My current workhorse PC is starting to give me a few concerns (some unexplained crashes) so, while I am happy enough with the performance I've decided it would be better to replace it now, before it dies (with all the associated hassle). Initially I started looking out for a pre-built system but then, I thought, why not build my own? It's been 6+ years since I built my last PC and the reason for that has been two-fold: a lack of time; and cost effectiveness. Well, I think I'm going to have some spare time in early June and as for cost...well I had a thought. You see, my current PC tends to stay on for long hours. Now, it occurs to me that I could, in fact, save a lot of money (over time) by building a new one with very low-power consumption. So, my aim is to build a PC that: 1. serves my work-flow adequately for the next 3-4 years 2. Draws as little power as possible 3. Is quiet 4. Is within my (very small) budget. So everyone can understand what currently works for me, here is the spec of my workhorse PC (not my gaming rig!): Pentium D 2.8Ghz (dual core) 2.5Gb Ram 80Gb & 250Gb HDDs Radeon X300 video card What I need to be able to do on my new PC: Office stuff (accounting, word processing, etc) Photo editing Video editing (I intend to do some) Email Surfing with MANY web pages open at once (mainly because I tend to leave lots of windows open to remind me of things) Not overly taxing, I think you'll agree. Now there are some problems with the software I currently use being incompatible with Windows 7 (more on that further down) but I figure it would be better to have time to learn anything new while I still have access to my current PC. Right, so what I want is advice on both hardware and software. And in the end, whether this is possible at all. My budget is just £300. I will re-use things I have lying around where possible but, as you can imagine, most of it is pretty old. My initial thoughts are (all prices are rounded to the nearest £5): CPU: Core i3 2100t - £100 Motherboard: open to suggestions but looking at £70 max - cheaper the better with stability extremely important. No overclocking will be done. 4Gb RAM - £40 (single stick so I can upgrade easily when I have some spare cash) 1Tb HDD - £40 (Storage space is unimportant as I have NAS) Case/PSU - I *may* have one up in the loft but will need new PSU DVD-RW - £15 O/S - I have a copy of Window7 dual-booted on another machine I can re-use, although I'm tempted to try Linux. Fast booting would be a boon but hibernate works ok for me. As for software, I'm going to need to find a free/open-source replacement for Eudora (email) and Quickbooks OR I could use Windows XP (not ideal). Any suggestions welcome on the software front. So what does everyone think? Is it even possible to build it on that budget? Is it possible to build something...interesting looking? Would it be powerful enough for the tasks I need it to perform? Am I on the right track or should I just look to buy something off the shelf? Sorry if it seems like I'm asking a lot but I'm completely out of date when it comes to building a new PC and I'd love to get at it again. Any advice really will be appreciated.
Here mate have a look at this build I put together for you http://www.scan.co.uk/savedbasket/c890ab3821a44eee988e3bb31251eafe It's is just above your budget and suits you perfect. I say build one yourself as it's more fun and cheaper. I use Mozilla Thunderbird for my email and I couldn't be happier. I highly recommend that program. For an alternative to Quickbooks I would use GnuCash or Postbooks. Also you could use quickbooks in Windows 7 by either running it in compatibility mode or in Windows XP mode.
You'll want 2x2gb for dual channel memory, apart from that it looks good. And its got room to upgrade to something like a i5 2500k in the future if more power is needed
I suppose at the other end of the scale you have pre-built sff machines such as the Acer Aspire Revo , Unless your specifically after a machine you can build yourself . Thanks PolyMorph83
Ya that's what I figure as well but he says in the op that he wants a 4GB stick now so he can add another when he can afford it. It makes sense if he intends to use that much RAM.
The only reason I think sandy bridge is the way to go is that he can upgrade easily. In two years there will be plently of i5 2500k's for sale etc. to make it a much better rig.
You can always dual boot with Windows 7 and Linux, then see which one you like the best. If Linux isn't your cup of tea, then there is Windows 7 to fall back to. If Linux is awesome (as it is when properly used) then stick with it! Of course, if transferring the Windows 7 copy to the new machine means losing the old copy, then try Linux first.
First of all, thanks to everyone who replied - especially Ronaldo 9 for taking the time to do a basket (your time is much appreciated). Ronaldo 9 - The basket is close to what I thought but I do wonder about a couple of areas: 1. the Core i3 you recommend is only the 2100 (65w TDP) rather than the 2100T (35w TDP). An error? 2. I'm not sure it would need a 500w PSU as the research I've done suggests a 2100T system draws less than 40w under full load. Even adding extra drives wouldn't push that up much. TBH I was thinking about a 150w PSU. murraynt - Certainly I could put a faster system together for less by going AMD but I'm not sure I could match the low-power consumption of the i3 2100T - or even get anywhere near. For everyone's info, a little bit of research suggested that a system based on a H67 mobo and a 2100T draws <10w idle and <40w full load. Oh yes and Ronaldo 9 is right about the 4Gb stick. What I lose in speed early on would be made up for in easy (& cheap) upgrade in a few months. And with the number of firefox tabs I tend to have open, the more memory, the better. As for the idea of upgrading the CPU later, yes, it makes a lot of sense to me to be able to get a significant boost in a couple of years if I need it. If anyone has any left-field suggestions feel free to throw them out there. Anything from a change of processor to a funky case to...well, anything really. I have a totally open mind atm.
I would only suggest as someone did dual booting with Linux, for office work and browsing the net it handles memory very well. You wouldn't need a large partition, probably less than ten gigs, then store anything you want on a shared partition so that both your 7 and nix installs can access and edit. Open office is brilliant, opens and edits any MS Office files, works lovely and IMO does away with all the pretty unrequired graphics that MS bloats their software with. For image editing Gimp is great, have a google. I no longer use nix but I did the whole time I was at uni and if I used my rig for anything other than gaming would go back to it in a shot. Its certainly worth a play, download Suse for free and any software, all opensource and you won't spend a penny. As for replacing Eudora give Thunderbird a go!
