Spec for a budget "Dad PC"

[Martyman]

My 70yr-old dad's ageing PC just packed in (power supply kaput after 15 years, so it's had a good life). So looking to replace it with something to suit his basic needs. He just needs it for general productivity, office based stuff, email, internet, music, video, managing his calibre e-book library etc - just basic stuff. He will be plugging it into a 15yr old 1080p Panasonic TV , which he'll never change, "as the built in speakers are immense!" (those were the days eh?)

So ... as someone used to looking at the higher end of the market, this is becoming a bit of a challenge. I don't want to go overboard and get trapped in my own mindset, but I would still like it to have some reliabilty with scope for future upgrades, if required.

Anyhow see spec below, which came in at less than £750 - Is this spec sensible?

I just plumped for integrated graphics, with a motherboard to match. I wasn't really sure what Ryzen CPUs provide integrated graphics. I could have got a lesser mobo, but at least the B550 gives scope for a gpu upgrade in future.
I can recover his existing data drives so will add them into the spare bays in the new machine.
The PSU could be a bit overboard for this build, but I prefer modular and the only other modular PSU was RGB. And if I install a GPU at a later date, then ...

As he's connecting to a TV, can I assume that the HDMI out from the B550 will also provide the audio without any faffing around?
Is the 500GB 970 evo ok in this build? I've seen a few specs here using SOLIDIGM drives but I don't know much about them.

Any advice would be appreciated - cheers


Case
PCS ELEMENT CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/DJRan9VkGs/

 

[FerrariVie]

Just a few comments, all assuming you don't want to go above that budget of £750:
- The PSU is definitely overkill, but I if you want modular for some reason, then there is not cheaper option. But note that the case you selected is all metal (with no glass or acrylic), so a modular PSU wouldn't make a difference aesthetically?
- Even though the stock cooler is indeed sufficient for the CPU you selected, I would get the still cheap AK400 for a quieter operation. Stock coolers tend to be loud.
- There's any reason why you decided to get the Windows Pro version? The main difference is the Hyper-V for virtual machines, but not sure your dad will need that? So you could save a few bucks with the home version. And there's also the possibility of him already having a digital windows license attached to his Microsoft user? But since his PC is now gone, you probably won't have a way to check that. But most people that updated from windows 7/8 to 10 got the windows lifetime digital license that you carry with you to any PC (only one at a time), which is my case.

 

[sck451]

I'd say it's sensible in some ways, but not so much in others.

The biggest question I'd ask is what storage you're moving over. How many drives? What type are they?

Here's where I'd be looking to start (note I've moved to the more flexible config tool, not the office one):

Case
FRACTAL POP SILENT CASE TG (BLACK) Sleek case with lots of storage flexibility
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4) Good option for his uses
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550M DS3H (mATX, DDR4, AM4, PCIe 4.0) A good mATX motherboard
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW) Solidigm are SK Hynix's house brand: they're really solid and good value drives
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE Are you sure you need all this HDD space? The 4TB drive you selected is super-slow
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Overkill, but a very good and reliable PSU
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence Can't see why your dad needs Windows Pro? Also, if he was running Windows 10 on the old PC, it's possible you could transfer the licence and save £100ish
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £721.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/n3CK0jE0d6/

Edit: I'd actually change this to the 5600G as it's cheaper and better; the only downside is that it uses more power, but that's hardly a concern in this setup: the GT is really intended for business use where you have hundreds of systems.

 

[Martyman]

OK - thanks guys, I'll look over it again and check out the "non-office" config options and see what I can come up with

Cheers