New Budget Build - $300-400

[PrinceXizor]

Been a long time since I posted or delved into building my own computer. Last one I built is still going strong (using right now) but I am woefully out of date on hardware, configurations, value, etc.

So, our congregation needs a new computer. Our members have generously and anonymously donated our last few computers which has resulted in a computer that is always a bit (or a lot) slow and out of date. So I plan on building a computer that is up-to-date and easily maintained and upgraded in the future.

Budget: <$400; Lower the better as you can see from the usage case below.
I think this should be easily attainable, but I can modify with good reason.
--No monitor.
--No case.
Use: Basic office tasks. Web browsing. Occasional basic graphic design. Little storage.
Fanboi: I am willing to use whatever is currently considered best value (cost vs. quality) irregardless of mfg.
Country: Sourced and built in USA.
OS: Windows 10
Other: I don't know of any specific needs that wouldn't be included in modern mother boards (networking, usb, hdmi, etc). Since the plan is to upgrade this once or twice, picking a newer (but not cutting edge) socket/platform is preferred. I am also amenable to an OEM system (since I need an OS) if it is easily expandable, upgradeable.

I really want this thing to slice through its tasks, not just pedestrianly accomplish them. So, please keep that in mind when suggesting components. There are usually items (like processors) that are considered extremely good value at certain price points. Those are the types of components I'm looking for, not just bare bones basement. Thanks again for looking, reading and helping!

 

[PrinceXizor]

Now that I think about, replaceable and maintainable (i.e. not a super tiny thing) is more important than upgradeable. I plan on supplying plenty of RAM so that upgrading is probably going to be unnecessary for the life of the unit. Which means you can also skip worrying about platform as well.

 

[whm1974]

From this thread here:
https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/attention-low-end-midrange-gaming-system-builders.2389797/

"Regular" build, no overclocking, $500:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: *ASRock B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Western Digital RE3 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($36.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($134.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: *Zalman ZM-T1 PLUS MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: *SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($33.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $502.96

Remove the video card and replace the HDD with an SSD. Of course if you replace Windows with Linux that is another ~$100 saved.

 

[whm1974]

Now that I think about, replaceable and maintainable (i.e. not a super tiny thing) is more important than upgradeable. I plan on supplying plenty of RAM so that upgrading is probably going to be unnecessary for the life of the unit. Which means you can also skip worrying about platform as well.

If you are willing to spend a bit more, you could take a look at Intel's just released Coffee Lake i3-8100 CPU and a basic Z370 motherboard. With 16 GB and and an SSD, a system like this should last for years.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Hey, that's a cool thread. Thanks for the heads up! With coffee lake, the value proposition, just isn't there (relative to what the prices for the last generation will now become shortly). I'm not commenting specifically mind you, just generally the way I look for deals in computer components.

 

[whm1974]

Hey, that's a cool thread. Thanks for the heads up! With coffee lake, the value proposition, just isn't there (relative to what the prices for the last generation will now become shortly). I'm not commenting specifically mind you, just generally the way I look for deals in computer components.

Well I mention the i3-8100 due to being a reasonable priced quad core CPU and easier to find then the highly in demand i5-8400.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, the Coffee Lake (8th Generation Core) Intel CPU, is a good value for budget rigs, at $120 MSRP, for a true Intel quad-core 4C/4T CPU, with iGPU (UHD 630). Problem is, the only boards it fits into right now are the Z370 boards, which tend toward the slightly pricey side. ($120+)

On the AMD side, Ryzen has been released (Feb 2017, I think), and that's also a good value. If you go for a B350 motherboard (or X370, only really necessary for SLI gamers), you can overclock for more value, as all Ryzen CPUs are unlocked.

I would recommend splurging for maybe a Ryzen 5 1600 if you can manage it, as the extra cores plus SMT are quite powerful for the price.

At the extreme more budget side of things, with cheaper motherboards, consider a G4560 (if you can find one!), which is an Intel 2C/4T Pentium w/HT, 3.5Ghz, locked multiplier (no OC), but it can use any 100- or 200-series motherboard. (100-series may require a firmware / UEFI upgrade to be able to POST with a Kaby Lake Pentium.)

Also, are you comfortable running Windows 10? Because if you want to run Windows 7, you should stick to Skylake CPUs.

 

[Torn Mind]

Buy a refurb with an Intel quad core. Make backups and budget a hard drive or two for storage and maybe off-site as well. Have power protection. Clonezilla OS install to an SSD you purchase. Size should be 250 or 500 GB depending if you are going to have big files or not. 8 GB RAM is the minimum. 16 GB of RAM is preferred. Buy Start10 if you feel people need the old Start Menu.


Intel doesn't give discounts on previous gen CPUs. The drop in prices is for inventory clearing only. Heck, i7-4770 chips still go for 200 a pop on Ebay.


Example of a site that sells refurbs: http://arrowdirect.com/search?q=#/?...12000&filter.memory.high=18000&sort.price=asc

There's also company sites like dellrefurbished, Dell Outlet, Dell Outlet small business. Newegg, Amazon.

Also consider craigslist to see if there's anyone who just wants to dump something; beware, some are there to make a buck.

Intel has, more or less, dominated the landscape with Sandy Bridge(chips like the i5-2500) up to Kaby Lake. AMD is coming back with Ryzen, but they are not within your budget at this time of writing.

 

[ultimatebob]

If you really want this PC to "slice through tasks", you need an SSD. Sadly, an SSD that's bigger than 256 GB probably isn't in your budget.

Still, I'd probably get a refurbished OEM desktop PC with a Core i5 in it, and then upgrade it with a smaller boot SSD.

Something like this might work:

https://www.dellrefurbished.com/desktop-computers/dell-optiplex-7010-84571.html

 

[PrinceXizor]

Buy a refurb with an Intel quad core.

Seems to be a direction mentioned here. Not a bad idea at all since my needs are less CPU dependent.

Make backups and budget a hard drive or two for storage and maybe off-site as well. Have power protection.

Other than typical backup ideas, this isn't really necessary. Just a general use computer with nothing important stored long term on it.

Clonezilla OS install

While I appreciate the cost savings of non-windows OS, I'm highlighting ease of use/maintenance/compatability and the fact that I won't always be the one keeping tabs on this box.

to an SSD you purchase. Size should be 250 or 500 GB depending if you are going to have big files or not.

Answered that in my opening post. No big files. 250GB SSD should be plenty.

8 GB RAM is the minimum. 16 GB of RAM is preferred.

Definitely 16GB of RAM which contrasts with the refurb idea unless it comes with 16GB instead of 8GB.

Intel doesn't give discounts on previous gen CPUs. The drop in prices is for inventory clearing only. Heck, i7-4770 chips still go for 200 a pop on Ebay.

I wouldn't really use eBay as my price touch stone. But, I take your point. Resellers WILL drop their prices to move old inventory for new, even if Intel isn't lowering their own prices.

There's also company sites like dellrefurbished, Dell Outlet, Dell Outlet small business. Newegg, Amazon.

It might seem like it from my post, but, I'm not a total n00b . But, thanks for the helpful info!

 

[PrinceXizor]

Also, are you comfortable running Windows 10? Because if you want to run Windows 7, you should stick to Skylake CPUs.

Thanks for all the other good info. Socket/MB cost is a key balancing act in a budget build and that's what I'm not very up on. I forgot to mention that I am about 1.5 hours from a microcenter too.

Can you elaborate on the quote for me? I'm personally more familiar with Win7 (on my personal box), but another congregation computer has Win10 already, so for simplicity I was planning on Win10, but not locked into it.

 

[ultimatebob]

Clonezilla isn't an alternative for your OS, it's disk imaging software. It's a great way to clone an OS from one disk to another one, and it's also awesome for building a USB restore disk for the OS.

 

[Torn Mind]

Seems to be a direction mentioned here. Not a bad idea at all since my needs are less CPU dependent.

Other than typical backup ideas, this isn't really necessary. Just a general use computer with nothing important stored long term on it.

While I appreciate the cost savings of non-windows OS, I'm highlighting ease of use/maintenance/compatability and the fact that I won't always be the one keeping tabs on this box.

Answered that in my opening post. No big files. 250GB SSD should be plenty.

Definitely 16GB of RAM which contrasts with the refurb idea unless it comes with 16GB instead of 8GB.

I wouldn't really use eBay as my price touch stone. But, I take your point. Resellers WILL drop their prices to move old inventory for new, even if Intel isn't lowering their own prices.

It might seem like it from my post, but, I'm not a total n00b . But, thanks for the helpful info!

Ultimatebob posted before me about Clonezilla. I'll just mention you can use alternatives like Maricum reflect, etc.

I think Arrowdirect has some decent options for 16 GB refurb systems.

Ebay is the cheapest place for old CPUs barring forum marketplaces. Amazon would be the next popular destination, but with camelcamelcamel, you can see historic price minimum. For the 4770K, it usually never goes below $220 from there and it is more common to be on sale for $240-250. That's for used chips. New in box chips are sold by vendors at exorbitant prices for that chip right now. There was a period of lower prices, but it never went below $280 directly from Amazon or $250 for three third party vendors. Once that cheap new $250 CPU gets sold, the price oscillated back up to the $320-$330 range.

Having bought and resold a few 3770Ks, including one for $240 off Amazon this year, there is a market for these old chips even now.

I'm just a guy who is thorough and maybe just a bit paranoid, for lack of a better term, about covering all the bases; that might come off the wrong way sometimes but I'm not here to slight people's intellect.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Hey, I didn't meant to come off as slighted either! More tongue in cheek...
I really appreciate all of the timely information. Pretty cool to be gone and come back and get immediate comments from long-time members. Reminds me why I joined so many years ago!

 

[PrinceXizor]

LOL, it just hit me that a lot of these refurb units are basically versions of what I built when a i5-2500K was the be $200 value king. Just made me feel a little bit older...

 

[Torn Mind]

Sandy and Ivy Bridge were a damn good generation of CPUs. haha. That explains why I was able to sell a 3770K for $240 this year. Of course, it was just one buyer and I had to wait a couple months...

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...0702 600566987 601190712&LeftPriceRange=0 400

I created a sort of custom search on Newegg. SSD, i5, 16GB RAM. Seems like the ones from the authorized distributors are out of stock.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Ok. Had time to digest. Here's a possibility.
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8ybgVY

I also can reduce that cost by selecting a 500GB/1TB SSHD instead.

Regardless of my eventual part choices, since the current computer is Core 2 Duo thinkcentre (most likely a refurb), I was thinking my steps would be....

1. Install SSD
2. Clone HDD to SSD
3. Replace guts with new mb, cpu, ram.
4. Install SSD as primary and HDD as secondary.
5. Boot.
6. Celebrate!

Does this sound right? If so, my plan is to A. Wait for an appropriate SSD hot deal. B. Keep perusing CPU/MB/RAM combinations in the mean time.

Thoughts?

 

[bbhaag]

Are you dead set on building? This is for a church so maybe a nice oem unit with a warranty, return policy, and Windows10 might be something to consider. I recently purchased this Acer for my business office and it works very well. I mostly use it for email, facebook/web surfing, Office Suite, and light photo/document editing. I would imagine the church office would have a similar use case.

Anyway, just something to consider. The price is $430 right now but if you keep an eye on it the price regularly goes lower usually under $400. I got it for $380 and for that price/specs it can't be beat.

 

[Ken g6]

If you insist on building, and want upgradability, you should get a motherboard with 4 RAM slots. Like this $51 ASRock.