Building PC for my Dad

[fantom87]

I'm building a desktop for my Dad, and I wanted to check with you guys to see what you thought of it. My Dad by no means needs a super powerful gaming rig like what I built for myself. The extent of his gaming needs is playing Sims 3 and sometimes Civ IV, though there are some upcoming RTS titles he may be interested in. Anyway, main thing I'm wanting to do for this system is make it so that it's as "future proof" as I can make it for his needs, which are light. Here the link for the build,

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gR5x

The video card may be entirely unnecessary for him since the CPU has integrated graphics, which may be enough for him. What do you guys think? Budget isn't a concern.

 

[sam_p_lay]

Your Dad is into overclocking? Interesting choice of SSD there too (840 is cheaper and faster, or use a Sandisk Ultra Plus or Plextor M5S if you want MLC NAND). Good to see there's an SSD though 🙂

 

[lxxjordan23xxl]

I'm building a desktop for my Dad, and I wanted to check with you guys to see what you thought of it. My Dad by no means needs a super powerful gaming rig like what I built for myself. The extent of his gaming needs is playing Sims 3 and sometimes Civ IV, though there are some upcoming RTS titles he may be interested in. Anyway, main thing I'm wanting to do for this system is make it so that it's as "future proof" as I can make it for his needs, which are light. Here the link for the build,

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gR5x

The video card may be entirely unnecessary for him since the CPU has integrated graphics, which may be enough for him. What do you guys think? Budget isn't a concern.

The video card is necessary since Intel HD graphics won't get the job done.

 

[manofchalk]

I'm guessing that the most he would do on this computer is just typical usage, office applications and a bit of light gaming?

I would go for a rig like this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($164.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $823.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-15 07:54 EDT-0400)

EDIT: Also, wow, there are 830's still in stock? I would have thought they ran out ages ago given Samsung just outright stopped making them in the lead up to the 840 series. Pretty good SSD the 830.

 

[fantom87]

Your Dad is into overclocking? Interesting choice of SSD there too (840 is cheaper and faster, or use a Sandisk Ultra Plus or Plextor M5S if you want MLC NAND). Good to see there's an SSD though 🙂

My Dad isn't into overclocking, no, but I tried to leave it as an option in the future should it be necessary.

 

[loligo]

I think that if there is need for OC in the future (e.g., in 2 years), it might be best to get a new CPU and MoBo then.
The case is massive IMHO, I would go for something smaller and quieter like Antec P280 or Fractal Design R4 (or even Define Mini - my new favorite).

As far as MoBo's go - I would go for Antec Gigabyte or Asrock (last is my fave).

Guess +1 to ManofChalk's build except I prefer Intel:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gRst

 

[sam_p_lay]

I think that if there is need for OC in the future (e.g., in 2 years), it might be best to get a new CPU and MoBo then.
The case is massive IMHO, I would go for something smaller and quieter like Antec P280 or Fractal Design R4 (or even Define Mini - my new favorite).

As far as MoBo's go - I would go for Antec Gigabyte or Asrock (last is my fave).

Guess +1 to ManofChalk's build except I prefer Intel:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1gRst

Why a non-stock cooler if not overclocking? And Antec don't do motherboards 🙂 Did you mean Asus?

 

[loligo]

Just better heat sink to increase lifespan of the cpu. But you are right, it can be removed if no OC is happening, and it will save you some more cash. Yeah, I meant Asus
what do you think?

 

[sam_p_lay]

I think it's decent advice except like I say, cooler really isn't needed. Intel CPUs live forever on a stock cooler when left at stock clocks (and even mild overclocks). For a non-gaming setup most important thing is just to get any modern SSD in there with a moderately decent CPU and sufficient quantity of RAM.