Budget build for girlfriend. Need help (Sub $300)

[raildogg]

Check the Dell Outlet for desktop deals. Simpler and might even get a better computer.

 

[lakedude]

Check the Dell Outlet for desktop deals. Simpler and might even get a better computer.

Cheapest thing on there is
$349.00 and no SSD...

 

[nwo]

Based on the OP's girlfriends use case, she shouldn't need moer than a 120GB SSD. So swap the hybrid drive for a Samsung 840 120GB at $89 and save a few bucks on the RAM with this Geil kit, and you'll be all set.

Don't think she would need a high end SSD or high end RAM. Both of those recommendations are about $15-20 more than the cheapest alternative. You shouldn't pay more than 50-55 bucks for 8GB of RAM. About $70-80 tops for a 128GB SATA III SSD.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

So with the fx4138 you don't think it will be enough for my needs?

Any FM2(+)/LGA-1155/LGA-1150 CPU you can buy is "enough" for basic use, including HD streaming. This is coming from someone who has used everything from the very basic Celeron G465 over Pentiums, i3s and above. My media-centre is A10-6800K based, so its not that I'm particularly biased towards Intel.

My problems with the FX4130 are twofold. First its first generation "Bulldozer" based, which means lower per-module performance (at least 10-15%) then the newer "Piledriver" modules used in the APUs and the FXx3xx CPUs. Two, it will use a lot more power for no gain in performance vs a two module APU.

I'd urge you to at least consider a Haswell Celeron/Pentium with a good H81 board, a 120GB SSD (I can recommend the 840 EVO) and 8GB RAM. That combo will do everything you ask of it, and run cool, quiet and be very frugal with power consumption. That way you'll always have the option of upgrading with a used i3/i5/i7 down the road.

Are you calling the A6-6400K a "single module AMD APU"? I can't keep up with what AMD considers a "core" anymore.

The Bulldozer/Piledriver/Steamroller architectures use modules that consists of two "cores", but they share fetch, decoding and FPU. That means a module is not "really" two cores, but more of a singlecore-with-super-HT. Steamroller goes some length towards fixing the module penalty, as it has dual decoders. Bulldozer/Piledriver only has one shared 4-issue wide decoder, so when you load two threads on one module you get a significant penalty in performance. When the APU only has a single module (A6 and below), soon as you run anything you'll run into into that penalty permanently, since the OS scheduler does not have an extra module it can assign extra threads to.

In short with single module APUs, you get all the bad sides of AMDs module design and none of the good.

 

[rjm90]

Ughh I'm so split on going with the amd fx pc/mobo combo from mc or the A6 combo maybe even A8 combo. Trying to figure out which one gets me the most performance for my money. Not that she needs or cares about high performance but I just want to get the best my money can buy lol. It seems that the Fx combo was looking pretty sweet until a few of you had maybe advised against getting it. Not sure what I'm going to do!

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Ughh I'm so split on going with the amd fx pc/mobo combo from mc or the A6 combo maybe even A8 combo.

You can't really go wrong with an A8 or A10, if you can get a good deal on one. The FX line is more geared towards enthusiasts, while the APUs are targeted right at your usage scenario. That would be basic Internet surf, office productivity, HD video and occasional light gaming.

With the APU you also get a fully modern GPU core, with every video acceleration feature you can think off. For comparison the 760G is based on the RV610 core that launched in 2007(!), lacking almost every modern feature, not to mention being slower than a snail in molasses for any sort of 3D gaming...

BTW, Xbitlabs did a comparison of the various Trinity-based APUs a while back, for the Richland-based ones (same die) just add the additional clockspeed:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/trinity-vs-ivy-bridge.html

Some of the results should be taken with a grain of salt though, particularly the SYSmark and power consumption numbers. The later are not so bad as they would like you to think. I have no idea where they got those horrendously high numbers from, but for comparison my 6800K-based media-centre uses a whopping 22W idle and barely breaks 100W running full load...

 

[lakedude]

Insert_nick

You clearly know your stuff, thanks for the help and input.

What is your recommended sub $300 system with an SSD? This impossible budget is why we are ending up with sub-optimal CPUs.

 

[rjm90]

Insert_nick

You clearly know your stuff, thanks for the help and input.

What is your recommended sub $300 system with an SSD? This impossible budget is why we are ending up with sub-optimal CPUs.

I wouldn't say its impossible but definitely challenging.

Right now here is what I was able to get:

Rosewill microatx case with 450w PSU - $50 amazon
Kingston hyper 4gb - $40 amazon
Samsung Evo 120gb - $80 newegg with promo

This brings my total to $170 currently and the motherboard/cpu bundles are looking to bring it up anywhere from the $250 (amd fx) and up

 

[mfenn]

Don't think she would need a high end SSD or high end RAM. Both of those recommendations are about $15-20 more than the cheapest alternative. You shouldn't pay more than 50-55 bucks for 8GB of RAM. About $70-80 tops for a 128GB SATA III SSD.

I don't know if you've been keeping up on RAM pricing lately, but it has been on the rise. Show me a DDR3 1600+ 8GB kit for $50 and I will gladly switch my recommendation to that. Same goes for the SSD.

Both the EVO and the Geil are the least expensive parts in their respective categories right now, as listed on Newegg.

 

[mfenn]

Not so sure about that Geil kit. Every one of my computers with G.Skill ECO has been rock solid. Other brands have been the cause of system instability.

Now I realize Newegg reviews are not everything but they do mean something. Do a brand search for Geil and another for G.Skill ECO. Every single G.Skill EVO product (and most of their other lines as well) will have excellent ratings, Geil not so much.

You're trying to make a statistical argument based on anecdotal evidence. If you can dig up a study with hard failure rates, I will gladly listen and incorporate that into my advice. As it stands, there is no evidence that Geil is any more or less reliable than G.Skill.

 

[mfenn]

I wouldn't say its impossible but definitely challenging.

Right now here is what I was able to get:

Rosewill microatx case with 450w PSU - $50 amazon
Kingston hyper 4gb - $40 amazon
Samsung Evo 120gb - $80 newegg with promo

This brings my total to $170 currently and the motherboard/cpu bundles are looking to bring it up anywhere from the $250 (amd fx) and up

It is impossible to get a "good" CPU given your budget and the (totally justified) desire for an SSD. But luckily, you don't need a "good" CPU, just a "good enough" CPU.

I think the Microcenter AMD APU bundles are your best bet. If you can swing the $120 A8-6600K + MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 combo, then go for it. Otherwise the $80 A6-6400K + MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 combo is your best bet.

 

[ultimatebob]

Cheapest thing on there is
$349.00 and no SSD...

Maybe he meant the Dell refurbished outlet? You can get PC's for less than $200 there... but forget about it coming with an SSD.

http://www.dfsdirectsales.com/

 

[rjm90]

It is impossible to get a "good" CPU given your budget and the (totally justified) desire for an SSD. But luckily, you don't need a "good" CPU, just a "good enough" CPU.

I think the Microcenter AMD APU bundles are your best bet. If you can swing the $120 A8-6600K + MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 combo, then go for it. Otherwise the $80 A6-6400K + MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 combo is your best bet.

Ok so here is what I ended up going with. I am going to Microcenter tomorrow to pick up the pc/mobo combo. My question here is that I just realized you went for the MSI motherboard instead of the gigabyte. Is there any specific reason for this?

I also realize I probably made a mistake on the memory. I bought 1x4gb instead of 2x2gb

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($88.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.78 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($80.00)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $263.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-21 20:09 EST-0500)

 

[Charlie98]

I think given the purpose of the machine, a 1x4GB stick of RAM will be fine. In this case, if it becomes a shortcoming, you can easily bump up your memory with another 4GB stick.

I would have picked the Gigabyte board anyway... good choice. GB boards are usually a little more $ for the same basic board.

Shame you missed the sale on the CX430 last week... it was $19 after rebate! But it's a good PSU in either event.

 

[mfenn]

Ok so here is what I ended up going with. I am going to Microcenter tomorrow to pick up the pc/mobo combo. My question here is that I just realized you went for the MSI motherboard instead of the gigabyte. Is there any specific reason for this?

I picked the MSI because it is an A75 board with USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s whereas the Gigabyte is an A55 board without.

 

[nwo]

240GB Crucial M500 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $114 after $40 rebates

 

[nwo]

Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $70 after instant savings, no rebates. 48 hours only. Very solid drive for that price.

 

[qqsubs]

I picked the MSI because it is an A75 board with USB 3.0 and SATA 6 Gb/s whereas the Gigabyte is an A55 board without.

The Microcenter site has a couple of bad reviews on the MSI board - Apparently the ones being sold at MC are not compatible with Richland A6, 8 and 10 processors. I'm in the same boat trying to pick the parts for an HTPC build. Very difficult to find SATA3, USB3 and HDMI on a cheap board. I'm going to pick the Gigabyte board for the HDMI port.

OP - Also check out the Lenovo outlet site (outlet.lenovo.com). They have good deals that come with 1 year warranty. Just saw a Pentium build (G2030), 4GB RAM, 500 MB HDD for $ 285. Here's the link.. http://outlet.lenovo.com/SEUILibrar...hide_menu_area=true&GroupID=445&Code=57RF0126

 

[mfenn]

The Microcenter site has a couple of bad reviews on the MSI board - Apparently the ones being sold at MC are not compatible with Richland A6, 8 and 10 processors.

It is compatible with all the Richland chips.

 

[mfenn]

240GB Crucial M500 2.5" SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $114 after $40 rebates

Nice deal, obviously more expensive than a ~128GB drive though.

Kingston SSDNow V300 Series SV300S37A/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $70 after instant savings, no rebates. 48 hours only. Very solid drive for that price.

Also a pretty good deal. I will point out that deals are highly variable and this particular one didn't exist when I made my post 5 days ago.

 

[nwo]

Also a pretty good deal. I will point out that deals are highly variable and this particular one didn't exist when I made my post 5 days ago.

Yep, true. The Kingston $70 120GB SSD deals come up fairly often on various sites during the last couple of weeks. Sometimes with a $10 MIR, often times without it.

I had no idea RAM shot up in price so much recently. I got three 2x4GB G.Skill kits prior to and after black friday for $50 or less, one 1833 Ares, one 1833 Ripjaws, and a 2133 Ripjaws.

If you are on such a tight budget, you have to be somewhat patient, shop around, and do some deal hunting.