Looking to build cheap PC for web browsing movie watching

Shakezilla

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Messages
1,490
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This PC will replace a laptop I had hooked up to a 42" Panasonic Plasma. We used it to watch movies on Netflix and a little bit of we browsing. Played old emulator games on it too. Laptop is dead, laptop in Sig (I think). Will not be running cable through the PC. Something decently quiet, equal to my Xbox360 or hopefully quieter.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Want to get out the door as cheap as possible, but I want something that will last (laptop died after 2 years). $300-$400 if possible.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US, Michigan, Farmington Hills, Have access to Microcenter.
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.
CPU, Video card, Case, PSU, RAM, Motherboard, Harddrive. Everything to build a tower.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Nothing.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Soon, my GF wants to be able to watch Game of Thrones, so by the 31st.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I do not know much about smaller Mobos, was hoping to build a small PC since it will be in the living room. Nothing really required here.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Home 64


Thanks!
 
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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This PC will replace a laptop I had hooked up to a 42" Panasonic Plasma. We used it to watch movies on Netflix and a little bit of we browsing. Played old emulator games on it too. Laptop is dead, laptop in Sig (I think). Will not be running cable through the PC. Something decently quiet, equal to my Xbox360 or hopefully quieter.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Want to get out the door as cheap as possible, but I want something that will last (laptop died after 2 years). $300-$400 if possible.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US, Michigan, Farmington Hills, Have access to Microcenter.
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.
CPU, Video card, Case, PSU, RAM, Motherboard, Harddrive. Everything to build a tower, I have a mouse, keyboard, monitor, Windows.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Nothing.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Soon, my GF wants to be able to watch Game of Thrones, so by the 31st.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I do not know much about smaller Mobos, was hoping to build a small PC since it will be in the living room. Nothing really required here.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 Home 64


Thanks!

Here's the problem:

A decent-performing, decent-quality build is just about completely unfeasible at such a low price point because you don't get any deep volume discounts like the big OEMs do. In fact, the least expensive worthwhile case and PSU each cost $50 while the least expensive worthwhile CPU costs $80. Add $75 for a hard drive and $50 for 8GB of RAM (yes, RAM prices have gone up in the past few months), and you're left with only $95 for the motherboard (assuming that you have a $400 total budget for the tower and its innards). You cannot fit a discrete video card at all in that budget without totally skimping (quality- and/or performance-wise) on something else. (And the build that I am talking about is based on a dual-core Intel Pentium G850 CPU and a B75 motherboard, which together have integrated video and do not need a discrete video card - nor you should need one just for the basic tasks that you are planning to do with that system.)

As such, I'd suggest a pre-built from the likes of Dell instead.
 
Do you actually own a copy of Windows 7 or not? Your answer to 4) and 10) appears to be contradicting! :confused:
 
SILVERSTONE ML03B = $60
Antec EarthWatts EA-380D = $45
AMD A8-5600K APU 3.6Ghz = $109
Gigabyte GA-F2A85XM-D3H AMD Socket FM2 A85X (Hudson D4) = $78
WD Blue 1 TB = $73
PNY Optima 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) PC3-10666 = $45
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total = $410 (a bit above budget, but you probably could find deal around the net for better pricing)
Just a quick try at work :)
Should be fine for your intended purposes.

Micro Center Build
i3 3225 3.3GHz = $120
Asus Maximus V Gene LGA 1155 Z77 mATX = $105
------------------------Combo deal for both = $185
Toshiba 1TB 7,200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive = $60
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...l_Desktop_Memory_Kit_(Two_4GB_Memory_Modules)
Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3-1333 = $47
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Total after tax (without case+PSU) = $309.48 or use the Gigabyte GA-B75M-HD3 LGA 1155 B75 mATX ($25 with i3 combo deal) instead to bring price down to $267
Leave $90 or $133(depends on mobo) for case+PSU to your personal preference.
 
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I have to disagree with E4g1e here: You can indeed build a worthwhile system for $400 since you already have a Windows OS. I recommend this setup instead:

$175 - Intel Pentium Core i3 3225 CPU + ASRock H77M-ITX Intel H77 Motherboard Microcenter Combo
$46 - Patriot Memory PSD38G13332 Signature 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$50 - Seagate Spinpoint ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$110 - Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 mITX Case with FSP SFX 300W PSU
---
Total: $381 shipped plus tax on the CPU and mobo.

Unlike the AMD build that Anh. N posted, the above case actually comes with a 120mm fan. Also that Toshiba drive doesn't appear to be a reliable drive judging from the Newegg reviews.
 
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I have to disagree with E4g1e here: You can indeed build a worthwhile system for $400 since you already have a Windows OS. I recommend this setup instead:

$175 - Intel Pentium Core i3 3225 CPU + ASRock H77M-ITX Intel H77 Motherboard Microcenter Combo
$46 - Patriot Memory PSD38G13332 Signature 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$50 - Seagate Spinpoint ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$110 - Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 mITX Case with FSP SFX 300W PSU
---
Total: $381 shipped plus tax on the CPU and mobo.

Unlike the AMD build that Anh. N posted, the above case actually comes with a 120mm fan. Also that Toshiba drive doesn't appear to be a reliable drive judging from the Newegg reviews.

It's okay to disagree with some of my suggestions, Danny. It was just that I was out of the computer component pricing and availability loop in quite some time.
 
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I have to disagree with E4g1e here: You can indeed build a worthwhile system for $400 since you already have a Windows OS. I recommend this setup instead:

$175 - Intel Pentium Core i3 3225 CPU + ASRock H77M-ITX Intel H77 Motherboard Microcenter Combo
$46 - Patriot Memory PSD38G13332 Signature 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$50 - Seagate Spinpoint ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$110 - Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 mITX Case with FSP SFX 300W PSU
---
Total: $381 shipped plus tax on the CPU and mobo.

Unlike the AMD build that Anh. N posted, the above case actually comes with a 120mm fan. Also that Toshiba drive doesn't appear to be a reliable drive judging from the Newegg reviews.

Thanks looks good to me. What kind of performance difference would I see going from the P320 in the laptop to the i3-2225? Pretty significant?
 
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You mean the AMD Athlon II P320?

If so, you'll see a pretty significant jump in performance. The Intel i3-3225 is newer technology with a vastly improved onboard GPU. (Plus, you're comparing a mobile CPU to a desktop CPU. The latter wins out in most cases.)
 
I have to disagree with E4g1e here: You can indeed build a worthwhile system for $400 since you already have a Windows OS. I recommend this setup instead:

$175 - Intel Pentium Core i3 3225 CPU + ASRock H77M-ITX Intel H77 Motherboard Microcenter Combo
$46 - Patriot Memory PSD38G13332 Signature 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$50 - Seagate Spinpoint ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$110 - Silverstone SG05B-USB3.0 mITX Case with FSP SFX 300W PSU
---
Total: $381 shipped plus tax on the CPU and mobo.

Unlike the AMD build that Anh. N posted, the above case actually comes with a 120mm fan. Also that Toshiba drive doesn't appear to be a reliable drive judging from the Newegg reviews.

What if I switch to this case Cooler Master Elite 120 $40 Shipped

Then I can use an ATX PSU, something like: Corsair CX430 $45

The silverstone case PSU seemed like it would be loud from reviews, the Silverstone used a 80mm PSU fan, the Corsair is 120mm. This would give me a more powerful (good quality?) PSU and save me a few bucks, So win win win?
 
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If this is really just cheap laptop PC for movies and browsing then you might as well go for a prebuilt to be honest. There are plenty of cheapies at 200-300 on the market. They will not have the latest CPUs, Ram, etc, but for movies & web browsing you will be fine with an older duo or quad core at that price. Heck, I think New Egg has some i3 laptops at the high end of that price range and some a bit above.

Too bad it's not a desktop. It would be even cheaper. Super cheap really. You can find duo cores with nice cards for $130-$150. That's so cheap that even if it died in 2yrs, it'd be cheaper to replace with an even better model, than building yourself i think.

Just my 2 cents.

But thats only because you said movies, web browsing and older games.
 
What if I switch to this case Cooler Master Elite 120 $40 Shipped

Then I can use an ATX PSU, something like: Corsair CX430 $45

The silverstone case PSU seemed like it would be loud from reviews, the Silverstone used a 80mm PSU fan, the Corsair is 120mm. This would give me a more powerful (good quality?) PSU and save me a few bucks, So win win win?

The biggest problem with that particular case, as the review of the Silverstone lonked to indicated, is that the interior of that Cooler Master case is not especially well designed. Especially when its non-removable hard drive cage blocks a large part of the airflow from its single intake fan. This causes the system's innards to run a bit hotter than they usually do when installed in a good SFF case.
 
Honestly if you want something cheap and simple only watching movies just get a 250 dollar laptop they will work fine
 
The SG05 has a 120mm fan, not an 80mm fan. Check again:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6167/silverstone-sugo-sg05-the-miniitx-standard-bearer

And from the same review, the SG05 is virtually the same as the Coolermaster Elite 120 noise wise but also provides a bit better cooling:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6167/silverstone-sugo-sg05-the-miniitx-standard-bearer/5


The biggest problem with that particular case, as the review of the Silverstone lonked to indicated, is that the interior of that Cooler Master case is not especially well designed. Especially when its non-removable hard drive cage blocks a large part of the airflow from its single intake fan. This causes the system's innards to run a bit hotter than they usually do when installed in a good SFF case.

Ok. I don't know maybe I am being difficult just to be difficult or maybe I have a good point.

If I go with the SilverStone I would end up getting the 450w version which is $125. Or I could go with the Elite 120 + Corsair PSU for $75 (after rebate). The Elite 120 also fits a full size CD/DVD drive, with a tight squeeze. So for $50 less I feel like the Elite 120 /w the Corsair PSU might be better for me.

One other point is a wireless card. I am going to be stuck using a USB wireless adapter correct?

Thanks everyone, sorry I could not be easier to please.
 
Don't use the after-rebate price. That's not the price you'll pay at checkout.

Is the price of the SG05 what's scaring you?

Regarding the wireless adapter, what you have to buy (USB, PCI, or PCI-E) depends on which motherboard you choose. If you want a motherboard with "built-in" wireless, like the Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI, then you will have to pay a considerable price premium.
 
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Ok. I don't know maybe I am being difficult just to be difficult or maybe I have a good point.

If I go with the SilverStone I would end up getting the 450w version which is $125. Or I could go with the Elite 120 + Corsair PSU for $75 (after rebate). The Elite 120 also fits a full size CD/DVD drive, with a tight squeeze. So for $50 less I feel like the Elite 120 /w the Corsair PSU might be better for me.
Not really:
1) As Tiraides noted, we don't judget via the AR price. We judge by the price you actually pay up front. As of right now using Amazon and Newegg pricing, the SG05 with the 450W costs $125, the CM Elite 120 + CX430 costs $95, and the regular SG05 with the 300W PSU costs $110. So the C+C route would save you roughly $15 to $30. As noted earlier, the Silverstones will provide better cooling and almost the same noise level as the CM 120 (if not a tad better). Is the ability to have a DVD burner plus a savings of $15 to $30 really worth the increase in temperatures for you?

2) You do not need a 450W PSU for your usage. Unles you plan on doing high-end 3D gaming, you do not need a 450W PSU. As such the cheaper SG05 with the 300W PSU would be more than enough. The onboard graphics of the Core i3 3225 should be more than enough for old emulator games.

3) Will you actually be using a DVD drive? In fact, how many times did you use the DVD drive on the laptop when it was working?
 
Not really:
1) As Tiraides noted, we don't judget via the AR price. We judge by the price you actually pay up front. As of right now using Amazon and Newegg pricing, the SG05 with the 450W costs $125, the CM Elite 120 + CX430 costs $95, and the regular SG05 with the 300W PSU costs $110. So the C+C route would save you roughly $15 to $30. As noted earlier, the Silverstones will provide better cooling and almost the same noise level as the CM 120 (if not a tad better). Is the ability to have a DVD burner plus a savings of $15 to $30 really worth the increase in temperatures for you?

2) You do not need a 450W PSU for your usage. Unles you plan on doing high-end 3D gaming, you do not need a 450W PSU. As such the cheaper SG05 with the 300W PSU would be more than enough. The onboard graphics of the Core i3 3225 should be more than enough for old emulator games.

3) Will you actually be using a DVD drive? In fact, how many times did you use the DVD drive on the laptop when it was working?

So I ended up getting the Elite 120 + Corsair CX430. I paid $85 shipped, so $40 less than the SG05BB. Read/watched reviews of both cases. It was a close decision. Room for more drives, a CD/DVD drive, and the price made me go with the Elite 120.

The SG05BB had better cooling and less noise. With the money I saved on the Elite 120, I can get an extra 120mm fan and if needed a new fan or FSF for the CPU.

I did want the larger PSU, because it would be nice to be able to drop in a GPU at some point if I wanted for playing more intense games.
 
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