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

[rjm90]

Hi everybody, my girlfriend is in need of a basic computer and I want to build it. I know that I can buy refurbished computers for pretty cheap but its not going to have what I want.

Before I get into the basic questions a little side note is that this build needs to have a SSD. I am looking at spending $80 on the SSD alone.


1. What YOUR PC will be used for.?
Homework (office suite), netflix (being able to watch 1080p without a problem) and general use

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
No more than $300

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
United States


5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. No brand preference but have read that AMD processors are more suitable to budget builds.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Monitor, keyboard, mouse etc

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Most likely default speeds

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.
Within the next week


Thanks for any help it is much appreciated.

 

[VirtualLarry]

$80 out of $300 for the SSD leaves $220. Do you need Windows? That's another $100-110. That leaves $120 for parts. Which puts you into an impossible situation. Unless you buy used or refurb.

My advice, if you want new, shop Staples' clearance, wait for them to issue a $100 off computers coupon.

Edit: It didn't have an SSD, but Newegg had a decent fairly-complete Haswell combo for $200 yesterday.

Edit: Or just get an under $300 "craptop" from BestBuy on sale.

 

[rjm90]

$80 out of $300 for the SSD leaves $220. Do you need Windows? That's another $100-110. That leaves $120 for parts. Which puts you into an impossible situation. Unless you buy used or refurb.

My advice, if you want new, shop Staples' clearance, wait for them to issue a $100 off computers coupon.

I already have windows so I won't be needing that. I also don't need a stand alone video card.

Parts I am planning to get:
CPU, motherboard, case, psu, memory and SSD

 

[nwo]

$300 is a really tight budget for a custom build and you would probably be better off buying a refurb or used PC. Especially since windows OS will cost you 1/3 of your budget.

I'd get a refurb core 2 duo system, you can usually find them for under $200. They come with HDD, OS, RAM, CPU/mobo/PSU. It should be sufficient for 1080p playback if you get a $50 video card.

An alternative I'd suggest is building an AMD APU rig, especially if you have a micro center nearby. You might actually be able to squeeze in a mobo/CPU for about $80+tax from MC, you can get a 400-600W PSU for $20-30 after MIR online, and another $20-30 after MIR for the case, which puts you slightly over budget and still doesn't leave you with any $$$ for RAM.

Edit: since you have an OS, you should definitely be able to put together an AMD APU A6 build.

Are you willing to get some used parts or does it all have to be brand new? You can get some good deals on used hardware from the forums...

 

[ahenkel]

throwing this out there it's a touch over budget but you could drop the HDD 120 ssd should be enough for basic apps/windows

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY Optima 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($36.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $333.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 21:42 EST-0500)

 

[Torn Mind]

Going "all new" at such a price does involve dropping Windows from the build unless you get Win7 Home Premium for System Builders. 1080p is a non-issue on the latest and one-gen-before-the-latest platforms. A flavor of Linux might be in order...

CPU: Celeron or A4 for about $40-$45
Mobo: One under $60, some can be had for $40 if you're willing to accept the limitations.
RAM: About $65 for 8 GBs(2x4GB), $45 for 4GB(2x2GB), and $27 for 2GB(2x1GB)
Hard Drive: 1TB is $60
PSU: $38 for Antec VP450
Case: Cheap one for $20

And this is without a cheap optical drive for $15.

EDIT: Didn't see you post about Windows since I was writing this post.

 

[richaron]

Being such a tight budget I'd skip a HDD altogether & use external for storage/backup. I know lots of people who wouldn't need near 100GB. And for shiz dual channel RAM.

Ordinarily for low price I'd look at prebuilt, but I don't know anywhere who does low end + SSD (and I'm not in the States). I kinda agree with reasoning tho.

 

[rjm90]

Thanks all for the suggestions. The builds you guys suggested are somewhat similar to the one I was thinking of. I do have a microcenter nearby so I can take advantage of the cpu/mobo combo deals. They don't have to all necessarily new parts.

I was looking at Dell's outlet stock and for example this one is a Dell Optiplex (not sure how good these are) for $200 after discounts and tax:
Processor: 1x Core 2 Quad (Q9400) 2.66 GHz
Memory: 4 GB
HDD: 160 GB
Optical: DVDRW
Video: Intel Integrated Graphics

I was wondering if maybe I am just better off going with something like that and throwing in the SSD afterwords. Thoughts?

 

[Torn Mind]

Since you are near a Micro Center(I'm near one too, btw), you can take a look at the A6-6400K bundles that cost $79.99.

link to bundles: http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Other: A6 combo with tax estimate ($84.00)
Other: Segate SSHD ($79.99)
Total: $309.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 23:00 EST-0500)

Click the "PCpartpicker part list" link to see the details of the build.

 

[rjm90]

When looking at the A6 vs the A8 amd will I notice a huge difference just in general PC performance wise?

 

[Torn Mind]

When looking at the A6 vs the A8 amd will I notice a huge difference just in general PC performance wise?

The difference won't be too large when doing the tasks she expects to do. I have a similar experience with a Celeron G550 and i7-3770S, which has a wider performance gap. While the 3770S made the computer more responsive, the difference is not too significant when web browsing or doing light Microsoft Office work. The SSD is more crucial in these situations, but due to your budget, you'll have to compromise and get an SSHD, as 120 GB is not enough for some folks, although it might be enough for your girlfriend.

With an SSD and speedy internet connection, the computer should give a satisfactory experience.

 

[lakedude]

How about the FX4130 with the free MB for $79.99?

http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

 

[Sleepingforest]

I was wondering if maybe I am just better off going with something like that and throwing in the SSD afterwords. Thoughts?

Go SSD first, almost always. It's relatively hard to change where your OS and home directory are compared to installing an extra HDD.

 

[lakedude]

It's relatively hard to change where your OS and home directory are compared to installing an extra HDD.

True, but at this price level it is just about impossible to afford a real SSD and a storage drive.

 

[lakedude]

FX 4130 Black Edition 3.8GHz Quad-Core Socket AM3+ Boxed Processor
and
M5A78L-M LX PLUS Socket AM3+ 760G mATX
Combo
$80 http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

Corsair CX430M
$35 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430m

Rosewill-case-fbm01
$20 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-fbm01

G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB)
$50 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d4gbeco

Samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe
$15 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe

Crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct120m500ssd1
$85 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct120m500ssd1

$285 total, fastest, under budget!

A storage might need to be added in the future, depending on usage (my storage drive went out and I've been on just an SSD for a while now)...

1x4GB would be a hair cheaper but I like the 2x2GB dual channel kit and the G.Skill ECO RAM. 8GB is overkill at this price range IMHO, although I do like the G.Skill Ares linked above which is 15% off right now. The 1x4GB would allow for a future upgrade by adding another 1x4GB stick.

 

[lakedude]

FX4130 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-4130+Quad-Core

vs

A6-6400K http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A6-6400K+APU

 

[Insert_Nickname]

FX4130 http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-4130+Quad-Core

vs

A6-6400K http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+A6-6400K+APU

Ah, but for the FX4130, you'll have to add the cost of a more modern graphics card since the 760G is effectively obsolete and doesn't include proper video acceleration...

Really though, both those are way overkill. A modern Celeron will provide more CPU performance then the A6, while giving the same video acceleration features, and use way less power then the FX4130 (125W TDP). Also good luck finding a cheap AM3+ board that can handle that 125W TDP without blowing the VRMs.

Whatever you do stay away from single module AMD APUs... :whiste:

 

[ultimatebob]

Heh... I guess that the OP hasn't learned the "Never build a PC for family, since you'll be stuck doing tech support on it for life!" lesson yet.

Trust me, he will about a year from now, after he's cleaned the second or third spyware infection off of it

I liked the idea of buying a refurbished Optiplex and putting the SSD in that. That said, your girlfriend probably isn't going to care if it has an SSD or not unless she's extremely impatient.

 

[Charlie98]

I liked the idea of buying a refurbished Optiplex and putting the SSD in that.

That's kind of my thought, too.

OP, I built a GP desktop for my inlaws (and, yes, I'm on the hook for support... :$ ) with a budget of $400... it can be done (see DESK2 in my sig below.) Part of that was waiting for stuff to go on sale, like the CX430 PSU is on sale today for $20 AR, buying the mobo/SSD at MC on discount, buying other components off NE with free shipping and no sales tax... but if you are in a time crunch you don't have that luxury.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

Heh... I guess that the OP hasn't learned the "Never build a PC for family, since you'll be stuck doing tech support on it for life!" lesson yet.

Some of us are stuck doing that weather its a pre-build or not. Personally I like to pick what goes into family members PCs, so I don't get stuck with hard-to-find/expensive/OEM-crap parts...

There is something to be said for being able to fix stuff with off-the-shelf parts.

my 2c... :\

 

[rjm90]

Ah, but for the FX4130, you'll have to add the cost of a more modern graphics card since the 760G is effectively obsolete and doesn't include proper video acceleration...

Really though, both those are way overkill. A modern Celeron will provide more CPU performance then the A6, while giving the same video acceleration features, and use way less power then the FX4130 (125W TDP). Also good luck finding a cheap AM3+ board that can handle that 125W TDP without blowing the VRMs.

Whatever you do stay away from single module AMD APUs... :whiste:

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

 

[mfenn]

Since you are near a Micro Center(I'm near one too, btw), you can take a look at the A6-6400K bundles that cost $79.99.

link to bundles: http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($72.25 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Other: A6 combo with tax estimate ($84.00)
Other: Segate SSHD ($79.99)
Total: $309.20
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-17 23:00 EST-0500)

Click the "PCpartpicker part list" link to see the details of the build.

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.

 

[lakedude]

Ah, but for the FX4130, you'll have to add the cost of a more modern graphics card since the 760G is effectively obsolete and doesn't include proper video acceleration...

Really though, both those are way overkill. A modern Celeron will provide more CPU performance then the A6, while giving the same video acceleration features, and use way less power then the FX4130 (125W TDP). Also good luck finding a cheap AM3+ board that can handle that 125W TDP without blowing the VRMs.

Whatever you do stay away from single module AMD APUs... :whiste:

Ok I see that the A6-6400K has almost 5x the video performance of the FX4130 (ATI Radeon HD 3000 on MB) assuming I looked it up correctly.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+8470D
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+3000

The cheapest Intel bundle @ MicroCenter currently is $144 while the 2 AMD CPUs we are discussing are $80 including the MB. We have a really tight budget here...

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

The cheap (free) MB that comes with the FX4130 says it can handle 125watts, not sure if it really can however.

I once set a MB on FIRE running a hexacore and 3x video cards so I think I know what you are getting at.

 

[lakedude]

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.

As always mfenn gives excellent advice.

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.

 

[lakedude]

I've got 16GB of Corsair Vengance 1600 unopened new in a box (after a warranty replacement) I'd sell for cheap (as is).

Running on 4GB G.Skill ECO from the last system currently and I don't see the need to use the 16GB as the system works fine (better) with the 4GB.