Seeking advice mATX build

Hey,

my girlfriend is looking for a new pc and plans on spending around 400€, the less, the better. She mentioned she would like a small build (not mandatory) so I thought maybe a mATX build. And now I'm about to enter uncharted waters, since this would be my first build with a smaller formfactor.
The machine would mainly be used for office work, movies/music and browsing.

This would be my first draft

My questions/comments:

1) I think this build should definitly feature a SSD since this is the single best improvement a new build can have I think

2) Would the 10€ less be worth the MSI H97M-E35 for example?

3) Do I really need 8GB of RAM? I just saw that my machine uses 3 while browsing so I thought 4GB might be a bit small.

4) CPU - very important, I don't know the celeron series and I'm thinking maybe an i3 would be the better choice. I don't know if a celeron might be too weak.

5) Regarding the formfactor: Should I buy a smaller PSU? Will a 3.5" HDD even fit or should I go with a 2.5"?

Any input is greatly appreciated

Hi.
In the fifth point you meant HDD? That is probably typo.

This is what I found on this forum:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/38FcmG

By bob

In this thread.
http://www.overclockers.com/forums/s...-s-money/page5

Many people said that it is a great build.

Edited:
Just saw that you are looking for mATX.
I am not sure if the configuration above is relative.

Though that MSI board does not promiss much, becuase it has bad reviews. And I read somewhere on this forum that "MSI boards usually on the sale for a good reason."

Should have made a 6th point. There are smaller PSUs like SFX or so. I'm not sure if the usual ATX PSUs are too big.

Your second link is not working The pentium is definitly worth a thought mATX is as I said not mandatory, in the end I'll just need a plain looking case preferably not too big.

Indeed, the link does not work. Sorry. Here it is: http://www.overclockers.com/forums/...-Gaming-Rig-for-800-best-for-it-s-money/page5
I am not into mATX format. Just wanted to help a bit.)) This is more like bumping up for the topic.

A lot of good input there, but I don't need to squeeze a GPU in this build and therefore I would like to invest in the CPU, if this is gives me benefits. With 4GB RAM instead of 8GB I can throw in an i3 4130 and be at around 399€.

edit: oops just kidding. That i3 has IGPU

Anyway, given "home computing" operations (internet, email, facebook, word processing, etc) you really wont see a huge difference between the much cheaper g3258 an the 4130.


edit 2: From benchmarks, the g3258 seems considerably stronger in single threaded applications anyway.

Heres a solid build ->


CPU -> G3528. STRONG dual core processor with integrated graphics.
Motherboard -> Asrock H81M-itx/wifi. Includes VGA/DVI adapter, onboard wifi, cost effective solution
Cooler (optional) -> Corsair H55. WHY? Because the stock intel heatsinks sound like a freaking jet engine. Annoying listening to stock coolers if you're trying to watch a movie or casually browse something. Small form factor should fit into most itx cases.
RAM -> G. Skill Ripjaws X 1866 2x4gb. 4gb SHOULD be enough, but given the cost, it seems prudent to have "too much" vice "just enough". Being an APU, more is more anyway.
SSD -> Crucial M500. Not the "Best of the best" by any means, but hugely cost effective in terms of reasonable size and power.
PSU -> be quiet! Pure Power 350w. PLENTY of juice, super quiet, and very well reviewed. Since going in an itx case, cable length shouldn't be an issue. In fact, the shorter cables should HELP.
Case -> Corsair 250D. Aesthetically pleasing, will support the H55 very easily, and isn't gaudy or "boyish". A cheaper option would be thermaltake core V1. Maybe if you can get that front emblem off, thatd be the direction I would go perhaps. The 250D also supports full size power supplies, which is nice.


Full build ->

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/QPZ8yc

£363.33, has no mail in rebates or other extenuating offers. You can drop the H55 to save 44#'s. Dropping down to 4gb of ram does not save you any appreciable money.


edit: hdsfoguafhaeuty983q4y598aheudfhaf you're in germany, dang it haha. Lemme see if theres a european part picker. Sorry, I thought you were in the UK for some reason (cross threading ), see if you can find those parts for a reasonable price in germany?

bob4933 said:

Lemme see if theres a european part picker. Sorry, I thought you were in the UK for some reason (cross threading ), see if you can find those parts for a reasonable price in germany?

Click to expand...

UK is also in Europe So I could order there if I wanted. I really appreciate your input! The mainboard is an insane idea! Integrated WiFi would be something she likes.

As for the rest, I will have to see if the mainboard could handle overclocking, I mean I'd have to delete my account here if I'm going to use the H55 and the Pentium and don't try at least a 4GHz overclock

The PSU and SSD are too expensive. I'll might stick with my MX100, I mean 128G is plenty for her as I would throw in a 1TB HDD anyway. Greatly appreciated!