Building an Extreme Budget PC ($250)

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tekcopocket

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Oct 22, 2014
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I hate to make my first post here a request for help, but I've been reading a bunch of other threads similar to what I'm looking for that had some great answers and I just want something a little more specific.

My girlfriend's laptop finally died on her tonight (it's been on it's last legs for a while) and I'm looking to replace it with a cheap desktop. I've seen some great micro-ATX builds in other threads, but I just want to make sure I can get exactly what she needs for the lowest price. We're on a bit of an extreme budget right now, so $250 or even lower would be fantastic. All she needs is a PC that runs Windows 7 with all the necessary Office programs and can stream stuff like Netflix/Hulu/Youtube. It doesn't necessarily have to be HD, but at least 720p would be a big plus. HDMI output is another thing that would be great, but isn't an absolute must.

It's been a few years since I've messed around with putting a system together and I've never looked at micro-ATX motherboards or on-board graphics in the past, so any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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TofuLion
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC MA01-G MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX Power Supply ($28.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $232.93
Prices include shipping, taxes...
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iamlegend

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Aug 19, 2014
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Here you go man!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Apotop 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Antec GX500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $253.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 02:33 EDT-0400
 
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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Recommendation:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/toshiba-satellite-15-6-laptop-intel-celeron-4gb-memory-500gb-hard-drive-jet-black/8790192.p?id=1219370476235&skuId=8790192&st=categoryid$abcat0502000&cp=1&lp=1

This laptop is $250. You can plug into a desktop monitor if you wish as well to use with or separate from the laptops screen.

Other:
The PROBLEM here is that nobody has factored in the cost of Windows and that is roughly $100. You can't transfer the copy that was on the laptop.

Nor is it certain if a monitor, keyboard, and mouse are required so the price goes up by a lot if those are required.
 
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bsod1

bsod1

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Feb 7, 2013
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.69 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($55.18 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design FD-CA-CORE-3300-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $252.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 03:14 EDT-0400
 
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iam2thecrowe

iam2thecrowe

Glorious
Jul 4, 2010
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thats actually a really good idea, cheap laptop. everything you need. Might take a few seconds to open up programs but it'll do the job. If you dont already have monitor/keyboard/mouse/os it would be impossible to bundle all that with parts for $250 in a desktop PC. Maybe state what you already have.
 
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tekcopocket

Reputable
Oct 22, 2014
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4,510
Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I did forget t mention that I do have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse already. And I didn't mention the price of Windows because I already know I have to buy that and wasn't including that price in my $250 goal. I know it would be easier to buy a laptop, but we've had terrible experiences with them in the past (HP, Asus, Dell and Toshiba) whereas every desktop I've had has been great (self-built and one Dell). So buying another laptop, especially a cheap one, is something I home I don't have to do.

To bsod1 and iamlegend, thinks for the build specs, both of those look pretty great and would be slight upgrades over the laptop that just died.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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Moderator
Apr 27, 2009
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD 5350 2.05Ghz Quad-Core Processor ($59.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AM1M-S2H Micro ATX AM1 Motherboard ($34.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $247.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 15:16 EDT-0400
 
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TofuLion

TofuLion

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Oct 10, 2014
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i agree you should find a cheap desktop instead of trying to build from scratch. windows alone is almost half the budget. its impossible to build under this budget, unless you went linux but theres a learning curve there so that may not be possible
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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OP already stated that the $250 didn't include the cost of windows. ;)
 
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TofuLion

TofuLion

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Oct 10, 2014
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sorry missed that. in that case its very possible lol
 
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TofuLion

TofuLion

Admirable
Oct 10, 2014
1,761
0
6,460
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC MA01-G MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX Power Supply ($28.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $232.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-22 15:08 EDT-0400

I didn't see anyone else add a dvd drive which is overlooked but can be very important. $249 before combo discounts and MIR. not bad
 
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