Two budget office boxes.

[ArizonaSteve]

Need some advice on components for a basic office PC that will run software for a tanning business. I'm looking to build two identical boxes with a goal of keeping costs as low as possible.

Unfortunately my main area of expertise is high-end gaming boxes - I have no idea on what's out there on the budget side.

Need advice on:

Case + power supply.
Processor (Intel Core i3? - I'm planning to use the on-board graphics - is there any significant advantage to HD Graphics 3000 vs 2000). Is there an AMD equivalent worth considering?
Motherboard for above.
Memory (4GB).
Hard drive (doesn't need to be large, looking for best size/price ratio).
Keyboard / Mouse.
Monitor.

Any and all advice appreciated.

 

[nickb64]

A Sandy Bridge Celeron or Pentium would probably be more than adequate, and cost ~$50-70. I'd pair that with an H67 motherboard, and maybe a small (40-60GB) SSD instead of a hard drive (much snappier performance) if not much other than OS and the software to be used needs to be installed.

Depending on how resource intensive the software that needs to be run is, something with an E-350 might be fast enough, especially with an SSD.

For running the windows desktop and a browser or really anything other than gaming, any of the recent integrated graphics from the Clarkdale CPUs on should be adequate in my experience

 

[Belegost]

I recommend
Celeron G530
Biostar H67B, or Asrock H67M
4GB crucial, corsair, g.skill... DDR3 1600
Fractal Design Core1000 or CoolerMaster Elite 341
Corsair Builder CX430
Your choice of HDD or SSD

 

[gsaldivar]

Cheap i3-based desktop computers:

http://www.techbargains.com/product/desktop_i3

 

[mfenn]

Cheap i3-based desktop computers:

http://www.techbargains.com/product/desktop_i3

:thumbsup: to this and Dell Outlet. No reason to even play around with building a PC for the small office use case.

 

[Zap]

I would recommend something pre-built and with a warranty.

However, if you really want to build it then... assuming no optical drive needed... here's on possible configuration that isn't too expensive, yet will feel super fast and be inconspicuous in the office.

Celeron G530 CPU $52
stock HSF (enable fan profile in BIOS)
4GB dual channel DDR3 1.5v RAM $20
mini ITX H67 motherboard $80-100
60-64GB SSD $70-100
Antec ISK-100 case/PSU $70