Looking To Build A Basic (Non-Gaming) PC For $400.00

[Cluelessn00b]

I'm looking to build a basic PC for $400 or less. The operating system and monitor don't have to be included; I've already got those covered. Also I'd like a processor that supports AES-NI instructions. What would you put in the build and what are your suggestions?

I'd mostly be using this PC for web browsing, listening to and watching media, and storing important documents & pictures. I'm hoping that this PC will last me 4 - 5 years. Also does anyone think I could get away with a $300 - $350 build if I'm using a computer for these purposes? Thanks for your suggestions and help.

 

[butremor]

Here's my proposed build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-3400 2.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.97 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI A55M-P33 Micro ATX FM1 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.49 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX12V Power Supply ($29.14 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $264.55
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-12 14:33 EDT-0400)

But that's ignoring your request of aes-ni. As intel site says ae-ni is available on a number of cpus, most of them unfortunately are high-end meaning they are expensive.
Cheapest build regarding your specific request is this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-650 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($172.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar TP55 ATX LGA1156 Motherboard ($104.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Blu 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX12V Power Supply ($29.14 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $435.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-12 15:05 EDT-0400)

 

[ScrewySqrl]

here's my suggestion.

the Piledriver CPU can do AES-NI just fine, and I included an SSD, allowing for faster loads and access time.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($115.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI 760GM-P23 (FX) Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.97 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($29.83 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 6450 1GB Video Card ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.55 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $402.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-12 15:12 EDT-0400)

the SSD could be replaced with a 2 TB HDD for the same price if you need the size, or a 500 GB or 1 tb drive for $20-30 less.

 

[butremor]

Oh, wait... That reminds me
If we change first build a bit we can get amd cpu with aes-ni support, which will be chepest possible build with that feature
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-5300 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A55M-DGS Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.49 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX12V Power Supply ($29.14 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $263.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-12 15:17 EDT-0400)

 

[AustinS]

I particularly like ScrewySquirrel's suggestion, however, you can save $40 by not buying a video card and using onboard graphics. As he will not be using it for anything other than daily use, he will not need anything more than that. Also, go with the 2Tb drive as you are looking to store media, photos, etc. Or, you could go with a 1Tb drive and get a 30 gig ssd and set it up as a cache (The cache means that all the data is stored on the hard drive, but the most used stuff is also cached on the ssd for quick speeds). You will get the speed of an ssd, and the size of a hard drive.

Austin