Pc for girlfriend, for office use, what would you get?

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Kryogen

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Feb 3, 2002
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Pc for girlfriend, for office use, what would you get?

Her pc is so slow it's driving me nuts.

She just needs a decent pc to go on the internet and email, etc.
Last PC was a dell and for some reason has gotten so slow it's not usable anymore, and it's not worth my time trying to reformat an old piece of crap.

Where/what would you get?
 
If it's for a business, I'd recommend one of Dell's business PCs (like the Optiplex series) due to their longer warranties and significantly better customer support.

If it's just for home use and the like, I'd recommend any of the cheap Dell Home PCs that comes with at least a Pentium CPU or Core i3 CPU. The Inspiron 660 series are pretty solid from personal experience.

If you already have a reusable OS key (that did not come from any prebuilt PC), a few leftover/extra parts, and don't mind being tech support for your GF all the time (or on the hook for potential issues), then do a DIY build.

If you do the DIY build, please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST" so that we can help you better.
 
well, first, I would rather build than buy dell. for some reason, all dell(or other brands) pcs I have bought or seen in my life, sucked. I don't know why.
They are slow and eventually self destruct to oblivion.
Its for home. I don't need support. She wears a bra.
I am never buying an i3.
I don't need a super fancy pc either, like I said, it's only for her to brose web and check emails, but I don't want a damn crappy slow pc that will die on me.(like last 2 dells)


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

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
under 1000, no monitor? reasonable?

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

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.
everything, no monitor. (kmon everything is not a valid answer, I need a tower, with everything...) That means a case, PSU, mobo, and all the crap that you strap on it.
I don't think she needs a separate video card, but why not get something moderately decent. She will not be gaming, but I have something against integrated video builds, they suck...


5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
will not re-use any of that dell shit. shredder meat.


6) Will you be overclocking?
no, and I don't want any cpu cooling that is not stock.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
22 inch, 1920x1080

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

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 would say usb 3.0 but I guess it's mainstream now.


10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
no, will have to buy. isnt windows 8 crappy? I would get windows 7, no?

Would you get an HDD or SSD?
 
Kryogen said:
well, first, I would rather build than buy dell. for some reason, all dell(or other brands) pcs I have bought or seen in my life, sucked. I don't know why.
Click to expand...
Maybe you've been buying the really cheap-ass Dells? Or mistreating them? Or shit power in your home? Or you've chosen really poor specs? My experience with newer Dells have been nothing but good.
Kryogen said:
I am never buying an i3.
Click to expand...
Why? Your girlfriend is doing absolutely nothing that would require a quad-core CPU. You're just wasting money by going with a Core i5.

Kryogen said:
everything, no monitor. (kmon everything is not a valid answer, I need a tower, with everything...)
Click to expand...
Because everything could also mean dedicated sound card, hardware RAID card, firewire card, wifi card, Intel NIC card, dedicated GPU (when the situation does not require it), eSATA card, monitor, mouse, keyboard, mousepad, USB 3.0 card, PCI-E to mini-PCI-E adapter, printer, NAS, HBA, operating system, hot-swap bay, webcam, game controller, USB hub, etc. That's why EVERYTHING is not a valid answer.

Kryogen said:
I don't think she needs a separate video card, but why not get something moderately decent. She will not be gaming, but I have something against integrated video builds, they suck...
Click to expand...
Main reason not to get something moderately decent is that it's a waste of money since you're getting increased power use and heat yet you're not doing nothing that would require a seperate video card. Not to mention that onboard video solutions have gotten fast enough to equal cheap $50 to $65 video cards these days. SO to get something better than onboard video would require even more money. Integrated video builds only suck if you choose shitty parts.

Kryogen said:
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
no, will have to buy. isnt windows 8 crappy? I would get windows 7, no?
Click to expand...
Regular Windows 8 sucks from my one hour long experience with it. However, Windows 8.1 is apparently better:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/windows-8-1-what-a-difference-a-year-makes/

So decide which OS you want her to have. With that said, is the cost of OS part of that $1000 budget?
Kryogen said:
Would you get an HDD or SSD?
Click to expand...
Both since you have the budget for it.
 
So what would your suggestion be?

I am not getting integrated video. Let's get a middle of the range video card.
Let's get an SDD and an HDD then.
(sdd for OS, and HDD for storage).
I don't need any crazy storage though. Everything will probably fit on the sdd anyway.`

Kmon, no i3, i5 at least?
 
Kryogen said:
So what would your suggestion be?
Click to expand...
$128 CAD - Intel Core i3-4130 CPU
$92 CAD - MSI B85-G41 PC MATE Intel B85 ATX Motherboard
$80 CAD - Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$190 CAD - Samsung 840 250GB SSD
$68 CAD - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$15 CAD - LG GH24NSB0 DVD Burner
$55 CAD - Corsair 430CX V2 430W PSU
$31 CAD - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF
$115 CAD - Windows 8.1 64bit
----
Total: $774 CAD plus tax and shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend any of these cases:
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$50 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case
$75 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$90 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK White Full Tower ATX Case
$100 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$110 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Full Tower ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$250 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case

Kryogen said:
I am not getting integrated video. Let's get a middle of the range video card.
Click to expand...
Why?
Kryogen said:
Kmon, no i3, i5 at least?
Click to expand...
Why?
 
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Um, honestly, I don't know.
I have personally been a gamer all my life and hate the fact of not getting a pimp cpu and video card, but let's face it, she doesnt need it I guess?
 
Kryogen said:
Um, honestly, I don't know.
I have personally been a gamer all my life and hate the fact of not getting a pimp cpu and video card, but let's face it, she doesnt need it I guess?
Click to expand...
Yup, she doesn't need it. The fact that you can't come up with valid or good reasons for a Core i5 or mid-range GPU for your GF who's only doing web-browsing and office work should confirm that.
 
I'd go for DDR3-1600 at least, I'd also consider ddr3-1866 because it can be priced competitively.

The integrated hd-4400 (or 4600 if you decide to get an i5 haswell - which I wouldn't discourage. They are a good deal.) is good. I've used the hd4000 (ivy bridge, not even Haswell) for a long while, and it was able to handle MadVR renderer with MPC-HC. She would still be able to play a few games at 1080p. I recommend at least trying the integrated Haswell GPU before buying a dedicated card.

Furthermore, the integrated sound on some of these newer boards = acceptable. For that, you'd need a motherboard with the updated alc-1150 or whatever it is called. I personally think AsRock is a good value (I use Asrock, Asus, and Gigabyte). If you have a microcenter nearby, they may have combo deals...and decent prices on RAM and everything else. If you don't have a microcenter, then that i3 purchase starts to make more sense as opposed to the i5.
 
How old is the Dell in question? Is it genuinely time for an upgrade, or is it more "eww Dell" on your part?

For a new build, I assume this isn't going into some ginormous tower that's as tall as an average adult. Will the size of the case be an issue, though? Any need for an internal optical drive? Noise a significant issue?

Just for fun, here's a parts list to mull over as well:

$70 CAD - Node 304 White
$55 CAD - Corsair CX 430
$127 CAD - Gigabyte H87N-Wifi
$128 CAD - Core i3 4130
$22 CAD - Cooler Master Hyper TX-3
$16 CAD - Fractal 92mm fan (for the TX-3)
$80 CAD - Kingston HyperX Blue 2x4 GB DDR3-1600
$190 CAD - Samsung 840 250GB
$68 CAD - Seagate Barracude 7200.14 1TB
$68 CAD - Seagate Barracude 7200.14 1TB (again, because everyone loves RAID 1)
$90 CAD - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM

Total: $914

Relatively small, fairly quiet. The TX3 is probably going to be a bit of a tight fit, and will probably need to be setup in a pull only configuration (otherwise the fan will probably be too close to the drives in that case). Alternatively, make a cardboard duct from the giant exhaust fan to the cooler and see if that's good enough for "passive" operation.

Also to consider is the H77N-wifi and a used sandy/ivy bridge i5.

Edit: Related, I'd be unhappy if a guy build a computer for me in this case: http://www.hardocp.com/news/2013/10/15/enermax_releases_new_ostrog_pink_midtower_chassis
 
Last edited:
med tower is fine, I would definitely go I5 for better graphic performance.
yes, need a dvd reader.
integrated sound is ok.

Will it be cheaper to just buy at the local computer store for a basic build?
I remember buying I5 builds last year for less than 800.
 
Kryogen, I have a HTPC with an i3 (HD 4000 integrated video) and it works just fine for my needs, which are probably over and above what she needs. :p Integrated video has gotten significantly better over the years. I really don't think she needs an i5.
 
Kryogen said:
med tower is fine, I would definitely go I5 for better graphic performance.
Click to expand...
Why does she need better graphics?

Kryogen said:
Will it be cheaper to just buy at the local computer store for a basic build?
I remember buying I5 builds last year for less than 800.
Click to expand...
Yes if you are willing to go with shittier parts and/or a prebuilt like a Dell.
 
I've built 6 or 7 machines in the last year based on the Ivy Bridge Pentium G2020 (I guess the Haswell equivalent is now available). For HTPC/internet/office duties, it has way more than enough horsepower even without an additional GPU. Spend your money on a nice SSD instead of an i5.
 
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