Building a general use pc..

[Conure]

Hey guys,

 

I have been asked by a family friend to assist in building a PC. Budget is (within reasonable limits) nothing too strict.

 

Basically it will be used for general office style duties and media use. Internet browsing, etc etc.

 

I was basically thinking, some sort of core i3 cpu, and a very low end gpu. It won't ever be used for gaming but I've always had the impression that it's better to have some kind of GPU rather than using integrated...And finally, what would your recommend regarding storage?

 

I've been considering using an SSD, as this machine is unlikely to be updated for a few long time and I should imagine that an SSD would have a positive impact on applications like Itunes, photo albums etc etc.

 

Any input??

 

Cheers :)

[Conure]

Hey there,

 

I have a copy of Vista that I plan to put on it! Is it really cheaper to get a pre built then? I've managed to build a core i3 sandy bridge, 4gb of ram etc etc for £450.00 including a monitor!

 

I know Vista isn't great but I'd imagine it's absolutely fine for general use??

 

Thanks

[EtherealN]

A lot depends on the selected license type. OEM licenses can be purchased at rediculously low prices - the price cut is basically due to YOU being the manufacturer, thus if you get problems and need to contact customer support, you need to call yourself. :P (Another drawback is that you don't get to transfer them between machines, though I'm told as long as the move is caused by hardware failure (like a broken motherboard) Microsoft will usually be generous about it.)

 

Prices can probably be cut indeed through purchasing pre-builts, but it's so common for them to skimp on components to save a buck that I just don't like it. Better to have a machine where you know the components are good, and where there's no warranty shenanigans going on if there's a problem. I've had friends seeing problems with their machine where it looked like a cut-and-dry case of replacing a RAM DIMM and such - but even opening the case would void the warranty!

 

Vista is fine. The hate against Vista is overrated, and the service packs fixed what issues did exist.

[Conure]

Cheers guys and thanks for the thorough explanation Ethereal. Here is a system that I've put together for general family/business use excluding games.

 

core i3 2100 3.10ghz

 

Gigabyte GA 461M socket 1155

 

Corsair 4gb DDR3 1333mhz memory module

 

Arctic power 500watt PSU

 

Standard case...

 

asus HD 5450 512mb

 

WD 500gb Sata 2 hd

 

That's about it for the main components, I have the cd drives, keyboard and mouse etc, and a 19" monitor...that all comes in at about £450.00 which I'm finding it very tough to beat given the components!

 

Any thoughts??

 

cheers :)

[joey45]

I got an OEM Win7 64 bit.

 

everytime I reinstall / upgrade all I do is phone the freephone number and get a new activation code.

[EtherealN]

I like it. What's the general pricetags on those? There might be a few cases where just a few quid extra can get you some added versatility or offer some future-proofing.

[galagamo]

You could game on that if you wanted to

[leafer]

I bought a Win 7 ultimate serial number for 30 USD online from a person that said it was legal. I got a Genuine Windows logo after I activated with this serial, so I assume it is legit? Weird.

[galagamo]

I bought a Win 7 ultimate serial number for 30 USD online from a person that said it was legal. I got a Genuine Windows logo after I activated with this serial, so I assume it is legit? Weird.

Is it a corporate key? If so this guy could be pettling this same key to everyone he can, then M$ happens to notice the key popping up everywhere and blacklists it.

I hope, for your sake that this is not the case:)

[leafer]

I have no idea, but I can't afford the retail version so I thought it was worth a try. It's been updating fine up to now.