Help me choose components for non gaming PC

[johnnyh55]

I would like to upgrade my current setup which is a Pentium Dual Core E5200 with 4GB of ram and a Radeon 5770 1GB video card and a 1TB Black Western Digital drive. I don't play games very often and I mostly browse the internet but with dual displays and 2 chrome browsers with 10 tabs each open at the same time. I also would like to run virtual machines to try out new operating systems. What cpu/motherboard and ram would you suggest? I would also like to keep it on the cheapest budget possible. I will be running Windows 7 64 bit which I already have.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

How much money do you have for this build?

 

[johnnyh55]

Maximum would be $400 but I don't know if that's possible. I can get a brand new Gateway DX4885-UR2D Core i5-4440, 10GB Ram, 1TB hard drive and has Windows 8.1 included at Best Buy for $470. I don't know if I am better off to buy that or upgrade my current PC.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

400 is very light. If you can sell your current computer you can raise your budget. The lowest I see this being decent at is 700ish. I run a lot of virtual machines and I do not think it would run smooth on that computer.

 

[johnnyh55]

When you say you run a lot of virtual machines, is that at the same time? I intend to use only one at a time.

 

[PCBuilderProbs]

an APU solution may be handy for you if you're not going to game, or an intel i3 haswell computer using integrated graphics

 

[martinch]

I don't play games very often and I mostly browse the internet but with dual displays and 2 chrome browsers with 10 tabs each open at the same time. I also would like to run virtual machines to try out new operating systems.

For web browsing, etc, anything modern would be fine.

My work laptop (i7-4600 with 16GB RAM) manages Virtual Box just fine. The laptop i7 CPU is roughly equivalent to a desktop i3 (dual core, 3.3GHz max turbo, 4MB cache, hyper threading), so I would guess a desktop i3 with 8GB RAM would be fine. An i5 might be nice, if you could wangle it, but otherwise...

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

10 browsers is more intense than i3 level.

 

[johnnyh55]

10 browsers is more intense than i3 level.

What would you recommend for CPU if I would have a little higher budget? Do I need to go i7 or i5 should be ok? Also, should I even consider AMD or for my application, Intel would be better?

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Actually AMD FX might work. I think Intel Xeon E3-1220V3 would be better.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Does not include operating system.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.15 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $548.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-26 11:46 EDT-0400

 

[johnnyh55]

Does not include operating system.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($191.15 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $548.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-26 11:46 EDT-0400

And what's the big difference between the Xeon and the Core I series?

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

Actually, I got mixed up with a different Xeon. This is a better build for the price. This new one saves you a bit.
The difference is a tiny bit more power is used by the i5 and the Xeon has more L3:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.75 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($35.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $534.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-26 12:01 EDT-0400