Recommended Builds by Usage

[tecmo34]

Recommended Builds by Usage
Last Updated on May 21, 2011
■Reviewed and updated builds as required

Last Updated on March 26, 2011
■Updated builds for newer components and replacing the Sandy Bridge motherboards for Rev3.0 versions

This thread is to provide a few "pre-built" options for those looking to build or upgrade based on usage, not including monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers or OS. I have defined the usage guidelines using information provided to me by sKora in his Index of "If sKora had..." topics thread under the "sKora's system design guide beta v0.1" section... Thanks sKora for providing me this information.

■Bargain - Just a box that turns on and runs programs. This is older 2nd and 3rd gen tech and is built as a one and done. Very few parts can or should be carried over to a future build after a bargain build has exhausted its useful life.
■Budget - Maximize the price/performance ratio and have some upgrade path. Budget builders have high enough standards to spend extra on quality parts that offer resonable returns. Its current tech after but usually baby brother versions of the high end options. They also will consider upgrade paths and options for future builds with what is bought now.
■Gamer - With Price/Performance in mind, its more about getting great performance and quality and willing to pay some premium for it. Gamers use current tech with high end components, but not elite. The upgrade path is limited here as the initial build generally is near the top of the tech tree. Gamers aren't usually immediate adopters of next gen tech, but willing to do a full platform upgrade when warranted instead of just a component or too.
■Enthusiast - Whats price? Performance at most any level. These are the ones buying multi GPU systems and the most powerful CPUs. Highest quality and the most current tech. Upgrades will happen until something else bright and shiney comes along that can't be stuck in their current system, then its a new build again. This will be the thinnest section from me and would need help from those that actually build/use these systems.
■HTPC - This PC is designed to be used as Home Theater PC for the end user. It is not designed to be a gaming machine but requires some level of graphics power to play movies on a "Big Screen" TV.
■Non-Gamer - This PC is designed for running office programs, internet, music... etc. Basically, a Dell PC... It is similar to my "Bargain" build but requires less video graphics power.
■WorkStation - This PC is designed for running workstation applications designed towards the professional applications and systems.

As with all new builds, I highly recommend doing your research before doing any build to determine what your needs are.

I have provided what I find to be useful sites and areas to look for those answers.
■Google - If you cannot find it there... than you probably won't find it anywhere...
■Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC - This is my thread on how to build a PC step-by-step.
■*How To Ask For New Build Advice* - This is the best thread to review how to ask for advice and is a required format to get the best answers.
■PERFORM THESE STEPS before posting about boot/no video problems! - This thread provides very good details on trouble shooting when you have boot issues after your build.
■*Guide to Choosing Parts* - This thread provides a very good guide in choosing parts and provides many important links and ideas.
■Homebuilt PC Buying Guide - This thread provides a good guide in choosing parts for a new build.
■Core 2 Overclocking Guide - This thread provides a very good guide to overclocking on the LGA 775.
■LGA 1156 Core i5 and Core i7 Overclocking guide - This thread provides a very good guide to overclocking on the LGA 1156 CPU's.
■CPU and Heatsink Lapping Guides - This thread provides information on lapping CPU's and Heatsinks to help improve the the thermal transfer between them.
■CPU Buyer's Guide 2.0 - This thread provides good information on the end's & out's on what CPU to buy and related information.
■The PSU Ranked List and Guide - This is a newer thread that has been created to provide a nice guideline for ranked PSU's by AMP's and Tier Levels.
■ Useful SSD Articles - This a good thread to research on Solid State Drives and what you need to understand about them.
■Power Requirements and Specs for Popular Graphics Cards Guide - This is a new thread providing recommended power supply direction based on the graphics card you plan on purchasing.
■Best Of Tom’s Hardware: Beginner’s Guide To Motherboard Selection - This is a great Tom's Hardware article on what to think about and look for when choosing a motherboard.
■FrostyTech - Best Heat Sinks & PC Cooling - The website provides good reviews and rankings on all things heatsinks.
■eXtreme Power Supply Calcuator Lite V2.5 - This site is a very useful site when you are trying to figure out what your power requirements are for your new build, so you get an idea on what PSU waltage you will need.
■AnandTech: - I find this site has very good links to multiple reviews from many different sites you'll see referenced and pretty up-to-date on news.
■techPowerUp! - I find this site has very good links to multiple reviews from many different sites you'll see referenced and pretty up-to-date on news.
■ JonnyGuru - The website provides good reivews and rankings on power supplies.
■Mouse Ergonomics Guide from Razer - This is a good guide in providing an understanding the different grip styles for a mouse. (Thanks for the info.... jonsy2k)

All builds take a OS, Speakers, Monitors, Keyboards & a Mouse. I have not included those in the builds in my lists below in the other post, but I have listed a few I would recommend to add to any of my builds. This will add cost above and beyond what I have listed as budgets. Most builds I have helped OP's with over the last few months, normally have these components already, but I did want to give options for those that don't.

Operating System: Updated to include the three major OS still in use by Users (Thanks for the feedback... 4ryan6 & psycho sykes)
■Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP3 32-bit for System Builders - OEM
■Microsoft Windows Vista Business SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
■Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
■Ubuntu

Monitor:
■Hanns·G HW-191APB Black 19" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
■ASUS VH236H Black 23" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 20000 :1 (ASCR) Built-in Speakers
■ASUS VW246H Black 24" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Widescreen LCD Monitor - Retail
■ASUS VE278Q Black 27" 1920x1080 2ms Full HD HDMI LED Backlight LCD Monitor w/Speakers 300 cd/m2 ASCR 10,000,000:1
■Dell UltraSharp U3011 30-inch Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Keyboard:
■Logitech K120 Black USB Wired Standard Keyboard
■Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 - Retail
■Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard
■RAZER Lycosa Black 104 Normal Keys USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail
■Logitech G19 Black USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard - Retail

Mouse:
■Microsoft D66-00066 Black 3 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB or PS/2 Wired Optical Mouse - OEM
■RAZER DeathAdder Precision Optical Gaming Mouse - 3.5G Infrared Sensor
■GIGABYTE GM-M8000X Rubber Black 7 Buttons USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse (Recommended by obsidian86)
■Cooler Master Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse SGM-6000-KLLW1-GP, 8 Button, 5600 DPI, w/ OLED Display (Recommended by obsidian86)
■Logitech G9x Black Two modes scroll USB Wired Laser 5700 dpi Gaming Mouse (Recommended by dirtdiver)
■RAZER Mamba Black 7 Buttons USB Laser Gaming Mouse - Dual Mode Wired/Wireless Functionality - Retail

Speakers / Headset:
■Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM
■Logitech Z506 75 watts RMS 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
■Logitech Z-5500 505 Watts 5.1 Speaker - Retail
■M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe 70-watt Bi-amplified Studio Reference Monitors (Recommended by Zinosys)
■Logitech H360 USB Connector Supra-aural Headset
■Creative Fatal1ty Professional Series Gaming Headset MKII

Routers: (Recommended by just a nickname)
■TRENDnet TEW-639GR IEEE 802.3/3u/3ab, IEEE 802.11b/g, IEEE802.11n 2 Wireless Router - Retail
■D-Link DIR-655 IEEE 802.3/3u, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE802.11n Draft 2 Xtreme N Gigabit Wireless Router - Retail
■D-Link DGL-4100 10/100/1000Mbps GamerLounge Broadband Gigabit Gaming Router - Retail

Extras:
■1ST PC CORP. 12" 8-pin EPS extension cable Model CB-8M-8F - Retail - This is normally needed on full size cases to help with the cable management.
■ICY DOCK MB882SP-1S-1B 2.5" to 3.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive Converter - Black - Retail - This will be required when you purchase a SSD to convert it to a 3.5" drive for your case.
■SpeedFan - Very useful tool to download to monitor temps and control fan speeds.
■CPUID's CPU-Z - Very useful tool to download to monitor system information and speeds.
■CPUID's Hardware Monitor - - Very useful tool to download to monitor temps, fan speeds and voltage.
■Real Temp - CPU Temperature Monitoring - Very useful tool to download to monitor your CPU temps.
■CoreTemp - Very useful tool to download to monitor your CPU temps.
■Prime95 - Most used downloaded software to stress your system to make sure it is stable throughout each process (overclocking... etc.)
■MemTest86+ - Most used downloaded software to test your memory to make sure it is not defective.
■Futuremark's 3DMark Vantage (Vista / Win7) or 3DMark06 (XP) - Most used downloaded benchmark software to be compared against to see how your system ranks with similar parts.

I listed the information provided in Proximon's *Guide to Choosing Parts* on building a PC, since it is very good information and felt it was important to post in my thread, as well.
■Here is a GOOD step-by-step. Really good. If you encounter anything in any other links that contradict this, THIS is the right one. Sadly, no pics: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_To_Assemble_A_Desktop_PC/Assembly#CPU
■Here is a tutorial with pictures that shows how to put together a cheap PC. All parts are cheap and you should NOT use the PSU they use: http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/build_a_500_pc_play_crysis_40fps?page=0,1
■This you tube video has some good points, and is done with fairly modern equipment, all new. The case he is using is a micro-ATX case from Antec: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdsUuWlhOvo
■Proximon's method for applying thermal paste to Heatpipe Direct Touch (HDT) coolers such as the Xigmatek or Sunbeam CCTF: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/252942-29-some-notes-applying-thermal-paste-xigmatek
■This is a good ariticle about "Building a PC: Step by Step Guide" using current parts by DriverHeaven... http://www.driverheaven.net/articles.php?articleid=132&pageid=1
■This is a good Tom's Hardware article about how to put a PC together. I would recommend reading through this one, as well: http://www.tomshardware.com/review_print.php?p1=1382

Thanks for taking the time to read through my post and making this a stickie. My goal is to update this once or twice a month as new technology comes out and prices change.

 

[tecmo34]

I read some reviews saying the ATI 5870 recommended in the Enthusiast build is a long card and might have trouble fitting in some cases. This mid-tower case will have room for the card, yes?

Yes, the ATI 5870 will be able to fit into the HAF 922

 

[anachronite]

The motherboard will support DDR3 2000... http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/FileList/MemorySupport/mb_memory_ga-p55a-ud4p.pdf , so you should be able to run your DDR3 2000 RAM. On a side note, DDR3 1600 with Cas7 will out perform DDR3 2000 with Cas9 or so. Lower Cas speeds (timings) are more important than Mhz speeds when RAM is concerned. I would stick with DDR3 1600 Cas7 RAM if equal price or lower than the DDR3 2000.

I found some DDR3 2000 with a better CAS rating but it's not equal, just close. heres the specs, any clue if the latency here will still justify the lower speed? 2000 seems a lot more than 1600k at latencies this close, but I am not savy enough about these ratings to know for sure. It might even be a wash and not worth the $60 difference for the DDR3 2000.

Enthusiast Built RAM G-Skill DDR3 1600, Cas Latency 7, Timing 7-8-7-24-2N $119.99

or

Possible tweak to build? Patriot DDR3 2000, Cas Latency 8, Timing 8-8-8-24 $174.99 (looks like it has better heat sinks as well.

Also I have never even heard of G-Skill memory until this thread and have had great experiances with all the patriot products I have purchased. Is G-Skill relatively new on the market, as I shop for memory prices frequently and have never seen it before.

 

[skora]

I found some DDR3 2000 with a better CAS rating but it's not equal, just close. heres the specs, any clue if the latency here will still justify the lower speed? 2000 seems a lot more than 1600k at latencies this close, but I am not savy enough about these ratings to know for sure. It might even be a wash and not worth the $60 difference for the DDR3 2000.

Enthusiast Built RAM G-Skill DDR3 1600, Cas Latency 7, Timing 7-8-7-24-2N $119.99

or

Possible tweak to build? Patriot DDR3 2000, Cas Latency 8, Timing 8-8-8-24 $174.99 (looks like it has better heat sinks as well.

Also I have never even heard of G-Skill memory until this thread and have had great experiances with all the patriot products I have purchased. Is G-Skill relatively new on the market, as I shop for memory prices frequently and have never seen it before.

Info on G. Skill:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.Skill

All the benches on ram show once you hit 1333, the CAS has more to do with performance than the speed. So going to 1600 or 2000 as you have there really doesn't add any performance. The memory subsystem is usually not the point of a bottleneck anyway. I'd be hard pressed to justify the extra $55 for nothing more than bragging rights. Performance would be similar. With both sets, I'd probably clock them to 1333 and tighten the timings as much as I could from there.


As for the heatsinks, they are more for show than actual performance improvers. Theres an article about DDR3 value ram in the Memory section that showed the sets without heatsinks did the same, and in one instance, better than the chips with. The sinks don't do much when most of the time they are held on with "thermal two sided tape." The conductive properties don't really do anything to get the heat to the heatsinks.

 

[Markdr]

Hi. Thank you for this forum it is so informative even to much information for one time. My name is Mark I am living in Russia. I am upgrading my old system in my living room and using some of my existing components. I would like your opining on what is the best components I should buy, like: Processor, mother board, graphic card, power supply and ram. I am using Sony Bravia VPL-AW15 720p LCD Front Projector as a screen (want to use all potential of this projector) and I have Silverstone LC13B-E Home Theatre PC Case that I am planning to use. I am interested in not to expensive but good quality components. I am want to upgrade to HDMI signal (I am using S video). I would like to be able to use this system to watching movies on blue ray disks, play games, work in photo shop, and edit some home movies. Thank you.

 

[zhargalm]

Hello tecmo! I like your non-gamer build. I don't play games except online poker What UPS can you advise (since some of them don't work correctly with APFC power supplies)?

 

[raybob95]

My Enthusiast PC from June '09: (Was ~$2,200)

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 C0
PSU: Corsair TX750
MB: Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD3R
HDDs: OCZ Vertex 64GB w/ Adapter + WD Caviar Black 1TB
ODDs: LG Blu-Ray ROM and 2 Samsung DVD Burners
Case: Antec 900
RAM: OCZ Platinum 6GB DDR3 1600
HSF: XIGMATEK Dark Knight
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 275
TV: ASUS My-Cinema

 

[Extole]

tecmo34,
You deserve major props for this thread, its been so much help! I'm planning to do the extreme enthusiast build within two weeks but do have a few questions before i make the big jump in popping my first self built comp cherry, lol. I'm wondering if the adjustments i made to your list will be a dumb move or not.

Antec CP-1000 1000W Continuous ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371036

XFX HD-587A-ZNF9 Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150443

Corsair P128 CMFSSD-128GBG2D 2.5" 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233087


I wasn't sure if the 1000 watt was needed but i do plan on throwing in another graphics card down the road cause those gpu are pretty demanding in watts (still contemplating if i should just go for the 2gig you have listed, i would be going past my budget but who doesn't right?). For the SSD i just wanted to know your opinion about it and if I'm better off just sticking with what you had listed.

 

[tecmo34]

@ Extole:

The CP-850 is plenty powerful enough to handle two 5870's, so don't worry about the move to the CP-1000.

The 5870 is an outstanding card, so the "downgrade" from the 5970 isn't an issue, plus saves you some cash...

I don't see an issue with that SSD. It has TRIM support, which is a must IMO for SSD, and Corsair is rated 2nd IMO on SSD manufacturer list.

 

[tecmo34]

Hello tecmo! I like your non-gamer build. I don't play games except online poker What UPS can you advise (since some of them don't work correctly with APFC power supplies)?

For your information, read through this sticky on UPS. It has some good information. http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/248245-28-tomshardware

As for UPS, I would go with any one of these that fit your needs... http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=50001317%2040000072%204802&Description=ups&name=Top%20Sellers

 

[Extole]

@ Extole:

The CP-850 is plenty powerful enough to handle two 5870's, so don't worry about the move to the CP-1000.

The 5870 is an outstanding card, so the "downgrade" from the 5970 isn't an issue, plus saves you some cash...

I don't see an issue with that SSD. It has TRIM support, which is a must IMO for SSD, and Corsair is rated 2nd IMO on SSD manufacturer list.

Thanks for clarifying that for me tecmo! I have one more question. If i did decide to go for the 5970's and planned on adding another card in there later on, would it then be a better idea to go for the 1000 watt or can the 850 still handle it?

 

[dndhatcher]

If you are overclocking and adding more internals, for twin 5970s the 850 would probably still be ok, but going with the 1000 would be safer.

 

[mathmo]

My Google spelling has been corrected and I've added a section for my personal builds for those who want to review what I've actually "playing" around with.

the error is still there...

 

[Just a nickname]

Would be nice if you could include some good router to get. Mine died and there's not a lot information or review for routers.

 

[tecmo34]

Would be nice if you could include some good router to get. Mine died and there's not a lot information or review for routers.

I have added three recommended routers (two wireless and one wired) that I would recommend for an end user.

 

[ChriaMon]

Hey, just a guest here, but I thought I would tell you, this thread was incredibly helpful in my recent build. I have never built a computer from scratch before (Way back in high school I did all of the steps, but had a teacher there to supervise), so I wanted to do a build without having to stress over parts compatability. I purchased the gaming computer setup you mentioned (The AMD Phenom build) and built it completely, and it works great! Just thought I should mention to anybody here that you'll need to acquire your own wireless card, some of the setups here don't include one, my parts came in and I realized I didn't buy one, so I took one out of an old computer. Again, many thanks for this thread.

EDIT: Oh yea, also, I had a question about the provided case fans. The case comes with 3 fans, and they have the 3 pin hookups, and and "adapter" of sorts that allows them to all hook together and be powered by the power supply. Rather than use these adapters, I simply hooked the fans up into the 2 motherboard chassis fan slots, and hooked the last fan up into the power fan slot. I was wondering if this is the wrong way to do it, and if I should go back and redo it. If I am not being clear (as i do not know the exact names of the cables and plugins etc) please let me know and I'll try and get pictures. Also, If I need to make a different thread let me know as well.

For reference, here is the setup I built:

Recommended Builds by Usage - Post Two

Gamer: $1,116.89
■CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor Model HDZ955FBGMBOX - Retail
■MOBO: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
■RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBECO - Retail
■HSF: COOLER MASTER Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7 compatible RR-B10-212P-GP 120mm "heatpipe direct contact" Long life sleeve CPU ... - Retail
■HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
■PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power ... - Retail
■GPU: XFX HD-585A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card w/ATI Eyefinity - Retail
■DVD: LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98 LightScribe Support - Retail
■Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
■Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
This build will allow you to play games at mid. to max. settings at a monitor resolution of 1920x1200

 

[dndhatcher]

The CPU cooler fan (from your Hyper 212) should be plugged into the CPU fan plug on the motherboard. You really should change that immediately as an overheating CPU will now cause the case fan to speed up, not the CPU heatsink fan to increase cooling for the CPU.

 

[tecmo34]

I agree with dndhatcher about plugging in the CPU fan into the CPU fan slot on the motherbroard. Also, I would hook the case fans to the Molex connectors on the PSU versus the motherboard.

 

[ChriaMon]

I agree with dndhatcher about plugging in the CPU fan into the CPU fan slot on the motherbroard. Also, I would hook the case fans to the Molex connectors on the PSU versus the motherboard.

Right, I have the CPU fan in the CPU fan slot. What I mean was that I have the 3 case fans plugged into Chassis 1, chassis 2, and power fan slots (the motherboard info says the power slot is for a fan speed controller, but I just plugged a fan in and it seems to work fine). But I should go ahead and go back and hook up the case fans to molex connectors? Alright I'll get to that, thanks for the input. Just curious though, what is the advantage to using the molex connectors to connect to the PSU versus connecting directly to the motherboard?

 

[psycho sykes]

@Tecmo.. Out of topic yes but I just wanted to know what camera did you use to shoot the new pics for your computer?

 

[tecmo34]

@Tecmo.. Out of topic yes but I just wanted to know what camera did you use to shoot the new pics for your computer?

I use a Nikon D40 for my pictures. I do have one picture posted I took with my IPhone (can you guess which one )

 

[psycho sykes]

I use a Nikon D40 for my pictures. I do have one picture posted I took with my IPhone (can you guess which one )

Um.. Let me guess.. This one maybe http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae127/Tecmo34/iPhoneUpload.jpg
Anyway.. I have a Sony CyperShot (7.2MP) but its images are no better than your iPhone's!
How much does the Nikon D40 cost?

 

[tecmo34]

I use a Nikon D40 for my pictures. I do have one picture posted I took with my IPhone (can you guess which one )

Um.. Let me guess.. This one maybe http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae127/Tecmo34/iPhoneUpload.jpg
How much does the Nikon D40 cost?

1) You guessed the picture correctly... :lol:
2) Here is some cost for the Nikon D40... Google Price Search. I believe I paid around $500 for it from Microcenter. I bought it for my wife as a Mother's Day / New Born Baby Boy present, since my youngest son was born on Mother's Day.

 

[hatianjack]

If someone has to buy all those parts, chances are they don't have a legal OS to put on there either. Might want to at least put a note in how much it will cost starting with nothing. Check your PMs, i'm sending you out something I typed up a few weeks ago.

skora... I've updated to include the "extras" (OS, Monitor, Keyboards, Mouse or Speakers), as you requested. I added them as a separate recommendations because most builds I've helped with on Tom's Hardware, the OP already has these items or it is not include in their cost to build.

If anyone has any feedback I would be greatly appreciate it. I think I might work on a similar setup for the Core i7 builds...

Im looking to build a 17 920 processor mid tower , no gamer, strictly burning dvds and internet. Any thoughts on a system, please post or mail me @ hatianjack@verizon.net

 

[saint19]

I men. Can I suggest this components?

1- Monitor: Samsung 2333SW Plus
2- RAM: Mushkin 3x2GB $ 239,99

Thx, I also have a excel file with six configurations, that always use for recomended builds.

 

[saint19]

Im looking to build a 17 920 processor mid tower , no gamer, strictly burning dvds and internet. Any thoughts on a system, please post or mail me @ hatianjack@verizon.net

You don't need an i7 processor for your needs. With an AMD processor is enough.