Attention Low Range System Builders: Updated 6-15-14

[Charlie98]

G3220, not to be confused with i3-3220

I always wondered why they used the same number...

 

[NewYorksFinest]

+monkeydelmagico

If the i3-3220 went on sale for $57 and people knew about it, people would open Newegg, Amazon, etc, people would be sitting in front of their computer for days. If it was an instore deal @ microcenter and everyone knew about it, it would be like Walmart on Black Friday.

Tip: Dont go to Walmart on Black Friday. I learned the hard way .

 

[NewYorksFinest]

New build posted! This builds costs under $500 and under $600 with the OS.

 

[NewYorksFinest]

Nice $500-ish build. Here's one with an OS for about $500 with only a few compromises elsewhere.

Update 5/23 (for memorial weekend):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Constellation ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card ($97.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $493.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 12:44 EDT-0400)

Note: The i3-4150 is available for just $5 more in a Newegg combo with the RAM. But since BIOS compatibility isn't guaranteed, I didn't include it here.

Steal on the mobo!

 

[NewYorksFinest]

New build posted!

 

[Essence_of_War]

Good deal on win8.1 might be worth noting this week:

$85 w/ promo code EMCPEHC23

 

[NewYorksFinest]

6/1/14 build updated. Nice combo deal, got 8GB upgrade, but not DDR3-1866.

 

[Essence_of_War]

That EVGA is actually even cheaper than you indicated, it's only $129 AR!

 

[NewYorksFinest]

That EVGA is actually even cheaper than you indicated, it's only $129 AR!

Didn't see the rebate card. Also comes with $150 worth of games! For $129, y'all(I hav a neighbor from southern Ohio) are getting a $300 value! $150 in games + the 750 Ti normally costs $150.

 

[Essence_of_War]

I'm not sure I'd call in-game currency for micro-transaction based games to be exactly a $150 value ...but either way, $130 AR is an excellent deal, and specifically for the 750 Ti, which can be a drop in almost any system where it can physicalyl fit because of its low power requirements

 

[NewYorksFinest]

New build posted this week with the overclockable Pentium!!

 

[Ken g6]

1TB Western Digital Caviar Black: $80

Why so much for a 1TB HDD? Even at Newegg, here's a Seagate for $55 or if you insist on WD, here's one for $60. Either one gets you under $500.

 

[NewYorksFinest]

Why so much for a 1TB HDD? Even at Newegg, here's a Seagate for $55 or if you insist on WD, here's one for $60. Either one gets you under $500.

In my experience, the Black feels like it loads maps faster in games and startup is faster. An SSD is out of place for a $600 build, and the Black is a good replacement IMHO.

 

[Essence_of_War]

That doesn't make any sense to me because they are all7200 RPM (~= perf in random reads/writes) drives with trivial amounts of cache, and 1 TB platters (~= perf in sequential reads/writes). If you have benches, though, I'd be interested in seeing them.

 

[crashtech]

I've always thought WD Blacks to be a cut above, myself. Don't have time to do any extensive searching, but a test of the new 4TB unit popped up:

http://www.storagereview.com/wd_black_4tb_desktop_hard_drive_review_wd4003fzex

 

[DSF]

In my experience, the Black feels like it loads maps faster in games and startup is faster. An SSD is out of place for a $600 build, and the Black is a good replacement IMHO.

Can you quantify this in terms of the number of Blacks versus other brands that you've used over an extended period of time in different capacities?

 

[mfenn]

I've always thought WD Blacks to be a cut above, myself. Don't have time to do any extensive searching, but a test of the new 4TB unit popped up:

http://www.storagereview.com/wd_black_4tb_desktop_hard_drive_review_wd4003fzex

In that price range, I'd much rather have a 4TB drive for bulk storage like this Seagate at $140 and then grab a 256GB SSD like the Crucial MX100 at $110. You'll get an order of magnitude higher performance and slightly more aggregate capacity.

 

[crashtech]

I wouldn't buy the 4TB either. I was just throwing up a bit of performance data.

 

[mfenn]

I wouldn't buy the 4TB either. I was just throwing up a bit of performance data.

Ah, I get ya.

 

[Charlie98]

In my experience, the Black feels like it loads maps faster in games and startup is faster. An SSD is out of place for a $600 build, and the Black is a good replacement IMHO.

No offense, but in a budget build you are specing a WD Black? Of course, it depends on the end user's ultimate storage needs, but I would agree with mfenn that an SSD would be of more benefit in a most likely slower CPU build than a WD Black, or a spinner of any sort. Given the GB/$ ratio of modern SSD offerings, I don't see how one could be 'out of place' in a $600 build.

Just my opinion, however.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

No offense, but in a budget build you are specing a WD Black? Of course, it depends on the end user's ultimate storage needs, but I would agree with mfenn that an SSD would be of more benefit in a most likely slower CPU build than a WD Black, or a spinner of any sort. Given the GB/$ ratio of modern SSD offerings, I don't see how one could be 'out of place' in a $600 build.

Just my opinion, however.

For a low buck gaming rig I'd take the price difference between a 1tb HD (around $50.- shipped) and an SSD (256gb around $110.-) and apply the $60.- towards a better GPU.

This only applies if the budget simply cannot support both. It's hard to keep much of a steam library on a 256gb ssd, and that does not account for any other files. Not saying it can't be done, but it's minimalist data. I'd rather have a bit more capacity and give up the speed.

 

[mfenn]

For a low buck gaming rig I'd take the price difference between a 1tb HD (around $50.- shipped) and an SSD (256gb around $110.-) and apply the $60.- towards a better GPU.

The same logic applies to the Black. For the difference between a normal 1TB drive and a Black (~$30), you could kick the GPU up from the GTX 750 Ti to the R9 270X for $150 AR AP.

 

[Charlie98]

For a low buck gaming rig I'd take the price difference between a 1tb HD (around $50.- shipped) and an SSD (256gb around $110.-) and apply the $60.- towards a better GPU.

This only applies if the budget simply cannot support both. It's hard to keep much of a steam library on a 256gb ssd, and that does not account for any other files. Not saying it can't be done, but it's minimalist data. I'd rather have a bit more capacity and give up the speed.

No, that's true... I have all my junk on a 256GB SSD, but I only have a handful of Steam games; I'm at 75% capacity. But me being Mr Practical... I would have a backup drive no matter what and would be able to store some unused games over on it. I know that's cheating as far as the OP premise is concerned.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

The same logic applies to the Black. For the difference between a normal 1TB drive and a Black (~$30), you could kick the GPU up from the GTX 750 Ti to the R9 270X for $150 AR AP.

Yep. +1 Thats the difference between medium (750ti) and high settings (270x) for a few games. Eye candy FTW. :awe:

 

[crashtech]

Cheap SSDs have definitely changed the way people think about HDDs. Just a few years ago, a $20 price premium for a faster HDD would likely have been seen as worth considering.