I am building the same computer for three friends who all have a budget around $550. I got some recommendations for a build a couple weeks ago, which I am super happy with, but we are going to start buying the parts today, so I want to get some final opinions.
Here is the computer: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cJkDP6
Thanks guys! You rock!
Patrick (pckmcc)
Too much RAM
it's also kind of hard to recommend an 860k at that budget with how low i3 prices are, I'd go for it if you really have to hit that under $550 price point
Though I'd swap the PSU in this build for the one in yours
And are the DVD drives really necessary?
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TCD7t6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TCD7t6/by_merchant/
CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($202.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $574.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-12 12:01 EST-0500
Is there a significant difference between the i3 and the 860k?
Is there a difference between the gigabyte and the power cooler card?
I have heard that EVGA power supplies are unreliable. Is that true?
Why would you go with a more expensive WiFi card?
And he wants a DVD drive. I just followed his list of items he needs :)
The i3 is going to be a bit better for gaming and the platform gives you some kind of upgrade path
the power color card was just the lowest price 4gb card
I think it's mostly the NEX series of EVGA power supplies people don't like, here's that one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438014
but the one you picked is a bit nicer since it's modular and all
that gigabyte one just has support for everything including ac if it's ever used/needed probably worth the investment
Does he still use optical media? He is a rare person indeed.
Ok, cool! We will go with the i3.
That makes sense. Good idea to cut some costs there
Ok :) That's good to know! I have heard people comment about it negatively before. I want this to be a good experience for my friend. I might stick with the one I had though.
He has terrible WiFi in his house (350kbps). I have 40mbps, so we will probably download most of the content he needs at my house. Good idea to prep for the future though.
Yeah, he is a rare breed :) I bought the NZXT H440 case (which doesn't have an optical drive space) for my latest build and I couldn't be happier. I used an external DVD drive once to download some pictures that someone gave me, but, other than that, I have never needed one.
16gb of ram should be out of the question for a budget this low...
you're wrong that's super low amount of ram need at least 64TB
Why do you say that? What is wrong with more ram? (Just curious. Not trying to be combative)
Thanks
Patrick
Too much cost for too little benefit in this budget. The chances of capping 8gb ram on a system like this are slim, so the added cost of the extra ram is simply a waste.
That makes sense :) I will let them know! What would a good mark be to upgrade to 16? An i5? And overclocked processor?
8 is pretty much the max you need for 1080p gaming. If you get into editing, or streaming, or go for resolutions beyond 1080p, you might need 16, maybe. I'm personally running an i7 4790k @ 4.7ghz and an 8gb R9 390 and I only have 8gb and the only time its been an issue was when my fiancee tried to stream Ark Survival Evolved it capped my ram and crashed her stream.
I agree :) I have an R9 290x 4GB with an i7 4790k at 4.1ghz. I have 16 GB because I have used it for some photoshop editing and minecraft shaders rendering.