# PC for grandma



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi, my grandma wants a high quality, long-lasting (at least 6 years) desktop.
She has a budget of around €900-1000, this includes all accessories.
First I had a different CPU (either an AMD, or first gen i3), but I decided to go with the 2500K, then I don't need a graphics card anymore (cause of Intel HD Graphics 3000 which is far superior to 2000). I first had a HD5450 of €65, so I save that. Even though the CPU is a lot more expensive, I think Sandy Bridge is worth it, it'll last much longer. Someone can still give argument to why I should go for an AMD, or a first i3/i5. My first idea was to wait till the second gen i3's release, but she can't wait that long.

What she does with the computer: picture/video-editing, several office programs (Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, ...), browsing the web, send e-mails, watching pictures/videos, .. etc.

This is what I have so far:
CPU: Intel i5 2500K - € 200,00 (could save a lot of money here, but have to include a GPU then)
MOBO: Asus P8H67-M PRO - € 98,20 (Think this mobo should do?)
CASE: Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced - € 81,50 (This is pretty much her choice (looks). I know this is a rather expensive case, but the case should last long. I heard and read a lot of good things about the case.)
PSU: Seasonic M12II 520W - € 75,00 (I know this is an expensive PSU, and she only needs <400W. But she want quality, and doesn't want her computer to fry in 2-3 years, and maybe she also wants to upgrade in some years, so I looked for at least 500W. I heard a lot of good things about this PSU as well, so I decided upon this one, also because it's modular.)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX - € 77,50 (Pretty solid? Could save €10+ by going for Caviar Blue.. But the OS is going to run on this HDD, so the extra speed might be worth it, or not?)
RAM: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 - € 41,40 (Not much to be said here I suppose? Faster MHz and CAS Latencies aren't really need I suppose. This is value RAM, but solid, right?)
DVD: LG GH24NS50 - € 25,00 (Could save <€10 here too.. But is it worth it? This one feels very solid.)
OS: Windows 7 - €49,90
Subtotal: € 648,5

Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster XL2370 - € 223,30 (She could also save a lot of money here... But this one is the best of the best I read. Is that needed? If not, can someone recommend me a good alternative (has to be 23"+, full HD and LED).)
Toetsenbord: Logitech Media Keyboard 600 - € 19,99 (her choice)
Muis: Logitech M115 Mouse - € 10,99 (her choice)
WiFi adapter: €25 (Can anyone advice me a good WiFi adapter of below ~€30? I never had good experiences with them! They always fail upon me after a year orso...)
Webcam: Logitech Webcam C210 - € 19,99 (her choice)
Headset: Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 - € 29,99 (her choice)
Subtotal: € 329,26

Total: € 648,5 + € 329,26 + € 17 = €994,76

Is it possible to please answer all of my questionmarks? I'll appreciate it . If URL's to the parts are needed I will provide them.

I know this computer is an overkill (huge) for her, but she wants the best and high quality..


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

It does appear to be a bit of overkill for her needs but it looks like a good build. Have you looked over out suggested builds?

http://www.techsupportforum.com/f25...evised-2010-and-updated-regularly-448272.html


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks, yes I have. But with the old Intel CPU's, it's quite outdated :/.. She also doesn't need a GPU, and 650W (I'm looking at the Intel 1000$ build) is too much for her I think. I could consider your suggested case, would save around €30. The rest (RAM, HDD, DVD) is pretty much the same.

I'm considering going either 2500K (for the Intel HD Graphics 3000), or the cheaper (most bang for the buck I think, about €30-40 cheaper) 2400. You guys think the 3000 is needed, or will 2000 just do fine?

Do you think the mobo is a good one? Because it's so new I couldn't find any reviews on it. I do think it would fit her needs, while not offering anything extra she doesn't need. It has USB 3.0 and SATA III.

Are all the other parts of high quality and good performance otherwise? I'm mainly looking at the RAM and the PSU then.. Think the other parts are pretty solid right?

Also..the WiFi adapter :/... Do you have any recommendations? I've only had bad experiences with the ones I bought. And on personal reviews I also often read bad stuff (even from good brands like Linksys).


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

EDIT: Also what about this PSU "Corsair 500CX"? I know Corsair is very high quality, but this one is only priced at €55. I could save €20 with this PSU, but it's not modular and has 20W less. Should I take this one or not?

EDIT2: Sorry, clicked wrong button..


----------



## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

I have seen before here where the techs do not recommend the Corsair builders series (CX) PSUs. BTW, I used the seasonic 520 W ( a lot cheaper over here) on a similar build for parents (no GPU, Intel CPU graphics, 4GB, etc) and it seems like a very nice unit and well up to the task.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok thanks for the warning/advice . I'll stick with the SeaSonic modular 520W PSU then (could save €6 when going for the non-modular version, but that's not worth it imo). PSU is also very important, so worth the extra investment I suppose .

Also, I'll go with this case I think. Saves €15+, and has tons of good reviews as well it seems. I've looked at a lot of different cases, mainly by Lian Li (Lancool) and Cooler Master. This one seems to offer very high quality without the fancy stuff she doesn't need (like a side window, LED's, or more than 2 fans). I'm still pondering between this one and the Cooler Master Centurion 5 II (€55). Do you guys also recommend it? 

Lancool PC-K58 - € 66,00

I also switched to a different DVD drive, seems to be one of the very best (and newest). Drives very fast and also at a very high quality. It's also even €5,7 cheaper. Is this specific model advisable? Is Sony/Optiarc good?

Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7260S - € 19,30

Could you guys also please answer my questions in my previous post #3?


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

What's outdated about our Intel CPU's in the suggested build list? 
I use a lot of CoolerMaster cases. Good quality good air movement.
Personally, I have no use for Sony products. If there is a lot of burning involved I would suggest LG or Asus for the DVDRW.


----------



## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Tyree said:


> What's outdated about our Intel CPU's in the suggested build list?
> I use a lot of CoolerMaster cases. Good quality good air movement.
> Personally, I have no use for Sony products. If there is a lot of burning involved I would suggest LG or Asus for the DVDRW.




Outdated because Intel Sandy Bridge was just released; but they arent even in the wholesale outlets yet 

not to mention; I am not sure if "grandma" is the right canidate to build a new system for that doesnt even have the bugs ironed out yet? until at least 3 bios revisions have been released the new platform is a tinkers dream!


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Does that still exist.. Bugs in new mobo's/CPU's? I know they will likely improve a bit, and there might be a small BIOS-bug (which I could update in a month or 2). But is there a chance that the system won't actually function?

And above all, does that justify to NOT buy Sandy Bridge? Problem is she can't wait much longer than 2 more weeks..

I first thought about getting an i3 (540 or 550).. Maybe I should go back to that? Then I would need a discrete graphics card though (which will cost me an additional ~€60, which would total the same amount of money as 1 SB i5). The i3 also is just dual core... She plans to use the computer for at least 6 years. With software likely being made for more and more cores in the future, is it still a good idea to go for dual core?


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

New hardware always has the potential for issues. I always give new technology 3 to 6 monthsbefore using it in any retail builds. 
Nothing wrong with a Dual Core and that should fill her needs. Though is is not unheard of, but also not the norm, don't count on any PC hardware lasting 6 yrs.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

I'll ask her tomorrow. It's her money after all...

I still wonder what WiFi-adapter to get though (like I asked in 2 previous posts). I've only had bad experiences with them, can any of you advice me one. G would be enough, she doesn't have an N-router yet. She's probably also not planning to get one, so a solid G adapter should do.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I use Linksys wireless adapters and they've always been reliable. Note that speeds will suffer considerably using wireless.


----------



## linderman (May 20, 2005)

not long ago when the 1366 motherboards first came out with the i7-920's there were bugs galore; bios revisons where coming out every couple of weeks; all new platforms have their kinks to be worked out and they cant be identified in mass until the consumer market is using the products in Mass quantity; just like all the bugs with the new flavors of windows.

your choice

I dont think anyone thats only into "general computing" will ever be disappointed with a dual core and there are plenty of very affordable motherboards with intergrated video which sounds more to your intended users goal; unless your grandma is into gaming or photoshop; we wont be getting much benefit from a quad core!

the $500.00 AMD build in our sticky right now makes more sense to me; over paying now trying to stretch the life of the system is a proven waste of cash. Build affordably now and plan a replacement in 4 years and you will be alot further ahead.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok thanks for the advice . I'll let her decide, I see her in couple of hours.

I also thought AMD would be the best for her, but she insists on getting Intel, because she never heard about AMD...

I'll try to convince her though...

PS: She does use some Photoshop from time to time . Mainly Picasa though... And even some video-editing (not sure which program, think Windows Movie Maker). So should I go for an AMD quadcore (Athlon II or Phenom II? x4? maybe x3? Also, will the integrated/on-board graphics suffice then? No need for a discrete graphics card?

EDIT: I think I'll go for one of these, preferable the PCI-e one, to save an USB-slot. They are best rated at Newegg, not sure if that means they're actually good. You guys heard about this brand/model? (I'd prefer Linksys as well, but they're so expensive :/.., and are actually rated bad on Newegg most of the time)

WiFi: TP-LINK 150Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter TL-WN781N - € 15,00
WiFI: TL-WN722N - € 14,10


----------



## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

For a lot more oomph for a little $ you could get her an Intel quad i5-760 and an ATi 5770 GPU. Easily and safely will OC to 3.6 GHz at or close to stock voltages (I would recommend a mid range aftermarket cooler for this, tho). This will handle any photo or video task just fine as well as play many current games at high settings. Has granny got game? ;-)


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Granny doesn't really game . But I'll consider it though, might be needed for the video/photo-editing.

But isn't it a bit stupid to buy "out-dated" CPU's now that new ones will just release? I do know how great the i5 760 is, already used it for my bro's PC half a year ago.

EDIT: Maybe I should get that i5 760, because it will drop in price?  Or won't it drop in price just yet?


----------



## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

Not stupid. It's smart. The new ones will be a huge premium for awhile and mobos likely buggy. i5 760 is actually a great CPU. With a good Asus or Gigabyte board it will make a rock solid speedy computer that will probably last your 6 years.

If it was me, I'd build this one now (actually just did this a few weeks ago for family)... or wait a year for the new gear to get worked out and prices come down to earth. But even then I don't suspect you would gain any advantage for the intended use.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Use a lower Video card like the HD4450 or 5450 it'll be more then she needs.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

The options are these I suppose (GPU & mobo could be changed ofcourse):

Phenom II x4 955 (€128.5) + Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 (€37.2) + Asus M4A87TD EVO (€88.20) = €253.9
i3 550 (€102) + Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 (€37.2) + Asus P7P55D-E (€119) = €258.2
i5 760 (€172.50) + Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 (€37.2) + Asus P7P55D-E (€119) = €328.7 
i5 2500K (€199.10) + Asus P8H67-M PRO (€98.2) = €297.3
i5 2400 (no price yet, I suppose around €170) + Asus P8H67-M PRO (€98.2) = €268.2

I could save like €20 on the mobo in the i3 550/i5 760 build. But then I can't find any which has USB 3.0 and SATA III.

I could also decide upon an AMD Phenom II x2. But I've never, ever, used an AMD CPU in my builds before. Granny would also prefer Intel she said.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

While latest and greatest is always tempting I also let the platform mature a little before building, you grandmother isn't going to want to tweak the pc all the time when using, opt for the 550 or 760, How much is a GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 in your market or the Asus P7P55-D LX?


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

In the cheapest store around they are:

Asus P7P55-D LX - € 110,00

GIGABYTE GA-P55A-UD3 - € 114,50

Do both of these mobo's support USB 3.0 and SATA III? If so, and if they are similar to my first suggestion of €119 (Asus P7P55D-E), I guess I'll go for the Asus, as it's the cheapest? 

Thanks for the advice, I'll let her decide. If she wants the computer now it's going to be the 550 or 760, if she wants to wait 2 more months we could go for the second gen i3/i5. I don't think I'll go AMD, it's not that I don't trust them, but I've never used an AMD CPU. So if something goes wrong, grandma at least can't blame me for taking an AMD CPU (because she said she prefers Intel too).


----------



## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Both those motherboards support SATA 6 Gb/s and USB 3.0. 

Other than laptops, the last Intel system I had was in grad school some 25 years ago. I've built only with AMD. No AMD CPU so far has given me any problem.

AMD is not not only the second largest producer of CPUs it is now, with its merger with ATI, one of the largest producer of GPUs too. If you use anything called Radeon it's AMD.

Edit: I have used both Gigabyte and ASUS motherboards too. IMO they are equally good. The only reason I chose Gigabyte for my current build over ASUS was because its board still had support for my old IDE and COM devices.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

AMD CPU's are decent, and in this price range competitive with the gen 1 i3/i5, the i7 above the 920 Intel does have the clear edge and the price tag to go along with it.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Well I'll consider it... Is the CPU + GPU + mobo that I suggest in a previous post a good configuration for her then?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Yes the i5 + Asus board and video card are plenty for her needs and more solid then any pre-built OEM system you can buy.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Sorry, I meant the AMD system (from one of my previous posts). Not the i5.
I'm thinking about going AMD after all, if she agrees ofcourse. Otherwise I think it's best for her to wait a little until Sandy Bridge has matured, or wait until the prices of the current i5's have dropped (do any of you know if it takes long for the prices to drop?).


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

They have dropped over the last month here, in fact I just looked around none of the US wholesalers have the sandybridge CPU's or motherboards on sale yet.

OEM like Dell have a ship date of next month so I think there some pre-selling go on.


The x4 955 on a 870 chip set will do anything she wants also, I have a 955 on a 790 board with a HD5770 Plays most games on a 52" tv without issue runs Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro video editing at least twice as fast as my E8400 system.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Oke great . I'll tell her. The HD5770 is a bit expensive though. I'll maybe go for 5670 of 5570, or just stick to the 5450.

Is Sapphire as reliable as Asus? On my local e-store it seems Sapphire is often up to €10 cheaper.

EDIT: Also quite odd... Here I can already buy most 1155 socket mobo's of Asus and Gigabyte. Also some Sandy Bridge CPU's available, not all though. Maybe they aren't actually in stock yet, but are just already advertising them so people can already order them and get them shipped once they are in stock.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I didn't mean for you go with a HD5770 I was just relaying my setup, Unless she's playing COD on the side a 5450 is plenty for her needs


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I mostly buy Sapphire cards no issues with them.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok, great =). I've got several options for her now: 1 AMD system (Phenom II x4 955), and several Intel systems (i3 550, i5 760, i5 2400, i5 2500(K)). Up to her to decide. Any other AMD CPU's you can recommend? (Perhaps cheaper than the 955, not much more expensive at least.)

If the 5450 is plenty for her needs, is there a need to actually buy that GPU. I hear that the integrated graphics in the new Intel CPU's are just as good, or even better. At least Sandy Bridge, not sure about the previous gen, and probably not AMD. It would save another €37.2, and mobo's with on-board graphics are often even cheaper than mobo's without, because they're often micro-ATX (cheaper to produce I suppose). Or is that a bad idea?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The size is not what makes them cheaper, less/lower quality heat sinks on the ship set and voltage regulators, less features(most of which she won't use), I've heard the hype on the Intel next gen video too many times in the past, I can't comment until I see/touch one, most pre-release reviews you read are going to be slanted or the reviewer will never see anther pre-release sample to play with, they will often also use software known to highlight the high points of the product, kind of like reviews of SLI cards using only games written to optimize SLI, only to find out later the two cards will actually run slower then a single card in the games you like to play.

Bottom line on paper they look good but only time will tell.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Here it's a $20 difference from the x4 925 @2.8ghz to the x4 955 @3.2ghz well worth the $20 for the speed.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok thanks for the explanation . So the general advice for the new gen Intel CPU's is wait, let them optimize the CPU's/mobo's, and see if it's actually true what they're promising ^^.

For a quadcore AMD Phenom I'm also certain that the 955 is the best bang for the buck. But I'm wondering if I should maybe go for Athlon to save some money, or maybe 2-3 cores? Or is that a bad idea, just stick to the 955?

EDIT: Thanks Raylo ! I'll keep that in mind. Seems like the i5 760 will be a pretty expensive build for her overall then :/. It's still up to grandma to decide . Tomorrow afternoon I'll see her, she'll have to decide then. So you can expect some more questions from me tomorrow morning ^^. I appreciate all your help a lot .


----------



## Raylo (Feb 12, 2006)

Be aware that the quad versions of the i5 (like the i5-760) do not have graphics. That is featured only in the dual core variants, hence why I mentioned getting a GPU.... or integrated mobo graphics.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The second generation i5 2500k will have integrated Intel graphics and hyper-threading for 4 physical/8 logical cores.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Yes, that I know. That's why I wanted a i5 2500K first, because it has the best integrated graphics (3000, instead of 2000). Which in reviews is even better than 5450.

The previous generation i5 quad cores don't have the integrated graphics though, so should I (like I asked in my previous post) buy the 5450 then together with a 760? The 550 does have integrated graphics, but does it suffice?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

For normal PC use photoshop, watching videos on a normal monitor, integrated will work just fine, the Intel 2000 will even do a decent job of HD on 22" or smaller monitors.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

She's going to have a 23" full HD (1080p) monitor... Does that rise any issues? >.<"

Also, a completely different question now.. I've loved my Western Digital Caviar Black drives, always use those. But I often hear Samsung's F3 drives are just as good, if not even better performance-wise.

The drive I currently chose is this one:
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB - € 77,50

The new Samsung drive I'm interested in is this one:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - € 51,00

That's €26.5 less! Is this Samsung drive just as good? I know it has SATA II instead of SATA III, and 32mb cache instead of 64mb cache, but both these factors don't influence the performance of the disk, right? It also has 3 years warranty instead of 5 years from WD, but that's still not worth the extra €26.5 I think. Any other opinions about both disks?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The cache will influence the speed of data transfer, Sata II to Sata III not so much yet.
I still use mostly the WD Black 640 in performance builds, it has some of the fastest sustained transfer rates on a 7200 drive. The 640 is built on the same drive as the 1T but only has 2 of the 3 platters in it.

Samsung has been known for their laptop drives not so much for desktop drives.

I don't see 23" being an issue.


----------



## 723869 (Aug 2, 2010)

Madeentje said:


> Is this Samsung drive just as good? I know it has SATA II instead of SATA III, and *32mb cache instead of 64mb cache*, but both these factors *don't influence the performance of the disk, right*?


Yes and no. The question of "which cache size" is better is a little more complex. Often, the larger cache will make absolutely no difference from a performance stand point, but _does_ look good on paper.

With a bigger cache, you get more "hits" on what you're searching for, but higher latency because of the size. Smaller caches are the opposite. And there're much more important things factoring into performance. (I have a friend that plays SC2 and WoW with an IDE hard-drive possessing an 8MB cache with all that much of a hitch.)

I'd go for the 64MB cache one if I had something like 2TB of storage. But for Grandma, assuming she'd *want* 1TB of storage space, the Spinpoint F3 is just fine. Sure you lose 2 years of warranty (making it 3 years total), but it's just fine. I, as well as some other friends and family, own one and haven't had a problem at all. It's a nice price, too.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

wrench97 said:


> The cache will influence the speed of data transfer, Sata II to Sata III not so much yet.
> I still use mostly the WD Black 640 in performance builds, it has some of the fastest sustained transfer rates on a 7200 drive. The 640 is built on the same drive as the 1T but only has 2 of the 3 platters in it.
> 
> Samsung has been known for their laptop drives not so much for desktop drives.
> ...





Random+ said:


> Yes and no. The question of "which cache size" is better is a little more complex. Often, the larger cache will make absolutely no difference from a performance stand point, but _does_ look good on paper.
> 
> With a bigger cache, you get more "hits" on what you're searching for, but higher latency because of the size. Smaller caches are the opposite. And there're much more important things factoring into performance. (I have a friend that plays SC2 and WoW with an IDE hard-drive possessing an 8MB cache with all that much of a hitch.)
> 
> I'd go for the 64MB cache one if I had something like 2TB of storage. But for Grandma, assuming she'd *want* 1TB of storage space, the Spinpoint F3 is just fine. Sure you lose 2 years of warranty (making it 3 years total), but it's just fine. I, as well as some other friends and family, own one and haven't had a problem at all. It's a nice price, too.


Thanks, I'll go for the Samsung. The €26.5 doesn't make up for the 2 extra years of warranty and the potential performance increase. Thanks a lot for all the quick responses, wrench97 =).

I think I'm almost ready with all the parts now . I've had good feedback about all the parts, except for these 3:

RAM: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 - € 41,40 (I think this is good value RAM, or is it worth spending some more and go for those XMS3-rams? Or any other brand that's better value?)
WiFi: TP-LINK 150Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter TL-WN781N - € 15,00 (This model seemed to have a lot of great reviews on Newegg and other sites. I've never heard of TP-Link, but it seems like a good brand for a low price. You guys think this will do for her? Should I better go for USB, or stick with PCI-E (saves her 1 USB-slot then)? Or are there any other specific models you recommend?

Could you guys also please check if all of my parts are compatible? I think they are, but I might have overlooked a detail..

CASE: Lancool PC-K58 - € 66,00
PSU: Seasonic M12II 520W - € 75,00
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - € 51,00
RAM: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 - € 41,40
DVD: Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7260S - € 19,30

OS: Windows 7 - €49,90

Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster XL2370 - € 223,30 (I'll probably change this one to a cheaper model, but haven't had time to look for one. Also very important, do these monitors include the needed cables? Is HDMI needed, or will DVI/VGA suffice?)
Toetsenbord: Logitech Media Keyboard 600 - € 19,99
Muis: Logitech M115 Mouse - € 10,99
WiFi: TP-LINK 150Mbps Wireless N PCI Express Adapter TL-WN781N - € 15,00
Webcam: Logitech Webcam C310 - € 29,99

No CPU & Mobo included yet, I'll let her decide this afternoon. It will either be one of these options:

CPU: Intel i5 2500K - € 200,00 OR Intel i5 2400 - € 170,00
MOBO: Asus P8H67-M PRO - € 98,20 (I'll have to go for another mobo WITHOUT onboard graphics if she decides to take a discrete graphics card)

CPU: i3 550 - €102 OR i5 760 - €172.50
MOBO: Asus P7P55-D LX - € 110,00 (I'll have to go for another mobo WITH onboard graphics if she decides NOT to take a discrete graphics card)

CPU: Phenom II x4 955 - €128.5
MOBO: Asus M4A87TD EVO - €88.20 (I'll have to go for another mobo WITH onboard graphics if she decides NOT to take a discrete graphics card)

The GPU will probably be this one: Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 - €37.2



Again, thanks for all the help so far =).

EDIT: And what about a CPU-cooler?! To be honest I've always used the coolers included with the Intel CPU's... Because I never overclock, and people who I build computers for do neither.. I saw you guys always suggest a CPU-cooler with your suggested builds. Is that really needed?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Use the cooler that comes with the CPU.

Can't comment on the ram until you choose a motherboard, if you go with the new 1155 board pick a set from the QVL of the board chosen.

I've never used the TP-Link wifi adapter, if the router is not a great distance away almost any will do there are a limited number of wireless chip set makers.

Everything else looks fine.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

No, the router isn't very far away. Like 10 meters at max. There's also no walls in between.

I'm leaving the house now to visit grandma, when I'm back I'll post the CPU, mobo (and maybe GPU) and RAM we chose. Thanks again wrench97, you're a great mod . I'm thinking about sticking around to help people here, but now I'm in the middle of my exams, so maybe later.


----------



## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

It may be too late for this suggestion, or it may have already been discussed, but have you thought about putting her into a middle-of-the-road laptop? 

$700 - $1000 will buy a lot of computer. Use it anywhere, no special furniture to buy and no cables other than power.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Thanks for mentioning gcavan, but she currently has a laptop already. It's about 6 years old now, that's why she wanted to upgrade. She said she'd prefer a desktop now as she doesn't use her laptop outside of her desk anyway. If she wants to use a computer outside of the house she can still use her old laptop.

I also doubt that you can get an as good computer for the same price when you buy a laptop compared to a regular desktop, even including all peripherals like keyboard, monitor, mouse, webcam. Or am I wrong?


----------



## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

Fair enough. Understood.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

This will be everything:

Case: Lancool PC-K58 - € 66,00
PSU: Seasonic M12II 520W - € 74,00
Mobo: Asus P7P55-D LX - € 110,00
CPU: i5 760 - € 172,50
RAM: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 - € 41,50
GPU: Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 - € 37,3
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB - € 51,00
DVD: Sony NEC Optiarc AD-7260S-OB - € 19,30
Monitor: Samsung Syncmaster XL2370 - € 219,20
Webcam: Logitech Webcam C310 - € 31,40
Keyboard: Logitech K200 Keyboard - € 14,90
Mouse: Logitech M115 Mouse - € 11,90
Wifi: TP-LINK TL-WN781N - € 15,00
OS: Windows 7 - € 49,90
Total: € 913,9

Can someone please check if everything is compatible?

I ponder between both monitors Samsung XL2370 and Samsung BX2331 (Which is about €25 cheaper). They seem to have almost exact stats. But I can't find any serious review about the BX2331, and the few I found aren't really recommending the product. Otherwise the XL2370 seems to be the best 23" monitor around according to a lot of reviews... Grandma says she doesn't really care if it's €100 more or less, as long as it's good and will last a while. So she prefered the XL2370. What to do, is it worth risking the €25 (The cheaper model also looks less pretty)?

She also said she wanted to go for either the i5 760 or maybe that AMD build. She wasn't very fond of the i3 550 as it has lesser specs. Also the new Sandy Bridge processors scared her off because they're still so new, and haven't matured yet. So does the i5 760 build (with mobo and GPU) seems good to you? The i5 2400 would actually be a fair bit cheaper as that build wouldn't need a GPU and the mobo is also cheaper (µATX), while the i5 2400 is actually better... What about the AMD 995 build?

Option 1:
CPU: i5 760 - € 172,50
Mobo: Asus P7P55-D LX - € 110,00
GPU: Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 - € 37,3
Total: € 319,8

Option 2:
CPU: Intel i5 2400 - € 170,00
Mobo: Asus P8H67-M PRO - € 98,20
Total: € 268.2
(Can probably scrap this build already? She says she doesn't want to wait much longer than 3 weeks, in that time these won't have "matured" yet, no?)

Option 3:
CPU: Phenom II x4 955 - €128.5
MOBO: Asus M4A87TD EVO - €88.20
GPU: Asus EAH5450 Silent/DI/512MD2 - € 37,3
Total: € 254

She said she didn't really mind spending the extra money for the i5 760 build. But ofcourse if it's wasted money... Can someone decide for me? >.<"



Thanks for all the help so far! =) I hope someone will take the time to answer all of the questions I answered in this specific post, they're very important for me. These will probably be the last questions I'm going to ask anyway ^^.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Go for the i5 760, it's a solid build you've done your research well, that will carry her for a long while, she'll be happy with it.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok thanks. That'll do ^^. Paying a bit extra to be sure and solid I suppose .

I'll give updates of the progress of this build . Not sure when I'm going to build it... Parents don't want me to do it now, as I'm in the middle of my exams... But they end in more than 3,5 weeks.. Can't wait that long.. Takes me an afternoon orso to do.

Anyway, you guys think I'd have to revise this build if we're only going to buy it in ~3.5 weeks? Maybe new stuff has released that's better than (besides CPU's )? Or maybe some specific models have dropped in price by then that I should go for? Or will everything just stay the same, except that maybe some of these parts have dropped in price a bit?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Check back when your ready to order, if I could see future trends I would be Bill Gates neighbor


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Haha ^^, ok I will then . But I don't feel like investing as much time in it again like I did this time... Normally I don't invest so much time and effort in building a computer for someone (built quite some computers the last year). Maybe cause it's for granny or because she's looking for a "budget" computer instead of the regular gaming rig..


----------



## Acuta73 (Mar 17, 2008)

Really way late to comment, but for a "grandma" build running multi-tasking, I'd go with an AM3 Athlon Quad and a USB3/SATA 6.0Gbs board to save money. Would do anything including heavy gaming at a lower price-point.

Unless, of course, she does CGI or CAD/CAM...then I'd go for an AMD 6 core or high-end i7.

You've done good research as far as high-end quality, but not as much for bang-for-the-buck, IMO.

This post is entirely my opionion, and the mods here have more computer knowledge than I have in my pinky-nail.


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Not too late Acuta . We haven't ordered yet. I'll consider going for an AMD build, thanks for reminding me. I'll see what happens with the prices now that Sandy Bridge is released.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz $329: Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K

Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz $299: Newegg.com - Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Tyree, you say I should go for Sandy Bridge after all?

That build would be a lot cheaper, the mobo is cheaper (µATX), and I also wouldn't need a GPU. Would save around €45 in total.. (If I go for the i5 2400, or maybe i5 2500K, which is about €30 more). I thought you first said I shouldn't risk going for the new Intel technology due to bugs in the mobo/BIOS?


----------



## linderman (May 20, 2005)

you run the risk of struggling with new release products; thats a given!

especially at the motherboard level; the motherboard manuf's have been really scrambling to release boards which means they will need bios revisions ASAP


if you can be patient to live with some possible quirks at first; then go for it!


----------



## Madeentje (Sep 6, 2009)

Ok, I'll wait about 2-3 more weeks anyway. I'll see what happens then.

I'm not really scared to have to update BIOS orso, that should be fine. As long as the system is able to basically function.


----------



## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Personally, I don't buy any computer components unless they have been out for at least 6 months. Not only have thousands of people tested them in real-world applications by then, the manufacturers have received user and reviewer feedback and have usually come up with new drivers, firmware, and even hardware revisions. Also, after 6 months the cost usually will have dropped to 2/3 or less of the original asking price.


----------



## linderman (May 20, 2005)

MPR said:


> Personally, I don't buy any computer components unless they have been out for at least 6 months. Not only have thousands of people tested them in real-world applications by then, the manufacturers have received user and reviewer feedback and have usually come up with new drivers, firmware, and even hardware revisions. Also, after 6 months the cost usually will have dropped to 2/3 or less of the original asking price.




*EXACTLY* :wink:


----------

