Cheap school 2 monitor build for buddy's GF

[gar9]

Hello all,

My buddy wants me to build his GF a PC that she can use for school stuff for the next 5 years.
And can run 2 1920x1080 monitors.

No preference other than that. I'd probably throw in a Hyper 212 Evo to keep the noise down.

Maybe I'll present a SSD version and a HDD version?

If anyone can advise for a build that is as cheap as possible, that would be awesome!

 

[DarkSable]

What's this being used FOR?

Gaming, schoolwork, CAD...

Also, the best option, which they would be happiest with, I'm sure, would be a small SSD for windows and a hard drive for data.

 

[cbrunnem]

getting them to accept the increase in cost of a ssd might be difficult if they are not up on computer. plus with modern hard drives i doubt shell notice the difference since she wont be opening anything big like a game or a 3d modeling program. also there should be no need for a hyper 212 evo as she will only need an i3 at most and the stock cooling for that is more than enough and not loud at all. my parents have an i3 desktop and you can here crickets when its on. no noise at all.

anyway this is what i would put together.

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19qGI) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19qGI/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/19qGI/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-3225 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i33225) | $132.99 @ NCIX US
**Motherboard** | [Asus P8H77-M LE Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8h77mle) | $67.98 @ Outlet PC
**Memory** | [G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f310600cl9d4gbnt) | $34.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003) | $64.99 @ NCIX US
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500) | $29.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $330.94
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 14:17 EDT-0400 |

add your own MICRO ATX case and you are golden. other then that this pc will do anything she wants unless she games.

ps why is your buddy buying his GF that i assume is right out of High school a computer??? lol weird.

 

[g-unit1111]

add your own MICRO ATX case and you are golden. other then that this pc will do anything she wants unless she games.

There's a lot of crappy cases out there, I generally hate generalizing like this.

I'd suggest doing a Bitfenix Prodigy build, something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $832.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 16:03 EDT-0400)

Unlike the above build - which uses onboard Intel HD video (a big no no on desktops in my book), this has a dedicated GPU that will easily handle multiple displays. I included a quad core CPU and a Bitfenix Prodigy as the case. The cooler is there because of the small space, stock cooling won't cut it.

 

[cbrunnem]

add your own MICRO ATX case and you are golden. other then that this pc will do anything she wants unless she games.

There's a lot of crappy cases out there, I generally hate generalizing like this.

I'd suggest doing a Bitfenix Prodigy build, something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 74.4 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($110.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2GB Video Card ($173.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $832.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 16:03 EDT-0400)

Unlike the above build - which uses onboard Intel HD video (a big no no on desktops in my book), this has a dedicated GPU that will easily handle multiple displays. I included a quad core CPU and a Bitfenix Prodigy as the case. The cooler is there because of the small space, stock cooling won't cut it.

hd 4000 graphics can more then handle youtube videos on two screens. also there is no need for an i5 let alone a closed water system to cool it. thats just a waste of money. if you are going to get a dedicated gpu there is NO need for a mid level gpu like the 650ti. thats just crazy.

your build is not for a girl that at most is going to have 20 browser tabs open while on youtube with excel and word open. this isnt a budget gaming build. idk what you are thinking recommending what you are. its just a waste of money. she WILL NOT notice any difference between my build.

 

[gar9]

add your own MICRO ATX case and you are golden. other then that this pc will do anything she wants unless she games.

hd 4000 graphics can more then handle youtube videos on two screens. also there is no need for an i5 let alone a closed water system to cool it. thats just a waste of money. if you are going to get a dedicated gpu there is NO need for a mid level gpu like the 650ti. thats just crazy.

your build is not for a girl that at most is going to have 20 browser tabs open while on youtube with excel and word open. this isnt a budget gaming build. idk what you are thinking recommending what you are. its just a waste of money. she WILL NOT notice any difference between my build.

Thanks for the advice cbrunnem and DarkSable, I will see what he says.

To answer your questions, buddy is 28 and I forgot they have been engaged for a few weeks now.

She is in 2nd year Law at University here in Canada.

The computer will be used pretty much just for school work (typing) and internet I believe.

Fixed your code. - G

 

[g-unit1111]

hd 4000 graphics can more then handle youtube videos on two screens. also there is no need for an i5 let alone a closed water system to cool it. thats just a waste of money. if you are going to get a dedicated gpu there is NO need for a mid level gpu like the 650ti. thats just crazy.

your build is not for a girl that at most is going to have 20 browser tabs open while on youtube with excel and word open. this isnt a budget gaming build. idk what you are thinking recommending what you are. its just a waste of money. she WILL NOT notice any difference between my build.

I'm personally not a fan of Intel HD video. It has its' uses but I would not substitute it for a dedicated card. I would use a dedicated card every single time. Unless it's an AMD A10. But the reason I included the cooler is because mATX builds are known to overheat, and even for moderate use the CPU would overheat. But yeah point taken on the CPU and GPU. If it's not very intensive stuff, how about an AMD A10?

Maybe try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX R2.0 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $595.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 21:33 EDT-0400)

 

[ballerslife]

hd 4000 graphics can more then handle youtube videos on two screens. also there is no need for an i5 let alone a closed water system to cool it. thats just a waste of money. if you are going to get a dedicated gpu there is NO need for a mid level gpu like the 650ti. thats just crazy.

your build is not for a girl that at most is going to have 20 browser tabs open while on youtube with excel and word open. this isnt a budget gaming build. idk what you are thinking recommending what you are. its just a waste of money. she WILL NOT notice any difference between my build.

I'm personally not a fan of Intel HD video. But the reason I included the cooler is because mATX builds are known to overheat, and even for moderate use the CPU would overheat. But yeah point taken on the CPU and GPU. If it's not very intensive stuff, how about an AMD A10?

Maybe try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX R2.0 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($65.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $595.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-23 21:33 EDT-0400)

Good build. +1

 

[gar9]

Hey thanks guys, that build looks a lot like the systems I built for myself for a GF's-house PC and also for a couple guys at work.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Gar9/saved/1GOD
They love the build.

I'll see what she thinks about an SSD, imo it's worth it.

How does the H60 cooler compare to the Hyper EVO in a tight case? I think it would be neat to build a small form factor PC.

 

[g-unit1111]

Hey thanks guys, that build looks a lot like the systems I built for myself for a GF's-house PC and also for a couple guys at work.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Gar9/saved/1GOD
They love the build.

I'll see what she thinks about an SSD, imo it's worth it.

How does the H60 cooler compare to the Hyper EVO in a tight case? I think it would be neat to build a small form factor PC.

The Hyper 212 won't fit in a Prodigy. The clearance just isn't there. If you want an air fan the Noctua L12 would be a good choice as well. I'd go with an NZXT Kraken X40 but that's significantly more expensive. The H60 will get the job done.

SSDs are worth it - if you want to add one as a boot drive the Samsung 840 Pro and the OCZ Vector are the best on the market right now.

 

[gar9]

Awesome, I'll have a chat with them this week to see what they think. I'll post back here later this week. Thanks again!

 

[DarkSable]

The Hyper 212 won't fit in a Prodigy. The clearance just isn't there.

As long as you aren't using a motherboard that puts the socket directly next to the PCIe slot, like mine, a 212 should fit okay. Vertical clearance isn't the problem; horizontal clearance on the motherboard is.

 

[gar9]

Hey guys, I'm back.

I talked to them and it's a go. I told them that I can build her a tower for around $700 grand total. That's including tax and shipping.

She said that a normal mid-tower case will be fine. I think I will go with the standard A10-5800k build we have been talking about.

The only thing I don't really know about is monitors.
She wants me to get her 2 monitors. I advised her to get 22-24 inch IPS monitors that will run 1920x1080. Hoping to get each one for 150CAD or so.

This is for school work (Word, internet) Any suggestions?
Or should I make a new thread in a different section?

 

[g-unit1111]

Hey guys, I'm back.

I talked to them and it's a go. I told them that I can build her a tower for around $700 grand total. That's including tax and shipping.

She said that a normal mid-tower case will be fine. I think I will go with the standard A10-5800k build we have been talking about.

The only thing I don't really know about is monitors.
She wants me to get her 2 monitors. I advised her to get 22-24 inch IPS monitors that will run 1920x1080. Hoping to get each one for 150CAD or so.

This is for school work (Word, internet) Any suggestions?
Or should I make a new thread in a different section?

The new A10-6800K is out and it offers significantly improved CPU performance, plus the iGPU is significantly better. Try something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($48.00 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $537.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-09 19:51 EDT-0400)