 KrisnatharokCaveat EmptorPremium
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit
kudos:7
1 edit | [Parts Check] Proposed student/light gaming build A relative wants a desktop for his 14yo son, capable of light gaming. He specified a desktop form factor so the kid could not pick it up and move it into his room where he's not supervised. I think the father is underestimating teenage deviousness, but whatever, that's not my arena.
I'm glad the Ivy Bridge i3 has dropped, as I am interested to see how it performs.
The only thing that stopped me from going for an SSD in this is the light gaming requirement--if the kid puts a couple games on it, I don't want a 120 GB SSD (equivalent in price to a 1TB MHDD) to fill up and slow to a crawl.
Anyways, have at it and recommend better components--I admittedly splurged a tad on the KB/mouse as I don't want to purchase $10 OEM components that break in a couple months.
I am probably the least happy with the cost of the HDD, and a little unsure of the video card considering its $100 price-tag. Please let me know if you have better alternatives.
OS: Owned (Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English)
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core (3MB Cache, 3.3GHz) - $130
Mobo: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 - $115
Memory: GeIL EVO Veloce Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - Free with mobo
GPU: PowerColor AX7750 1GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7750 1GB - $107
HDD: Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB - $87
PSU: COOLER MASTER GX 450W RS450-ACAAD3-US 450W (Bronze/Active PFC) - $27 after MIR/rebates
ODD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $25
Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 431 Plus RC-431P-KWN2 - $30 (after MIR/discount)
Monitor: Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor 1600x900 - $109
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Keyboard - $50
Mouse: Logitech G400 Black 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical - $35
Wifi/Networking: TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless Adapter High Gain IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 - $25
Total shipped: $740
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening. |
|
 pnjunctionTeksavvy ExtremePremium
join:2008-01-24
Toronto, ON
kudos:1 | Given how much power the ivy bridge i3's are packing the GPU is the bottleneck in these systems. I think you could go up to a 7770 for only about $20 more.
Not sure if there is a better option than that for under $150. The vanilla geforce 650 seems to be weaker and the 650 ti while more powerful gets up to about $150, though it does look like the best buy at that price right now. |
|
KrisnatharokCaveat EmptorPremium
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit
kudos:7 | Looks like I might pick up the CPU at Microcenter for $30 off, and pick up the 7770 with the money saved. |
|
| reply to Krisnatharok
Suggesting a cheaper mobo is my thing, but getting $45 or so worth of RAM with it makes that a nice choice. Everything else looks pretty solid.
Are you on budget? |
|
|
|
KrisnatharokCaveat EmptorPremium
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit
kudos:7
1 edit | That deal expired, and the mobos being offered with RAM now are not Asrock but Gigabyte/MSI/Biostar. Instead of switching mobos, I went with the Asrock Z75 Pro3 ($85) and G.Skill Ripjaws X 2x 4GB 1600 ($35), so I am still paying roughly the same amount. » www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···13157304» www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a···20144614And to answer your question, yes, this is a budget rig. Edit: Some really good deals going on right now: » promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/la···-_-promo--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening. |
|
KrisnatharokCaveat EmptorPremium
join:2009-02-11
Earth Orbit
kudos:7 | reply to Krisnatharok
Final build. He had asked me to go through Newegg for everything, then later changed and said he'd pick the CPU up from Microcenter as it is $30 cheaper.
OS: Owned (Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English)
CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz LGA 1155 Dual-Core (3MB Cache, 3.3GHz) - $100
Mobo: ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Intel Z75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard - $85
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $35
GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition OC 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 - $115
HDD: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" - $70
PSU: COOLER MASTER GX 450W RS450-ACAAD3-US 450W (Bronze/Active PFC) - $27 after MIR/rebates
ODD: ASUS 24X DVD Burner - $25
Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 431 Plus RC-431P-KWN2 - $30 (after MIR/discount)
Wifi/Networking: TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless Adapter High Gain IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 - $25
PC sub-total: $515
Monitor: Acer G215HVAbd Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor 1920x1080 - $109
Keyboard: Microsoft SIDEWINDER X4 Keyboard - $50
Mouse: Logitech G400 Black 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical - $35
Peripherals sub-total: $194
Total w/tax & shipping: $710
Not bad for Ivy bridge i3, 8GB ram, 1TB HDD, and Radeon 7770.
--
If we lose this freedom of ours, history will record with the greatest astonishment, those who had the most to lose, did the least to prevent its happening. |
|
