PC Build + Peripherals.. $1,500 Budget

Looking to put together a setup for about $1,500. It’s mainly for office work, but I’d love something beefy enough to handle some heavier tasks without breaking a sweat—definitely looking for solid cooling too. I also need a monitor and a printer/scanner included, so basically everything except the keyboard and mouse.

What kind of "demanding" jobs are we even talking about here? Give me some specifics—like what programs you use or just the general type of work you do.

You're right, my bad. Honestly, he won't need much for heavy-duty software, but it's for a buddy of mine who runs his own small business, so I'm not entirely sure about his specific workflow... Since the PC will be running non-stop, I figured he’d need a solid case with decent airflow. He'll mostly just be using Office, browsing the web, and streaming movies here and there... Plus, he has a son, so there might be some gaming thrown into the mix now and then.

James Gomez80 said:Looking to put together a setup for about $1,500. It’s mainly for office work, but I’d love something beefy enough to handle some heavier tasks without breaking a sweat—definitely looking for solid cooling too. I also need a monitor and a printer/scanner included, so basically everything except the keyboard and mouse.

Intel Core i5 4670
Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 motherboard, 1150 socket, Intel B85 chipset, D3, S3, USB 3.0, DVI, Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600MHz, 8GB KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX
MSI GeForce GTX 760, 2GB DDR5
Western Digital Blue 3.5 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX
Kingston 120GB SSD, SSDNow V300 SATA 3 SV300S37A/120G
Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS
Fortron Aurum S PSU 500W, 80+ Gold
Zalman CNPS5X Performa CPU Cooler, 92mm Performance, Zalman CNPS5X Performa
Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 Tower
LG 23.6" LED 24EN33S, VGA, Full HD, 5ms
Canon Pixma MX395 printer/scanner/copier/fax
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Eng SP1 DVD OEM P/N: FQC-04649

$3391 CNN If this machine is truly for a business, you really ought to make sure you're running a legitimate version of Windows—the IRS or local auditors can be incredibly aggressive about software compliance, and those fines aren't worth the savings.

James Gomez80

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440
Cooler: Spire Kepler R2.0
Mbo: ASRock B85M Pro4
RAM: 2x Patriot 4GB 1600 MHz (16GB total)
SSD: Intel 120GB SSD
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 1TB SATA 3
GPU: MSI R9 270X Gaming OC
DVD: LG GH24NS95 SATA
Power Supply: XFX PRO 450W 80+ Bronze
Case: SHARKOON MA-A1000 USB 3.0

Monitor: DELL P2414H IPS - Full HD (tilt, swivel, pivot)
Speakers: GENIUS SP HF 500A WOOD 2.0
Webcam: Logitech C170
Printer: Epson Workforce—print, scan, copy, and fax.
OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit retail version.

= 10 $1.75 With assembly and delivery included—Futura IT

So, if we’re looking at everything you mentioned, those would be pretty solid Best Buy components and peripherals—though, honestly, it would’ve been a lot easier if your buddy had just swung by himself to introduce himself and actually walk us through what he needs this setup for.

Grace Peterson17

I honestly don't get it—why would you recommend a monitor with only a VGA input for a $10k business setup? That just doesn't make sense.

Honestly, just tell your buddy to figure out what he actually needs from a printer—since this is for a business, he probably doesn't need the headache of a color inkjet and messing around with expensive ink cartridges. It’ll be way more cost-effective for him to just grab a laser MFP instead:

If he's planning on printing a ton of stuff and doesn't actually need color, I'd suggest he looks into getting a laser printer instead of those cartridge-based models. You can find them for around $200
.

1 x LG 23 EA63V-P, 23", 16:9, 1920x1080, IPS panel, 250 cd/m2
1 x Canon Pixma MG3250, All-in-one printer
1 x Genius SP-HF800B speakers, 20W, cherry wood
1 x Microsoft Windows 8, 64bit, English 1pk, DSP, OEI DVD
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3, Socket : 1150, Intel B85, 4xDDR3 1333/1600
1 x Intel Core i5-4440 Processor (3.10GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL9, HyperX Genesis, KHX1600
1 x Western Digital Blue 3.5, 1TB HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. MB standard
1 x XFX Core Edition 80 +450 550W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x MSI R9 270X Gaming 2GB GDDR5 256bit
1 x CoolerMaster Hyper TX3, LGA775/1156 and AMD 754/939/940/AM2/AM3
1 x Kingston 120GB SSD 530, 2.5", SATA III-600, R/W:540/480MB/s

$3083

@graniteharbor85, he doesn't need 16GB of RAM just for browsing, office work, and light gaming.

graniteharbor85 said:James Gomez80

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440
Cooler: Spire Kepler R2.0
Mbo: ASRock B85M Pro4
RAM: 2x Patriot 4GB 1600 MHz (16GB total)
SSD: Intel 120GB SSD
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3.5" 1TB SATA 3
GPU: MSI R9 270X Gaming OC
DVD: LG GH24NS95 SATA
Power Supply: XFX PRO 450W 80+ Bronze
Case: SHARKOON MA-A1000 USB 3.0

Monitor: DELL P2414H IPS - Full HD (tilt, swivel, pivot)
Speakers: GENIUS SP HF 500A WOOD 2.0
Webcam: Logitech C170
Printer: Epson Workforce—print, scan, copy, and fax.
OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit retail version.

= 10 $1.75 With assembly and delivery included—Futura IT

So, if we’re looking at everything you mentioned, those would be pretty solid Best Buy components and peripherals—though, honestly, it would’ve been a lot easier if your buddy had just swung by himself to introduce himself and actually walk us through what he needs this setup for.

Grace Peterson17

I honestly don't get it—why would you recommend a monitor with only a VGA input for a $10k business setup? That just doesn't make sense.

Wait... does it make sense now?

- You could have at least picked a decent case for him—and hey, the guy was being polite about it too.
- He doesn't even need 16GB of RAM, and I really don't understand why you're throwing in speakers and a webcam?

That’s exactly why I’m asking—it just doesn't make sense to me... though, honestly, it's hard to get anyone to admit stuff like that.

Regarding the case, there isn't much to say because it's spot on—just take a quick look at the specs if you aren't seeing what I mean.

As for the amount of RAM and everything else, we don't know yet. Since nothing specific has been laid out, all these builds are just rough estimates... that's actually why we're waiting on more details, and it's precisely why he mentioned it'd be better to just swing by in person to explain exactly what you're looking for.

graniteharbor85 said:That’s exactly why I’m asking—it just doesn't make sense to me... though, honestly, it's hard to get anyone to admit stuff like that.

Regarding the case, there isn't much to say because it's spot on—just take a quick look at the specs if you aren't seeing what I mean.

As for the amount of RAM and everything else, we don't know yet. Since nothing specific has been laid out, all these builds are just rough estimates... that's actually why we're waiting on more details, and it's precisely why he mentioned it'd be better to just swing by in person to explain exactly what you're looking for.

Honestly, that case choice is a joke. The guy is dropping $1,500 on this build, and you're suggesting some bottom-tier, budget option? Regardless of what that case offers, there has to be some sense of balance here.🤷

He could have just gone with the Corsair 200R... It's such an elegant case, really.

Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" LCD Monitor
MSI R9 270X Gaming, 2GB
Western Digital Blue 3.5" 1TB HDD
Zalman Z3 Plus mid tower case
Transcend DDR3, 8GB, 1600MHz
Intel Core i5-4440
Asrock s1150 B85M Pro4
Transcend 120GB SSD
LG DVD±RW 24x GH24NS95 SATA
XFX Core Edition 80 +450

Logitech C270 HD Webcam
Genius 2.1 360 Speakers
HP LaserJet Pro M1132 MFP

Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit

$3275
Best Buy (free assembly)

Grace Peterson17

Maybe you could stop trying to be everyone's spokesperson for a second and actually focus on making your suggestions better—because honestly, your logic in that breakdown above is all over the place 😉

graniteharbor85 said:Grace Peterson17

Maybe you could stop trying to be everyone's spokesperson for a second and actually focus on making your suggestions better—because honestly, your logic in that breakdown above is all over the place 😉

Haha, you’re really trying to lecture me here—acting like some seasoned veteran just because you’ve been hanging around this forum longer than I have? I figured you’d know better by now what actually works and what doesn't... unless, of course, you're either too stubborn to admit you completely missed the mark with this case, or you're just being willfully ignorant and insisting that total garbage is actually gold.

Just a heads-up: the Zalman Z3 Plus mid tower case comes with some seriously loud fans right out of the box (there are 4 of them). Hearing that noise immediately after booting up felt like a total flashback to the days of the 8800 GT era, when terrible cooling solutions used to make gaming a noisy nightmare.
On the bright side, the actual design of the chassis—the transparent side panel, the placement of the USB ports, and a few of the internal extras—is actually pretty solid.

wanderingviper7 said:Just a heads-up: the Zalman Z3 Plus mid tower case comes with some seriously loud fans right out of the box (there are 4 of them). Hearing that noise immediately after booting up felt like a total flashback to the days of the 8800 GT era, when terrible cooling solutions used to make gaming a noisy nightmare.
On the bright side, the actual design of the chassis—the transparent side panel, the placement of the USB ports, and a few of the internal extras—is actually pretty solid.

Unfortunately, Zalman has never really been known for their fans; their stock units have always been loud and provided pretty subpar airflow. If you're looking for an upgrade, you can grab some excellent, quiet fans from Fractal Design without breaking the bank... if I recall correctly, you can find them over at CNN for $20.

Fractal silent cooler, 120mm

$20 CNN

There are also some even better options than the Corsair stuff, though they do come with a higher price tag...

Corsair Air Series AF120mm LED, COR-CO-9050015-WLED (quiet edition)

$23 CNN

I’ll pass it along if my buddy asks, though I doubt he will—he already mentioned he doesn't have an issue with it.
For someone who plans on running torrents all night long while sleeping in the same room as this rig, they might want to look for a different setup elsewhere, because this thing is a disaster.

Wait, doesn't that case come with its own fan controller? They should just dial back the RPMs using that or some other software. Honestly, if the noise is such a headache, they might as well just ditch the fans altogether.
The case itself is solid—really great value for the money.

The noise might not bother him, but it definitely bothers me. I’m just pointing this out for anyone considering buying this specific case down the road.
Other than that, I have no issues.
There’s a button on top to control the fans, but honestly, it doesn't make a bit of difference in the noise level.