To build or not to build...

[forsciguy123]

...That is the question.
Hello, so I am trying to figure out if it is worth upgrading my PC or not. My last build (which was my first) was five years ago and contains the following:
Intel Core2duo E8400, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512, ABIT IP35 pro, corsairHX 520w, 4gb ram, windows vista.

I don't like Vista so will definitely be upgrading to Windows 10.

My budget is around $400 (maybe a little more). Will this budget allow me to make a decent upgrade or should I just stick with the OS update.

Probably will not be using it for gaming (although the oculus rift might be cool, which I know will probably require a better pc than $400 will get me). My main use will be work which just involves having a large number of 20-80mb images open at once in Photoshop.

I am not a fanboy, I have all the other things (case, mouse, keyboard,etc), my time frame is from now to a month or so (I can wait till cybermonday).

Thanks for any help.

 

[Ken g6]

Build. Definitely. You can do pretty well with [thread=2389797]the "regular" low-end gaming build[/thread], sans GPU. But I'd try to wait until [thread=2452438]the new i3 6100[/thread] is widely available.

If you can reuse your case (which is what?), your PSU, and maybe your hard drive, you could probably save enough to get a decent SSD and maybe more RAM.

 

[mvbighead]

If you want to plan for oculus rift, I would think focusing on all gear except for the GPU now would be best, and then you add a GPU to fit when you decided to go that route in the future...

This is roughly $70 over budget:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xs8jzy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xs8jzy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $466.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-27 00:11 EDT-0400

It would be a good platform that you could throw a nice GPU into and consider oculus rift.

Dropping the CPU gets it under budget:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z2rmt6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z2rmt6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($125.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $395.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-27 00:12 EDT-0400

Trouble is, I doubt that has the oomph required for rift based on the recommendations. Further more, you'll probably need to factor about $80 for the OS. So you may need to drop specs even more to suit your budget.

 

[forsciguy123]

Thanks for the replies!
My case is a Antec 900 which I was hoping to reuse as well as my corsair psu. I have two or three 1 tb hard drives, but I like the idea of a SDD. I also like the idea of adding a gpu later. Would it be worth it or even doable to use my current gpu or should I just go with out it until later?
Is there a big difference between the i3 and i5? If it would limit my chance of having the rift work I may go with the 5.
Thanks

 

[Ken g6]

I'd go with the i5 for the Rift. You don't want frame drops making you dizzy. That plus mobo plus RAM plus Windows should be about $400. Add an ssd when you can.

You could use your old GPU but the i5 integrated graphics should be faster.

 

[forsciguy123]

Ok, so I do not really want to wait until cyber Monday anymore I see that Newegg has what seems like a decent deal on some DDR4 ram: CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) </SPAN>(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233863&Tpk=20-233-863)

So I was thinking this might be a good time to pick up my processor and MOBO. I was thinking about the I5 and leaning toward the 6500(as suggested). As a noob, I just want to confirm that ONLY the 6600K can be overclocked? I am not sure that is worth the extra $75 and it seems the 6500 has the best bang for the buck even with the $10 off the 6600. Is my RAM overkill if I don’t try to overclock (I only dabbled with small overclocking with my first build)?

Again my budget is around $400. Lower is better since I need an OS (I guess not included in that $400). Wildcard being that I may want an Oculus Rift…although I have a PS4 and may get the Playstation VR. (If possibly take all of my crazy requirements into consideration

Question 1) what processor should I get and does it make since with the ram…should change the RAM?

Question 2) after question 1 is resolved, what MOBO would be the best option (MOBOs confuse me the most)? (I need a dual monitor setup (1HDMI and 1DVI); my video card (per earlier advice) will be added later).

My big concern is that everthing is compatible and and I am not buying something that will be overkill given my use.

Thanks for your help!
Also, any Veterans out there, Thank you for your service!!

 

[Burpo]

i3 6100 $125
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...gs74kpt-ND353XTZqCECBxoCuXDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H $75 after $10 rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128874&cm_re=b150-_-13-128-874-_-Product

Patriot DDR4 2133 $37
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

Windows 10 $80
http://www.onsaves.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1336

$417
Tight budget, but for $25 more (after rebate) you can get the full size MSI Gaming board.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130886&cm_re=b150-_-13-130-886-_-Product

 

[forsciguy123]

Thanks for your reply.
Would there be a big performance drop from going with the i3 vs the i5 and as well as the 8gb drop in RAM (8 from 16)? It seems like the RAM is a pretty good deal so I was hoping to base my build around that and the i5 since someone previously said that would be better for the possibly Oculus Rift addition (along with a Video Card).
I was thinking $105 RAM(16gb DDR4), $195 CPU (i5), and ~$85-100 MOBO (?).
Also, I have not heard of "onsaves". Is it a reputable site for downloading an OS? The price is a good $15-20 cheaper than other places.
thanks

 

[Burpo]

I don't know, but you can also get it at BargainValley for $8 more.

http://bargainvalley.com/BV/Microso...jkLYVuZtcUBW8KZyN2SkeOAGXdguzx_rkMaAgmF8P8HAQ

The Skylake 13 6100 is the sweet spot for CPU's (IMO) and fares well against other more expensive processors, and comes with heatsink & fan. You're the one on a tight budget, and the CPU is easily up gradable later if needed. Your call.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2452438&highlight=6100+gaming