New Business Computer $500-$650

[cowface3]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

This will be used by my parents for use in residential real estate. They use it for a lot of word processing, document preparation, emailing, and general home use, pictures, videos etc. It takes them years to buy a new PC, so I want this to last also. Their current computer is maybe 8 years old and takes over a half hour to boot up and become use-able.

So no real heavy applications, but I will want a dual monitor setup, so they can view multiple documents, emails etc. at the same time. It'd also help if you could suggest a cheap monitor that would work with this one (http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS22A350HS/ZA-specs).

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$500-$650. I have not bought a PC in a long time, and it's only been gaming PC's previously. So I'm not sure if that price range makes sense (too high?). Any advice on that is welcome.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA. I will use Newegg.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No preference.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Just this monitor: http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS22A350HS/ZA-specs
And I want a dual monitor setup, so something that will work with that.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

No overclocking.

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

I'm not sure on this. Whatever will work in dual setup with the monitor previously mentioned.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

ASAP. I have a copy of Windows 7 to upgrade with, so I want to build it right before Windows 10 comes out.

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?

My parents need cloud space, so they can access their files while in the field. I'm debating getting them signed up for Office 365 or Dropbox Pro. Right now they use Crashplan (https://www.code42.com/crashplan/features/mobile/) to backup all their files, but they don't have access to individual files on the go.

I'd just scrap Crashplan and sign them up for Office 365, but my dad is adamant about having a full restore option that automatically updates. Is their a way to use OneDrive the same way, where they can restore completely and safely if their computer gets a virus or something?

Thank you for your any advice you can give!

 

[piasabird]

If they make money off of this real estate thing they should claim a computer as a business expense and work in some kind of purchasing plan for it. Using a computer till it falls apart is not a real plan.

I am not so sure win 10 will be stable any time soon.

Using an e-mail/virus scanner is a must. Some are free like AVG.

 

[cowface3]

If they make money off of this real estate thing they should claim a computer as a business expense and work in some kind of purchasing plan for it. Using a computer till it falls apart is not a real plan.

I am not so sure win 10 will be stable any time soon.

Using an e-mail/virus scanner is a must. Some are free like AVG.

I have a copy of Windows 7 to use until Windows 10 becomes stable, but they need a new computer now. It is what it is. The fact that they've agreed to get a new computer is a good thing in itself.

 

[escrow4]

If they make money off of this real estate thing they should claim a computer as a business expense and work in some kind of purchasing plan for it. Using a computer till it falls apart is not a real plan.

I am not so sure win 10 will be stable any time soon.

Using an e-mail/virus scanner is a must. Some are free like AVG.

Nope. Its all common sense. Chrome and an adblocker and thinking before you click. Antimalware is just a racket. Don't install flash or java either.

OP, an i3 based box for that price, but I'd consider upping the budget to an i5 if you want 8 years out of it.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Nope. Its all common sense. Chrome and an adblocker and thinking before you click. Antimalware is just a racket. Don't install flash or java either.

For a business? There may be legal requirements in their profession for some sort of security software. I wouldn't go without one, in a business setting.

 

[mfenn]

I'd just scrap Crashplan and sign them up for Office 365, but my dad is adamant about having a full restore option that automatically updates. Is their a way to use OneDrive the same way, where they can restore completely and safely if their computer gets a virus or something?

To be clear, a full bare metal restore of the OS isn't possible with Crashplan either. You'd want an imaging based system like Acronis True Image (they have a cloud storage option) in order to accommodate that requirement.

Also, are you set on building, or are you open to building an OEM PC?

 

[Torn Mind]

Will they be doing video editing or just watching stuff of the camcorder?

I believe that it doesn't matter what spare monitor you have. A Haswell IGP can definitely support dual monitors and even triple monitor setups. you might have to use a VGA cable for one of the monitors, though.

 

[cowface3]

To be clear, a full bare metal restore of the OS isn't possible with Crashplan either. You'd want an imaging based system like Acronis True Image (they have a cloud storage option) in order to accommodate that requirement.

Also, are you set on building, or are you open to building an OEM PC?

If I can get a good deal, I'm open to getting an OEM PC. But if it's the same price, I'd rather just build it. I also have a copy of Windows 7 that can upgrade, so that will probably make the custom build just as cheap.

 

[cowface3]

Will they be doing video editing or just watching stuff of the camcorder?

I believe that it doesn't matter what spare monitor you have. A Haswell IGP can definitely support dual monitors and even triple monitor setups. you might have to use a VGA cable for one of the monitors, though.

They probably won't be doing any serious video editing. So if integrated graphics work for dual monitor setup that's fine.

 

[mfenn]

If I can get a good deal, I'm open to getting an OEM PC. But if it's the same price, I'd rather just build it. I also have a copy of Windows 7 that can upgrade, so that will probably make the custom build just as cheap.

Sure thing. Something like this should work for them assuming that they don't need 1TB+ of local storage:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($192.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($165.05 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $534.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-01 23:18 EDT-0400

I also left off an optical drive, but could add one if it is necessary.

 

[cowface3]

Sure thing. Something like this should work for them assuming that they don't need 1TB+ of local storage:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($192.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($165.05 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1300 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $534.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-01 23:18 EDT-0400

I also left off an optical drive, but could add one if it is necessary.

Hi mfenn. Thanks for putting that together for me! I just have one concern. I built a computer in the past and had massive issues with MicroAtx boards and the limited support available if something goes wrong since less people use them. That was a long time ago, though. That board has some shady reviews on Newegg too. Did you pick a Micro Atx board to save money/are they generally cheaper? Thanks again ahead of time.

 

[cubby1223]

I remember having the microATX debate on tech forums 12 years ago. They're fine. And they fit in smaller cases, which people prefer.

Consider the used market. Complete Sandy Bridge core i3 Dell/HP systems regularly are listed on ebay in the $130 range, solid i5 systems occasionally are found for ~$200, I've even seen Ivy Bridge i5's around that price.

example:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-6200-Pro...-4GB-MEM-250GB-HD-Windows-7-COA-/221814092015

System has 4 dimm sockets, probably get a matching set to the 4gb in it for $15 more, giving you 8gb ram total if you wanted. Add on a brand new ssd drive, you have a damn fine i5 system with dual monitor support for ~$200 total.

 

[cubby1223]

For a business? There may be legal requirements in their profession for some sort of security software. I wouldn't go without one, in a business setting.

Unless they are dealing with the financial transactions on the computer there aren't legal requirements. Still I don't recommend anyone run a computer without AV software.

 

[Charlie98]

mATX boards are fine, I have built 4 PCs with them, including a budget Gigabyte Z68 and a mid-line Gigabyte B75 board... they are rock solid. Technically speaking, there is just as much 'support' for mATX as there is for ATX, etc... A full ATX board doesn't make sense for your application.

I agree with mfenn's choice of an i5, particularly if they are intending on this computer lasting for a number of years... don't cheap out and go Pentium or even i3.

 

[TheTick077]

Hi mfenn. Thanks for putting that together for me! I just have one concern. I built a computer in the past and had massive issues with MicroAtx boards and the limited support available if something goes wrong since less people use them. That was a long time ago, though. That board has some shady reviews on Newegg too. Did you pick a Micro Atx board to save money/are they generally cheaper? Thanks again ahead of time.

I don't know about that board, but I have used MicroATX boards in the past without issue. It is just a little more limiting expansion wise, but other than that, I have found the quality to be about the same.

 

[cowface3]

mATX boards are fine, I have built 4 PCs with them, including a budget Gigabyte Z68 and a mid-line Gigabyte B75 board... they are rock solid. Technically speaking, there is just as much 'support' for mATX as there is for ATX, etc... A full ATX board doesn't make sense for your application.

I agree with mfenn's choice of an i5, particularly if they are intending on this computer lasting for a number of years... don't cheap out and go Pentium or even i3.

I may be a little paranoid when it comes to mATX because I once went through 3 of the best mATX boards at the time all with various issues before settling on one that ultimately wasn't that great, but didn't have any defects. It's not that there is limited technical support, but there are less people who buy them, less reviews, and less people who may experience problems.

Out of paranoia, I'll probably get a full-size board. They don't look all that much more expensive. I'll post a motherboard and case that fits with mfenn's build on here in a bit.

 

[Torn Mind]

Smaller size is all that differentiates a Micro ATX board from a full-size one. Bad silicon or solder joints can happen anywhere.

 

[guidinggod]

Maybe something like this would work, includes a monitor for the dual setup, also atx..still under your max budget so you can use that to upgrade selected parts if you don't like any here

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RrL9dC
Price breakdown by merchant: pcpartpicker.com/p/RrL9dC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($165.05 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $585.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 20:17 EDT-0400

 

[cowface3]

Maybe something like this would work, includes a monitor for the dual setup, also atx..still under your max budget so you can use that to upgrade selected parts if you don't like any here

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RrL9dC
Price breakdown by merchant: pcpartpicker.com/p/RrL9dC/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($165.05 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $585.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 20:17 EDT-0400

Thanks you guidinggod. I think they will want at least 1Tb of diskspace though. Will the SSD make that much of a difference? And is a hybrid drive maybe a good idea?

 

[mfenn]

Hi mfenn. Thanks for putting that together for me! I just have one concern. I built a computer in the past and had massive issues with MicroAtx boards and the limited support available if something goes wrong since less people use them. That was a long time ago, though. That board has some shady reviews on Newegg too. Did you pick a Micro Atx board to save money/are they generally cheaper? Thanks again ahead of time.

I think your information is a little outdated. MicroATX boards outsell full sized boards by a pretty wide margin these days. There's a very limited subset of users who absolutely need a full-sized ATX board.

And like Torn Mind said, there is no quality difference between a full ATX and MicroATX board, they are made out of the same basic parts on the same assembly lines. The only difference is the size of the PCB.

 

[guidinggod]

I'd also add to what the others said. I have an m-atx system that runs great (built with help from this forum).

Re ssd, I think it makes a noticeable difference in every day tasks. I'm not sure about hybrids. If you want additional storage you could change the ssd to 256gb to house the operating system/program installs and add a 1 tb hdd for storage for about the same price as given

 

[Charlie98]

Re ssd, I think it makes a noticeable difference in every day tasks. I'm not sure about hybrids. If you want additional storage you could change the ssd to 256gb to house the operating system/program installs and add a 1 tb hdd for storage for about the same price as given

That's what I was going to suggest, even a 120GB SSD if there is an absolute budget limitation (although I don't really recommend 120GB SSDs anymore, especially for a long-term machine.)

 

[cowface3]

Okay everyone, here's what I've come up with. Let me know if you see anything that doesn't make sense. I wasn't really sure about the RAM, so I just got what is highest rated and most commonly purchase.


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rbBLgs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rbBLgs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-G1.SNIPER B6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $660.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 23:42 EDT-0400

 

[Yuriman]

Huge towers are out of vogue these days. It wouldn't surprise me if in a few years, we stopped seeing full ATX products in the mainstream. I just moved my micro ATX machines over to ITX, and haven't looked back. Huge, mostly empty cases annoy me because of how much space they waste, and they're only going to get more empty as more and more is integrated onto the motherboard and CPU die.

This is the case I've used for my past few builds, and I'm pretty fond of it:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811353044

Here it is next to my old midtower:

If not adding a discrete video card, why not go with something like an Intel NUC + SSD?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856102097

The "i5" in the NUCs is a dual core with HT and turbo, but should perform admirably for the tasks listed. If you want a true quad and an optical drive, you might consider building an ITX system around a case like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144254

ITX and SFX power supplies are becoming pretty common, so if they need replacement I have no doubt you'll be able to find one several years down the road. There are ITX cases that use standard ATX power supplies (like the one I linked first), but they'll generally be larger than strictly necessary.

There's very little practical reason to build a huge tower these days.

 

[guidinggod]

Okay everyone, here's what I've come up with. Let me know if you see anything that doesn't make sense. I wasn't really sure about the RAM, so I just got what is highest rated and most commonly purchase.


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rbBLgs
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rbBLgs/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-G1.SNIPER B6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *OCZ ARC 100 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $660.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 23:42 EDT-0400

Since Newegg is the default I'd say it looks fine, maybe you can knock off 25-30 bucks with a different motherboard, like a B85 anniversary from Asrock or some such.

That being said, I'd also suggest (again) looking at a micro atx or mini itx build...smaller case, less space waste. Especially since there's no need for extra cooling here or external graphics cards.

If you're set on atx though, then yea, think your build list is pretty much set!