# Building a mini desktop: advice



## bartzel (Jan 11, 2012)

Good day all!

My uncle wants to buy a PC and it has to be a minisized one, for portability and such. He'll only use it for basic stuff; e.g. browsing, playing movies and perhaps some Office stuff. His budget is on the low side: €350 / $385, but for his needs i think it's very possible to build a decent system.

I offered to make a list of components and came up with the following:

Motherboard
ASRock H81M-ITX, socket 1150, Gb-LAN, Sound, Mini ITX

CPU
Intel® Pentium G3258, 3,2 GHz socket 1150 processor
FC-LGA4, "Haswell-R", 20th Anniversary, Boxed

PSU
Cooler Master B600, 600 Watt, 2x PCIe

RAM
Kingston ValueRAM 8 GB DDR3-1333, KVR1333D3N9/8G

Harddisk
Western Digital Blue, 1 TB Harde schijf
SATA 600, WD10EZEX

Case
Cooler Master Elite 130

DVD
ASUS DRW-24F1MT, M-Disc Support


What do you guys think of this? Any suggestions for better components? Or perhaps i can switch to more basic component to save some money, as this list is slightly over his budget. 
Also, the GPU is an onboard one but i think it'll do just fine for his needs.
Would appreciate any help, thanks in advance!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Why not just do this instead:

New Inspiron Small Desktop | Dell

A lot easier and simpler for your Uncle. Plus he can contact Dell if he needs warranty support.


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## bartzel (Jan 11, 2012)

It looks quite similar in terms of specs and it has Windows 10 with it. So what's the catch? There's usually a reason why the costs are similar


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

bartzel said:


> It looks quite similar in terms of specs and it has Windows 10 with it. So what's the catch? There's usually a reason why the costs are similar


At that price vs your budget, I wouldn't think twice before going for the Dell Inspiron in favour of your build. Here's why:

1. OEM licensed Windows 10 Home. A custom build would require a separately-bought/licensed retail/pc builder Windows OS = additional cost for OS. I highly doubt Linux is a choice here.

2. A wired keyboard and mouse are included.

3. Ergonomic design compared to the Cooler Master Elite 130 case you picked. It's small form factor is superb for portability and desk space utilization, without compromising on performance.

4. Kick-**s processor compared to the Pentium processor you selected. See a comparison of their specifications here ARK | Compare Intel® Products

The only catch I see is memory configuration. You'll be getting only 4GB (single channel) memory at the starting price of that Dell, although 4GB is more than enough for the intended purpose of this system and in my opinion, 8GB is overkill.


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## bartzel (Jan 11, 2012)

True, the processor is better and Windows 10 is definately the preferred choice.

The only downsides are the HD, which is half the size and like you said; the memory. But i think 4GB should indeed be enough for the intended purpose. 

I'll show my uncle the Dell alternative. Thanks so far!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

A 1TB hard drive is more than enough.


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## Stancestans (Apr 26, 2009)

bartzel said:


> The only downsides are the HD, which is half the size


 That Dell comes with 1TB storage at its starting price/lowest configuration, so that's the same as your custom build.


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## bartzel (Jan 11, 2012)

I checked it here @ Dell NL and there's only 500GB of storage, with no option to choose a bigger drive. It is a little cheaper tho at €345 / $379, but i rather would've had the 1TB. 

My uncle ordered it anyway and I think 500GB will be enough for him. I have a 1TB with games on it, GB's worth of pictures, downloads etc. and i still have arround 200GB left.

Thanks for the help! I think he'll enjoy the Dell.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Glad to hear! He will enjoy the support too if something doesn't work.


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