General-Purpose Build

[mastrom101]

Hi,

I'm building a computer for a first-time computer user. I think I've decided on some good parts so far but I wanted to get a second opinion. This computer will only be used for basic tasks such as general web browsing.


Intel X25-M SATA Solid State Drive - 160 GB $119.97 ($30.00 Mail-in Rebate)

MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Socket FM2 Motherboard - MicroATX, Socket FM2 $57.99

Patriot Viper 3 Extreme Performance Black Mamba 8GB Memory Module Kit - DDR3, 1600MHz, $39.97

Corsair CX430 V2 Series 430W Power Supply $57.99 ($20.00 Mail-in Rebate)

Cooler Master Elite 430 Mid Tower ATX Case $49.97 ($15.00 Mail-in Rebate)

AMD A8-Series Quad-Core A8-5600K Black Edition APU $99.97

Undecided between Windows 7 and 8

Monitor, Keyboard and mouse will also have to be purchased.

For a grand total of $425.86 ($360.86 after rebates) plus ~$100 for the OS I choose.


The only part I am unsure of is the motherboard; should I spend more on a better motherboard?

Parts have to be from Canadian retailers. I prefer places with retail locations such as TigerDirect, NCIX and Canada Computers, with TigerDirect being my preferred retailer.

Thanks for your help

 

[butremor]

I'd change ram to corsair or kingston.
For mobo, Asrock FM2 A75-DGS is a good choice.
I'd say win7.

 

[jmsellars1]

If the person is used to Windows XP/Vista/7, I'd get 7. If not you might as well get 8. Otherwise, all looks good to me. That motherboard is fine.