Hardware need help to create a pc for a friend

[migles]

my friend wanted to purchase a desktop, he had a laptop which is old and needs a better one
i told him instead of purchasing a generic desktop, we should "build" one (buying the components)
this way it would be cheaper.. and store builds usually i dislike them

his budget is about 200-300 euros
he doesn't play games at all, he uses the computer mainly for work
he just needs the pc itself, he uses tv as a screen (so hdmi gpu is required)

so i wanted gbatemp members to help me making this build, if it was a gaming pc for myself, i would know what i want...

i didn't asked him about getting components from ebay, but probably used items is something he would like to avoid

i am kinda scared of the built being wrong and wondering if he should just get a generic hp pc or something from a store..

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

If all he's using it for is just basic PC tasks (web browsing, documents, spreadsheets etc) then building a PC probably isn't worth the effort, especially with a budget that small. Going with some pre-built system is probably best for something like that, the only thing custom I'd recommend doing is removing and installing a fresh bloat-free version of Windows (since 99% of the time pre-built junk is full of...well, junk).

 

[migles]

If all he's using it for is just basic PC tasks (web browsing, documents, spreadsheets etc) then building a PC probably isn't worth the effort, especially with a budget that small. Going with some pre-built system is probably best for something like that, the only thing custom I'd recommend doing is removing and installing a fresh bloat-free version of Windows (since 99% of the time pre-built junk is full of...well, junk).

well, he could go higher, but doesn't want to spend much more..
he curently got a 5 years old laptop, which still does the job but currently hes kinda tired of it..

yeah usually its generic use, web browsing, documents, he loves to watch online tv, and because his job he must use google earth a lot (with tons of markers)
he doesn't want a laptop because he never uses outside of his house and is always plugged to the tv serving as desktop..


anyway, is there a desktop you would recomend? like parts i should look for, so he doesnt go into the first store "next door" and buys the cheapest one?

 

[sarkwalvein]

It depends on what he does, I would personally always go with Intel, perhaps a Core i3, and if it is used for work just use the IGP that comes together with that CPU.
Some cheap standard HDD with perhaps 1TB.
Perhaps 4GB of RAM, or 8GB if there is still budget.
Some nice keyboard and mouse, wireless but comfortable if budget allows (I like Logitech, but anything would be good I suppose)
And... what else would you need for a work PC? (Just some thing that works acceptable and some comfortable input devices)
The CPU in this config. may be expensive, I suppose you could go with AMD A8 alternatives, I just don't like them.

EDIT: I would suggest the 8GB RAM seriously.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

It depends on what he does, I would personally always go with Intel, perhaps a Core i3, and if it is used for work just use the IGP that comes together with that CPU.
Some cheap standard HDD with perhaps 1TB.
Perhaps 4GB of RAM, or 8GB if there is still budget.
Some nice keyboard and mouse, wireless but comfortable if budget allows (I like Logitech, but anything would be good I suppose)
And... what else would you need for a work PC? (Just some thing that works acceptable and some comfortable input devices)
The CPU in this config. may be expensive, I suppose you could go with AMD A8 alternatives, I just don't like them.

EDIT: I would suggest the 8GB RAM seriously.

8GB of RAM is useless for anyone using basic programs. It's a must for gaming, and for basic video editing and such, but other than that the average user probably wouldn't even use more than 3GBs at the most let alone 8GBs.

As for specs, an Intel CPU would be my recommendation as well, but some of the mid stuff might be out of that specific price range...You could probably find a nice work desktop that has a low-powered i5 stuffed in it for 300-500€, but prices would vary depending on the location and such. Just look around places, see if you can find deals online with some ok looking specs

 

[sarkwalvein]

8GB of RAM is useless for anyone using basic programs. It's a must for gaming, and for basic video editing and such, but other than that the average user probably wouldn't even use more than 3GBs at the most let alone 8GBs.

As for specs, an Intel CPU would be my recommendation as well, but some of the mid stuff might be out of that specific price range...You could probably find a nice work desktop that has a low-powered i5 stuffed in it for 300-500€, but prices would vary depending on the location and such. Just look around places, see if you can find deals online with some ok looking specs

I say that because I really get into swapping hell in work with 4GB, and that is just using Outlook, Chrome, Word, Google Earth, Qt, git, some other standard tools, and perhaps some Android VM.
I updated my work PC to 8GB and that made quite the difference.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

I say that because I really get into swapping hell in work with 4GB, and that is just using Outlook, Chrome, Word, Google Earth, Qt, git, some other standard tools, and perhaps some Android VM.
I updated my work PC to 8GB and that made quite the difference.

I would imagine at that point it'd depend on what exactly kind of work you're doing Seeing how he's using a 5 year old laptop, I sort of doubt he uses Outlook and Chrome and Word and Google Earth and Qt and git and maybe an Android VM on the side. I wouldn't call half of that what an average user does

 

[migles]

It depends on what he does, I would personally always go with Intel, perhaps a Core i3, and if it is used for work just use the IGP that comes together with that CPU.
Some cheap standard HDD with perhaps 1TB.
Perhaps 4GB of RAM, or 8GB if there is still budget.
Some nice keyboard and mouse, wireless but comfortable if budget allows (I like Logitech, but anything would be good I suppose)
And... what else would you need for a work PC? (Just some thing that works acceptable and some comfortable input devices)
The CPU in this config. may be expensive, I suppose you could go with AMD A8 alternatives, I just don't like them.

EDIT: I would suggest the 8GB RAM seriously.

well i already explained about it. there is no need for any peripherals, its for work and "have fun" (like HD movies, internet, tv, and google earth abusing)

so basically a good cpu, (maybe an i-3) i would rather use intell cpus..
hdds will not actually be needed, probably can use the old one, and he owns several external drives.
i agree with tom saying 4gb of ram being more than enough, but still gonna see if i can get 8, because he gots lots of pages open and will be using windows 7 (maybe can give a look at windows 10, he hates windows 8) at 64 bits, since 32 bits is dying...

he wanted something that could last another 10 years... which is becoming harder at theese ages..

 

[migles]

I would imagine at that point it'd depend on what exactly kind of work you're doing Seeing how he's using a 5 year old laptop, I sort of doubt he uses Outlook and Chrome and Word and Google Earth and Qt and git and maybe an Android VM on the side. I wouldn't call half of that what an average user does

well, he uses outlook, firefox (and sometimes internet explorer, some pages he goes work better on the IE) word, and google earth torrent, sometimes vlc all almost aways open..

but no VM or games or steam etc.. (what we use)
but i will look into 8gb, so he doesnt blame me if the pc is not exactly that great when abusing it XD

 

[sarkwalvein]

he wanted something that could last another 10 years... which is becoming harder at theese ages..

Well, that is quite a stretch... 5 years perhaps, but technology just dies fast specially if you keep using whatever new internet service is provided...
They always come up with new flashy things to make your internet experience more resource hungry.

 

[migles]

Well, that is quite a stretch... 5 years perhaps, but technology just dies fast specially if you keep using whatever new internet service is provided...
They always come up with new flashy things to make your internet experience more resource hungry.

well to be fair, hes been using a 2mb (contract is 8 or 4, but the zone is really awfull and they only get 2mb) also, internet is shared with neighboor...
and well, he lives with that..
so if i can get some pc with somewhat good specs, unless someone decides you now require a quantum computer for internet.. it gonna last 10 years..

 

[Originality]

In many cases, "good specs" comes under the "you get what you pay for" rule. A budget system (under €300) will generally come with all the parts to make it 'functional', meaning the cheapest CPU/APU obtainable, a standard HDD (500GB seems to be the minimum I see these days) and a garbage motherboard with a barely sufficient power supply (I've seen some prebuilt systems use a 140W PSU... upgrading them was impossible).

On the other hand, if it's just for work, office, email, internet, and videos... well, just about any system on the market for any price will be adequate. DVDs and Blurays don't require much compared to current CPU capabilities, and integrated graphics are already at the stage where decoding 1080p isn't a problem. Sure, streaming 1080p might pose a problem for a low end system, but 720p should still be fine in that regard.

I suggest looking at prebuilts, and if you want a second opinion you can always post a link to us to have a look at.

 

[migles]

In many cases, "good specs" comes under the "you get what you pay for" rule. A budget system (under €300) will generally come with all the parts to make it 'functional', meaning the cheapest CPU/APU obtainable, a standard HDD (500GB seems to be the minimum I see these days) and a garbage motherboard with a barely sufficient power supply (I've seen some prebuilt systems use a 140W PSU... upgrading them was impossible).

On the other hand, if it's just for work, office, email, internet, and videos... well, just about any system on the market for any price will be adequate. DVDs and Blurays don't require much compared to current CPU capabilities, and integrated graphics are already at the stage where decoding 1080p isn't a problem. Sure, streaming 1080p might pose a problem for a low end system, but 720p should still be fine in that regard.

I suggest looking at prebuilts, and if you want a second opinion you can always post a link to us to have a look at.

i will do that! i will go with him to stores take a look, take note of the builds. and then come back home and check them, and make a decision.