$1500 worth of Office PC Awesomeness...

motolube · Sep 30, 2011

I am helping a friend, he needs an office PC + Keyboard + Mouse + Monitor and has 1500 bucks to spend... help me spend it!

We need everything as his old pc is like 10 years old so we will not be saving anything from it... this will include

Case
PSU
Motherboard
CPU
Video Card (No gaming, Youtube, std videos, etc)
RAM 8 GBs
Hard Drive
CD/DVD/R
Card Reader floppy style
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor

We will also need:

Windows 7 64 bit
Microsoft Office Pro

So I need to include that in the budget

Thanks folks... my last office pc you guys suggested rocks!

Attean · Sep 30, 2011

I'd get a really nice monitor and save your money in other areas. Does he need a backup solution?

plunger · Sep 30, 2011

If he's making a living off of it, I would suggest an SSD and a gaming mouse/keyboard. Gaming keyboards and mouse have options for buttons regular ones don't. You can set some macro buttons on a mouse like a Logitech G700 to do some repetitive task. Keyboard like a Logitech g110 has 12 buttons on the side that you can configure Outlook or Word shortcuts to it.

Greene420 · Oct 1, 2011

I'd say the best "bang for your buck" PC build for your budget (<$1500) - Sept 2011 recommended parts:

CPU
Motherboard
CPU Cooler
RAM
Video card
Power Supply
Hard Drives
Case

I am highly certain this computer will last 5+ years easily, until needing a small upgrade if used in a normal home/office setting. It will rock anything you throw at it, with ease I'd imagine. Multi-tasking is going to be endless with a basic computer user... thats for sure

The intel i7 is the best IMHO

Dangman · Oct 1, 2011

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better. Otherwise you'll get poorly planned or poorly priced setups like the one Greene420 recommended.

Deleted member 88227 · Oct 1, 2011

Danny Bui said:
Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better. Otherwise you'll get poorly planned or poorly priced setups like the one Greene420 recommended.

+1

Help us help you

CMadki4 · Oct 1, 2011

Greene420 said:
I'd say the best "bang for your buck" PC build for your budget (<$1500) - Sept 2011 recommended parts:

CPU
Motherboard
CPU Cooler
RAM
Video card
Power Supply
Hard Drives
Case

I am highly certain this computer will last 5+ years easily, until needing a small upgrade if used in a normal home/office setting. It will rock anything you throw at it, with ease I'd imagine. Multi-tasking is going to be endless with a basic computer user... thats for sure The intel i7 is the best IMHO

Good god man! Did you even read the OP?

Office computer, not gaming. That's hundreds of dollars worth of hardware that will never break a sweat for the OP's friend.

tiraides · Oct 1, 2011

Tell us which office programs you friend will be using.

(And while you're at it, why aren't you considering a prebuilt?)

motolube · Oct 1, 2011

Attean said:
I'd get a really nice monitor and save your money in other areas. Does he need a backup solution?

No he does not need a backup solution, this guy is pretty much PC Challenged, but he does like to watch a lot of videos, youtube and whatnot... he uses Quickbooks and Excel and that is pretty much it.

This is why I am debating whether to get him a PCIe video card or just go with the onboard chip and save some money there as well.

Let's just say that he has the money but the PC will not be used that much more than that.

plunger said:
If he's making a living off of it, I would suggest an SSD and a gaming mouse/keyboard. Gaming keyboards and mouse have options for buttons regular ones don't. You can set some macro buttons on a mouse like a Logitech G700 to do some repetitive task. Keyboard like a Logitech g110 has 12 buttons on the side that you can configure Outlook or Word shortcuts to it.

He does uses it to make a living but it is not a Make or Break situation, otherwise, he would have upgraded it a long time ago. I figure he has seen mine and wants to up me because he has the money.

I want to give him a good mouse and keyboard but a Gaming combo would be WAY out of his league.

tiraides said:
Tell us which office programs you friend will be using.

(And while you're at it, why aren't you considering a prebuilt?)

Pretty much Word and Excel are the two office programs he will use the most but the Office suite I will get from a friend that can hook me up with good prices, hence, why I will be getting the whole suite.

I have never liked prebuilts as those don't really use good components. I am not looking for TOP Shelf but I always consider that top or second shelf from last year ( a lot cheaper) are pretty good for me.

@ cmadki4... much appreciated but, as others stated, this is an Office PC and this guy would not know what to do with a Game if it hits over the head.

Again, unless I can get the Microsoft Windows 7 & Office for cheap, I will be getting that from a friend that works at microsoft and gets me close to employee prices.

I am in no hurry to build this PC and I would be more than glad to answer which ever other questions you guys want to ask me. My main problem has always been choosing the correct or the right Mobo/CPU/RAM combination... read: one that will mesh together and not give me any conflicts.

Oh yeah, I knew I had forgotten something and that was the PSU... I will edit my first post now.

CMadki4 · Oct 1, 2011

motolube said:
@ cmadki4... much appreciated but, as others stated, this is an Office PC and this guy would not know what to do with a Game if it hits over the head.

Ha, no problem. But that wasn't me. I was saying just the opposite.

motolube · Oct 1, 2011

cmadki4 said:
Ha, no problem. But that wasn't me. I was saying just the opposite.

Yes, I am sorry, I got you confused with Greenie420... my apologies

Truth is that with that set up there is no money left for the built OS (Win 7), Office suite, Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse.

And while the 5 years w/o upgrading is a plus, he will not want to spend more than that.

Dangman · Oct 1, 2011

motolube said:
I am in no hurry to build this PC and I would be more than glad to answer which ever other questions you guys want to ask me.

Ok, one last time: Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

motolube · Oct 1, 2011

Danny Bui said:
Ok, one last time: Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Oh crap Yes, a thousand apologies Danny Bui, I completely forgot about it... I knew I was forgetting something important.

here it is: ... my answers in Red.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Office PC, Word, Excel, Quickbooks, Web Browsing, video watching (Youtube and similar).

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$ 1500.00 Total

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Miami, Florida 33155

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

Case
PSU
Motherboard
CPU
Video Card (No gaming, Youtube, std videos, etc)
RAM 8 GBs
Hard Drive ---------- No SSD... 2TB spinner (fast)
BR/CD/DVD/R
Card Reader floppy style
Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

No reusable parts at all.

6) Will you be overclocking?

No Overclocking of any kind.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

I will be buying a 23" 1080p so... no more than that!

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

As soon as possible but I am not in that much of a hurry.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.

I will not be buying an SSD, a regular 2TB Spinner will do, this way I can partion it and give him a DATA Space as well so... USB 3.0 and SATA 6 would be nice.

As I stated before, he likes to watch youtube videos and other videos that he receives so, if the onboard video is more than enough, that would suffice, if not, I rather pick up a good video card.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

We will also need:

Windows 7 64 bit ----- |
Microsoft Office Pro ---| I am thinking about $125 for both @ employee price as I have a friend who can hook me up.

Again, sorry and Thanks for the patience.!

Dangman · Oct 1, 2011

Well $1500 is really overbudget for this.

$190 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
$123 - Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 Intel Z68 mATX Motherboard
$95 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9Q-16GBXL 4 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$120 - Hitachi Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723020BLA642 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$80 - Lite-On WH12LS30 12X Blu-ray DVD Reader
$58 - Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W PSU
$150 - Acer G235HAbd Black 23" Widescreen LCD Monitor
$17 - Rosewill RCR-IC002 74-in-1 USB 2.0 3.5" Internal Card Reader w/ USB port / Extra silver face plate
$125 for the software.
----
Total: $958 plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend these:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$50 - Sentey Black Box Series 4284 ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58 ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$80 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56W ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance nVidia Edition ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$120 - Antec Lanboy Air Yellow ATX Modular Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$125 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 White ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Silver Arrow ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Titanium Grey ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$140 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B ATX Case

I recommend that your friend goes to the nearest computer hardware store (even Best Buy) and get some hands on time on the mouse and keyboard.

motolube · Oct 1, 2011

WOW... lots of choices!

I think that 16GBs of RAM is WAY to much for what he needs... can you recommend 8GBs on something like 2 sticks of 4GBs each? if not 3 sticks for a total of 12GBs?

I have heard that is not a good idea to fill the 4 Ram slots... or is that just a myth?

Deleted member 88227 · Oct 1, 2011

Ram is so cheap right now, it a good idea to max it out, if in thete budget. Filling all the ram slots is a myth.

Cerulean · Oct 1, 2011

Why do you have to spend the entire $1500 budget?

Why not instead be wise and only spend what you actually need to on the computer. You shouldn't need to spend more than $600-700 on a machine for him. The rest of the money either put away and save, or get some other office supplies. Perhaps get a Honeywell 50250 air purifier. Perhaps a decent chair. Perhaps a decent desk. Perhaps some surge suppressors.

Dangman · Oct 1, 2011

motolube said:
WOW... lots of choices!

I think that 16GBs of RAM is WAY to much for what he needs... can you recommend 8GBs on something like 2 sticks of 4GBs each? if not 3 sticks for a total of 12GBs?

As Skillz noted, RAM is stupid cheap at this point so I recommend 16GB of RAM if it's well within the budget. More RAM rarely hurts these days.

But if you really want just 8GB:
$48 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

I don't recommend a 12GB RAM setup.

motolube said:
I have heard that is not a good idea to fill the 4 Ram slots... or is that just a myth?

That was valid up until a few years ago.

motolube · Oct 2, 2011

Skillz said:
Ram is so cheap right now, it a good idea to max it out, if in thete budget. Filling all the ram slots is a myth.

Danny Bui said:
As Skillz noted, RAM is stupid cheap at this point so I recommend 16GB of RAM if it's well within the budget. More RAM rarely hurts these days.

But if you really want just 8GB:
$48 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

I don't recommend a 12GB RAM setup.

That was valid up until a few years ago.

Ahhhh, ok... good to know. Thanks to both of us for the crash course. 16GBs it is then.

Cerulean said:
Why do you have to spend the entire $1500 budget?

Who said I had to?

I only said that was his budget.

I do want to buy good components so I don't mind paying a little more for quality or reliable stuff. If instead of 1500, I only spent 1200 then so be it... he does a lot of favors and this is one way to return the favor as I won't charge him anything to build the PC

bigddybn · Oct 2, 2011

Dude you're getting a Dell (IMO)

Grab a quad Sandy Bridge XPS 8300 for 500 bucks on sale from the outlet. Spend 50 bucks on RAM and a few hundred on a nice monitor. It'll destroy any office task. HD3000 is plenty more than enough for youtube and flash. If he does deciede to game on it at some point just drop in the flavor of the month 200 dollar video card and be done with it. The PSU will handle it.

You'll also get a next biz day warranty and 800 # support so your "computer challenged" friend doesn't bug the hell out of you constantly or get left out in the cold on what sounds like a somewhat critical machine.

Not [H] at all I know but it's the road I would take.

motolube · Oct 2, 2011

Danny Bui, I noticed that the Mobo does not offer Onboard Video... if it doesn't, what would you consider as a good video card to throw in?

bigddybn, my friend does not live in USA so warranty goes out the window, I rather he gets good or known components than run of the mill but I appreciate your input.

Dangman · Oct 2, 2011

motolube said:
Danny Bui, I noticed that the Mobo does not offer Onboard Video... if it doesn't, what would you consider as a good video card to throw in?

Remember that the current and probably future Intel CPUs now have onboard video chips right in the CPU itself. So yes that mobo does have onboard video once you put in that Intel CPU.

motolube · Oct 3, 2011

Danny Bui said:
Remember that the current and probably future Intel CPUs now have onboard video chips right in the CPU itself. So yes that mobo does have onboard video once you put in that Intel CPU.

Nope, I did not know that and still can understand how but I believe you

All I gotta do now is wait for him to send me the money, buy the components and on our way we go... Again, thanks.

bigddybn · Oct 3, 2011

motolube said:
Danny Bui, I noticed that the Mobo does not offer Onboard Video... if it doesn't, what would you consider as a good video card to throw in?

bigddybn, my friend does not live in USA so warranty goes out the window, I rather he gets good or known components than run of the mill but I appreciate your input.

Ah not in USA.... fair enough.

Also I happen to own that motherboard he linked. The onboard video is built into the CPU and is very capable.

Xonim · Oct 3, 2011

obug · Oct 3, 2011

bigddybn said:
Dude you're getting a Dell (IMO)

You'll also get a next biz day warranty and 800 # support so your "computer challenged" friend doesn't bug the hell out of you constantly or get left out in the cold on what sounds like a somewhat critical machine.

100% Agree.

You can buy the best parts in the world, but at the end of the day almost any issue (even software ones) can become "But you built it and you need to help me fixing it." Imagine if the MB fails 6 months into ownership and it's on you to fix it and deal with an RMA. Your friend won't appreciate it if the RMA takes weeks and the computer is dead during that time.

I've stopped building computers for people, especially the "I'm too lazy to even use Google for 2 minutes to fix a problem" people since they feel I should give them lifetime tech support if I built them a computer. Let Dell deal with it.

motolube · Oct 4, 2011

Thanks folks... thanks a lot for taking the time to help.

I'll take all the components and aforementioned suggestions into consideration.

Greene420 · Oct 5, 2011

hah, no way... I actually live not even 25 miles away... and the parts I picked are badass and fits the $1500 budget. Yes its pricey, but we are talking about $1500 here... it can buy the best of the best almost. And the guy would not be ripped off, it'd be a great deal since the computer would do everything without hesitation (including 1080p HD video on youtube which he asked for.... like cmon, he will most certainly try to run 1080p if he's on youtube, if he's a noob user and especially if he's a techy user --- so how can you not recommend a mid-range video card at least is kind of skimping out I'd say....)

But Danny is right on his recommendations for sure, its up to you if you want to skimp out on utilizing all that money he wanted to spend.

motolube · Oct 5, 2011

@Greene420... it does not fit the 1500 budget because there is no room for a Monitor, Keyboard and Mouse.

For what he will use it, your build is WAY over the top. Hell, even for a Gaming computer is over the top

motolube · Oct 14, 2011

OK guys, the moment of truth is here and I won't bother you with the small details and things I didn't do that I should of have done

I believe that everything is plugged in correctly, and I say I believe because I don't do this for a living or on a daily basis. I took my time plugging everything where it should be by reading the manuals, etc, etc

Last thing I did was plug in the Power Cords for both the PC and Monitor... mouse and keyboard are also plugged into the usb ports.

When I press the Power Button the fans spin (along with the CPU fan) for a couple of seconds and then it shuts down, give it about a second and the fans spins again... rinse and repeat but it never allows me to get into the BIOS because the monitor never shows any movement.

Before I go crazy pulling my few hairs I have left and I start plugging and unplugging, I rather ask as it may be something simple (or that's what I am hoping it will be

) that I have forgotten to do.

Thanks

sethmo · Oct 14, 2011

Reseat the video card and ram. Make sure the 4 or 8 pin CPU power connector is plugged in.

motolube · Oct 14, 2011

sethmo said:
Reseat the video card and ram. Make sure the 4 or 8 pin CPU power connector is plugged in.

There is no video card to resat but I will try doing so with the RAM... This is a 16GB 4 x 4GB and I went blue slot+blue slot & white slot+white slot... I am wondering now if I should have just gone blue/white/blue/white... I'll try that as well.

There are 2 CPU ATX 12V pins in the PSU but the board only has 1 slot so I just used one of them.

I am also wondering if the problem may be the following... I have 1 SSD + 1 HDD + 1 DVD ROM so I used only 1 rail of SATA from the PSU to plug in all 3 Devices... could it be I need to used 2 or 3 different rails instead of Just the one rail?

The board, CPU and Ram I bought where the ones that Danni Bui suggested

sethmo · Oct 14, 2011

motolube said:
There is no video card to resat but I will try doing so with the RAM... This is a 16GB 4 x 4GB and I went blue slot+blue slot & white slot+white slot... I am wondering now if I should have just gone blue/white/blue/white... I'll try that as well.
[/COLOR][/B]

Take out all of the ram but two sticks, make sure they are both in the Blue slot.

motolube said:
There are 2 CPU ATX 12V pins in the PSU but the board only has 1 slot so I just used one of them.[/COLOR][/B]

That is fine.

motolube said:
I am also wondering if the problem may be the following... I have 1 SSD + 1 HDD + 1 DVD ROM so I used only 1 rail of SATA from the PSU to plug in all 3 Devices... could it be I need to used 2 or 3 different rails instead of Just the one rail?

The board, CPU and Ram I bought where the ones that Danni Bui suggested

That would not cause it to not boot. You can unplug them all for testing just to make sure. The motherboard powering up for a second, then off, tells me that it could be a power issue somewhere. If reseating the ram does not work, make sure the CPU 4-pin and 24-pin motherboard connections are secure.

I would test the PSU to make sure it powers on and stays on. You need to jump the green wire and any black wire on the 24-pin connector on the power supply. When you plug in the power supply, it should turn on and stay on.
http://deron.meranda.us/create/case-modding/avocet/water-pump/atx-power-bypass.jpg

motolube · Oct 14, 2011

Pulling the 2 sticks did the trick... what does it mean?

Does it mean that the other 2 sticks are bad?

Well, now that I think about it... I do remember reading somewhere that it is recommended to install everything with 2 sticks only and then install the other 2... is that true?

Thanks a lot for the fast response, I was getting frustrated and a bit, well... you know

sethmo · Oct 14, 2011

Could mean that one of the sticks is bad. Since they are all the same, put take the two current sticks out, and put the two you pulled earlier back into the blue slots and see what it does. If it works, try putting the other two sticks into the white slots and try all 4.

motolube · Oct 14, 2011

Finished installing, plugged in the other 2 sticks and everything is working... Happy as a Pig on, erm,

tiraides · Oct 15, 2011

Er, what did you guys get?

wtourist · Oct 15, 2011

Staples has a Logitech illuminated keyboard on sale around $35-40, wired not wireless, which should be fine.
Ask if he was comfortable with the mouse he was using, then relocate or go bigger/smaller, more or less sensitive.
Most people like to stick to what they are used to.
I would probably go with an Asus, Viewsonic, or Hannspree monitor with HMDI.
I would probably go with the Bitfenix Shinobi, Cooler Master 912, NZXT Source 210 Elite, Lian Li PC-K58 (20 % OFF), Zalman Z9 PLUS, or Sentey Optimus.
For business put a $20 dollar DVD drive for alternate use.
Put a recover disk and early system copy on Blu Ray, maybe on thumb drive?

I use a Biostar TH67B and i5 2400, this or any equivalent would be fine. The I5 2500K would give equivalence to your rig, probably worth the price difference "to be there".
I would probably add an HD 5670 or GT 440 for pretty much the same reason "just to have".

I would mount a second Hard Drive, loaded with mirror of original set up but not used for easy drive failure patch. Pure paranoia.

Probably want a wireless card .

Descent on sale speakers?
TOO LATE AGAIN

/

$1500 worth of Office PC Awesomeness...

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