BestConfigs: Intel-Based Office PC

[jpishgar]

It's that time again! Time to update the Tom's Hardware BestConfigs! Once again, we are opening the field to user recommendations to get the best consensus for the absolute best of the best in each category. Post the best configuration you can put together for the following build category and our editorial and mod team will pick 5 of the best to be put up to a public vote right here in the Systems forum. The top-ranking build will go on to become one of Tom's Hardware BestConfigs and you'll get the credit for having put together a brilliant build with a special credit in the feature article.

Post your entries to this thread for the category of:
Intel-Based Office PC

Stay within $500 (without shipping) and no need to include OS, monitor, mouse/keyboard. To keep things fair and level the playing field, we ask that you restrict your product links to Newegg or Amazon. Please be sure to format your list of components as follows:

Joe's Office Chug-along Rig
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price

See below for quick-copy/paste text of the BBcode.

[cpp]
Joe's Office Chug-along Rig
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price
[/cpp]

We encourage users to use PCPartPicker's System Build for speedy construction. Do not post a link to your build, but rather please be sure to export as BBCode for a quick copy/paste as a response here, so users can easily see your component selections.

Good luck, and may the best builds win!

 

[RazerZ]

RazerZ's i5 Office Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($185.81 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.24 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair SPEC-03 Red ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $495.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 02:02 EDT-0400)

 

[AMD Radeon]

AMD Radeon's Quick Multitasking Office PC

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $489.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-13 23:07 EDT-0400)

 

[g-unit1111]

G-Unit's "Burning The Midnight Oil Data Cube" Rig
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($134.96 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy M Midnight MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($99.42 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $489.78
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 01:46 EDT-0400)

 

[sadams04]

sadams04's Intel Office Rig

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.95 @ Amazon)
Total: $496.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-14 09:20 EDT-0400)

 

[ScrewySqrl]

Screwy's Office PC

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($194.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($119.69 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill R379-M MicroATX Slim Case w/300W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $482.92

i5-4440 quad core cpu. HD4600 is adequate to push two monitors, run youtube or other video, and run Excel/Word/Email/Web apps ust fine. MATX board and slim case for minimal desk space impact. 256 GB SSD for speed, and for most office work, no more space is needed. 8GB of 1866 ram is possibly overkill, but its teh same price as 1600, so why not. Should run well for 5 years. 300W PSU in case is medium quality, but will never be taxed.

 

[g-unit1111]

G-Unit's "HR Pleasing Cheepnis" Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data Premier Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.73 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GT 630 2GB Video Card ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.18 @ Amazon)
Total: $401.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-15 00:04 EDT-0400)

If you want to get cheaper:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data Premier Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.73 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.18 @ Amazon)
Total: $336.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-15 00:05 EDT-0400)

Eliminate the video card and you've got an HR pleasing machine just for number crunching and basic tasks. :lol:

Oh and the spelling of "Cheepnis" is a nod to the late, great Frank Zappa. :lol:

 

[shortstuff_mt]

shortstuff_mt's "my computer is too fast, how am I supposed to sleep between work tasks?" Intel office build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD2 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($56.79 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($113.17 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $476.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-16 00:21 EDT-0400)

This Intel based office build is a great all-around machine. It has a fast dual-core CPU, 8GB of RAM for multi-tasking and heavy applications, an SSD for overall system responsiveness, and a quality 80+ gold certified PSU for system stability.

 

[KalTorak]

The I5 and SSD by a SQUEEK

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($72.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill R379-M MicroATX Slim Case w/300W Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $483.85
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-17 06:16 EDT-0400)

It will indeed need a PSU, how I managed to get a 3rd HDD instead in there I do not know!

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The I5 and SSD by a SQUEEK

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.50 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($51.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP900 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $499.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-16 09:15 EDT-0400)

That build is going to need a PSU.

 

[nikoli707]

Nikoli's "Budget Xeon Office BXO" build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($54.89 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 5450 1GB Video Card ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $494.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-20 21:32 EDT-0400)

 

[nikoli707]

i fully believe most, >90%, in an office environment doesn't need an optical drive anymore, you can replace the simple $15-20 drive with a 32gb usb stick which 99.9% of the time is more than enough space, and far more than a dual layer 8.5gb dvd, to move files from one pc to the next etc. unless your office is doing video work and such then you would actually want a hyper threaded quad core, which i still included in my xeon build, if not a firepro/quado which is completely out of this threads league.

 

[g-unit1111]

i fully believe most, >90%, in an office environment doesn't need an optical drive anymore, you can replace the simple $15-20 drive with a 32gb usb stick which 99.9% of the time is more than enough space, and far more than a dual layer 8.5gb dvd, to move files from one pc to the next etc. unless your office is doing video work and such then you would actually want a hyper threaded quad core, which i still included in my xeon build, if not a firepro/quado which is completely out of this threads league.

Plus that Xeon rig would need a graphics card since the Xeons lack integrated Intel HD 2500/3500/4500 graphics. And most office PCs still won't need dedicated graphics either. I highly doubt there's an HR department out there that would willingly pay $100 a system for a Radeon 7750 when all you're doing is running MS Office, accounting software, etc. :lol:

 

[nikoli707]

i fully believe most, >90%, in an office environment doesn't need an optical drive anymore, you can replace the simple $15-20 drive with a 32gb usb stick which 99.9% of the time is more than enough space, and far more than a dual layer 8.5gb dvd, to move files from one pc to the next etc. unless your office is doing video work and such then you would actually want a hyper threaded quad core, which i still included in my xeon build, if not a firepro/quado which is completely out of this threads league.

Plus that Xeon rig would need a graphics card since the Xeons lack integrated Intel HD 2500/3500/4500 graphics. And most office PCs still won't need dedicated graphics either. I highly doubt there's an HR department out there that would willingly pay $100 a system for a Radeon 7750 when all you're doing is running MS Office, accounting software, etc. :lol:

good call, though you can easily pick up an hd5450 for under $20, sometimes as low as $10, and would work fine offering up to 1600p with all the necessary outputs.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

Joseph's "Totally Odd & Weird" Studio Office PC

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($300.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Pareema 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Apex DM-387 HTPC Case w/275W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $491.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 11:06 EDT-0400)

Yes, I know I look like a fool by throwing an Intel Core i7 processor in an office PC, but I figured that this one would be a rather unique build geared towards working on CPU-intensive artistic and entertainment projects, like film editing, programming, and CAD. I had to cheap out on the other parts to fit that processor in the budget, but at least it's a capable machine.

Joseph's "More Normal" Office PC

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($133.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.69 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $477.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-25 11:55 EDT-0400)

This is a more standard build for regular clerical work. Notice that I put in a T-class processor to give the PC an "Energy Star" rating for lower energy consumption. I also put in an SSD cache drive to boost a normal HDD and provide more storage without sacrificing disk drive speed.

 

[lp231]

Some Xeons have build in graphics, but it depends on the model.
Anyway, here is my Intel based office PC


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.24 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $382.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 14:24 EDT-0400)

Uses Intel's Haswell refresh processor.
It's a office PC, so it will use the graphics from the CPU.

 

[sonny8888]

shortstuff_mt's "my computer is too fast, how am I supposed to sleep between work tasks?" Intel office build

Sonny's "My computer is too slow, how am I not supposed to sleep between work tasks?" HR replies "I can get 2.5 of your slow computers for the price of 1 fast computer!"
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G1820 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 1GB (1 x 1GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($16.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Pipeline HD 250GB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($31.70 @ Amazon)
Case: Apex PC-389-C ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $218.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-06 05:45 EDT-0400)

 

[jmracerboy]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($62.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 380W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $477.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available