Hey guys does anyone have any suggestions what i should go for? Not going to be used for gaming or anything, my dad needs a new PC. One of the aspects im not so sure about is whether or not its worthwhile getting a decent 3rd gen i7, or would it be better to spend less on a cpu and instead get a better motherboard/gpu etc?
Price indicated is merely a rough guide, the cheaper the better i'd say - whatever is the best value for money.
Spend less on a cpu and buy a SSD instead of HDD.
Buy the cheapest kit you can find, with the exception of adding a well regarded SSD brand.
MSY's system pricelist is here
http://www.msy.com.au/SYSTEMS/INTELAMD-UpgradeValue.pdf
Computers are so fast these days that for anything bar gaming and video editing, the Base model will perform indistinguishably from the Premium model.
SHAW power supplies have a tendency to… fail spectacularly. I would advise against buying their "pre-builts". I learned it the hard way when I bought my first gaming desktop from MSY.
I would agree that if it is not for gaming, save money on the graphics card and buy an SSD for the system drive, you will get a faster machine overall. If he won't be downloading a heap a 128Gb HDD would be fine for a System + Office drive and buy a cheap 1TB HDD data drive if he does need extra space or even a 2Tb USB3 External, which can be found for $99, if they might want portable storage or photo backups etc.
Some examples of what I would be looking at
Main components:
CPU Intel i5 3550 $212 http://greenboxit.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=256_812_3314…
Motherboard Z77 $135 http://greenboxit.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=33112
8GB RAM $52 http://greenboxit.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=293_19559_19…
120GB Intel SSD $112 http://greenboxit.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=18521_17640_…
Your preference based on cost + personal function & aesthetics:
Case (with front or top UBS3 ports, so no fumbling at the back of the case)
Power Supply (won't need to be too powerfull as it's not driving much)
Windows 7 x64
Keyboard + Mouse
24" or 27" Monitor
These days, depending on what they want it for, you might be better off getting him a tablet. My parents, I gave them an i5 laptop, and they are having some issues using it (they are over 80). They are now getting themselves a Tablet PC (with useage lessons) via a retirement club group buy scheme. They hope they might find it easier to use.
For a general office computer which is idle most of the time, you want it to be quiet and power efficient (save power bills in the long run)
Intel G630 2.7ghz DualCore $65
Asrock H77M $75
Sandisk Extreme 120GB SSD $129
2TB Caviar Green drive $115 (this is optional)
Silverstone TJ108 silent case, USB 3.0 front ports $99
Antec Neo Eco 400w OR 450w power supply $50 to $60
$673 with SSD + HDD, or $558 with only the SSD.
Additions:
$30 keyboard and mouse combo from Logitechshop or similar
$160 LCD monitor
for the DVD drive, you can probably scavenge that from an existing older computer.
You've noticed that I've apportioned quite a bit for the case. This is purely for noise reduction reasons, so if fan noise is no concern you can just get a $50 dollar Antec VSK 2000.
Pretty good build there however instead of the G630 I would advise you to go with the i3-2100 at least to combat memory support issues with the G630 as they only support slower 1033Mhz memory only. In fact if it was only a few dollars difference between the i3-2100 and the i3-3225 I would personally go with the i3-3225 just to be up to date with current technology in case you wanted to do any upgrades to the system in the future.
I also recommend the crucial m4 instead as it has less failure rate compared to drives running the sandforce firmware.
By the way MSY don't have the ivybridge in the i3 model yet so depending on your situation you could either wait or build your computer using the i3-2120 which is $124 at the time if this post.
Move to Linux to save on OS costs.
My home machine is now running Ubuntu which (despite all the negativity around the Unity interface) I've found to be very easy to use.
My computer usage is almost exclusively in-browser nowadays and Firefox/Chome on Linux is identical to the Windows counterpart.
The sidebar makes a great Launcher for LibreOffice Writer and Calc on the rare occasions I need that sort of utility.
For older users, I reckon Ubuntu is actually better.
More secure, simple interface, basics are built-in.
absolutely I second the inux Ubuntu recommendation for cost saving, stability and minimal downtime (ie. trips to the PC doctor).
unless they are a seasoned user of Microsoft Office / Photoshop / Quickbooks, for example — yes there limitless terrific applications, but some of them can be problematic / frustrating for people who are used to a different one, so its hard to switch. if it's a typical setup for internet / email / watching videos / music type stuff, Linux will be superb for them and for you.
Do think about the tech support though.
If you force your parents to use Linux, they assume YOU know linux as well and will come to you if they need help, they won't Google on "how to install drivers for linux".
For some of us who have jobs to do and can't go fixing pop's computers on a daily basis, this is another thing to consider.
Also if your a engineering or it uni student windows 7 is freeeeeeee
What's the deal with this Warwick? I'm interested…
Your IT department at your university will have more info about that. Ask them.
Only software engineering pretty sure.
It probably depends on the uni though
ICT students also get it. :(
your a engineer
Clearly an engineer wrote this
Ok, so we know what you're not going to be using the PC for (gaming)…can the OP tell us what it will be used for? That should direct specs more succinctly.
Computer will be used mainly for browsing the internet, occasional image processing through photoshop, watching (1080p) movies, and writing software (with Powerbuilder and the like). Most importantly the PC needs to be reliable (i.e a good motherboard etc - none of the USB drives are functional any more on the current PC my dad owns), fast and fairly future proof.
The build does not need a monitor or any additional hard drives (other than probably the 128GB SSD as suggested), as i already have these for him.
Thanks for all the help you guys!
I would also suggest you look seriously at 'Barebones' PCs — eg. Shuttle, for around a $200-250 you can buy a compact desktop with motherboard, power supply and everything integrated. the only extras you need add are RAM and CPU.
it will save you money, it is far easier to transport if the need arises, takes less of your home office space, quicker to setup, quiet enough to be used as a home theatre PC, and if you only need one hard drive and optical drive (like 99.99% of users), it will accommodate that comfortably, you can also add a more powerful graphics card later if the need arises, but the onboard graphics is more than adequate for (non-gaming / 3D modelling) users.
with a barebones system, you can order a build for around $550-600 and add a decent monitor with the left over money, or throw in Windows or Office and still come in under budget.
compare that with an off the shelf compact desktop from HN/JB/DS, you will pay ~$800-1000 for a lower-specced system from Dell/HP/Acer — the price of convenience.
well it seems like he will do fine with an i3?
i5 is for gamling and i7 is for multitasking/cad etc..
you sure he even needs a graphics card? the new ivy bridge uses a 2500HD graphics processor (alot of mother boards these days have build in graphics card support)..
so under 700 for a computer is easily done