fan.

 

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Pink?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007583 600006337

 

[silentbogo]

I was recently browsing newegg for some clue as to what my future Skylake rig might look like. I am no longer an obsessed enthusiast (have no time nor money for it), so the overall specs are kinda close to what you are looking for:

Core i5-6400 (Cheapest of the new lineup, less cooling for 65W) $189.99
Gigabyte GA-Z170N Gaming (mini-ITX, built-in WiFi) $164.99
2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws $51.99

Add another $60-70 for a decent 120GB SSD, and another $50 for a 1TB WD Blue.

This is a nice base for a solid and long-lasting PC.

I did not include a VGA in the base, because I wanted to recommend GTX950 ($169.99), but personally I wanna wait for GTX950 Ti with 4GB VRAM or something newer and less power-hungry(want to replace my GTX750Ti).

For my new rig I was considering Bitfenix Prodigy, because it has handles But that Xigmatek Nebula looks awesome.

A nice 400W power supply should be enough to get this thing going (FSP Aurum S 400 goes for $54.99):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104172

Cooling in a small case like that is a bit problematic. Noctua U12P probably won't fit, but you may be able to squeeze in a SilverStone Argon AR02 (decent and quiet 92mm HSF). $27.99

From my personal experience I know that wives and even ex-wives like wireless keyboards and mice. So, get her an MK365 combo and be happy (unless you wanna deal with an Apple KB like I did). They have it in white and black. $78.99

All of the above adds up to $971.87, which leaves you with over a grand to get a bad-ass 4K display (Like 42" WASABI MANG).

 

[xkm1948]

Pink?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007583 600006337

No, those are fugly.

 

[Aquinus]

She rarely plays any demanding games. So not so much requirement for the graphic power.

How much power does she need? Would something like a 5775c or a 5675c with the Iris Pro be a potentially nice option? If she doesn't need the graphics performance but would like something more than your run of the mill Intel iGPU, it seems like an option. On top of all of this, no dedicated GPU means less sound and less heat. It would also cost considerably less than blowing a ton of money on a Nano if it will never really get utilized.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Well, youve got quite a bit of money to wirk with. I would suggest a small ssd for a scratch drive, 4 cores with hyperthreading, so a k model, and 16 GB of RAM. Those are the essentials for good, powerful, speedy photoshop woek.

 

[Norton]

This Phanteks case looks pretty nice in a medium grey:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854011

 

[rtwjunkie]

This Phanteks case looks pretty nice in a medium grey:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811854011

That's a very nice color on a pretty good case!

 

[marmiteonpizza]

I wander if you can get a pink coloured coolant for watercooling, that would look seriously cool/feminine!

 

[Rockarola]

Bitfenix Aegis or Pandora will add a nice design-touch to any desktop, and you can personalise the little LCD screen with something nice for her.

@Joel Charing ; just mix solid white dye with translucent or solid red...but do make sure they are of the same brand/series or you risk a bloody mess!

 

[Arjai]

I wish someone, anyone, would spend that amount, or any thought, for my birthday!

I was born a week before Christmas.

The only BD presents I've ever received, were from close friends. Most were "combined" xmas/BD presents of little or no value.

The one exception was a Tool Set my brother gifted me, over 15 years ago.

OK, back to the Normalcy of this thread.

Sorry to have interrupted, I PROMISE to not post anymore, "Poor Me" posts! At least until the next time!

Really, I think it's the drinking Whiskey, alone, that did it!

 

[nolafotoknut]

I wander if you can get a pink coloured coolant for watercooling, that would look seriously cool/feminine!

That would look awesome! After a quick search (I was curious too) I did find this! While my fiancé was building my awesome rig, I was looking for anything & everything pink...so, if you have the time to search, I'm sure you'll find many pink components to give it femininity! Good luck!

@xkm1948, if she's techie like me, this build will get you mega bonus points

http://www.xoxide.com/primochill-intensifier-transparent-fluid-dye-uv-pink.html