Suggest cheapest rig, complete office use

[ankurgel]

1. What is the purpose of the computer? (Note: If you are planning to say multimedia, you will have to be more specific as all types of systems are capable of doing that)
A: Completely office work. Word,excel documents, pdf and little internet use.

2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
A: Of course

3. What is your MAX budget?
A: 15k (budget should be as low as possible, may be 13 or 14!)

4. Planning to overclock?
A: no

5. Which OS are you planning to use?
A:XP

6. How much hard drive space is needed?
A: minimum (also, considering how HDDs' price are soaring up, less is good)

7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen you want? If you already want have one and want to use it, mention its resolution and size.
A: 17/19 (suggestion).

8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
A: 7

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
A: will prefer assembler. First - it's not my rig (someone else's), Second - If I build it, I'll be building it from scratch for the first time. Don't want to experiment on other's rig.

10. When are you planning to buy the system?
A: as soon as it's decided.

11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
A: Not really. Use of it will still be same. Must be durable, that's all.

12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
A: Speakers,UPS not needed.

13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
A: Delhi. Will buy from Nehru Place. If you know a good place to buy stuff from there, please to suggest that as well.

By 'office use', I mean, general use. Not necessarily have to be used in office. So, there is no fuss about power consumption etc.

Would also like to know what max to pay the guy there if I get it assembled.

 

[whitestar_999]

*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/pc-components-configurations/150819-pc-buying-guide-2012-q1.html

check the 1st config(sub 20k).instead of fsp saga II 500w get any cheap 500w psu(intex etc) for ~500.also get the cheapest possible monitor(lcd preferred because of its low power consumption.15"crt consume ~75W,15" lcd ~30W).

 

[coderunknown]

AMD ATHLON II X2 260: 3250
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P/3.1: 2600
Corsair/GSkill 4Gb DDR3: 1100
WesternDigital 500Gb: 4000 (SMC has priced it at 4.9k)
Local cabinet + PSU: 1.5k
Dell D1920 18.5"Wide: 4950

TOTAL: abit over 17k. you may go for 2Gb DDR3 ram & 320Gb HDD to lower cost. also check this monitor: Dell E Series E1709W: 4100. this may help lower cost even more.

buy from SMCInternational.

 

[ankurgel]

Okay, checking it now.
Meanwhile, I was scrolling through past threads.
Kinda liked this config:

Intel Dual Core E6600 3.06Ghz 2MB @2.95k
Asus G41 P5G41T-M LX3 @2.4k
Corsair 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz (9-9-9-24) @0.9k
Asus 22X DVD @1.1k
Benq 18.5" G925HD LCD Monitor @4.6k
Microsoft Wired Combo Keyboard+Mouse @0.65k
iBall Cabinet + SMPS @1.2k
HDD -

Can you please comment on it's specification and current price-set also?

 

[coderunknown]

^^ not recommended. Dual Core is way too slow and its dead now. well, dead many years ago but still sells cause its cheap but is really slow and can't be upgraded to a better configuration.

 

[ankurgel]

Thanks a lot Sam!!
Yes, definitely. 2gig RAM and 320GB HDD is more than necessary for use.
Will AMD work right? Ofcourse, it wiil. But installation-wise, is it different or something?

Fantastic! One more thing. Please to comment on: "Would also like to know what max to pay the guy there if I get it assembled.".
I want to build it myself so much. But, scared a bit.

 

[coderunknown]

Thanks a lot Sam!!
Yes, definitely. 2gig RAM and 320GB HDD is more than necessary for use.
Will AMD work right? Ofcourse, it wiil. But installation-wise, is it different or something?

no. its the same. you won't notice any difference unless you open some system software to check what processor you are using

 

[ankurgel]

Oh. I can order online from SMC? Cash-on-delivery? Price set is same as offline shopping?

 

[coderunknown]

Fantastic! One more thing. Please to comment on: "Would also like to know what max to pay the guy there if I get it assembled.".
I want to build it myself so much. But, scared a bit.

if you buy it from SMC (lower price & no misleading shopkeeper. i ordered half my pc components from there), they'll charge you around 500 bucks. or may do it for free also.

you can build it yourself. just need a bit of patience and shouldn't be nervous if first boot doesn't go as expected like no display and all. there is a guide for PC building here in this forum. will attach the link shortly.

Oh. I can order online from SMC? Cash-on-delivery? Price set is same as offline shopping?

cash on delivery? well i don't think so. better visit the shop yourself (Nehru Place) and get it. you can bargain too.

not much idea about pricing in other shops but usually their price is low.

How to Assemble a Computer

 

[ankurgel]

A year back, I uninstalled fan over the CPU to clean dust etc. Removed the thermal paste too, I think. After cleaning stuff, tried to install it back, but that screw set screwed up. Probably, connection remained loose somewhere and consequently HDD died by burning.
Also, will have to arrange star-type screwdriver (though this is trivial part).

Been to Nehru Place 2-3 times recently to buy laptop for a friend. Well, obviously, I didn't know of SMC back then, so naturally didn't spot it. So, where exactly is it? I can ask the locals there definitely.

 

[coderunknown]

A year back, I uninstalled fan over the CPU to clean dust etc. Removed the thermal paste too, I think. After cleaning stuff, tried to install it back, but that screw set screwed up. Probably, connection remained loose somewhere and consequently HDD died by burning.
Also, will have to arrange star-type screwdriver (though this is trivial part).

tell you something, this is how i almost killed my last PC. i screwed the Intel's HSF pushpin (or rather it screwed by PC). And sadly this is true for most. In Pictures: 16 Of The PC Industry's Most Epic Failures: Intel Heat Sink Pushpins.

Been to Nehru Place 2-3 times recently to buy laptop for a friend. Well, obviously, I didn't know of SMC back then, so naturally didn't spot it. So, where exactly is it? I can ask the locals there definitely.

Address of SMC.

 

[ankurgel]

tell you something, this is how i almost killed my last PC. i screwed the Intel's HSF pushpin (or rather it screwed by PC). And sadly this is true for most. In Pictures: 16 Of The PC Industry's Most Epic Failures: Intel Heat Sink Pushpins.

This is what I'm afraid of, pushpin arrangement. I never dared to touch those pins again. The hardware-guy said that I screwed it's pin arrangement too while trying to set it down.

Address of SMC.

Thanks!
And thanks for all this tremendous help. Seriously, very grateful. I may probably go with my gut feeling and try to set it myself. [that_fear_factor ]

Intel might have the fastest CPUs you can buy, but we're looking forward to the day when the boxed heat sink fastening mechanism that debuted alongside LGA 775 is replaced with something sturdier. Unlike AMD's simple-yet-reliable hook and latch system, Intel's plastic pushpin design is quite easy to break if you're not careful during the installation process. And given the number of processors that get tested around here, you can bet we've broken our fair share

*media.bestofmicro.com/Epic-Fail-PC,6-4-321628-22.jpg
Those plastic caps and pins' FAIL are scary.

 

[coderunknown]

This is what I'm afraid of, pushpin arrangement. I never dared to touch those pins again. The hardware-guy said that I screwed it's pin arrangement too while trying to set it down.

one have to be extra careful when trying to install an Intel HSF. I have done is many times still, a little bit of carelessness is all it needs to render the HSF useless.

Thanks!
And thanks for all this tremendous help. Seriously, very grateful. I may probably go with my gut feeling and try to set it myself. [that_fear_factor ]

anytime I own an AMD setup too and the easiest part is installing the HSF. It looks tricky but is easy and absolutely safe unless you are in a hurry.

 

[ajaymailed]

AMD ATHLON II X2 260: 3250
GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-S2P/3.1: 2600
Corsair/GSkill 4Gb DDR3: 1100
WesternDigital 500Gb: 4000 (SMC has priced it at 4.9k)
Local cabinet + PSU: 1.5k
Dell D1920 18.5"Wide: 4950

TOTAL: abit over 17k. you may go for 2Gb DDR3 ram & 320Gb HDD to lower cost. also check this monitor: Dell E Series E1709W: 4100. this may help lower cost even more.

buy from SMCInternational.

How does AMD A4 & Pentium G620 compare to Athlon X2 260, as they are availaible at similar price range.

anandtech is praising sandybridge, says G620 outperforms X2 265. normally Intel would price their chips higher than AMDs with same no. of cores but in this case they almost matched the price of Athlon X2 265.
AnandTech - The Sandy Bridge Pentium Review: G850, G840, G620 & G620T Tested
Anandtech says

Despite boasting Intel's latest Sandy Bridge microarchitecture, the conclusions here are pretty much unchanged from the past. Intel maintains an advantage when it goes up against an AMD chip with the same number of cores, almost regardless of clock speed. In the case of the Pentium G620, even an Athlon II X2 265 with a 27% clock speed advantage can't outperform the Sandy Bridge based CPU. If you're choosing between chips with the same number of cores at the same price, Intel wins.

 

[whitestar_999]

intel's sandybridge architecture is far superior than any amd architecture till now.getting a pentium G620 is better than getting any amd dual core unless you are soon planning on upgrading to a 4 core processor since cheapest amd 4 core costs ~6000 while cheapest intel 4 core costs ~9000.

amd A series is socket FM1 which is ending.processor wise at least a tri-core A series processor(A6-3500) can give G620 competition but graphics wise A series integrated gpu is much better than intel hd2000 graphics on G620.however if you are only playing hd videos/basic multimedia usage then even HD2000 is enough.

 

[ajaymailed]

intel's sandybridge architecture is far superior than any amd architecture till now.getting a pentium G620 is better than getting any amd dual core unless you are soon planning on upgrading to a 4 core processor since cheapest amd 4 core costs ~6000 while cheapest intel 4 core costs ~9000.

How much for a decent Mobo for quad core intel & AMD. I just wanna compare how much price different is there with mobo+CPU

 

[whitestar_999]

if you are not planning on overclocking(mild overclocking for phenom II x4)/unlocking 960T(to 6 cores) then gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P(rev 3.1) is a decent mobo for ~2600.for intel there are decent H61 mobos from gigabyte(GA-H61M-D2H for ~3300 with HDMI).

 

[Jripper]

Dude research a bit and build it on your own Its a thrill like no other. Just be a little careful and if something doesn't go according to plan the first time,don't panic! tackle it with a cool head and you shall be fine |m| B-)

And amd has no problems whatsoever. |m|

 

[ajaymailed]

Dude research a bit and build it on your own Its a thrill like no other. Just be a little careful and if something doesn't go according to plan the first time,don't panic! tackle it with a cool head and you shall be fine |m| B-)

And amd has no problems whatsoever. |m|

Its definitely fun to discuss the config here. If everyone were to read expert reviews and build pc on their own then there would be no need of forums like this.

Experts here can suggest config which gives best bang for the buck, plus we can learn quite a lot of new things, which would make difference for smooth running of the desktop.

intel's sandybridge architecture is far superior than any amd architecture till now.getting a pentium G620 is better than getting any amd dual core unless you are soon planning on upgrading to a 4 core processor since cheapest amd 4 core costs ~6000 while cheapest intel 4 core costs ~9000.

Still in many threads, Athlon X2 265 is being recommended. Is cost of G620 still higher than X2 265? I am not sure about street price but online prices indicate to 3 to 3.5K for G620. If X2 265 is below 3K then there is price difference of about 20 to 25%. But shop wallas are saying entire Phenom & Athlon are quickly disappearing from local markets. In that case only AMD A4-3400 is left to compete with G620.

 

[whitestar_999]

G620 is better in the sense that core by core it outperforms any amd dual core while its power consumption is ~35W which means lower temps for longer durations.you can also upgrade processor as socket 1155 is compatible with latest generation intel cpu's.point is if you do not need a quad core now nor in foreseeable future then G620 is the best option performance wise unless you want a decent gaming graphics too which HD2000 on G620 is not.frankly speaking for everyday normal usage/multimedia 2 cores & HD2000 are enough so it is always better to get the better performing dual core in the long run.you can always upgrade the graphics after all.