Never Built Before, looking for advice.

[robbingvegas]

Thanks for your help guys and gals.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing / work from home
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Would like to be in the $750-$800 range, will go up to $1250 if the increase seems equitable. Tax and shipping included.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Tampa, FL, United States
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, CPU, Ram (8gb), MoBo, Harddrive for data, SSD for programs, Video Card (supportive of dual monitors), wireless networking card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None
6) Will you be overclocking?
mildly
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Dual Samsung - SyncMaster SA300 Series 23" LED Monitor / 1920 x 1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
immediately
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.
onboard audio, usb 3.0
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
yes, 64 bit Windows 7

 

[PTNL]

Elaborate more on the "work from home" part. What applications? What software has your employer required or recommended to you?

 

[Tsuyoi]

Judging by your dual Samsung LED monitors, I'd say you do some graphical/video work?

I'd go for a i3/i5 with a bundled mobo, 8 gigs of ram, an Nvidia 560/570 if whatever software you use utilizes CUDA, a decent 650W PSU, a 64GB Crucial M4 SSD, and a basic wireless card.

Will flesh out more once I know what specifically you'll be doing with the comp.

Also, why wireless card? Is there a LAN connection available?

 

[robbingvegas]

PTNL - I connect into a terminal server at my company through a TSWEB connection, all applications are run remotely on that server

Tsuyoi - no graphics / video work, just like to have multiple applications visible at the same time (i.e. excel in one window, case management software in other) the remote connection allows for spanning of both monitors. As for wireless networking card, not a necessity as the current location would allow for a lan connection, but thought if cheap enough would install now for future use if necessary.

thanks for taking the time to read and respond

 

[Dangman]

Just how many applications are you planning on running at the same time? In other words, are you doing a ton of multi-tasking? And again, what kind of remote applications are these?

I'm asking because your answers have been a bit vague so far. As such, I'm not sure if you would be fine with a dual-core or a quad-core CPU.

 

[PTNL]

PTNL - I connect into a terminal server at my company through a TSWEB connection, all applications are run remotely on that server

Tsuyoi - no graphics / video work, just like to have multiple applications visible at the same time (i.e. excel in one window, case management software in other) the remote connection allows for spanning of both monitors. As for wireless networking card, not a necessity as the current location would allow for a lan connection, but thought if cheap enough would install now for future use if necessary.

thanks for taking the time to read and respond

If you're RDP'ing into a box, and the processing/workload is happening only on that box, then a base level machine is more than enough. Building your own is fine, but getting a Dell business-class machine (such as the Opitplex) is certainly a price-competitive option. You can add a graphics card in either scenario.

 

[Tsuyoi]

Agreed, if you aren't planning on doing any serious graphics/processor intensive work, a prebuilt Dell system will be more than enough, plus it has the bonus of coming with a warranty and office starter. I'd suggest getting one with a decent hard drive and processor, and then adding/swapping the RAM and possibly graphics yourself.

 

[uunut]

I agree, you would be fine with a Dell Optiplex or the like. But if you wanted to build your own and get a little more flexibility/performance, how about this:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17978565

A little over the minimum budget but not by too much.
If you wanted to cut a little you could trade the bd for a vanilla dvd so save $50.
If you need/like front usb 3.0 you could put in a multi i/o in the other external bay. You could also upgrade to the lian li matx case with built in 3.0, but thats 40 more and you would need a power supply too, so say 100ish more, but a very nice case.
I'm skipping a storage hdd at this time due to the price hike, suggest you make do with something you have around until the prices come back down.

Good Luck! B)