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Basic(ish) Desktop for Student

F

Falchion17

n00b
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
21
First of all I would like to say thank you in advance for taking the time to help me build a new computer. I am a college student and will use some of the money I've saved this summer to buy a decent desktop since my laptop is all but unusable now. This won't be an intense gaming machine by any means so I would like to keep this under budget if at all possible.

Thanks!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I'll be using this computer to browse the web, type papers, watch movies, stream video to my PS3, play some basic games, and listen to FLAC music. This is not going to be a gaming rig by any means because all I'll be playing is like CS:S, Trackmania, and Natural Selection 2 when it comes out but none of those are extremely graphically intensive and shouldn't cause any problems. I'd also like to be able to play at least 720p video with no lag if at all possible. Finally, I do like HD audio and have really nice headphones but nothing really special is necessary, just a decent audio set-up so that my FLAC sounds good.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I'm looking to spend around $600- ~$700 when everything is said and done but I can go over some if necessary (need a good reason though).
3) Where do you live?
Lexington, KY
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
COMPUTER (TOWER):
Case (with plenty of USB ports if possible)
Power Supply (PSU)
Case Fan(s)
Motherboard with sound or separate sound card if necessary
Processor (CPU)
CPU Cooler/Heatsink with Fan (HSF)
Memory (RAM) minimum 4 GB
Hard Drive (HDD) minimum 500 GB
Optical (Disc) Drive (CD/DVD/)
Video/Graphics Card (GPU) HDMI out is a big plus

PERIPHERALS/OTHER ACCESSORIES:
Monitor
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
I'll be using my USB keyboard / mouse. I can also reuse my external, usb dvd reader/burner if a new internal one is too expensive.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I'd like to have at least a 20' monitor if possible.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the 2-3 weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.
Don't think I'll need any of these
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? 32bit or 64bit?
I do have a copy of Windows 7 Home Premium
 
Last edited:
Unless you buy used you won't be able to get a decent system AND monitor for only $500, if you can extend your budget another $75-100 you will really open up many more options.
 
Shadowssong said:
Unless you buy used you won't be able to get a decent system AND monitor for only $500, if you can extend your budget another $75-100 you will really open up many more options.
Click to expand...

Ok, thank you for pointing this out, I guess I was hoping for a little too much. Anyways, I've increased my budget to $600- $700 or thereabouts. I might even be able to go up more but would have to have a good reason. Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
$200 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU
$80 - MSI 880GM-E43 AMD 880G mATX Motherboard
$82 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$120 - Asus EAH5750 FORMULA/2DI/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$20 - LG GH22NS40 DVD Burner
$110 - Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
---
Total: $667 plus tax and shipping
 
Danny Bui said:
$200 - AMD Phenom II X6 1055T CPU
$80 - MSI 880GM-E43 AMD 880G mATX Motherboard
$82 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$120 - Asus EAH5750 FORMULA/2DI/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$20 - LG GH22NS40 DVD Burner
$110 - Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
---
Total: $667 plus tax and shipping
Click to expand...

Oops, Danny, you forgot a case and PSU with that build.
 
E4g1e said:
Oops, Danny, you forgot a case and PSU with that build.
Click to expand...

Crap that I did. Back to the drawing board:
$100 - AMD Athlon II X4 635 CPU
$80 - MSI 880GM-E43 AMD 880G mATX Motherboard
$82 - G.Skill F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT 2 x 2GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$120 - Asus EAH5750 FORMULA/2DI/1GD5/A Radeon HD 5750 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$20 - LG GH22NS40 DVD Burner
$50 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU
$50 - Cooler Master Elite 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor
---
Total: $667 plus tax and shipping

Same cost but now with a case and PSU. Downgraded the CPU a bit but it's still good enough for your needs.
 
Danny Bui said:
Same cost but now with a case and PSU. Downgraded the CPU a bit but it's still good enough for your needs.
Click to expand...

So in your opinion, should I just pony up the extra $100 for the nicer CPU from your first post instead of opting to go cheaper. I want to stay under $800 but I'd also like this computer to last me into the future :)
 
for his needs there is no need for a 6 core processor.

you said that you want this computer to last so using a MB that supports 6 cores is a must but just get the $100 X4 then upgrade to a X6 in the future
 
andrew911tt said:
for his needs there is no need for a 6 core processor.

you said that you want this computer to last so using a MB that supports 6 cores is a must but just get the $100 X4 then upgrade to a X6 in the future
Click to expand...

Ok cool, thanks for the advice. Also here's something else to take into consideration:

I currently have a 32' LCD HDTV with HDMI and all that stuff but I thought at first I should just get a separate monitor though. I talked to a friend and he said I was crazy so now I'm wondering if I should just use that as my primary monitor to save some money which could beef up the PC a little bit or if I should still go ahead and get a dedicated one.
 
I recommend do a real monitor then just running the computer duel screen the LCD is probably 720P you really don't want to write a paper on that type of screen
 
andrew911tt said:
I recommend do a real monitor then just running the computer duel screen the LCD is probably 720P you really don't want to write a paper on that type of screen
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that's a really good point that I hadn't thought of. Oh, and don't worry so much about the $500 because I've upped my budget to $700 or thereabouts so that I don't have to skimp on anything.
 
Falchion17 said:
Also, can this monitor handle 720p video or is there anything near this price that can?
Click to expand...

That Hanns 19" monitor is natively 1440x900 while 720p video is typically only 1280x720. In full-screen mode, 720p video gets upscaled to 1440x810 with small black borders at the top and bottom of the image.
 
Ok so I've been really researching the suggestions you guys (and a few friends) gave me and I've come up with a rough list of parts. This should be everything I need but I'm paranoid so I thought it would be wise to have folks more knowledgeable than I look over it to make sure that I'm not forgetting anything and just as importantly, that everything is compatible with each other. I've double check it all but I'm new to PC building so a second opinion couldn't hurt. Here is the list of parts:

Internal HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
MotherBoard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130293
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150492
or one of these beefier cards........I can't decide if I should go with the budget one above or one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121356
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
CD/DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

One other question I have is the case, I just want to make sure everything will fit in there ok. As best I can tell it will but you never know.

Thanks!!
 
Falchion17 said:
Ok so I've been really researching the suggestions you guys (and a few friends) gave me and I've come up with a rough list of parts. This should be everything I need but I'm paranoid so I thought it would be wise to have folks more knowledgeable than I look over it to make sure that I'm not forgetting anything and just as importantly, that everything is compatible with each other. I've double check it all but I'm new to PC building so a second opinion couldn't hurt. Here is the list of parts:

Internal HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
MotherBoard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130293
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150492
or one of these beefier cards........I can't decide if I should go with the budget one above or one of these
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121356
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130339
CD/DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052

One other question I have is the case, I just want to make sure everything will fit in there ok. As best I can tell it will but you never know.

Thanks!!
Click to expand...

That 640GB WD Blue, sadly, is one of the slower-performing 7200 rpm hard drives on the market today. That's because it uses two platters of only 320GB each. As a result, the sequential transfer speed barely reaches 110 MB/s on the outer tracks. Many other hard drives use newer 500GB platters.
 
Ditch the WD 640GB Blue: The single platter WD 500GB Blue and the Samsung F3 500GB outperforms it as E4g1e noted:
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$55 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Whoever recommended the HD 5550 for a gaming PC was not thinking straight. Nor is the HD 4850 1GB worth it at $138 shipped. The 9800GTX+ is not worth it at $136 shipped. Unfortunately the Asus HD 5750 I recommended jumped up in price to the point where it's not a smart buy. The HD 5770 1GB is one of the better bang for your buck video cards out now:
$145 - Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card

If you can find the HD 5750 1GB for $120 shipped, get that if you want to save some cash. If you can find the HD 4850 1GB for $100 to $110 shipped, get that if you want to save some cash. But besides that, get the HD 5770.

Ditch the Earthwatts PSU. It's not worth it at all at $51 shipped considering that you can get the larger Antec Neo Eco 400C 400W that I recommended earlier for the same price.

The Case should fit fine.
 
E4g1e said:
That 640GB WD Blue, sadly, is one of the slower-performing 7200 rpm hard drives on the market today. That's because it uses two platters of only 320GB each. As a result, the sequential transfer speed barely reaches 110 MB/s on the outer tracks. Many other hard drives use newer 500GB platters.
Click to expand...

Ah well I'm glad you told me because I was told to look only at 7200 rpm drives for my OS HD which is why I picked that one but this is a major problem. Is there anything you would suggest to substitute? It would be fine to lower the capacity because I have 3TB of storage on other drives.
 
Danny Bui said:
Ditch the WD 640GB Blue: The single platter WD 500GB Blue and the Samsung F3 500GB outperforms it as E4g1e noted:
$55 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$55 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Whoever recommended the HD 5550 for a gaming PC was not thinking straight. Nor is the HD 4850 1GB worth it at $138 shipped. The 9800GTX+ is not worth it at $136 shipped. Unfortunately the Asus HD 5750 I recommended jumped up in price to the point where it's not a smart buy. The HD 5770 1GB is one of the better bang for your buck video cards out now:
$145 - Sapphire 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card

If you can find the HD 5750 1GB for $120 shipped, get that if you want to save some cash. If you can find the HD 4850 1GB for $100 to $110 shipped, get that if you want to save some cash. But besides that, get the HD 5770.

Ditch the Earthwatts PSU. It's not worth it at all at $51 shipped considering that you can get the larger Antec Neo Eco 400C 400W that I recommended earlier for the same price.

The Case should fit fine.
Click to expand...

Ok excellent, thanks for the heads up! I'll check this stuff out asap.
 
Falchion17 said:
Ah well I'm glad you told me because I was told to look only at 7200 rpm drives for my OS HD which is why I picked that one but this is a major problem. Is there anything you would suggest to substitute? It would be fine to lower the capacity because I have 3TB of storage on other drives.
Click to expand...

I would look at either of the two suggested by Danny first. Not all 7200 rpm hard drives are created equal. And if you do choose a Western Digital hard drive, you'll never know whether you get a newer design or an older design until you receive the drive. That's because not only do resellers state only the first part of the model number (before the dash), but also that WD has been manufacturing both newer designs and older designs of the same base model simultaneously (different production lines use different platter generations).
 
Ok so here's V2 of my build totaling a little over $750. Any last changes I should make before I pull the trigger? Also do I need any additional cooling equipment like extra heat syncs or fans?

Internal HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
MotherBoard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130293
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103702
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873
CD/DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119161
PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236052
 
I recommend going with this PSU + case combo instead for future upgrade capability:
$109 - Antec Neo Eco 520C 620W PSU + Antec 300 ATX Case

The Sapphire HD 5770 1GB is no longer that good of a buy at $155 since for $10 more you can get a lifetime warranty and far better customer support by going with this card:
$165 - XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card
 
Danny Bui said:
I recommend going with this PSU + case combo instead for future upgrade capability:
$109 - Antec Neo Eco 520C 620W PSU + Antec 300 ATX Case

The Sapphire HD 5770 1GB is no longer that good of a buy at $155 since for $10 more you can get a lifetime warranty and far better customer support by going with this card:
$165 - XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 1GB PCI-E Video Card
Click to expand...

So are you saying I should upgrade my case and PSU because they wouldn't be the best for my current specs or because there will be no space left if I want to upgrade something in the future.

Also with this hardware should I get a 32 or 64 bit version of Windows 7?
 
Falchion17 said:
So are you saying I should upgrade my case and PSU because they wouldn't be the best for my current specs or because there will be no space left if I want to upgrade something in the future.
Click to expand...

Most likely because there might not be enough space left if you want to upgrade to something higher-end and more power-hungry in the future.

Falchion17 said:
Also with this hardware should I get a 32 or 64 bit version of Windows 7?
Click to expand...

64-bit. If you choose 32-bit, particularly with a higher-end graphics card with 1GB of more of graphics RAM, a 32-bit version of Windows will not see even 3GB, let alone 4GB, of total system RAM. Plus, if you add even more to the existing 4GB, Win32 will not even detect any of that extra RAM.
 
Ok here we go. V3 and hopefully the final. I'm going to be ordering the parts tomorrow but wanted to let you guys have one final check to ensure everything still looks good.

@Danny Bui I took your advice with the case + psu and the video card, thanks for the info because these look much better.

Internal HDD:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231253
MotherBoard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130293
Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103702
Video Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150447
CD/DVD Burner:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827135204
Case + PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.492901
Monitor:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236052
 
Only a few of those links work. It would be easier to list out the name of those parts.
 
Danny Bui said:
Only a few of those links work. It would be easier to list out the name of those parts.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I'll just post them directly from my Newegg shopping cart.

Internal HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
MotherBoard
MSI 880GM-E43 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Processor
AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ADX635WFGIBOX
Video Card:
SAPPHIRE 100283-3L Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
CD/DVD Burner:
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Case + PSU:
Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Monitor:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor
 
Thanks guys, I bought everything today and it's going to be amazing. Thanks so much for your input and help! :)
 
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