Do it my way (use spare parts) or look for a pre-built?

[Metallica93]

Update: I think I'm better off with this build compared to using my obsolete parts, but I'd really like to shave some of the cost off. Is there anything reasonable I can do in terms of the components (I already have a monitor and tower) or should I just wait for the next holiday (President's Day, St. Patrick's Day, or Easter) for sales?

[strike]I'm attempting to replace my cousin's HP Pavilion (circa 2007) on the cheap here in the U.S. with spare parts of mine. His old rig had a TV tuner card (the biggest draw) and he's looking for a new setup to be able to handle Blu-ray and Netflix streaming, as well.

I have an AMD Athlon II X3 450, a Sapphire Radeon HD 6770, a Raidmax mid-tower, and a 1600x900 monitor.

Need

Motherboard: ASRock AM3+ Micro ATX

Memory: 2x4GB G.SKILL DDR3 1600

Storage: Western Digital 500GB 7200rpm HDD

Power supply: Raidmax 530W

TV tuner card: Hauppague Digital TV Receiver

Blu-ray drive: ASUS Blu-ray drive

Questions

1) I've never built a non-gaming PC before. Is $330 (before tax) a good deal for what he wants the desktop to do? My case and GPU are probably complete overkill, anyway.

2) Should I find a Blu-ray player with software pre-installed for ease of use or is that OEM drive with VLC Media Player good enough?

3) I'm assuming Windows 10 64-bit is still free to download, right?

Thanks in advance, everyone![/strike]

 

[snowctrl]

Windows 10 is NOT free to download - you'll need to buy it. This by itself makes the build-from-parts route problematic...

If he/she only wants an office/web PC then I would spend the money buyng a new low-end system and put a TV card in it

Even a cheap recent system will trump your Athlon for speed

 

[PC_GEEK391]

Hi,
If your cousin is looking for only blu-ray and Netflix streaming, then the above specified requirements would do at the given price. It is viable.
What is the OEM drive the system has ? VLC media player can play blu -ray but with a couple of workarounds.
The following article may help you:
https://videoconverter.wondershare.com/vlc/use-vlc-to-play-blu-ray-movies.html

And for the last one..
Windows 10 free upgrade is over. The last date was Dec 31, 2017. I checked a lot of other websites for information, but it's done.

I hope my opinion helps .
Thank you

 

[Metallica93]

Windows 10 is NOT free to download - you'll need to buy it. This by itself makes the build-from-parts route problematic...

If he/she only wants an office/web PC then I would spend the money buyng a new low-end system and put a TV card in it

Even a cheap recent system will trump your Athlon for speed

Yup, my mistake. I meant the free upgrade. And it seems Microsoft left Vista users behind, so that's another check in the pre-build column (or finding a used build).

That's true, but it would still need a Blu-ray drive. I'm not sure if lower end systems come with those yet.

As far as the CPU, I can always replace it with an FX-4300 or 6300. Either of those should get the job done for cheaper than a low-end pre-built, right?

Hi,
If your cousin is looking for only blu-ray and Netflix streaming, then the above specified requirements would do at the given price. It is viable.
What is the OEM drive the system has ? VLC media player can play blu -ray but with a couple of workarounds.
The following article may help you:
https://videoconverter.wondershare.com/vlc/use-vlc-to-play-blu-ray-movies.html

And for the last one..
Windows 10 free upgrade is over. The last date was Dec 31, 2017. I checked a lot of other websites for information, but it's done.

I hope my opinion helps .
Thank you

His system? Since it's from 2007, probably a DVD drive. And I know VLC can play Blu-rays, but is it straightforward? He's not as tech savvy as me.

Well, [watch your language]. So much for upgrading my mom's laptop, then :/

 

[PC_GEEK391]

Windows 10 is NOT free to download - you'll need to buy it. This by itself makes the build-from-parts route problematic...

If he/she only wants an office/web PC then I would spend the money buyng a new low-end system and put a TV card in it

Even a cheap recent system will trump your Athlon for speed

Yup, my mistake. I meant the free upgrade. And it seems Microsoft left Vista users behind, so that's another check in the pre-build column (or finding a used build).

That's true, but it would still need a Blu-ray drive. I'm not sure if lower end systems come with those yet.

As far as the CPU, I can always replace it with an FX-4300 or 6300. Either of those should get the job done for cheaper than a low-end pre-built, right?

Hi,
If your cousin is looking for only blu-ray and Netflix streaming, then the above specified requirements would do at the given price. It is viable.
What is the OEM drive the system has ? VLC media player can play blu -ray but with a couple of workarounds.
The following article may help you:
https://videoconverter.wondershare.com/vlc/use-vlc-to-play-blu-ray-movies.html

And for the last one..
Windows 10 free upgrade is over. The last date was Dec 31, 2017. I checked a lot of other websites for information, but it's done.

I hope my opinion helps .
Thank you

His system? Since it's from 2007, probably a DVD drive. And I know VLC can play Blu-rays, but is it straightforward? He's not as tech savvy as me.

Well, [watch your language]. So much for upgrading my mom's laptop, then :/

Blu ray writer has to be bought and VLC won't go straight forward. You have to install ASCII library for VLC to play blu ray.... The article which I've posted has the process for that.

 

[Metallica93]

Blu ray writer has to be bought and VLC won't go straight forward. You have to install ASCII library for VLC to play blu ray.... The article which I've posted has the process for that.

No, lol. I meant is using VLC to play Blu-rays straightforward? My cousin isn't tech savvy. I need this to be as easy as throwing a disc in and hitting "Play" like you would a BD player plugged into your TV.

 

[PC_GEEK391]

Blu ray writer has to be bought and VLC won't go straight forward. You have to install ASCII library for VLC to play blu ray.... The article which I've posted has the process for that.

No, lol. I meant is using VLC to play Blu-rays straightforward? My cousin isn't tech savvy. I need this to be as easy as throwing a disc in and hitting "Play" like you would a BD player plugged into your TV.

I mean that it is not straight forward. You can't play it on VLC just like that.

 

[PC_GEEK391]

Blu ray writer has to be bought and VLC won't go straight forward. You have to install ASCII library for VLC to play blu ray.... The article which I've posted has the process for that.

No, lol. I meant is using VLC to play Blu-rays straightforward? My cousin isn't tech savvy. I need this to be as easy as throwing a disc in and hitting "Play" like you would a BD player plugged into your TV.

If you install the required files, it is plain simple and easy to use VLC to play the BLU-ray files.

 

[Metallica93]

If you install the required files, it is plain simple and easy to use VLC to play the BLU-ray files.

Alright, there we go. I can install the files no problem. I just needed to make sure they could use it with minimal instruction. Thanks and sorry for the confusion

 

[PC_GEEK391]

If you install the required files, it is plain simple and easy to use VLC to play the BLU-ray files.

Alright, there we go. I can install the files no problem. I just needed to make sure they could use it with minimal instruction. Thanks and sorry for the confusion

Here's some links from youtube :
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0BCdozu2ug

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHdZWMb3qZk

Hope these help!!!

 

[The Paladin]

1. Windows 10 Creator can be downloaded from MS web site : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
(it isn't an upgrade its a fresh install and press skip when asked for a license.)

2. VLC can be set in windows default programs to be used combined with auto-start, slap a dvd into driver it will ask what you want to do, make sure you have previously installed VLC, and then set it as default video player for dvd, then repeat for blue ray. then when your non-savvy person uses it, he pops a disc in and vlc will start automatically

 

[Metallica93]

1. Windows 10 Creator can be downloaded from MS web site : https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
(it isn't an upgrade its a fresh install and press skip when asked for a license.)

So, I could save him the $100 for now by just giving him an unactivated (inactivated?) version of Windows 10 to use?

 

[Metallica93]

This post has essentially become how I can reduce the cost of this build (and if I need a new motherboard or if the BIOS update doesn't apply - I'm not sure how to confirm that before buying).

1) Waiting for sales/combo deals could potentially save my cousin $50-100.

2) Using an unactivated (inactivated?) version of Windows 10 saves him $100 (for now).

3) He'll be getting my tower and monitor along with only 4GB of RAM (any of which can be upgraded later).

Anything else? A warranty on the motherboard, perhaps?