PC for 20k (strechable by 3k) for basic home use and 2D artwork.

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Santa Maria!

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Hi. I want to get a PC for home for my parents and sister. It will be used for Internet browsing, movies AND importantly, lots of Photoshop work/ image editing and stuff. I think that modern integrated graphics cards can handle 2D stuff, right?

I want this to run the above mentioned stuff SMOOTHLY for at least uh... 5 years? :ashamed:

1. Q: What is your budget?
1. 20K (strechable by 3K)

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
Nil: ancient 2004 config.

3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
1. DVD Writer, mouse, keyboard, speakers
5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
Final config

6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
1. Delhi/Noida
2. Open to online purchase (SMC international is okay for online stuff, right?)

7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
1. No

8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
1. Photoshop
2. Browsing
3. Movies
9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
Is Intel i3 good at this price range?

10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
1. It would be a nice bonus if games from the past few years can run on medium... but gaming is not primary.

11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
1. Don't really know... min 19 inch. But I wonder if Full HD is possible/recommended with a 22 inch monitor in this price range?

12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
1. No

13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
1. Windows 7 32 bit
 
I would suggest this one

CPU AMD A8-3850 7200

MOBO Gigabyte A55 S2H 4000

RAM G.Skill 4GB 1600Mhz 1600

PSU Corsair cx 430 v2 2100

MONITOR Phillips 19” 4700

Cabinet Any 900

HDD 250 GB any 3300

23800

Can run new games at low res also
 
Pro-Intel i3 2100-6.2k[i3 performs better than Amd A8-AnandTech - Bench - CPU

Mobo-GIGABYTE GA-H61M-D2-B3-3.4k

Hdd-Segate 250gb-3.3k

Ram-Corsair Xms3 4gb 1600mhz-1.6k or Gskill ripjaws X 2X2gb 1600mhz-1.6k

Psu-Fsp sagaII 400W-1.9k or Corsair cx430v2-2.2k

Monitor-Dell 1920IN-4.8k

Case-zebronics bijli-1.2k or Any good circle Cabby-0.9k

Gpu-SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5670 512MB DDR5-4k

You will get better performance with the external gpu,this rig will serve you better.

Hope this helps.
 
Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i3 2100 6500

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2P-B3 3000

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1100

HDD Seagate 250GB 7200.12 3400

GPU Intel HD2000 -

Monitor Dell IN2030M (20" LED) 5850

Cabinet Zebronic or Circle w/o SMPS 900

PSU/SMPS Corsair CX430 v2 2250

Total 23000

Go for the Core i3 2100. Its pretty good for photoshop.

If your DVD R/W is an IDE based one then you need to get a new SATA based one for ~0.9k since the motherboard lacks an IDE port.

Also if you have an spare SATA HDD use that and instead utilize the money to get a Core i5 2320 ~ 10k-10.5k
 
Thanks for the replies, guys.

I feel like I really like DarkAngel's config. The monitor seems nice and big... hope integrated card can handle it smoothly.
thegatekeeper, I want to try and live with integrated graphics first, and if necessary, I'll think about grabbing a discrete card.

Also, am I right in assuming that 1333 RAM is what I should go for... 1600 is only attainable after overclocking, right? I won't be doing any OCing.

As for the HDD, I found from System Information that I have a model no: st3160318AS. On Googling, I found its description to be this: link

Space-wise, this is fine by me for now. Is this HDD compatible with the system you folks have posted?
Would you really recommend the i5 2320 you mentioned? Would it be overkill? (I have no idea). And I don't see it mentioned on SMC's site.

I found the IN2030 monitor, the RAM, MothaBoard, and the i3-2100 on SMC's site. Any specific place in Nehru Place where I can find the cabinet and PSU? Is there a model number for the cabinet?

And on another site, someone suggested this config:

Processor AMD Phenom II x4 840 5000
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-880GM-USB3 (rev. 3.1) 4800
RAM G-skill F3-10600CL9S-4GBNT(4Gx1) 1350
HDD Seagate 250GB 7200.12 3400
PSU FSP Saga II 500W 2300
Case Zebronics Bijli (w/o psu) 1000
Monitor Acer P206HQ 5150

Total 23000

How does this compare to DarkAngel's config?

I really appreciate all your help, guys.
 
i3 is the system to go for,its power efficient and powerful enough.

I don't think u'll need a GPU for your requirements.

Regarding RAM buy a 2x2GB DDR3 1333MHz dual channel kit.

Use your existing HDD as it'll serve your purpose and upgrade later to high volume one when prices will come down.this is not the right time to buy a HDD.As per link provided its sata II 160GB so no worries about compatibility.

Dell ST2220M is a very good monitor and its a 22" full HD monitor ~7.8k.by excluding a HDD u can squeeze this into ur budget.

I'll recommend to buy all components(At least CPU) from a single vendor and assemble it at their shop.this eliminate the chance of send back faulty components.
 
As far as the RAM goes get a 1600 set, will perform better than the 1333 ones. Also as far as overclocking, you will get better performance if you set the memory clocks to 1600, which is very easy on most (if not all) systems.

For the IDE drives, would recomend a IDE SATA converter. Costs around 250 bucks here in lammy. Else get a PCI/PCIe based RAID controller for roughly the same price. (I have both, the converter and the controller, best bet is to get the controller) You will need it if you get either the phenom or the intel config as both dont come with IDE controllers.

No need of a dedicated GPU, but if you want more performance, add one later. But get something from nvidia as it has CUDA support and some filters in PS use CUDA operation.
 
AnandTech - Bench - CPU

Check the benchmarks.

i3 2100 has a 25% lead over the AthlonII X4 645 in 'Adobe Photoshop CS4 - Retouch Artists Speed Test'

The i3 is a much better processor and also the LGA1155 platform also has a lot of future. Next generation Intel Ivybridge processors work with these. So say couple of years down the line if an upgrade is needed then you can just put in a next gen. 'i5 3400' in your motherboard keep the rest of the setup same!

And yes your HDD is a SATA HDD and will work fine with the setup i recommended. HDD prices are bloated due to a flood in Thailand. Couple of months back 500GB HDD were selling for just 2k and 1TB for 2.9k. So you can add one later when the pricing comes back to previous levels.

And yes the Intel HD2000 is plenty enough to drive even 24" FHD monitors. So no need to worry in that front.

I recommended the i5 2320 or i5 2400 since it is even more faster and among the top 10 in terms of speed in photoshop.

SMC is a registered dealer in our forum. So you can also send him the final config and request for a quotation.
 
^^ Here is my pitch for the RIG --

Intel Core i3 2100 ~ 6200/- OR Core i5 2400 ~ 10500/- [because you already have a SATA hard drive use that till hard drive prices are slashed, with that money go for a Core i5 and enjoy true quad-core advantage over Intel Core i3]

GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2P-B3 ~ 3200/-

G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x 1 ~ 1650/- [here is why a 1600 MHz module outpaces a 1333 MHz module and why it is better value for money -- AnandTech - Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling: Choosing the Best DDR3]

I think we confirmed what we pretty much knew all along: Sandy Bridge's improved memory controller has all but eliminated the need for extreme memory bandwidth, at least for this architecture. It's only when you get down to DDR3-1333 that you see a minor performance penalty. The sweet spot appears to be at DDR3-1600, where you will see a minor performance increase over DDR3-1333 with only a slight increase in cost. The performance increase gained by going up to DDR3-1866 or DDR3-2133 isn't nearly as pronounced.
Click to expand...

Cooler Master eLite 310 ~ 1500/-

FSP Saga II 500W ~ 2600/- [you need future proof upgrading options]

[rest configuration same as Dark Angel Sir]

Later down the line as you are not gaming get a nVidia GT 430 -- GT 540 ~ 5500/- OR Quadro FX 580 ~ 6500/- graphics card, you'll see a increase in Photoshop responsiveness and you'll be ale to use plug-ins developed by nVidia for Adobe and Autodesk productivity suites.

Hope this helps, Sire. Cheers!! Merry X-mas.
 
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Okay first off, I forgot to say thank you for the info about the SATA/IDE DVD/RW issue. I had no clue about that. Plus that addendum by vivek.krishnan also helped and will keep that in mind. I don't know which my current drive is but will keep this in mind.

So, the benchmark links are pushing me back towards the i3 2100. I am a bit wary about overkill if I consider the i5 procs mentioned. The rig is for parent+sister and personally my time is totally used up by my new job, so won't be using it much. All my programming work is done on a company-provided linux-laptop.

ALPHA17, thanks for the RAM info. That's new to me. So if I save some moolah by not getting a new HDD, I should go for a 1600 RAM? Is the benefit worth it, keeping in mind the usage scenario?

So, a candidate config is now:

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Core i3 2100 6500

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-H61M-S2P-B3 3000

RAM G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x 1 1650

GPU Intel HD2000 -

Monitor Dell IN2030M (20" LED) 5850

Cabinet Zebronic or Circle w/o SMPS 1000

PSU/SMPS FSP Saga II 500W 2600

Total 20600

Maybe add 1k for possible DVD drive instead of IDE-SATA converter if needed.

And why was the CoolerMaster cabinet for 1500 suggested? Is it necessary for this modified config?

Verdict on 1600 vs 1333 RAM for specified usage scenario?

Any other wee bit of improvements?

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Another update...

Well, after a lengthy discussion on TDF(here) about practicality and balance and such, I've decided to go the AMD A6 route with the following config suggested by some folks:

Component Make Price

Processor AMD A6-3650 6450

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-A55M-S2H 4500

RAM Gskill Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9S-4GBXL 1650

PSU FSP Saga II 500W 2300

Cabinet Zebronics Bijli 1.2k?

Monitor DELL IN2030M 5850
 
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