Web browsing build

[watercooled]

Hi, a family member wants to upgrade from an ancient computer (not sure what exactly but I think it has something like a 3GB HDD for reference) to something with a bit more power. Budget isn't too great and I think an Atom system would be ideal but I'm not entirely sure which route to take - build one or buy pre-built ie something like this. I'd have to check about the OS - I'll try to convince him to give Linux a try to save a bit. Anyone have any recommendations on what to do? Ask for more details if needed.
TVM!

[Ulti]

Well I've made a cheap build with some better components than the Novatech one. It DOESN'T come with an OS though but I'm not sure the Novatech one does either. If the Novatech one does then it'll be hard to beat.

Anyway:
Motherboard + Processor: Intel Little Falls 2 with Integrated Intel Atom 330 Processor i945GC onboard VGA 6 channel audio mini-ITX Motherboard £61.85
PSU: OCZ 400W StealthXStream PSU £34.99
HDD: Western Digital 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 16MB Cache - OEM Caviar Blue £36.79
RAM: Extra Value 2GB DDR2 667MHz £23.99
DVD Drive: Samsung SH-S222A 22X DVD±RW £15.99
Case: Shiny Black/Silver Slim ATX/MATX Case £17.99
Keyboard & Mouse: Gigabyte Black Wired Keyboard & Optical Mouse Bundle £7.76

Total: £199.36

Not sure if the case and keyboard/mouse would be up to your taste but if you were to change them it shouldn't push the price up too much.

If you want a downgraded build to save some money and perhaps purchase the OS you could have:
Motherboard + Processor: Intel Little Falls 2 with Integrated Intel Atom 330 Processor i945GC onboard VGA 6 channel audio mini-ITX Motherboard £61.85
PSU: CIT 450W Dual 12V Rail 12cm Fan PSU £16.99
HDD: Western Digital WD1600AAJS 160GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 8MB Cache £27.98
RAM: Crucial 1GB DDR2 667MHz/PC2-5300 Memory £13.44
DVD Drive: Samsung SH-S222A 22X DVD±RW £15.99
Case: Casecom KB-7720BK Black ATX Midi Tower Case £11.99
Keyboard & Mouse: Gigabyte Black Wired Keyboard & Optical Mouse Bundle £7.76

Total: £156.00

You could of course mix and swap

Hope that helped.

[watercooled]

Wow thanks v.much! And no, the Novatech one doesn't have an OS included.

[watercooled]

Just a few more questions:
I do have a spare ATX case I could use for this build but am I right in thinking a mini-ITX board won't fit in without modification? In that case (no pun intended) would I be better going for a SFF case of some sort? Also I have a spare ATX PSU I could use but if I was to use a smaller case I couldn't use it obviously so would it be worth getting a pico-PSU? I've no experience there so I could use help choosing one/where to buy.
Thanks again!

[DDY]

mATX is a smaller version of ATX, mATX boards fit in ATX cases. ITX is a much smaller version of ATX and fits in mATX and ATX cases. ITX boards are essentially ATX boards with the right and bottom bits chopped off, it uses the same I/O and expansion slot template as well as the same screw locations, no modification is required to fit ITX boards in ATX cases.

[watercooled]

Ahh OK thanks - I thought they had a completely different mounting system. I can use the case I have then, it's gonna look pretty small in there lol!

[Ulti]

It really depends on the case I guess. Some cases will have the holes whilst some may not. The first case says it supports Flex-ATX boards which require the same holes as Mini-ITX boards. Looking at the pictures though they both seem to have the same holes drilled in.

The cheapest mini ITX case+PSU combo on eBuyer was http://www.ebuyer.com/product/156186# You'd have to get a slimline CD/DVD drive though http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151459

For the price of a pico-PSU I don't think they're worth it unless you really need the silence and space.

Still not too sure about the SFF case though... Can't help you there.

[watercooled]

I found what looks to be a really nice little case but it comes without a power supply so that would be like another 50 quid on top...
http://www.mini-itx.com/store/?c=54

[scaryjim]

personally I'd forget Atom / mini-itx and build a cheap ATX build around:

Cheap AM2 mobo e.g. ASUS GeForce 8200 or Gigabyte 740G (the 740G is basically a 690G northbridge and a SB700 southbridge - so the newer peripheral management from 780G with the less powerful graphics of 690G).

AMD Sempron 140: an Athlon X2 with one core turned off, but only £27 - perfect for web browsing, and low power (45W TDP).

either one or two GB of DDR2 memory: no need to spend more on 800 MHz as web-browsing isn't going to push it to the limit!

That lot will set you back < £100, has a better processor *and* graphics than an Atom-based build, and has much better expansion possibilities, with PCIe and PCI slots. It will also fit very nicely into your old case saving you more money.

[Olimain]

I did the same recently and bought one of these:
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/174022

[watercooled]

That Mesh system looks like a good deal - what's it like? Saying that though if I'm going for a full sized system it would probably work out cheaper using my spare case/PSU.

[DDY]

As others have said and suggested, ditch the ITX build, it's not really great value. Even, forget building it yourself.

I tend not to build cheaper machines myself because 90% of the budget pre built machines from manufactures such as Acer, HP, Dell are going to be cheaper, faster and probably cause less hassle in the long run. Many cheap machines I've built come back to bite me about a year later usually with dead PSUs and RAM, due to me being forced to buy cheap crap to complete with the PC manufacture's competitive pricing.

For example the Acer E420, packs a 780G, for less than £150 and Dell Vostro 220 with Windows Vista for £211 inc vat&del.

EDIT: Consider the Dell Mini 9 (Inspiron 910) you can grab for less then £150 on Dell outlet.

[watercooled]

Thanks - I didn't realise how much there was at that price range!

[Ulti]

That mesh system does indeed look very nice. 4GB Ram with a E5400 is likely to beat any web browsing haha. For £200 it seems like a steal compared to an Atom build.

[watercooled]

Yeah definitely! I was rather looking forward to building one but hey that's hard to beat. At least I'll get to install the OS .

[Ulti]

You could go for an Intel Celeron E3200 and a G31 board (totals £68 only) or AMD Sempron 140 and a MSI Geforce 6100 board for only £58.50. Couple the AMD option with the 500GB WD HDD, DVD RW Drive and keyboard/mouse set (if you don't have any keyboard/mouse) and your own case and PSU and it'll only total around £120. Only thing now is to get some RAM. I just checked the 2x 1 GB ram on eBuyer and the prices there are crazy... Gone up to £47 for the Corsair XMS2 2x 1GB 800Mhz ones. Guess you'll have to settle with slightly cheaper RAM unless you really wanna spend that much on RAM. Maybe go for just the Kingston value RAM for £30.

EDIT: Added in links.