£400 non-gaming pc

[marksct]

Hey Guys,

My parents would like me to build them a new PC, but I've been out of the game for a while so would appreciate some help!
They are not gamers, so all they need is something fast for everyday use (was thinking i5? and 8gb ram? or is that overkill?) and which will last a while!

They have a case and hd, so only need mb, cpu, psu, gpu (although I'm assuming anything will do here) and ram.

Also they like quiet! So a quiet PSU would be preferable, along with a quiet CPU cooler - was thinking noctua since I'm v. happy with mine.


Anyhow thanks for any help

 

[PP Mguire]

Just go with an i3 3220, cheap B75 board, 8GB of 1600MHz cheapest RAM, a quiet Seasonic 400w+ PSU, use the IGP for video, and the stock cooler.
Went ahead and did it for you, and you have enough room left for an SSD. I suggest getting one as the speed from it will be noticed more than any hardware upgrade for non-gamers.

Intel Core i3 3220 Ivy Bridge Dual Core Processor - Retail - BX80637I33220 - Scan.co.uk
MSI B75MA-P45 Intel B75 Motherboard Micro-ATX Ivybridge CPU Ready - Scan.co.uk
Corsair Memory Vengeance Jet Black Low Profile 8GB DDR3 1600 MHz CAS 9 XMP Dual Channel Desktop - CML8GX3M2A1600C9 - Scan.co.uk
Seasonic SS-360GP 360W Power Supply (PSU) 80+ GOLD - Scan.co.uk
Corsair 128GB Force Series GS SSD - Solid State Drive - CSSD-F128GBGS-BK - Scan.co.uk

Also, since you're obviously switching machines if you don't have an OS you will need one.

 

[marksct]

Thanks very much for the advice!

I have discussed with them and perhaps will pay some more fore enhancing the silentness of the pc. To which end I have selected this case: Fractal Design Define Mini mATX Case No PSU - FD-DEFINE-MINI - Scan.co.uk

with this mobo: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H Intel B75 Socket 1155 Motherboard - Scan.co.uk

and this power supply: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SeaSonic-X-400FL-Fanless-Power-Supply/dp/B003ZWQXUQ

however, not entirely sure if the power supply is worth the money. any opinions?

thanks again!

 

[PP Mguire]

Cases and motherboards don't make silent PCs, fans do. In which, I chose that Seasonic because it has a fan but turns it off on low usage. Considering this PC won't even use a third of its potential voltage the fan should be off most of the time but it's there just in case. I love Seasonic PSUs, but I don't particularly like fanless and don't trust it so I don't recommend those.

As for the case, that depends on what they currently have. You might be better off replacing the current cases internal fans with Noctua fans rather than buying a new case with crap stock fans. I say this, because if you don't find the performance of the new case good enough you may just wind up spending the extra cash in better fans anyways. Makes more sense just to eliminate the problem from the beginning.

If you feel you must get a more expensive board that does the exact same thing then by all means do not get a Gigabyte. Go with Asus or if you want the same reliability for cheaper, get this.
Asrock B75M-DGS Socket 1155 VGA DVI 5.1 Channel audio.. | Ebuyer.com

Another option for silence would be to replace the stock fan with an AIOLC.
Corsair H60 V1 Hydro Cooler with SP120L 2013 Edition Fan - CWCH60/Bulk + CO-9050010-WW/Bulk - Scan.co.uk

The only problem with that, is you would need to replace the noisy Corsair fan that comes with it. Again, depending on what case they currently have.

 

[marksct]

Ok Great. Have kept the PSU you selected and gone for the case.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Celery]

Nothing wrong with the Gigabyte mobo. If fact I'm using one and it works great.

In fact mine's a DH3 which has two DIMM slots while yours, a D3H, has four DIMM slots.

Before I found this Gigabyte the Asrock B75 was on top of my list. I found that I liked the Gigabyte better.

 

[PP Mguire]

Gigabyte's quality has dropped drastically in the past few years and their customer service is ****. Take a look, I'm running a GB as well and it's died on me a few times. Well the bios has but good thing it has a backup and I know how to use it.

Another thing to take into consideration, CS is going to be worse for yonderponders.

 

[Celery]

That's funny, I see nothing but quality on my board. It's well made but then maybe it's the model that stood out among others.

 

[PP Mguire]

Quality is relevant but generally a lot of their stuff has been failing lately. Especially in their X79 lineup big time, but I believe we had this discussion before.