Help for creating a budget computer ($450-550)

Hello Tek Syndicate. I am a new user who wants to build a computer, but is very limited in knowledge on how to. If any of you could comment a build, that would be great! I am going to list details about me and what I want below. Thank you for all of the help!

Budget:$450-550
I live in Portland, Oregon, US , and we use the American $
I do not prefer any specific retailer.
I have a mouse and a keyboard, but I need a monitor. I'd like that monitor to be somewhere between 20 and 25 inches across that can give me a near-nothing lag 1080p display.
I want to use this computer for web browsing, gaming (Both PC and ROM), and if possible a decent multitask for the two
Overclocking-wise, I'm fine either way, whichever gets the best results for the cheapest amounts of money is good for me. I'd like a little explanation of how high to overclock if that is what is in the build.
I do not think that I will want a custom water cooler for this system.
I have Windows 10
When gaming, I would be satisfied to game at 1080p on medium-low settings at around 40 fps
I will likely play ROMs and online games. I will also play steam games.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MkC37P

this will do 1080P ultra on most games. a monitor with 5ms response time it is weak in the PSU, as it is a case PSU combo it is also weak with storage, but does use a 120gb SSD and a r9380
this was aas weak as I was willing to go while using all new parts. I would replace the PSU and add a 1TB+ HDD when you can.

2 Likes

So normally you'd probably want like an i3 + 380 + whatever the cheapest 1080p IPS displays is

but before all those recommendations come in, I'm going to go the insane route and recommend an APU with a 1440p IPS display
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Now clearly the APU will not most games at 1440p very well, however 1080p scales perfectly with the display, and an APU is going to game around the level of a current console in terms of resolution to fps, so 1080p 30fps, 720p 60fps

This way down the line you can throw in a 380/390 and have a solid display as well, so it's more of a long term investment
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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CxDD99
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CxDD99/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($122.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer G257HU smidpx 60Hz 25.0" Monitor ($259.99 @ B&H)
Total: $575.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-06 03:39 EST-0500

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DRpyYJ
Heres my two cents
CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $529.80

With monitor ---v
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JhDD99
CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($111.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($151.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Azza SIRIUS ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC E2260SWDN 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $559.28

1 Like

you missed the monitor that he wanted

I somehow overlooked that... Easy fix
It's honestly better to get monitors second hand, as long as they were taken well care of.

Also look on craigslist for 1600x1200 CRT displays, they're generally cheap and have almost the same amount of pixels as a 1920x1080p display, or just look on craigslist for displays in general

Good luck. Lot of nice builds here.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor | $122.89 @ OutletPC
CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler | $18.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard | $52.98 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory | $64.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory | $64.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive | $88.88 @ OutletPC
Case | Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $29.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | EVGA 400W ATX Power Supply | $28.99 @ SuperBiiz
Monitor | AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor | $99.99 @ Micro Center
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $572.69
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-06 04:30 EST-0500 |

I like this build the best out of the ones posted here so far.

A couple of considerations are:
- swap out the small SSD for a 1TB HDD if you need storage space. You generally have 90-80GBs left after a windows install.
- Get at least an 80+ certified power supply. Most power supply + case combos include a pretty low quality power supply. e.g. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10600kr at $40 this is a great budget psu.

I'm not a huge fan of the A10 APU builds since the majority of low-end graphics cards can easily outperform the graphics performance of an APU. Much more logical to get an athlon(which is essentially just the CPU portion of the APU) and a mid range GPU. It's a lot better performing for a similar amount of money.

agreed, I only went with the SSD as it makes it easier to add storage without transferring the OS when an SSD is purchased. If the OP has no plan of getting one, yeah, get the largest HDD you can afford that is reputable.

On a $550 budget, you can get a 4460+380

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $542.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-06 11:38 EST-0500

1 Like

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9yMqjX

Looked at that and thought "How'd he end up with an 860k?"
Realised you'd added a monitor, and the OP needs one. Whoopsie...

Fixed:

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

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G227HQLbi 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $525.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-07 13:20 EST-0500

That's an alright 1080p IPS panel too.

1 Like

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor | $84.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler | LEPA AquaChanger 240 103.6 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $69.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard | $49.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory | $64.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive | $88.88 @ OutletPC
Case | Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $48.99 @ Newegg
Power Supply | EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply | $33.99 @ SuperBiiz
Optical Drive | LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer | $13.89 @ OutletPC
Monitor | AOC E2425SWD 60Hz 24.0" Monitor | $99.99 @ Micro Center
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $555.70
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-07 21:33 EST-0500 |

I have no doubt that an 860k + 380 is going to make a piddle pool of an A10...

1 Like

yeah, there is not a lot that an APU will have on dedicated. It may change on AM4, but for now, a 380 will slap the shit out of an A10

I think I like that i5-4460 better then all the rest. So far. There is no doubt that a dedicated gpu along sides a nice cpu will out profile a apu.

Yeah, that build didn't include a monitor though. Hence why I remade it with an 860k.