Simple PC to browse and watch videos

[Goshko]

Hi guys, a friend of mine asked me to build him a simple PC to browse the interwebs, check out his emails and watch videos from time to time. This system will not be used for gaming.

He already has a monitor.

Price including basic mouse and keyboard nothing to fancy ...

His budget is 500$-600$ tops but I figured it could possibly be cheaper then that ?

I am in Canada so everything will be bought on www.newegg.ca and www.ncix.com

I need suggestions on the CPU and the MOBO combo.

Do you guys think I should be getting a quad core or will a dual core be enough for his needs ?

Should I be looking for an AMD APU ?

Thanks,

 

[64K]

If it's just for surfing, videos and email then a dual core is more than enough. Would your friend be interested in a tablet or basic laptop?

 

[Goshko]

Nope his girlfriend already has a laptop and he already has a blackberry tablet.

 

[newtekie1]

AM1 APU would be the way to go, IMO.

 

[Blue-Knight]

His budget is 500$-600$ tops but I figured it could possibly be cheaper then that ?

Not including monitor you can build one below 500 USD easy (in your country at least). Or below $400 (shipping included) if you don't care about quality...

 

[Goshko]

Not including monitor you can build one below 500 USD easy (in your country at least). Or below $400 (shipping included) if you don't care about quality...

I forgot to mention he already has the monitor but he needs basic mouse and keyboard ! Will edit my original post thanks !

 

[newtekie1]

Here's what I'd do:

AMD Athlon 5350 $66.98
ASUS AM1M-A $52.98
Crucial 4GB DDR3 $47.98
Mushkin 120GB SSD $72.98
Rosewill FBM-01-450P $63.98
Samsung DVD Burner $20.98
Logitech MK320 $36.98

Total: $362.86 Shipped

 

[Blue-Knight]

Total: $362.86 Shipped

Ops, my mistake...

Below $300 if you don't care about quality, or even less...

Well, the prices are amazing. That wouldn't cost less than $600 here.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Here's what I'd do:

AMD Athlon 5350 $66.98
ASUS AM1M-A $52.98
Crucial 4GB DDR3 $47.98
Mushkin 120GB SSD $72.98
Rosewill FBM-01-450P $63.98
Samsung DVD Burner $20.98
Logitech MK320 $36.98

Total: $362.86 Shipped

My only "bone to pick" is the PSU in that case. Do you have experience with it?

 

[Goshko]

Dont you think he would benefit more with having 8 gb of memory ?

I thought 8GB was today's standard ?

 

[64K]

Everything looks good in newtechie1's build. The only thing I would change if it were me is to get a case

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119274

and this PSU

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026

It adds $55 to the build but I would be more comfortable knowing what PSU I had in my rig.

 

[64K]

Dont you think he would benefit more with having 8 gb of memory ?

I thought 8GB was today's standard ?

For surfing, videos and email 4 GB is enough and I forgot to add that you will need an OS so that's another $100 unless you want to run Linux.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Why does this build need a 430-450 watt PSU? This build is less than 75 watts! Aren't PSU's VERY inefficient at very low usage rates?
IMHO, it's almost impossible to build a system at this price point that the big boys, like HP and Dell can't blow away, especially considering service and support.
Example: DELL Inspiron i3847-4310BK Desktop PC Intel Core i3 4150 (3.50GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Windows 8 64-Bit for $590 (that's just something I found real quick)

 

[64K]

Why does this build need a 430-450 watt PSU? This build is less than 75 watts! Aren't PSU's VERY inefficient at very low usage rates?
IMHO, it's almost impossible to build a system at this price point that the big boys, like HP and Dell can't blow away, especially considering service and support.
Example: DELL Inspiron i3847-4310BK Desktop PC Intel Core i3 4150 (3.50GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Windows 8 64-Bit for $590 (that's just something I found real quick)

Well of course he doesn't need a 430 watt PSU. That was just the least expensive 80 Plus Bronze PSU that I saw on his site.

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Or you could build something really unique: G1217 AMD AM1 SFF quad core Mini ITX desktop build / business machine

 

[Devon68]

Even this would be much but check this out

asked me to build him a simple PC to browse the interwebs, check out his emails and watch videos from time to time. This system will not be used for gaming.

He already has a monitor.

Price including basic mouse and keyboard nothing to fancy ...

I would just get an very old single core cheap pc for 30-40 dollars and call it a done unless he want to watch 1080p videos

For the tasks he wants to do on it really even a raspberry phy would be enough (I'm just not sure if windows can be installed on it)

 

[TRWOV]

If it's for such basic tasks I would look into an embedded system:

CPU/mobo (Celeron Quad Core J1900)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128698
4GB RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145283
120GB SSD (should be more than enough, you could get by with a 64GB if you want to save a few bucks)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226424
Antec mini ITX Case with PSU:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129185
Windows 8.1:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416776
Wireless keyb/mouse combo:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109265CVF

$419+shipping


But a pre-built would be more economical due to the OS:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220683
$260 (OS, mouse and keyb included). It only has 2GB of RAM but even that would be enough for his purposes.

 

[64K]

If it's for such basic tasks I would look into an embedded system:

CPU/mobo (Celeron Quad Core J1900)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128698
4GB RAM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145283
120GB SSD (should be more than enough, you could get by with a 64GB if you want to save a few bucks)
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226424
Antec mini ITX Case with PSU:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129185
Windows 8.1:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832416776
Wireless keyb/mouse combo:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823109265CVF

$419+shipping


But a pre-built would be more economical due to the OS:
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220683
$260 (OS included)

That's a very nice build for his budget and a really good price. I would feel a little more comfortable with the PSU that comes with that case because no one gave it a bad review.

 

[Goshko]

Thanks for all the replies folks so this is what im probably going to opt for ... and it will be cheaper after im done pricematching with ncix.

Total right now is 463$ shipped to my doorstep... probably 30$ cheaper after im done pricematching.



SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224DB/BEBE - OEM



Cooler Master N200 - Mini Tower Computer Case with Front 240mm Radiator Support and Ventilated Front Panel



Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive



ASUS AM1M-A AM1 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Standard Return Policy



CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply



G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL



AMD Athlon 5350 Kabini Quad-Core 2.05GHz Socket AM1 25W Desktop Processor AMD Radeon HD 8400 AD5350JAHMBOX



Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

[Toothless]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R28gqs

Cheap and strong.

 

[Toothless]

Thanks for all the replies folks so this is what im probably going to opt for ... and it will be cheaper after im done pricematching with ncix.

Total right now is 463$ shipped to my doorstep... probably 30$ cheaper after im done pricematching.



SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224DB/BEBE - OEM



Cooler Master N200 - Mini Tower Computer Case with Front 240mm Radiator Support and Ventilated Front Panel



Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive



ASUS AM1M-A AM1 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Standard Return Policy



CORSAIR CX series CX430 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply



G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL



AMD Athlon 5350 Kabini Quad-Core 2.05GHz Socket AM1 25W Desktop Processor AMD Radeon HD 8400 AD5350JAHMBOX



Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Why does your friend need a 1TB drive if it's web browsing and videos?

Why an SSD?

Why 430w when the system won't even use 100w?

 

[Goshko]

Well because he downloads videos and has pictures... mainly for storage.

I can skip on the SSD though ...

 

[64K]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/R28gqs

Cheap and strong.

He lives in Canada.

Why does your friend need a 1TB drive if it's web browsing and videos?

Why an SSD?

Why 430w when the system won't even use 100w?

It's the least expensive 80 Plus Bronze rated PSU at his site.

 

[Toothless]

He lives in Canada.



It's the least expensive 80 Plus Bronze rated PSU at his site.

Mmmm Canada. I wonder how big the price difference is.

 

[newtekie1]

My only "bone to pick" is the PSU in that case. Do you have experience with it?

Plenty, it isn't a great unit, but perfectly fine for low power builds. I've probably built 50+ machines for customers in that case with that PSU and haven't had a single one have issues.

Dont you think he would benefit more with having 8 gb of memory ?

I thought 8GB was today's standard ?

Not for what he is doing.