New and Updated Web PC
The Rosewill R102-P-BK, the case featured in this Web PC Build.
Last updated on August 24th 2010.
Today, I’m presenting to you the new and updated Web PC Build.
This build was conceived for people who want an inexpensive functional PC that is capable of basic tasks such as internet browsing, Word, Powerpoint, Excel, playing and burning CDs and DVDs, listening to music, playing movies/tv shows.
With a price of only $255, this is the most affordable build featured on Hardware Revolution.
However, don’t get me wrong: I didn’t cut any corners to get down to that price. Keep reading to see the parts that I recommend to build a good inexpensive and functional Web PC.
Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
Also, if this is your first build, here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
Web PC Hardware Parts Recommendations, Short Version:
- In Bold, you’ll find my recommendations, with a price that fits the overall budget.
- In Italic, you’ll find the best possible upgrades, that is the parts that offers the best bang for your buck.
- In simple terms, if you want a more powerful CPU or more RAM, pick it from the list of recommended upgrades that are in Italic.
- All upgrades are compatible with the rest of the system, as well as other upgrades, meaning that you can choose one or many upgrades without a problem.
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking an inexpensive functional PC that is capable of basic tasks such as internet browsing, Word, Powerpoint, Excel, capable of playing and burning CDs and DVDs, listening to music, playing movies/tv shows, this is it. Perfect PC for mom, dad and other family members, you’re at the right place. If this is not what you’re looking for, check out our other Computer Systems instead.
Web PC Hardware Parts Recommendations, Detailed Version:
Motherboard:
Foxconn A74ML-K AM3 AMD 740G Micro ATX
A basic, yet reliable motherboard at a great price that supports everything in this system. Come with DVI and VGA outputs via the onboard ATi Radeon 2100 as well as four USB ports, two PS/2, Gigabit LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.
One PCI-Express 16X 2.0, one PCI-Express 1X and two PCI slots allows for some expansion. Finally, it has four SATA ports and the usual IDE port for your hard drives and optical drives.
I picked this board because it offered everything that need (Supports the recommended CPU, DDR3 support has onboard video and a low price.)
If you wonder who Foxconn is, they are a large electronics hardware manufacturer. They manufacture many OEM parts for big corporations such as HP and Apple. They are well known in the PC industry, just not so much by the average consumer.
CPU:
AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Single-Core AM3 45W
The number one requirements in this build was to find the most inexpensive parts that are still powerful and reliable enough to power a PC to browse the Web, listen to music, watch videos and such.
That explains my pick of the AMD Sempron 140. Priced at $37, it is far from the most powerful processor. However, understand that for simple tasks such as web browsing, listening to music and watching video, this 2.7GHz single-core CPU offers plenty enough processing power.
I mean, I’ve seen many people use a netbook, equipped with the sluggish Intel Atom processor to do what I just described above. The AMD Sempron 140 will run in circles around the Intel Atom, allowing you to do all of the above without a problem.
Note that for HD content playback, on the Internet or on a local file, a minimum of a dual-core processor is recommended.
Also, if you prefer a more powerful CPU or a dual, triple or quad-core variant in order to run more demanding programs or to be more future-proof, that’s not a problem. Here are three available CPU upgrades:
Recommended upgrades:
- AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz AM3 65W Dual-Core
- AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz AM3 95W Triple-Core
- AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz AM3 95W Quad-Core
Video Card: Onboard ATi Radeon 2100 with DVI and VGA Outputs
Seeing as all you’ll be doing with this PC is browsing the web or watching video, an onboard video chipset offers plenty enough power, while being free since it’s included on the motherboard.
The motherboard has a VGA and a DVI output, allowing you to use older or newer monitors or even two monitors at once if you wish to do so!
For HD content playback, the Radeon 2100 with a dual-core or better processor is what I recommend.
RAM:
Crucial 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual-Channel Kit
2GB of RAM is plenty enough to handle web browsing, listening to music or watching video.
Not convinced? As I’m typing this on my workstation, equipped with Windows 7 Ultimate, with ten Firefox tabs open, my memory usage is sitting at 0.99GB, meaning that with 2GB of RAM, I’d still have a whole 1GB free. Even with Photoshop CS5 with an high-resolution picture and Youtube playing 720p HD content, my memory usage only goes to 1.32GB.
Upgrade:
However, if you desire more RAM for more demanding programs or simply to be future-proof, that’s not a problem. It’s a relatively inexpensive upgrade too. For only $36 more, you can double the amount of RAM on this Web PC by going with this G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz memory kit instead.
Hard Drive:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB 7200 RPM SATA
The masterpiece of this build, the Samsung Spinspoint F4 320GB is the latest hard drive from Samsung and what a drive it is! For a mere $43, you get one of the fastest hard drives currently on the market, with a 320GB storage capacity, plenty enough to handle your video/music collection and all your programs. Uses the SATA interface and comes with a 3 years warranty.
320GB isn’t enough? No problem, take a look at my Recommended upgrades:
- Samsung F3 500GB SATA II 3.0Gb/s
– ($52) For $9 more, you get an extra 180GB.
- Samsung F3 1TB SATA II 3.0Gb/s
– ($70) Over three times the capacity for $23 more.
Optical Drive:
LITE-ON Black 24X SATA DVD Burner
A standard SATA drive capable of reading and burning CD/DVDs.
The motherboard includes two SATA cables:
- One of which will be used for the hard drive
- The other one for this DVD Burner.
Case:
Rosewill R102-P-BK 120mm Fan MicroATX
Priced at only $30, this case from Rosewill (A company from the online retailer NewEgg) is inexpensive and perfect for this build.
Obviously, for $30, have reasonable expectations, don’t expect a case built like a tank. However, it is good/solid enough for this build (I don’t know many people who throw computer towers around, do you?) and is very inexpensive, hence why I recommend it.
The case comes with one 120mm case fan on the back, which is perfectly good enough to keep this build well cooled.
Power Supply:
SeaSonic 300W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC
Probably the nicest surprise of this build. If you think that I would cut corners short on the power supply, you don’t know me well 
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 300W, not that should rely on this information only as I point out in Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, a must read to learn more about how important a quality supply is for your computer.
This is a reliable unit from SeaSonic (A company that builds many Antec power supplies) that is certified 80 PLUS Bronze, meaning that it more efficient than most power supplies in this price range, resulting in less heat, less noise and a lower electricity bill for you.
Note that it’s an OEM unit, meaning that it doesn’t come with a power cord. If you don’t have a spare one, the Link Depot 6 ft. Computer AC Power Cable will do the job.
Power Consumption:
According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, it is estimated that this system will consume at load (peak usage):
- 139W with the recommended AMD Sempron 140 and the CD/DVD Reader.
- 199W with the Athlon II X4 620 and the DVD Burner. This is the worse case scenario.
Cooling: Stock cooling
To save on costs, I recommend using the cooler included with the CPU. While there are better coolers, the one that is included is good enough to handle the cpu under normal operation.
As for the case, it includes one 120mm case fan, good enough to keep your build at reasonable temperatures.
Sound Card: 6 channels sound card: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this sound card will handle many different sound setups, including headphones, a microphone and more. While integrated audio on a PC used to be absolutely horrible, it has gotten much better in the last few years, thus why I have no trouble recommending it.
Network: Ethernet RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this network adapter will allow you to access your local network and Internet.
Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:
- The budget only considers hardware.
- You may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or , if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents.
If you decide that you need a need OS, here are some recommendations:
Windows 7
Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. If you go with 2GB of RAM, you technically don’t need the 64-bit version. However, if you decide to add RAM at some point in the future or simply go with 4GB to start with, you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system and you won’t have access to all your RAM.
This is why I recommend to simply go with 64-bit to start with, especially now that support and drivers are in much better than before, thanks to the release of Windows 7. Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, is more functional, less annoying and consumes less resources.
Three Available Versions:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
- Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows.
- Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.
OEM vs Retail:
The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.
The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.
Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.
OEM Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
Linux
A lot of people these days boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.
While Linux does not offer the wide compatibility of Windows, it is an excellent alternative that is more often than not free, a very nice incentive considering the budget of this build.
What about Word processing, Excel and other Windows-based programs that you need? Linux being an open platform, there are many free alternatives that will answer your needs. For Word/Excel and such, try OpenOffice.
Cost: Free
Conclusion
What do you think of this new version of Web PC? I personally think that it’s a nice improvement over the previous builds, especially for the power supply.
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Building this system?
Do you need a guide on how to build a computer or do you have some questions?
Consult our: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
Also, if this is your first build, here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
Finally, if your newly built computer won’t start, I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
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Category: Web PC
