Help on Desktop Build

[Barty1884]

Hi everyone,

I'm still planning on undertaking my first desktop build (multipurpose, light games, streaming etc).

I thought I would challenge myself, setting a budget of $600....which I'm pretty close to (I have an SSD to put in already)....ideally including OS, but I think that might be pushing my luck.

I'll list what I've come up with so far and any suggestions/improvements (especially on a case as I'm stumped there) would be appreciated - trying to keep within the budget or as close as possible.

Case: TBD
PSU: TBD
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H
CPU: Pentium G3450 Haswell
GPU: GeForce GT 720
Network: Bluetooth / Wifi
HDD: WD Black, 1TB
RAM: 16GB G.Skill AEGIS
SSD: Already own 240GB Samsung EVO Pro
OS: Unknown, likely Windows 7 HP/Pro

I'm around $500 already with the items listed, with a case, PSU and OS still to go.

Does anybody have any thoughts/suggestions that would be budget friendly?

Anything I'm missing?

Thanks!

 

[RedJaron]

What exactly do you mean "multipurpose"? Are you talking basic home and office general purpose, or do you plan to run some professional level apps too? If the former, you're pretty close to the mark. If the latter, you'll need a beefier CPU.

Second, why 16GB RAM? That kinda goes with the first question of what kind of applications you plan to run. Unless you want to run some serious stuff, save some money and kick that down to 8GB.

The GT 720 is a pretty weak GPU, not much better than integrated graphics. I'd up it to at least a GT 730 if you can. Cutting your RAM down to 8GB might help with that. You also might save some money on the mboard as well. I recently reviewed the ASRock B85M-DGS and MSI H81M-E34. Both can usually be found around $60 and you wouldn't lose much functionality that you would care about.

That wireless card is worthless on most desktop motherboards since you need a mini PCIe slot to use it. You'd need to get a PCIe - mPCIe adapter. I bought this ( http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813995032 ) a few months ago and have been very pleased with it. However, unless you really need wireless, I'd say save your money and stick with the built-in networking on the mboard.

 

[turbopiki]

Bad build, bad CPU, bad GPU, 8gb of ram is enough for gaming....

If you can go 30$ over your budget i would get this, if you cant tell me and i will change the build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax Thorex ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.75 @ OutletPC)
Total: $633.53
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 22:47 EDT-0400

 

[Barty1884]

Thanks for the replies guys.

RedJaron, apologies, I meant general purpose, yeah. (I play one game FWIW - Football Manager 2011, so spec requirements are nothing nowadays).

I know the 16GB RAM was totally unnecessary, pricing just seemed a good deal. I'll likely go with 8GB in the end anywa.

turbopiki, I appreciate the build, and it gives me a bit of an idea, but it blows my budget out of the water (sorry, I should've stated CAD$, not USD$) as the build you provided is over $800 CAD.

As far as Mobo/CPU/GPU goes, would looking at AMD parts be beneficial price/quality wise?
Saw these:
Mobo: MSI A78M-E45
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K
GPU: Radeon R7 260X iCooler 1GB

Slightly flexible on budget, but probably to the tune of $100 max. So $700 absolute upper end.

Puts me to to around the $500 mark, with 1x8GB RAM......would still need a case ($?), PSU ($?) & OS (around $100)

One last question.....and I'm quite embarrassed to ask, but do I need a network card for wifi? Or is it included in the Mobo? (or some Mobo's I guess).

 

[turbopiki]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($53.67 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Zalman Z1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Antec Green 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.00 @ shopRBC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($104.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $691.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-09 10:27 EDT-0400

If you want to connect you PC with Wi-Fi, you will need to buy Wireless Network Card or USB Wi-FI adapter. Motherboard only has network card for connecting with cable, some ITX motherboard do have built-in Wi-Fi

 

[RedJaron]

Some mboards include WiFi, but most don't. If you absolutely need WiFi on a desktop board, I recommend this card. (http/www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7RD2WX1864) I have one myself. It's a mini PCIe adapter even, so you can replace the actual WiFi card later on when newer, faster protocols come out.

Onto your build, I figured you needed an OS as part of that $600. If you already have the OS, then these can be upped a good amount. Also, I have no clue what your preferred Canadian vendors are, so take these for what they're worth. Let's start with something like this.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($79.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($154.50 @ Vuugo)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec Green 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.00 @ shopRBC)
Total: $529.20

That takes you a little over the budget if you have to buy an OS, and I didn't include a DVD drive in there if you want one. The 260X will be sufficient for light to moderate gaming needs for a while. However, if the budget is really tight, drop it down to a 250X, or even a GT 730 ( though if you do, get the 64-bit 730 ).

Here's an AMD version

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E45 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($79.90 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 250X 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec Green 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.00 @ shopRBC)
Total: $528.60

That gives you a quad-core CPU for a little extra processing power for multi-threaded applications. However the 860K is not as efficient as the G3258, nor does it overclock as easily. It sounds like you're mainly running single-threaded stuff, so the G3258 may be the better option.

If you want a little more processing power, upping to an i3 will make a big difference in the long run. However, that does drop the GPU back to a 730. But, if the 730 is adequate for your game(s), then this would be the way to go.

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($136.50 @ shopRBC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.00 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($62.98 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($60.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card ($90.24 @ shopRBC)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1500 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Canada Computers)
Power Supply: Antec Green 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($65.00 @ shopRBC)
Total: $521.46

 

[Barty1884]

Thanks guys! Definitely gives me some food for thought.

As far as preferred vendors go, my plan is to utilize the price beat guarantee offered by MemoryExpress (although not exclusively. If there's a better item online, I'll get that).
They'll beat any Canadian retailer or etailer's base price by 10% of the difference (not that many places sell for drastically different) and I can collect locally, negating shipping costs - entirely dependent on ME stocking the unit in question

I definitely need to land my parts, and then make sure I've found the cheapest prices around at the time......but their price beat extends to 7 days post purchase, so I would have a little bit of time.

For example, ME have the WD Black, 1TB for $94.99 and CanadaComputers are $87.99 + Shipping so, in the 'real' world it's still cheaper for me to just buy from ME as I'd be paying shipping from CC. But they'll better CC's price by 10% of the difference ($0.70). Not a lot, but I end up getting the $94.99 HDD I'd buy from them anyway for $87.29.

 

[RedJaron]

Another thing to keep in mind is that Intel will be launching Skylake in a little bit. That could drastically change prices, making older gen stuff more affordable, or letting you start fresh with the newest tech. Just something to keep in mind if you can put of your build for a little bit.