build for a friend

[tmaz08]

Hello,

A family member of a friend of mine asked me to put together a computer for him. I was hoping to get some advice on the build. Here are the answers to the questions in the sticky and a list of parts that I was thinking of for the build:

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

He will use the computer mainly as an HTPC. He needs a computer that will support dual displays -- one display will function solely for watching movies/TV shows (HD content likely), and the other will be used mostly for web browsing.

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

He would like to keep the cost below $600, including tax and shipping, and excluding mail-in rebates.

3) Where do you live?

NYC.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. Please be very specific.

He needs everything except an OS, mouse/keyboard, and display.

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

Reusing nothing except for mouse/keyboard and displays.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Likely not.

7) What size monitor do you have or plan to have?

The display for watching movies is a 32" Samsung LCD, and the other display is small -- maybe 19"?

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

Within the next couple of weeks.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? etc.

I cannot think of any features that he really needs -- certainly no RAID or XFire/SLI support. Knowing him, he might like to be able to record TV shows at some point.

Here is the list of parts that I came up with:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7200 - Retail ($119.99)

LIAN LI PC-A05B Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail ($80.00)

Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive - OEM ($36.99)

LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GH22NS30 - OEM ($22.99)

Noctua NH-U9B 92mm SSO CPU Cooler - Retail ($49.99)

GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9400 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail ($134.99)

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail ($69.99)

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ - Retail ($39.99)

Total Cost: $554.93

Here is a link: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=7721374

I do not know if the motherboard will allow for watching HD video on one display while browsing on another display. To cut costs, I was considering dropping the E7200 for the E5200 and maybe just using the stock heatsink. I also might replace the 80 GB hard drive with something considerably bigger. I was thinking that he could start with a smaller HD for his OS and software and add something later for video. Any thoughts?

Thanks a lot.

 

[The Jinx]

I would say drop to a E5200 and get him a 500gb Seagate Barracuda. If you need to save anymore money for videocard or tuner card, take a look at the Antec Sonata III it comes with a 500w Earthwatts.

 

[lt_shiro]

I would suggest getting a P43 motherboard and 4550 video card in place of that 730i motherboard.

 

[HardwareGuru]

I agree agree agree with The Jinx and It_shiro. I would go with something like this:

Case/Psu - Antec Sonata III with Antec Earthwatts 500W for $100 w/free shipping
Cpu - Intel Core 2 E5200(2.5ghz) for $84 w/free shipping
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-EP43-DS3L for $80
Ram - 4gig G. Skills DDR2 800 for $40 w/free shipping
Video - Asus Radeon HD4550 for $60 Low cpu usage with HDMI out.
HDD - WD 6400AAKS 640gig for $75 w/free shipping
Optical - Samsung 22X Sata DVD Burner model. SH-S223F for $26 w/free shipping

Total: $465

 

[engiNURD]

If he's not gaming, no need for a discrete card. If he doesn't care about power consumption, HG's build is good. If he wants to save on power consumption (personal preference, really... doesn't affect electric bill much, lol), go with HG's build.

I have an E7200 paired with that GF9400 board, and it works great. I watch TV on one monitor and browse on the other, too.

Ditch the PATA drive, go with a SATA drive. Ditch the Noctua since he's not OC'ing. You can also switch to the Antec TP3 430W instead, for only $40. I'd go with a Samsung optical drive, though, since they're typically quieter than LG.

 

[MrWizard6600]

yeah the stock intel fan shipped with the E7200... is pretty quiet, the design is pretty bad and they lopped a good deal of copper off compared to the version that shipped with my E6300, but its still pretty quiet.

And I agree with enginurd about the discrete card, unless you need the extra video outputs, no reason to go with one if your not gaming.
editops I see you need 2 outputs my mistake, perhalps a discrete card is a good idea then, I dont know that many motherboards support both of their outputs simaultanously.

 

[tmaz08]

Thanks a lot for you feedback, guys -- very helpful. I'll go over the build that I posted (with some modifications -- changing to a SATA drive, ditching the Noctua heatsink, changing the case/PSU) and the build that HG suggested with my friend.

 

[engiNURD]

... editops I see you need 2 outputs my mistake, perhalps a discrete card is a good idea then, I dont know that many motherboards support both of their outputs simaultanously.

... I have an E7200 paired with that GF9400 board, and it works great. I watch TV on one monitor and browse on the other, too. ...

It works fine with two monitors. My CRT is hooked up via VGA D-SUB and my LCD is hooked up via DVI.