Looking to build inexpensive work computer in the sub $300 zone
14 replies, posted
Hey guys,
So at work, I got this mediocre HP laptop which works great for what I need it for. Unfortunately, it only has VGA/HDMI, and I was recently handed down a 30" Cinema Display which requires dual-link DVI to run at 2560x1600. I was able to run the display at 1280x800 via an HDMI to DVI adapter, but that strains my eyes and defeats the purpose.
Anyways, let's get to the point - I'm looking to build a sub $300 work computer - nothing too fancy, just something with dual-link DVI so I can make use of the 30" monster.
Here's what I have so far: [url]http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20161005[/url]
What I [b]need[/b]: case, PSU, motherboard, CPU, RAM, GPU ([b]must[/b] support 2560x1600 via dual-link DVI), HDD, and a DVD drive.
What I [b]don't[/b] need: mouse, keyboard, monitor, or OS (I'm gonna transfer my Win7 license from the laptop)
This comes out to about $250 with shipping (I live in NY). Can anyone come up with any way to lower this price further? Any combos or anything that I'm missing? Also, let me know if you see any compatibility issues.
Thanks guys!
I'm no expert on the low end hardware such as this, but you might be able to shave a bit off by using AMD.
I'd also seriously consider going with 4GB of ram over 2GB. I realize that this is for work, and that games will be solitaire, if anything, but a monitor like that suggests some degree of having multiple programs open at once. Obviously this varies depending on what you are actually running.
Something like this would be good:
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152244]Spinpoint 320gb[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641]MSI A55 Mobo[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988]Sapphire 6670[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148537]2gb Crucial[/url]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053401]3870k + DVD[/url]
That's about 300, go pick a cheap case.
[QUOTE=QuikKill;37558190]Something like this would be good:
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152244"]Spinpoint 320gb[/URL]
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641"]MSI A55 Mobo[/URL]
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988"]Sapphire 6670[/URL]
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148537"]2gb Crucial[/URL]
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1053401"]3870k + DVD[/URL]
That's about 300, go pick a cheap case.[/QUOTE]
That processor/gpu combo seems rather overpowered if all he is doing is office stuff.
EDIT
There are cheaper [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006676&isNodeId=1&Description=APU&x=0&y=0"]APU[/URL]s, though I freely admit I have no idea if the cheap mobos that support these are worth considering.
[QUOTE=Zephyrs;37558118]I'm no expert on the low end hardware such as this, but you might be able to shave a bit off by using AMD.[/quote]
Good idea, I'll see what deals I can find on an AMD CPU/motherboard combo.
[quote]
I'd also seriously consider going with 4GB of ram over 2GB. I realize that this is for work, and that games will be solitaire, if anything, but a monitor like that suggests some degree of having multiple programs open at once. Obviously this varies depending on what you are actually running.[/QUOTE]
You're right, I'm gonna get 4GB. I typically have quite a bit running (XAMPP, Photoshop, Netbeans, numerous Chrome tabs, AIM, Dropbox, etc), but I'm not too concerned about the processing power because everything I do runs fine on this mediocre laptop.
[editline]6th September 2012[/editline]
@ QuikKill: That build is out of my budget (sub $300, including shipping) and rather overpowered.
I wouldn't put a dedicated graphics card on a $300 build.
Intel HD or AMD APU is as good as you're gonna get.
The bottom line APU with the MSI mobo linked above seems like a relatively decent choice to me.
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106013[/url]
[url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130641[/url]
I honestly don't know how well a lower end integrated card will handle aero, let alone anything else at those resolutions, so I'm hesitant to recommend anything lower. I simply have no experience with this. I'd wager that this will do the trick quite nicely.
Might be able to go lower, but I'm out of my league here, so I won't comment further.
[QUOTE=KnightVista;37558729]I wouldn't put a dedicated graphics card on a $300 build.
Intel HD or AMD APU is as good as you're gonna get.[/QUOTE]
But which Intel HD or AMD APU supports dual-link DVI (for 2560x1600)?
The GPU and CPU on my wishlist amount to ~$80 and the GPU clearly supports dual-link DVI for 2560x1600.
That APU can certainly output at that resolution quite comfortably. The mobo appears to support dual Link DVI-D, assuming the pictures are accurate and I can read wikipedia correctly. So if my math is right, it appears to save you ~30-35 dollars for the mobo, processor, and GPU.
As to the rest of your build, looks pretty solid, though you can get away with a ridiculously tiny power supply since the APU is a piddly 65W and there is nothing else drawing considerable power in the system. At that point you hit diminishing returns extremely heavily, so I wouldn't expect to knock off much and still have a PSU that isn't going to implode in 3 months.
Double EDIT: Nevermind didn't realize the PSU was 10 dollars off.
[QUOTE=Zephyrs;37558931]That APU can certainly output at that resolution quite comfortably. The mobo appears to support dual Link DVI-D, assuming the pictures are accurate and I can read wikipedia correctly.[/QUOTE]
You're right, it does look like dual-link DVI-D on the pictures. I'm going to consider this APU/motherboard combo as it would bring down the price even further.
Then take the 6670 out my build and add more ram and you're good to go. If you get the amd apu, get 1600 ram.
[QUOTE=Zephyrs;37558931]That APU can certainly output at that resolution quite comfortably. The mobo appears to support dual Link DVI-D, assuming the pictures are accurate and I can read wikipedia correctly. So if my math is right, it appears to save you ~30-35 dollars for the mobo, processor, and GPU.
As to the rest of your build, looks pretty solid, though you can get away with a ridiculously tiny power supply since the APU is a piddly 65W and there is nothing else drawing considerable power in the system. At that point you hit diminishing returns extremely heavily, so I wouldn't expect to knock off much and still have a PSU that isn't going to implode in 3 months.
Double EDIT: Nevermind didn't realize the PSU was 10 dollars off.[/QUOTE]
You're right, thanks for the help. I'm just a little worried about the APU and the motherboard - I know it [i]looks[/i] like it should support 2560x1600 with dual-link DVI, but I haven't found any written specifications to prove it, whereas the GPU that I chose clearly states "supports up to 2560x1600 through dual-link DVI" - I'm gonna look some more and if I can find evidence that the APU/mobo support dual-link DVI, I'll go with that! Thanks again.
The 3870k apu is faster than the 5450.
The APU will output at those resolutions. Just don't expect to run Half Life 2 well. I don't see why the mobo couldn't handle that if it actually has the dual link dvi output, which it appears to.
[QUOTE=QuikKill;37562739]The 3870k apu is faster than the 5450.[/QUOTE]
And is twice the cost. That GPU can run source games at moderate resolutions with adequate framerates. It's ludicrously overkill for anything that isn't gaming/rendering (and you'd usually want Nvidia for rendering anyways)
If it was a 400 dollar build, that would hit the sweet price/performance spot, but it's a ~250 dollar build.
[editline]6th September 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=QuikKill;37559086]If you get the amd apu, get 1600 ram.[/QUOTE]
I forgot to mention this.
Nice, with the APU combo the price goes down to about ~220 USD
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