Need Help - 1st Build - Church Office Computers

[sola396]

First, I want to say thanks to all the mods and commenters at Tom's Hardware - I've learned so much here that I'm taking the plunge to build 2 PCs for our Church - 1 for my office (Pastor) & 1 for a secretary's. Looking for feedback on compatibility & any need for better components. I could've chosen lesser/cheaper components at times, but want highest quality / $. Thanks & here goes - please be gentle:

Purpose: Multiple office tasks all at once for both PCs (2-3 Office programs at once, Church Management software, Chrome w/multiple extensions & apps, & remote access software). Pastor's computer: all the same + light to moderate video editing (Cyberlink PD 10-11), high-end Bible software & heavy Chrome use (YouTube, Vimeo, etc., for which I want quality HD).

Budget: $1500 for both with all components included (have used keyboard & mouse for 1 PC). Prices reflect current or recent deals @ multiple stores.

Pastor's PC:
AMD FX-4170 Processor - $120
ASRock 990FX Extreme3 Motherboard - $120
SAMSUNG 8GB 1600 - $35
OCZ Vertex 3 Max 120GB SSD - $110
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive - $77
Gigabyte GV-R667 1G Radeon HD 6670 - $50
Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X DVD Burner - $17
Coolmax ZX-500 500-Watt PSU - $27
Raygo R12-40887 R86 Mid Tower Case - $33
Microsoft USB Keyboard & Mouse - $17
Topram RV32 USB 3.0 Card Reader - $10
Windows 8 Pro - $95
BenQ GW2250 22" LED Monitor - $110
Total - $821

Secretary's PC
AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz APU - $120
MSI FM2-A85XA-G65 Motherboard - $104
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB 1600 - $0.00 (w/above)
Seagate Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive - $77
Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X DVD Burner - $17
Coolmax ZX-500 500-Watt PSU - $27
Raygo R12-40887 R86 Mid Tower Case - $33
Windows 8 Pro - $95
Acer ET.WG5HP.B01 22" LCD Monitor - $99
Total - $572

Total Cost so far - $1393 - Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

 

[cmichael138]

Would consider a different PSU....Seasonic or Corsair.

 

[chugot9218]

Yes, do not skimp on your PSU, it could end up being very costly.

 

[sola396]

Would consider a different PSU....Seasonic or Corsair.

Is there one in particular you would suggest that would be in the < $50 range? Or 1 that's higher that I should absolutely get regardless of the cost? And would you suggest the same for both builds or something different for each?

Thanks for any help.

D.R.

 

[sola396]

Yes, do not skimp on your PSU, it could end up being very costly.

Any suggestions for these particular systems?

Thanks,

D.R.

 

[Goodeggray]

The Cosair CX430 is a good choice. Check RealHardTechX.com for their psu review database.

 

[cmichael138]

You might consider this one as it should be adequate for both systems and is $60 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

 

[cmichael138]

You can save some money with this one for the secretary's computer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

 

[sola396]

You can save some money with this one for the secretary's computer:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139027

Thanks for the suggestions on the PSUs - they were very helpful. About ready to start building now! I'm going to hope that's going to take less time than doing all the research did.

D.R.

 

[cmichael138]

Good luck
1) Assemble and test system on a piece of cardboard before installing in the case to make sure everything is working properly.
2) Take your time.

 

[sola396]

Thanks again for the help. And thanks to some good timing and these suggestions, I was able to pick up 2 of the Corsair CX600s for $38 after rebate at Newegg! I may wait to pick up some of the other components until around New Years. Last year I got the computer I am on now at New Years and was able to get a bunch of upgrades and free stuff. I especially want to hold out and see if I can get the mechanical HDs at cheaper prices. And it would be nice to pick up a good wireless mouse and keyboard for my office at a cheap price. So thanks again,

D.R.

 

[g-unit1111]

I definitely agree with everything that was said so far on the power supply - Coolmax is one of the worst brands in the industry.

For less than $600 for both builds I would suggest this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($96.97 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($70.17 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $648.61
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-14 17:51 EST-0500)

You could probably use this rig for both builds and then get whatever monitors and peripherals you want.

 

[sola396]

G-Unit,

I really appreciate your suggestions here. I'm not really interested in an Intel build, but it was helpful to compare prices. I have an Intel i7-2600K myself and part of the reason I shied away from Intel was due to cost and the desire for something quad-core. And I had not heard of PCPartPicker. That's a great website for me for this. Thanks for introducing me to it through sharing your build. I did heed your suggestion about the NZXT case and picked one of those up - very cool looking case for the main office. And I may get that Video Card if I have enough left over in the end. I'd already gotten the PSUs, but I may look at that SeaSonic for a potential future build. As for the Windows 7 Home Premium, I had understood that Churches were considered businesses and had to have a Professional version of whatever software from Microsoft. And that's why I picked up a couple of Win 8 licenses from a local builder around here for $95 each. For future reference, do you know if that is true or not, or if I could have opted with one of the Home versions? And do you know if I could do that with the Office software (we are hoping to upgrade to Office 2013 later this year)?

Thanks again g-unit,

D.R.

 

[g-unit1111]

I really appreciate your suggestions here. I'm not really interested in an Intel build, but it was helpful to compare prices. I have an Intel i7-2600K myself and part of the reason I shied away from Intel was due to cost and the desire for something quad-core. And I had not heard of PCPartPicker. That's a great website for me for this.

PC Part Picker is a great website, I use it like every day. My build has a 3570K but I've used modern i3s, i5s, and i7s - even the low end i3s are pretty fast for the money even if they don't have as many cores.

I did heed your suggestion about the NZXT case and picked one of those up - very cool looking case for the main office.

NZXT makes some great cases, I'm planning my next build already based around the Switch 810. :lol:

As for the Windows 7 Home Premium, I had understood that Churches were considered businesses and had to have a Professional version of whatever software from Microsoft.

You only need Windows 7 Pro if you're using more than 16GB of RAM or you need the extra networking functions. For the most part Home Premium will cover everything you need. You could also get a Windows 8 basic license.

I'd already gotten the PSUs, but I may look at that SeaSonic for a potential future build.

I use that same power supply on my home theater PC and it's a very solid supply, I highly recommend that.

And do you know if I could do that with the Office software (we are hoping to upgrade to Office 2013 later this year)?

I actually haven't purchased MS Office in several years - I use the free Open Office that you can download from Sun Microsystems.