Recommend me a PC build for $400-500

Need some help from my fellow OZB's.

My dad's after a new computer and i said i would build him one … only im not upto speed with the current techs and dont really have the time to research them again.

He just needs the barebone PC, no monitor, k/b's or software are required and the max spend is $500

It will just be used for basic computing, internet browsing and office programs. No gaming will be done on this pc. Only requirements are for a half decent power supply and a 2nd hdd for storage of movies/songs/photos etc … a hdmi video/audio out to run 1080p to a tv would be nice but not essential

Thanking you all in advance

Comments

  • +2

    maybe something like this?

    i3-3225- $138
    B75 M/B- ~$50
    2x2GB RAM $39
    Seagate 1TB Hard drive- $69
    Thermaltake V3 with PSU- $72

    Comes out to $368. Prices are from MSY. It's good enough for normal uses and you can upgrade to an SSD or add more storage if you wanted to.

    • If you don't want to build yourself you can pick from here:
      http://www.msy.com.au/SYSTEMS/INTELAMD-UpgradeValue.pdf

      I would think:

      G2020 (270)
      4G Ram (15)
      3TB HD (80)
      120G Samsung ssd (99)
      Optical Drive (20)

      Total: 484

      • What is the Case, PSU and Mobo?

        • Did you try reading the link?

          ASUS B75M-A
          “NEW” SHAW DF Series USB3.0 Front Medium Case

        • -4

          a SSD won't help 4GB ram with a G2020, the PC will be good for one application at a time because windows will reserve ~256 graphics memory as such lowering what can actually be used by application.

          I am on a very basic built and I can vouch more ram on a HDD is better than less on a SSD with lower end processor.

          Also ASRock B75 Pro3-M has 4 ram slots compared to Asus B75M-A which has 2. You can easily add a 4 Gb down the line for 33 in the AsRock, increasing ram on the Asus will require you to buy two Ram's of 8GB as motherboards can only handle the same ram size and speed.

        • +2

          a SSD won't help 4GB ram with a G2020, the PC will be good for one application at a time because windows will reserve ~256 graphics memory as such lowering what can actually be used by application.

          This is completely ridiculous. Apart from your misunderstand of how the GPU memory works (dynamically) and how much is needed for the system to run well you miss that running out of memory is when you REALLY want an ssd to swap into. For typically home use 8G of RAM will make little difference.

          I am on a very basic built and I can vouch more ram on a HDD is better than less on a SSD with lower end processor.

          Can vouch because you don't have an SSD? How are you coming to this conclusion? And what do you think the CPU has to do with it?

          Also ASRock B75 Pro3-M has 4 ram slots compared to Asus B75M-A which has 2. You can easily add a 4 Gb down the line for 33 in the AsRock

          Fine, ask them to put that in if wanted. This just just a cheap off the shelf no thinking option, and it is hard to beat. Probably better to just put 8G in now on the B75M-A if you care though.

          Previously you went on about how good value the celeron is, but you seem to thing the pentium is useless, how does that work?

        • -3

          For a 276 bulid a Celeron is worth it, for a 500 build a Pentium can be replaced with i3 and still be within 500, see my specs below.

          A i3 beats celeron and pentium by miles, if you can get a i3 for instead if G2020 for same price build it is miles better. Thats how that works.

          Why don't you explain how GPU memory works on a system that does not have a dedicated GPU? Windows reserves a portion regardless of it being used, you can change how much is used in Bios but at no point in time is zero Ram provided to the GPU.

          How can you vouch a G2020 with lower clock and no hyper threading won't make a difference? i3 is a i series processor, they are much more powerful than Pentium and Celeron, why don't you look at the usage here, for a father more GB would be beneficial than faster boot times, SSD's as great as they are, are expensive, you would not gain much by lowering you CPU to gain a SSD if nothing will take advantage of that solid disk.

          Yes you can add two 4GB in the B75 but that will take your system to +40 from the PDF you have linked making 509

          so 509 for a inferior CPU, Less ram slots, less storage compared to the specs i stated that cost 475 with better specs

        • +2

          For a 276 bulid a Celeron is worth it, for a 500 build a Pentium can be replaced with i3 and still be within 500, see my specs below.

          This logic cannot be applied as you are using the costs of whole systems and comparing a single component. Is the i4 better than a Pentium? Abosolutely. How much difference does it make to a basic user instead of other features is the question.

          A i3 beats celeron and pentium by miles, if you can get a i3 for instead if G2020 for same price build it is miles better. Thats how that works.

          See above.

          Why don't you explain how GPU memory works on a system that does not have a dedicated GPU? Windows reserves a portion regardless of it being used, you can change how much is used in Bios but at no point in time is zero Ram provided to the GPU.

          The Intel HD graphics reserve what they need when they need it. A lot of the time this is a very small amount. Note that other hardware does this also (even if it doesn't use the RAM) creating a 'memory hole'. Yes RAM is lost to this, but not enough to loose sleep over.

          How can you vouch a G2020 with lower clock and no hyper threading won't make a difference?

          Same point again. But while we are at it, why do you think hyper threading is so important? Earlier i3 CPUs did not have hyperthreading, are they no better than a celeron?

          i3 is a i series processor, they are much more powerful than Pentium and Celeron, why don't you look at the usage here, for a father more GB would be beneficial than faster boot times

          SSds do far more than boot times, but what exactly is this memory giving you? Right now on this machine I have 6 explore windows, lotus notes, 2 browers (with multiple tabs), and 2 IDEs using a total of 2.6G RAM. Both word and firefox are 32bit applications and can use 4GB each at absolute most. So yes if you were editing 15 documents from hell at the same time as recursively openning firefox tabs you will want 8G for 'the usage here'.

          SSD's as great as they are, are expensive, you would not gain much by lowering you CPU to gain a SSD if nothing will take advantage of that solid disk.

          Everything takes advantage of an SSD. All data (almost) is stored and retreived from the SSD. This makes HGUE differences. Loading, saving, browsing directories, opening and closing applications are all much more responsive. By contrast the CPU is only the bottleneck on a modern system when there are a lot of calculations to do. For a typcial word/browser use this happens…. hardly at all.

          so 509 for a inferior CPU, Less ram slots, less storage compared to the specs i stated that cost 475 with better specs

          Less storage? Mine has 3TB + 120.

        • -1

          Sorry I meant less ram not storage, pardon me.

          Why can the logic not be applied? It is possible to create a 275 system that has almost equal specs as yours save for the 99 SSD and Optical drive,

          if you get rid of the 1Tb that costs 69 and add a 99 SSD + 3TB 80 and Optical 20 the system costs 405

          • CPU: Intel Celeron G1610 2.6GHz ($48.00)
          • MotherBoard: ASRock B75 Pro3-M Motherboard ($65)
          • Ram: Crucial 4GB DDR3 ($39)
          • SSD: $99
          • Harddrive: Western Digital 3TB ($80)
          • Case+PSU(500W): Aywun A1-923 Mid-Tower Case with 500W PSU($55)
          • Optical Drive: $20

          48+65+39+99+80+55+20 = 406

          There you go, a system that has the almight SSD, more ram slots, same storage as yours and for 80 dollars less. Happy now?

          Are you going to tell me Pentium wipes the floor with Celeron now? But i have a SSD..

          http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G2020-vs-Intel-Celeron…

          They are near identical.

          you're whole argument evolves around SSD? How on earth did computers function without the ever so important SSD

        • +4

          you're whole argument evolves around SSD? How on earth did computers function without the ever so important SSD

          Badly. Storage has always been a huge limitation to computing.

  • -1

    I'm selling core parts here:

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/110226

    Add $100 for a case and PSU, and for $600 you'd have an excellent i5 box with 16GB RAM, seeing as you are in Sydney.

    • +2

      Which is more than the budget given, and more than needed anyway. And second hand.

      • With a 3yr warranty for $600 that would murder every other build here. At this price, you can't complain its overkill.

        • +4

          Except you definitely can complain because the price, in this case, is overkill.

  • +1

    edit: nvm

  • +3

    Prices Quoted from MSY, with rationale as to why I chose the parts.

    Motherboard - Asus P8H61-M-LX3 - $50
    For the usage scenario stated, there's no need for a more expensive board which generally caters to more enthusiast users. Personally I always go with ASUS or Gigabyte motherboards, they have always been reliable for myself, family and friends. This is the cheapest ASUS board at MSY.

    CPU - Intel Pentium G2120 - $79
    Good, reliable CPU which will perform well. You can save a bit and go with the Celeron, but we're not going to hit $500, so you might as well grab a Pentium. An i3 would be okay, but there's no real need for hyperthreading with your use case. An i5 would be good, but it'd push the cost beyond $500.

    SSD - SanDisk SSD Ultra Plus 128GB - $99
    Quite honestly, these days, I would never do a build without an SSD. They improve response times and make the computer seem so much faster. Most people I know who have used an SSD will say they can't go back. 128GB is enough for a system drive.

    HDD - WD Green EZR 3TB - $135
    Go with a solid, affordable hard drive, 3TB is the sweet spot at the moment, lowest cost per terabyte.

    RAM - 4G Single 1333 Patriot-S - $37
    I would say 4GB of RAM is enough for now, if needed, buy another stick and install later on. Note - buy a single stick of 4GB rather than 2 x 2GB which gives you no upgrade potential. 8GB is gradually becoming the norm for mainstream systems, but 4GB is good enough.

    Case - Coolermaster RC Series - ~$60
    Coolermaster RC334 /RC335 / RC343 / RC344 /RC370 - all available at MSY, look up the designs, see which one you like, you can't go wrong with any of them, they are all great cases. 420W PSU included, way more than enough for what you need it for.

    Total Cost - $460

    There's a bit left over. Several places to spend that depending on what is needed:

    • Upgrade to 8GB RAM (get another 4GB stick)
    • Upgrade the case to something more expensive
    • Add optical drive if needed
    • Get yourself a good meal as a reward for a good PC build :D

    I wouldn't recommend getting a graphics card because there's no need, Intel graphics these days are more than sufficient.

    • This is a very good list, though not too different from mine above which includes a build.

    • Great build, Asus are great, top notch but would just recommend a ASRock B75 Pro3-M Motherboard as it has HDMI with 7.1 audio + optical and some other additions like USB 3 and 4 ram slots.

  • $599 delivered

    vostro 270s tower

    i3
    6 gig ram
    1 Tb Hdd
    Dvd burner
    card reader
    5.1 sound
    Video intel

    http://configure.ap.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=w2206b…

    http://www.dell.com/au/business/p/vostro-270s/pd?oc=w2206b3a…

    If you are unlikely to upgrade it in the future and its similar to your request including WINDOWS 7 or 8
    might be an alternative option as its built and software is installed

  • +2

    Good on you for putting one together yourself mate, an absolute pleasure to do and gives you great experience for future builds. Also allows you to help out family or close friends with PC advice, not to mention some bragging rights you gain among them!

    • Barebone PC
    • Internet browsing
    • Office programs
    • Hdmi video/audio
    • $500!!

    Note: you have not stated if you require a Optical Drive so I will just assume you do not need one, however if you do add 20 or so dollars to all the builds I will post below as that is usually how much they start at.

    Mate for 500 dollars asking someone to make you a basic build is a dream come true for PC enthusiasts, usually the question is how to maximize from less, not the other way around, 500 dollars is enough to build you a sweet machine not just a total basic bulid!

    Ok so before we get ahead of ourselves let me tell you that the absolute minimum PC is capable of Internet browsing and Office Programs and I have just recently made such a PC (with HDMI out plus 7.1 audio with optical!) and am on at the moment.

    These prices are from mWave, I find them to be the best, however if you can find components cheaper by all means buy from there as the beauty of self build is buying where ever the best price is.

    Absolute Basic.
    • CPU: Intel Celeron G1610 2.6GHz ($48.00)
    • MotherBoard: ASRock B75 Pro3-M Motherboard ($65)
    • Ram: Crucial 4GB DDR3 ($39)
    • Harddrive: Western Digital 1TB ($69)
    • Case+PSU(500W): Aywun A1-923 Mid-Tower Case with 500W PSU($55)
    • Optical Drive:None

    So this comes to $276 (48+65+39+69+55)

    It is actually possible to make an even cheaper PC by using Gigabyte GA-H61M-HD2 Motherboard instead of the AsRock, however the Gigabyte though 10 dollars cheaper does not have HDMI which you require.

    Ok so now you have an idea of what a complete minimum PC with all of your needs met; Internet browsing, Office programs, Hdmi video/audio.

    Ok so I have the exact same build as above, let me tell you what my experience with it has been like.

    Pro's
    *Extremely cheap, perhaps the cheapest possible
    *Can browse internet just fine
    *Can office document just fine
    *HDMI
    *USB 3
    *7.1 Audio with optical out.

    Con's
    * Ram is quite low if you have a few tabs open in the background and like to multi-task PC will slow down.
    * CPU Celeron G1610 is amazing value for the price but it is the lowest end Intel processor so multi-tasking is not a great experience coupled with low ram.
    * No GPU, now not having a graphics card does not matter as much but having one lets the computer offload the graphics related tasks thus freeing up resources for which really improves the experience even if your graphics card is low end. Think of it as a helper for the CPU where anything graphics is being dealt with.

    Ok so now you know what the absolute basic build will cost and what trade off's you make, the next step is to see how we can improve upon each con.

    What I would recommend as you have a nice budget.
    • CPU: Intel Core i3 3220 Dual Core 3.3GHz ($139)
    • MotherBoard: ASRock B75 Pro3-M Motherboard ($65)
    • Ram: 2 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 ($78)
    • Harddrive: 2 x Western Digital 1TB ($138)
    • Case+PSU(500W): Aywun A1-923 Mid-Tower Case with 500W PSU($55)
    • Optical Drive:None

    And that's 475 (139+65+78+138+55)

    What is different?

    CPU: Well the CPU is now a much more capable chip, shouldn't cause any troubles while running multiple applications such as word or excel along with Firefox or chrome.

    Ram: 8GB ram should be plenty for having applications running along side each other without the computer having to slow down.

    Harddrive: As you said you would like a second harddrive for media, well 2 1TB drives should provide your father with plenty of storage.

    Plus all of the previous Pro's; HDMI, USB3, 7.1 Audio with Optical.

    As I said above if you require a Optical Drive add around 20 dollars. This 475 build should be more than enough for office, internet and watching full HD content!

    Take care man!

    • +1

      No SSD? 2 1TB drives? Really?

      • +1

        I thought of SSD but what is father going to do with a 99 Dollar 120 GB SSD? I doubt quicker boot will be worth it over 880 more GB,

        OP said second harddrive, and what is wrong with 2 1 TB?

        • +1

          More than boot times, and a bigger advantage than the i3 (in my opinion).

          2 1 TB drives are most expensive, take more space, more ports and more power. You can get a 3TB green for less than your 2 1TB drives.

        • -1

          the hyper threading and higher clock rate of i3 will be beneficial not just in boot but in the running of multiple apps, Pentium doesn't match up as well.

          Also the PSU will be able to handle two 1TB just fine, but in any case can swap 1 for a SSD and keep one, price will just be 20 more.

        • Also the PSU will be able to handle two 1TB just fine

          You are paying more for power, and still have all the other problems. SSD asside, why on earth are you recommending 2 1TB drives rather than 1 2tb or 3tb? Please do not answer RAID for a 2 drive set up like this.

        • Why are you recommending G2020 vs i3? I never said no to a 3TB, merely went with the OP's "Second Drive"

          If he wish's he could go with 3TB

          Also the difference in power will be less than 5 dollars a month between a SSD and HDD

        • +4

          2 x 1TB is silly, the only case where I can see it work is if you're going to use RAID 1, I used to have 2 x 1TB in RAID 1 because I was storing important data, now using 2 x 2TB in RAID 1.

          It's silly to get 2 x 1TB when you can get a 2TB drive for much cheaper.

          Anybody who argues against SSD has never used one, simple as that, once you use an SSD daily, you'll understand the benefits it provides.

          Clock speed also doesn't matter much in real world scenarios, neither does HT unless for mutithreaded applications, but in that case, spend $70 more and get an i5.

        • -2

          I am not an idiot and wouldn't prefer a SSD over HDD but for a father who will use for office and internet, a SSD would provide nothing more than fast boot times. Futher more I don't know how many times to say this but the OP requested a second drive, seeing as how 500GB are just 14 dollars less than 1TB, getting 1 TB is the sounds choice for 2 different drives. Obviously a 2TB or 3TB are cheaper than 2 1TB.

          You do not need to Raid 2 1TB.

          Also theres a budget of 500, a i5 with SSD will go way beyond 500

          Clock speed or HT doesn't matter but proformance does.

          http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G2020-vs-Intel-Core-i3…

          A i3 beats a G2020 by a fair amount.

        • Why not get one 2TB drive and split it into two 1TB partitions then? Exactly same end result, less cost, less wastage of SATA ports. If you have an optical drive and two 1TB drives, that's already 3/4 SATA ports used.

          Yes, the i3 will beat the G2020 by a fair amount in benchmarks, but benchmarks are often based upon tasks which are multithreaded intensive, such as floating point operations or video encoding, compression, encryption…etc.

          This is not really indicative of the tasks undertaken by the OP. If they were, then I would say just get an i5, which is quad core. The cheapest i5 processor is only $60 more.

        • The AsRock has 8 Sata ports. I know what you mean with the 1 harddrive but Op asked for a second, I would also recommend 1 Harddrive of higher capacity partitioned off, this is was I personally do.

          I agree the benchmarks are over done and not as much value for most people but the performance is still felt in any case a i5 as you said is the safest bet but only if budget allows.

          My whole argument with processors was to keep it within the budget.

        • An SSD improves the overall user experience dramatically. An i3 vs G2020 will perform approximately the same for normal usage scenarios. HT while a quite useful for heavy and demanding workloads WITH MULTITHREADING SUPPORT, will do sweet-FA for his dad. :)

          Thus, going with an SSD will have a dramatic impact on the responsiveness of the system vs bumping up the CPU.

          A i3 beats a G2020 by a fair amount.

          In workloads that actually stress the CPU. Typing really fast in a word doco does not really stress the CPU. ;)

          Anecdotal evidence (FWIW):
          Core 2 Duo T7200 w/4GB RAM XPS laptop had a much better responsiveness when I swapped out the HDD with an SSD as compared to my thinkpad Edge E330 with Core i5 2.5Ghz/4GB RAM/HDD.

  • +1

    Thanks all … yes i did want optical and windows but already knew what i was doing in that regard. I've built plenty of PC's before, but not for a few years now. We have decided on the following:
    ASRock B75 Pro3-M $62
    Intel i3-3220 $131
    8Gb Kit 1333 Patriot-S $74
    Coolermaster RC344 $67
    SanDisk SSD Ultra Plus SATA3 128G $99
    WD Green EZRX SATA3 1TB $69
    SATA DVD RW Samsung $19
    Windows 7 64 $105
    Total $626 (from msy)

    If theres any probs with the build or if ive forgotten something please do let me know

    • No problems, but this is way ove the original budget. I honestly doubt the extra RAM will make much difference.

      • budget was for a pc without optical or windows as i already knew what i was getting for those … minus those from the cost and the total is $502

        Thank you very much for checking though :)

      • Well it would have been around budget without Windows, so that's reasonable

    • Haha Nice!,

      Cannot go wrong with the AsRock B75 Pro3-M, great motherboard for the price, really hits it out of the park and its rare to see a mAtx with so many features.

      Yup i3 and 8GB, you've made the right call! the extra ram will make a huge difference and If you need to , adding extra ram units will a breeze as you have 4 ram slots!.

      Also sweet case, a good case and cpu never go wasted!

      Hope you have fun with the Build! You're father will definitely love it!

      Take care!

    • I dont think that motherboard allows SSD caching which would significantly increase the performance of your HDD. If you don't want caching and want it only as a boot drive, you should just stick to the 64GB.

      • +2

        What?

        1: It doesn't but it isn't a good idea to use it.

        2: Yes better HD performance, at the cost of no SSD. Makes no sense unless you need more speed for your media (you don't).

        3: Only 64G for the boot drive makes even less sense. If you are actually using the SSD, surely you want more space?

        4: Implying you want more than 64G if you are using caching makes no sense as this is limited to 64G anyway.

        Summary: WTF?

      • I don't understand the point of SSD caching, just use an SSD boot drive and HDD for mass storage

  • This is my current PC

    CPU: AMD phenom II X2 545 $48.99
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMD-Phenom-X2-545-CPU-3-0-GHz-Dual-C…

    Motherboard: Asus M5A68L-M LX PLUS $91.91
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Asus-M5A78L-M-LX-PLUS-AMD-760G-AM…

    RAM: 4G Kit 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws-X $33
    http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

    GPU: ATI 4870 1GB $50
    BOUGHT LOCALY

    PSU: Ritmo Force 680 $48
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ritmo-Force-680-120MM-Fan-Power-S…

    CASE: Aerocool Strike X $89
    http://www.cplonline.com.au/computer-cases/aerocool-strikex-…

    HDD 1: 80Gb Western Digital WD800AAJS SATA-2 7200rpm $20
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/80Gb-Western-Digital-WD800AAJS-SA…

    HDD 2: 320Gb SATA-2 Western Digital WD3200AAJS $40
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/320Gb-SATA-2-Western-Digital-WD32…

    Fan controll: 3.5" PC CPU Temp 4 Channel Fan Speed Controller Control Led Cooling Front Panel $8.99

  • Computer is built and runs like a dream … Windows and Office open in a flash … thanks for everyones help :)

    Just an FYI for anyone thinking of building an identical PC … you will need to purchase a bracket for the SSD, and i would also recommend getting 2x90mm case fans if you can afford it.

  • Just wanted to thank the OP and others who have added their input in this thread. I just built my sister a basic PC using a lot of the suggested parts. Unfortunately my local computer stores were out of stock for a few of items so I had to choose the next best option available. Here's what I went with:

    CPU: Intel Core i3 3240 Dual Core 3.4GHz $142
    Mobo: Asrock B75 Pro3-M $71
    RAM: 1x8GB GSkill DDR3-1600 $75
    SSD: SanDisk Ultra Plus 128GB $101
    HDD: (already own 2TB internal hdd)
    GPU: (Intel HD Graphics)
    Case+PSU: Coolermaster RC344 w/ 420W PSU $67
    ODD: LiteOn DVD RW $18
    TOTAL: $474 (2 case fans, ssd bracket & extra sata cables brought it up to ~$500)

    I put it all together last night. Will install OS & other software when I get time this week.

Login or Join to leave a comment