$450-500 PC for Software Development

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justrandomdude

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Aug 24, 2015
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Hello, I've been asking around for advices, recommendations and I think I finally have a decent partlist. Can you please take a look at it and give me an honest opinion?

I'd really appreciate any input, this is my first build, I have no experience in this whatsoever.

The partlist
 
Solution
jmsellars1
You don't usually need a powerful PC for software development, usually you will be developing software capable of running on low end PC's anyway. Plenty of RAM can be nice in case you've got multiple instances of programs and VM's open but you don't need a graphics card at all.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western...
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Apr 12, 2015
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.98 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $541.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-24 06:16 EDT-0400

A bit over, yes, but drop the SSD if you really can't go over $500 and save up for it later. This will have a better upgrade path to CPUs like the i5 4460 in the future if you need extra power. The AMD CPUs are a bit obsolete now, fine for people on a budget but their higher end stuff is under powered.

It is better to go with an intel build you can upgrade later on for noticeable performance boosts rather than an AMD build that you can't.
 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Dec 31, 2010
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You don't usually need a powerful PC for software development, usually you will be developing software capable of running on low end PC's anyway. Plenty of RAM can be nice in case you've got multiple instances of programs and VM's open but you don't need a graphics card at all.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($42.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($35.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: Acer S220HQLAbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $451.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-24 07:37 EDT-0400

I'd just go for something like that and run dual monitors so you can get more stuff done. I'd set up some backup software to back your stuff up to that hard drive and probably some cloud storage such as Onedrive as well.

 
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jmsellars1

jmsellars1

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Dec 31, 2010
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I don't think so personally, not if the system is just for software development. To be honest even the i3 could be considered overkill.

You just need a reasonable CPU in case you have multiple programs open, plenty of RAM in case you're running VM's or something and plenty of space to back up in my opinion. After that I think you're better off spending money on multiple high resolution monitors so you have more space to get stuff done.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Apr 12, 2015
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I will point out two things:

1. The i3 4170 is haswell refresh, and most H81 boards haven't received software updates to be compatible (Exactly why I went with the i3 4130.).

2. If the OP does go with multiple monitors, then it is better to get a low end GPU like the GTX 950 to ensure that the iGPU is not overwhelmed.

To the OP: If what jmsellars1 says is true, then his build is more suited towards your needs. However, I'd definitely check around on forums related to whatever software you are using to be sure (Don't go by the developer's minimum requirements; they are often not enough to run the software at it's full potential.).
 
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