Office PC with monitor

Hey everyone, got a few questions for you guys.

I need to pick up an office PC—basically just something cheap for Word and browsing the web. My budget is capped at $300 including a monitor, though ideally, I'd like to spend less. That part is pretty straightforward.

The tricky part is that I have this old rig from 2008 that I use for a bit of everything (except heavy gaming). The motherboard is killing me with slow USB 2.0 speeds and limited RAM, so my brain is trying to pull a fast one. I'm thinking about repurposing this old motherboard and CPU as my "new" office computer, then putting a new motherboard and a better CPU into the old case. Not sure if that makes sense, but let me know what you think.

I'll be buying exclusively online, preferably from IBM. I've picked up a few PCs from them before and they've been great.

Here’s the technical breakdown of the old PC:
Gigabyte EP35-DS3
C2D8400@3ghz
DDR2@800 4GB
Upgraded the GPU a couple years back to handle audio over HDMI. It's an Nv650/1GB
Got a Vertex4@64GB SSD installed a year or two ago for the OS boot.
HDD 320 GB Antec
Antec case with a 380W power supply

So, the plan was to drop a new motherboard, a new CPU, and some RAM into this old PC.

Then, for the "new" office PC, I'd grab a cheap new case and power supply, toss in the old motherboard, CPU, and memory, and add a new HDD (max 500GB) and a monitor. Man, I'm totally confusing myself here. 😁

The bottleneck is the GPU. Since integrated graphics are fine for office work, this whole crazy plan only works if modern integrated graphics are as good as or better than my Nv650. If not, I'd have to keep the 650 in the old machine and buy a new GPU for the office build, which defeats the purpose because of the cost. So, question is: how good are modern integrated graphics compared to an Nv650 (the standard version, not the TI)?

If anyone can make sense of this, tell me if this whole scheme is worth the headache or if I should just focus on buying a single new office PC. Either way, please suggest an office configuration with a monitor within the $250-$300 range.

Thanks

So, that Microsoft Office setup would look something like this:
Gigabyte EP35-DS3
C2D8400@3ghz
DDR2@800 4GB
+
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x Chicony HPA-350W, Advanced Highly HPA Series
1 x MS Industrial Sirius bez napajanja, Midi tower
1 x AOC E2250SWDAK, 21,5", 16:9, 1920x1080, zvučnici, 200 cd/m2
1 x ASUS EN210 SILENT/DI/1GD3/V2(LP), Nvidia GeForce, GF210, PCIe x1

If you want to go your own way, maybe try this:
1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2 xDDR3 - 1600
1 x Intel Pentium G3220, 3.00GHz,512KB,3MB, Haswell
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value

You could grab all that $875 from IBM. You might want to pick up that new 500GB HDD too. I guess we could also throw in an FM2 quad-core Athlon if you're into that sort of thing.😁

I think I finally figured it out. 😁 Here’s what I found over at IBM...

For the 'main' PC:

1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Asrock FM2A88X EXTREME4+ - AMD A88X Bolton D4, ATX, Dual Channel
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon ii x4 760 3.80GHz 4cores
1 x Thermaltake Contac 16, 775,AM2,AM2+,AM3,AM3+,FM1,1155,1156

$499

For the office build:

1 x AOC E2250SWDAK, 21.5", 16:9, 1920x1080, speakers, 200 cd/m2
1 x HDD 500GB Seagate, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, Barracuda 7200.12
1 x Chicony HPA-350W, Advanced Highly HPA Series
1 x Advanced Highly HPA Series 1 x MS LOGIC A33 without power supply, Midi tower, ATX, 5.25" external slot

$499

The integrated graphics aren't anywhere near a GTX 650... Even the A10 7850 k Apa APU, which supposedly has the best integrated graphics on the market, is still pretty far off—it's more on par with a GT 640 DDR3 card.
So, I guess I'll just need to pick up some super cheap, used card for this office machine just to get an image on the screen.

Man, you guys are fast 😍
Thanks to both of you for the replies.

So my idea might actually work after all 🙂

I'm still scratching my head a bit over this whole AMD vs Intel thing....

What are the actual pros and cons of going with an Athlon ii x4 760 k setup compared to an Intel Pentium G3220?

Just wanted to clear that up before I take the proposal to my boss. I'm looking to upgrade my own rig instead of just buying a basic office PC.🙂))

The Athlon's got four cores, while the Pentium is just a dual-core setup. You can actually push the overclock on the Athlon if you get the k version. Performance-wise, they're pretty close, though the Pentium might feel a bit snappier with apps that don't really know how to use all those cores. What are you even doing on that rig anyway?

Basically, this Pentium is about on par with what you're running now, it just runs cooler and sips less power, I guess.

fadedorca66 said:The Athlon's got four cores, while the Pentium is just a dual-core. You can also overclock the Athlon if you get the k version. Performance-wise they're pretty close; the Pentium might edge it out on apps that don't utilize all those cores. So, what are you actually doing on this rig?

Basically, this Pentium is sitting right around where your current CPU is, it just runs cooler and pulls less power and stuff.

I'm digging through the specs online now. I'm definitely not into overclocking—never have been, never will be. I'm leaning toward Intel because, from what I can see, the TDP is way lower than the AMD option. That 50W difference is huge to me.

I use my PC for everything, but mostly just random stuff—browsing, email, Microsoft Office, watching movies, music, etc. Nothing heavy. I might play one game a year, so that's not a priority. I don't do any video editing or anything else that would really hammer the CPU.

My main goal was just swapping out the motherboard for something newer with SATA3, USB3, and DDR3 memory support.

So, I'm going with the Intel build. 🙂

Thanks for the help, everyone.

So, you finally made up your mind. Honestly, the Pentium should handle those tasks just fine, plus it’ll probably run cooler and quieter too.

Let me know how it goes.😁

The G3220 feels noticeably more powerful than the C2D E8400 ekvivalent E8400 😉

I guess the Celeron G530 / 540 is more of an equivalent to the E8400

Update:

Got my build approved! I just placed the order with IBM, but I made one quick tweak at the last second. Hope I didn't totally screw this up. 🙂
The final specs are:

1 x Asrock H81M-DGS - Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2 xDDR3 - 1600
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Intel Core i3-4130, 3.40GHz
1 x Spire Maverick 8526B 420W, ATX/micro ATX case, 420W PSU
1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050
1 x AOC E2250SWDAK, 21.5", 16:9, 1920x1080, speakers, 200 cd/m2
1 x ASUS EN210 SILENT/DI/1GD3/V2(LP), Nvidia GeForce, GF210, PCIe x1
Total comes to $1003

As you can see, I swapped out the case and the processor. For some reason, I was really stuck on getting an i3. If I messed anything up, please let me know ASAP so I can try to stop the shipment. 😁

BTW, I'm going to have to mount the CPU cooler myself and put the whole thing together... does anyone have tips on applying that thermal paste or whatever goes under the cooler? Do I need to buy it separately or does it come with the computer?

Thanks.

You've set yourself up nicely; the i3 is a solid little chip. 😬
The power supply included in this spire case will be more than enough for a Microsoft Office setup featuring an E8400 and a GF210, so you don't need to worry about that at all.

As for the cooler, that’s honestly the least of your concerns. It’s incredibly straightforward—just hop on YouTube and watch a few tutorials. Plus, the thermal paste is already applied to the cooler.

Did you check the specs a bit more closely? 😬

1 x Chicony HPA-400W, Advanced Highly HPA Series

1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm

$136

Instead of that specific case and power supply combo, you’d actually end up paying less than $33 for more.

crimsonstag84 said:You're a little late on the 😬

1 x Chicony HPA-400W power supply, Advanced Highly HPA Series

1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm

$136

Instead of that case+PSU combo, you'd actually save a bit of $33 money.

My director handles the budget, and he's a hardass about staying under $3000—I barely managed to squeeze through at $3010.😁
I grabbed that specific case because it has front-facing USB 3.0, though I was thinking about maybe pocketing some cash from the case cost myself.🤣

Whatever, the main thing is that everything works.

Anyway, now I know I've already got thermal paste ready to go, so no issues there.

I'll post my final thoughts on how it all performs once it's up and running, plus some photos for those of you who live for unboxing porn.😁

The Maverick actually looks pretty decent—it’s subtle and has this airy vibe, but honestly, it lets every single noise leak out and the chassis is thinner than a damn soda can.
That’s why a cheap power supply is just a "weekend fix," meant to get you through until you can buy the real deal on Monday. We're talking old-school specs here; there's zero headroom for even a tiny power surge... man, a power supply that weighs less than a bag of chips? Please.

update 😍

Got my package from Washington, D.C. today. Since I ordered through Boeing, everything went smooth as silk.

First, some unboxing shots...








So, once I started cramming everything into the old case, I hit a massive snag. This new motherboard doesn't have an optical port OR any other digital audio output!!! 😠 TOTAL NIGHTMARE. My ancient board from 2008 actually had optical and coaxial outputs—I honestly thought that was standard stuff by now. But hey, it is what it is. Usually, my PC hits my Onkyo receiver via optical to run my TechCrunch Disrupt 5.0 setup, and the receiver is picky—it only wants optical or coax for digital audio. For now, I'm just routing sound from the TV (where it comes in via Intel) to the receiver through optical, but that’s just 2-channel PCM.

Thinking about grabbing something off eBay. Any advice on if these are worth it? Which one is better, and is there anything similar available locally here in the States?:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-bit-192KH...item27e233b47a

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-Express-...item35c5a70853

The board only has one slot, so I'm assuming these cards will fit?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My old board... man, it served me well, but it's time for it to retire to the office PC. 😁


Picked up a new HDD too, and shoved the old 320GB one into the office rig. Felt weird putting a brand new USB drive into an office PC that only supports USB 2.0 :P

Decided to keep the new case for the office since I wanted those USB 3.0 ports on the front. 🤣

Honestly though, my old Antec case feels way higher quality. It’s easily three times heavier than this new one haha.

It was pretty funny watching Windows struggle for a second when it realized it was running on a totally different motherboard and CPU. 🤣

Initial impressions: boot time is insanely fast now. It was already quick with the SSD, but now it wakes up almost instantly. I guess that Microsoft BIOS combined with the SSD and a beefier processor is a killer combo.

Time to build the office machine... hopefully, it's all smooth sailing there.