First build: Budget SLIM desktop for programming

lauraExplora

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Dec 11, 2012
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10,510
I am in the process of selecting components for my first build! This will be a slim desktop which supports dual monitors. I'd like to thank the Tom's community for all of the help so far. (I've been reading a lot of reviews and forum posts to get to this point!)

I'm looking for input on:
a. Will these components work together? (Yes, I'm a newb!)
b. Are they likely to fit in a slim micro-atx case?
c. What do I need for cooling? (again total newb!)
d. Am I missing something? or are there items where I can skimp to save a bit of money?


Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP, but can hunt for sale prices for a month or so.

Budget Range: ~$600 (I'm willing to adjust budget and/or components) (After Rebates; After Shipping)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Android development, surfing the internet, streaming music, light gaming, watching movies

Are you buying a monitor: Yes (2 monitors), prefer around 20", at least one to be vertical

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo (micro-atx), RAM, HDD, SSD, DVD drive (?), wireless adapter, case (micro-atx slim), wireless k/b

Do you need to buy OS: No (will dual boot Windows 7 and ubuntu)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, amazon.com, open to other sites

Location: Washington, DC, USA

Parts Preferences: Must be a slim case (~4"), and pretty sure I will get the Intel Core i3-3220 cpu.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: around 960-1080p

Additional Comments: Using Eclipse for Android development. Light gaming currently minecraft and SimCity 3000. I'm not planning on getting a dedicated video card, but possibly would want to add one later. I'm trying for a lower power system.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My only computer at the moment is a 4-5 year old laptop, which is getting outdated/has some issues. A huge factor is that I need more screen real estate for developing, and want a desktop with dual monitor setup.


Current component list:
Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500
ASRock H77M LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model MV-3V4G3D/US
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Rosewill R379-M Black/ Silver 0.8mm SGCC Steel Slim MicroATX Computer Case with ATX12V Flex 300W Power Supply
SAMSUNG DVD Burner SATA Model SH-224BB - OEM
Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 920-002950 Black 8 Hot Keys USB RF Wireless Standard Keyboard and Mouse
ASUS USB-N10 Wireless Adapter
LG IPS224T-PN Black 22" 14ms (GTG) Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 5,000,000:1 IPS Panel (x2)
ERGOTRON 33-310-060 Neo-Flex LCD Stand

Current Newegg.com price total: $810.88 (plus ~$16 shipping).
 

blane2

Honorable
Nov 10, 2012
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10,540
What you've selected should work.... however something that may be of interest is:


GIGABYTE GA-H77N-WIFI LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000
TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 PCI Express x1 Wireless N Dual Band Adapter

^
these parts would allow you to triple boot all 3 major Operating systems should you decide to expand into iApp development later on.
 

lauraExplora

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Dec 11, 2012
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10,510


Thanks for the input. I'm probably not going down the iApp route event, but I am now curious. Could you explain what characteristics of those parts would specifically allow me to boot Mac OS? Thank you again!
 

aicom

Honorable
Mar 29, 2012
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Are you planning to be debugging Android apps within the mobile device emulator? If so, you may want to go for an i5 although I don't remember how resource intensive the emulator was last time I ran it.
 

lauraExplora

Honorable
Dec 11, 2012
5
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10,510


Thanks for the input! I do use the Android emulator occupationally (and it is dreadfully slow on my current laptop). I'll look into what other users recommend for cpu for this purpose.