Take That, iMac?: Build Your Own All-In-One PC

[Isaiah4110]

Amazon-
Mobo: 119.99
Heatsink: 26:35
Loop L5: 264.60

Newegg:
i5:$200.99
Ram: $16
Wireless: $20
Optical: $25
Logitech MK260: 28.99
WD Scorpio Black: $80

=780.99

The cheapest iMac is 1200.

Can you modify this to include links to the product on each site?

 

[Guest]

no room for dedicated graphics, low voltage processors only, terrible motherboard selection with no real gain in that department, no choice in screen size. sorry for seeing the negatives, but they seem to outweigh the positives

 

[Guest]

"Nice build. Are there any similar chassis with a touch screen?

Not that I've seen, but I'm waiting for Intel to get back to me on this prior to the Win 8 launch."

Not that there are a ton, but they exist. ECS has an AIO, and their newest is the G24:

http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?CategoryID=12&TypeID=67&DetailID=1383&DetailName=Feature&MenuID=10&LanID=0

It doesn't seem to be out yet in the US. I'm VERY interested in this, as there seems to be a darth of affordable 10-point touch monitors for PCs. Do a piece on this when it comes out! I'm very curious.

 

[Isaiah4110]

no room for dedicated graphics, low voltage processors only, terrible motherboard selection with no real gain in that department, no choice in screen size. sorry for seeing the negatives, but they seem to outweigh the positives

You might be missing the point here. PCs are often built for specialized purposes. It seems that, judging by your comment, your preferred purpose for a PC is gaming. This article/picture series was not a "let's build an AIO Gaming Rig", but rather more of a "Look how far parts availability has come, you can build your own iMac style PC now (and save a bundle doing it)."

No self respecting gamer is going to expect (or likely want) an AIO PC to meet his gaming needs. It is simply unrealistic given the cooling needs of current gaming technology. AIO PCs hit a specific niche right now of people with limited desk space who want a PC for "standard" (web browsing, word processing, possibly HD video watching etc.) everyday type usage. This PC fits that niche wonderfully and comes in over $400 cheaper than the least expensive iMac. Even the least expensive HP AIO PC (with comparable specs) comes in at right around what you would spend on this guy. (That would be the HP Envy 23-1065.)

HP Envy 23-1065

All-in-all, this is a pretty sweet deal and I think it is a pretty big deal to be able to accomplish. This would have been impossible 5-10 years ago, and iMacs had already been around a while during that period.

 

[ursocol]

Well, for anyone on here willing to throw in the time and cash, I would recommend to look into the GIGABYTE's GB-AEGT , an AIO with 2-slot Discrete graphics capabilities. xD

 

[superflykicks03]

[citation][nom]Isaiah4110[/nom]I mimicked this build completely, added Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) and upped the RAM to a dual channel 8GB kit and my price, counting tax for my state, is still coming in at just $904.00. Check out the build here😛CPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / BenchmarksCPU: Intel Core i5-2400S 2.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($200.98 @ NCIX US) Motherboard: Intel DH61AG Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($148.23 @ Compuvest) Memory: G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.77 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Scorpio Black 500GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($74.95 @ B&H) Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208BB DVD/CD Writer ($30.83 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (64-bit) ($96.99 @ B&H) Keyboard: Logitech Wireless Combo MK260 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($25.21 @ eCost) Other: Loop LP-2150 Case/Monitor (AIO Chassis) ($267.05)Other: Intel HTS1155LP Low Profile CPU Cooler ($20.99)Total: $904.00(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-24 17:14 EDT-0400)[/citation]

Hey Isaiah4110 how did your build go? Would love to hear your feedback on the Loop system and maybe some more info on the screen quality, noise levels, etc?!?!

 

[Isaiah4110]

Hey Isaiah4110 how did your build go? Would love to hear your feedback on the Loop system and maybe some more info on the screen quality, noise levels, etc?!?!

Sorry, I should have been more specific in that post. I meant that I mimicked the build parts list on pcpartpicker.com to price out the parts. I should have also noted that I boosted the RAM to 8GB in my pricing. I don't actually have the money to order and build right now. My thought in doing so was that it allows me to know what I can do and how much it would cost me in case anyone I know ever wants an AIO PC. Then (in my dreams) I get to have the fun of building one without have to pay for it myself.

 

[superflykicks03]

Oh rats i was hoping to get a little more detail on how these turn out before doing one. Still hoping that a company will make a similar product with the ability to add a single slot gphx card or mobile graphics while maintaining an apple-like look.

 

[beninchi]

It would be great to see this article in the same format that you do the graphics card reviews... large review with sections about temps, noise, and power draws.

You can do this build with a G870 CPU for under $600.

 

[RedJaron]

Exactly what I had been thinking. The AMD APU seems like it would be a perfect fit for this type of system, unless you want to build strictly for web browsing and productivity software. Most recreational applications require more robust graphics processing power than Intel's CPUs currently provide.

However, I did notice AMD's APUs all have higher TPD than the Intel processors required for this build. The A8 line all require 100W TPD and you have to go down to an A6-3500 or an A4 to get a 65W TDP from AMD. I'm thinking they may not have reached a place where a single chip can provide that level of CPU and GPU capabilities without having a higher TDP yet. Higher power usage obviously = more heat and that could be why AMD has not released anything to allow this type of build yet?

Some of the desktop models are rated at 65W ( the A8-5500 and A10-5700. ) And I see no reason AMD couldn't just make a low-power model of Trinity like Intel does.

 

[Guest]

is there any touchscreen chassis similar to this available?

 

[jbheller]

Is there a website where I can order one of these? Also i'd love to see a version using an A85 FM2 AMB motherboard. I think the inbuilt graphics performance of the AMD Trinity chip would be ideal for a unit like this seeing that installing a discrete video card is not easily achieved.

 

[jiwaniaziz]

This system might actually work out better for visualization stuff/kiosk application which doesn't require high end graphics. Is there a limitation on the screen size when using thin mini-itx motherboard?

 

[jiwaniaziz]

This system might actually work out better for visualization stuff/kiosk application which doesn't require high end graphics. Is there a limitation on the screen size when using thin mini-itx motherboard?

 

[Guest]

How would one go about implementing this but in a multi-screen approach? Great guide by the way.

 

[Isaiah4110]

How would one go about implementing this but in a multi-screen approach? Great guide by the way.

Simply purchase a second monitor (always best if you try for one with similar dimensions and resolution) and hook it up to one of the video out ports.

 

[urbanman2004]

i thought this was gonna be like a hackintosh build article or something... moving on...

 

[LordHaHa]

Hmm. In the PDF from Intel the article linked to, one of the mainboards they listed was a "Gigabyte MSZ68QI". Interesting thing about this one is that the chipset is the Z68 rather than the H61 all the others here seem to have.

Too bad I can't seem to find it anywhere, would be interesting to see how fully featured the BIOS is. Probably not at all, but I'd be interested in trying to undervolt with this kind of build.

 

[Isaiah4110]

I would love to see this article revisited every so often as platforms change and DIY hardware selection increases leading to a greater selection of parts to choose from. It might even be cool to do as a future SBM.