This is my first PC build. I was happy with it's performance in my usage profile and power consumption figures, so, I am providing my build and some information for your benefit.
I
use my PC mostly for Internet browsing, using online apps like Microsoft
Excelonline and Google spreadsheet, and watching videos online on sites
like Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube. I never play any big games, online or
offline. I wanted to build a new PC with low power consumption and good performance for my use. After reading articles on the the Internet at sites like anandtech.com, techreport.com, the forum at silentpc.com and many others, I decided to select either the Intel i3-4150 or AMD A8-7600.
One of the issues I had was deciding between a dual core or a quad core. From
reviews it felt like the i3-4150 would be fast enough for my workload
which as I mentioned above is mostly using Firefox, Netflix, Hulu, etc.
If I didn't like it then I would upgrade to a quad core Broadwell
processor (Haswell Refresh and Broadwell CPU sockets are
same). On the side, I would like to mention that from online test
reports it seems AMD Kaveri 'quad' core are somewhat like a Intel
Haswell dual core in CPU computing performance (AMD Kaveri architecture
is different from Intel Haswell-refresh. So, an AMD dual/quad core processor is
not equivalent to a Intel dual/quad core). But that shouldn't mean that they would be
slow or have lag for my type of workload. I have used a HP laptop that
has an older AMD A8-5550m and it was quite fast for my work.
It was difficult to decide between Intel i3-4150 paired with ASUS H97M-E/CSM and AMD A8-7600 with MSI's beautiful and lower cost A88XM-Gaming motherboard. The reasons which made me lean towards the A8-7600 were: (1) The AMD A8-7600 has Radeon graphics iGPU (which I think is better than Intel's), (2) I read some reviews that the A8-7600's performance is very near to that of i3-4130 and (3) Next year, I could upgrade to a Carrizo chip hopefully at similar price as the A8-7600. But, I went for the i3-4150 after I read reviews on blogs and on the tomshardware website which made me feel that the Intel Graphics would be good (so I may not need to buy a separate graphics card), and that the AMD A8-7600 was not available at the time of my purchase.
After these few months of use I can say that I am happy with the picture quality of the integrated Graphics, viewed on my Dell P2314T IPS monitor. The video playback is nice and smooth. My understanding from what I read is that a separate graphics card may be needed only if I install a TV tuner card which needs 'Vector Adaptive De-interlacing' (which the AMD APU could have) for a better quality TV picture.
I was wondering if I should wait for the i3-4150T, but I don't think this processor is less better at saving power. Along with the i3-4150 (with stock fan), my PC has an ASUS H97M-E/CSM motherboard, Crucial 8GB RAM, a WD Blue WD5000LPVX 500GB Laptop HDD and an Antec EarthWatts EA-430D Green (Bronze efficiency) power supply. The Kill-A-Watt power meter reading moves around 11-12w at idle, with no user apps running; 12-13w at idle with Firefox running (with few loaded tabs) and in foreground; 15-18w when watching Netflix or Hulu in IE11 with video in a 7" X 12.1/4" sized area (Power use varies with video area. Watching Netflix or Hulu in Firefox in similar sized video area consumes 19-20w; Not sure about Google Chrome). The temperature reading is around 33 degC. I have enabled all 'C' states, enabled Intel SpeedStep, enabled ASUS EPU in BIOS (an ASUS board feature) and set it in 'Savings' mode (in ASUS AI Suite 3), and have disabled many items including ports that would be unused. [If I do not disable the unused ports, I get 12w (meter never shows 11w).] On disabling the ASUS EPU or setting it to 'Performance' mode, the idle power usage is around 16-17w. I use my PC mostly for Internet browsing, using online apps like Microsoft Excelonline and Google spreadsheet, and watching videos online on sites like Netflix, Hulu, and Youtube. I never play any big games, online or offline. The EPU in 'Savings' mode is perfectly alright for this type of work. [but, sometimes it feels it makes web browsing on Firefox slightly less responsive.] In my usage the power is mostly below 25w and sometimes goes above 30w and rarely above 40w. In BIOS mode the power drawn is a constant 30w. The standby power reading is 0w. I was thinking of buying a low noise aftermarket cooler, but the included Intel fan cooler has been quiet till now. Compared to i3-4150, the energy usage of the AMD A8-7600 is higher depending on the TDP selected. See page 12 of article "AMD's A8-7600 'Kaveri' processor reviewed" at techreport site for the figures.
It is easy to build your own basic PC like mine. Here is my experience and parts I used in order of assembly. You may choose them or other compatible ones. Determine if you need a Hard Drive Bay Converter for 2.5-Inch HDD, aftermarket cooler, optical drive, the OS you need (should be supported by motherboard), etc. Note that all the items: CPU, memory, power connectors, SATA data cable, etc, except Intel stock fan, have been designed to go in only one way.
1. Processor (comes with fan): Intel i3-4150. For a new CPU you do not have to buy thermal paste as the fan heatsink should already have that on it.
2. Motherboard: ASUS H97M-E/CSM. Check if the OS you wish to install is supported by the motherboard by checking the vendor's site to see if they offer drivers for it. Many newer motherboards may not have support for Win XP.
3. Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tactical BLT2K4G3D1608ET3LX0 2 x 4GB, DDR3, DDR31600, PC3-12800, 1.35V, Low Profile, Memory. Make sure whatever brand you buy is compatible with the motherboard. Crucial has an online tool to check this for their memory.
For help to install the CPU, fan and memory, search for a youtube video on "Install CPU, CPU Fan, & Memory" or other similar term. Intel has also provided a manual in the box which gives steps on installing the CPU and fan.
Caution: If assembling the PC in winter and if the humidity in your room is low there is danger of motherboard components getting damaged by static electricity transferred by touch, so 'ground' yourself before proceeding. You can touch a screw (must be paint free) on an electrical wall plate or use an anti-static wrist strap for this. By walking on a carpet, rubbing feet on it, or friction with other static causing materials (like 100% polyester blankets) you may develop a static charge. So, to reduce the risk of static damage choose an appropriate area and work surface that is free/away from these materials. Try removing the motherboard from the anti-static bag using the edges to avoid touching components and place it on the same bag for some protection.
Now, you can mount these three parts on the motherboard.
4. Case: I used an old Dell Dimension L733r desktop case, which is made of nice thick aluminum and is relatively small sized (14½ x 11½ x 6¼). I have not put any case fans as CPU and board temp readings remain in the 30's (degC). I did not find any small micro-atx case that has the features I needed.
You don't necessarily need a case for a simple machine like mine. You can connect all the parts and keep them in a wooden cabinet, thick cardboard box, etc (I would prefer to use materials that do not generate static, so wood and cardboard may be OK). If you do this then be careful not to touch the system parts, especially in low humidity (winter time), before grounding youself (See Caution above).
You will also have to buy a 'Single Pole Single Throw - Normally Open' or 'SPST-NO' switch. This type of switch has normally-open contacts. Wires on the switch side may need soldering (unless you can attach the wire using a connector or use some other method to hold them in place) or in the other type available you use screws. Switches (solderable or with screws) are available on ebay.com for about $1.00 to $2.00.
Use wire jumpers to connect the switch with the PWR and GND pins in the motherboards' 'System panel Connector'. Just check your motherboards' manual to find the location of this connector and the pins. If you short these two pins momentarily the PC turns ON. If you don't have a switch on hand, just use some metal like a small screwdriver and carefully short only those two pins.
I had to extend my case's power switch connector to make it reach the new motherboard's power connector. If you have to make a wire jumper from the case panel to the motherboard here is how I made it.
Item list:
a. 24AWG Wire: Determine the approximate length from the case panel to the motherboard's 'System Panel Connector'.
b. Dupont 2.54 Male Connectors: I needed these to connect to the female connector coming out of my case's panel. Determine what type of connector your case has on the panel side.
c. Dupont 2.54 Female Connectors: To connect the other end of the wire to the motherboard male pins.
d. Crimper: I did not want to buy specialized crimpers as they would be useless to me afterwards. So, I bought STEREN D-SUB TERMINALS AWG 22-28 CRIMPING TOOL 500-210 HT-202B, on ebay, which can also crimp other types of terminals including household electrical wire terminals. You may try to use pliers, but I am not sure how good the result would be.
e. Single pin Plastic end: To protect the pins. Multi-pin plastic ends (these are joined together) are also available.
For 'how to crimp' see these sites. The first two are based on the crimper I bought:
Search for "How to Crimp Connectors" on the blog (under community menu) at robotshop.com.
Search for "Обжимаем гнезда на кабель (провод) серии BLS. Фото-инструкция" in search bar at robozone.su . Load the page and then use Google/Bing translate.
Search for "Crimpin' - my style" on renoirsrants.blogspot.com. You can use google for this.
For a tight crimp with my kind of tool you can fold the exposed wire in half.
You can now mount the motherboard in the case.
5. Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts EA-430D Green (Bronze level of efficiency). See article "45 PSUs tested at very low loads: which one is the most efficient" at hardware(dot info) for a list of efficient supplies tested at 22.5w loads. If buying an older or used PSU, try to get one that is at least "ErP lot 2013 compliant". A ErP lot 2013 compliant supply has a standby power consumption of less than 0.5 W. An another supply I own, the SS-300TFX, has a "ErP lot 2013" label on it, but based on reviews I read for this PSU, the same model, but older SS-300TFX's may not be "ErP lot 2013" compliant.
Mount the supply in the case. Insert the 24 pin motherboard power connector and the 8 or 4 pin (according to what your supply has) CPU power connector to the board. [If your power supply has a 20 pin connector it will still work, you don't need to have a 24-pin one. Connect the 8-pin CPU power connector too (Again, you don't need this unless you plan to do heavy computing, but use it if your supply has one).]
6. Hard Drive: WD Blue WD5000LPVX 500GB Laptop HDD. Since this is a Laptop HDD you may need a 3.5-Inch to 2.5-Inch Hard Drive Bay Converter. I used "Silverstone Tek, Black (SDP08B)". This is a 5400rpm drive, but I do not feel any lag or 'slowness' while working. My Windows 8.1 64 bit PC boots up in about 40 secs to password screen. Connect the SATA data cable between drive and motherboard, and SATA power cable (from power supply) to the drive.
7. Optical drive: Optional. Use an external laptop USB drive if you wish to keep the power drawn low; You can disconnect it when not needed. I have not installed this drive in my PC. I installed the OS by creating a bootable USB drive from Windows 8.1 DVD using Rufus utility software (available at rufus(dot)akeo(dot)ie) on an older Win XP laptop. Cheap(around $5 with shipping), used, older(dated 2011 or earlier), brandname (like Samsung, LG, HP, Sony, etc) SATA DVD-RW laptop drives are available on ebay if you need to occasionally use one. If you choose to use a internal laptop optical drive, the SATA data cable will be same as for hard drive but the power cable will be different. Check if your power supply has a slim SATA power connector(Most likely it won't). If not, you will need buy one like at http://www.amazon.com/Pin-Slimline-Sata-Power-Cable/dp/B0056N6TMO.
8. USB Drive: Will need a USB drive if you do not install an optical drive and wish to install OS like I mentioned above.
That's it. Now, you can install your chosen operating system.
Started using on on 6/27/2014 and have had no problems so far.
