Highly Upgradeable, Low-cost PC

Airstrike14 · Sep 25, 2016

Hello. I am a fourteen year-old freshman student, and am looking to get a desktop. I don't have a lot of money, maybe a $500 budget at best. I don't need a high-end PC, just something that can hold me over for a while, until I can afford to upgrade it. I just want the bare minimum in terms of hardware. Basically a mid-size tower with only enough hardware to function and be highly upgradeable.

So in short:

Request- Highly upgradeable, low cost PC

Goal (After I can afford to upgrade the build)- High end PC that can run games on high settings, surf the web quickly, and run powerful software.

Budget: $500

If you need any other information, let me know. Thank you!

Robert Cook · Sep 25, 2016

what you want is a good CPU, like a 6600K, and a good motherboard with OC support ( or do not get a K chip and get some generic motherboard ) and then run integrated graphics until you can afford a good GPU. the 6600K/6600 is a great chip for gaming (pretty much the best out there), it is very strong (good for anything except rendering huge fractals or trying to game and stream at the same time) and the integrated graphics are while lame compared to a decent GP enough to web browse watch youtube, and be productive with. another good tip is to not skimp out on the PSU. with today's efficient components something like the Seasonic M12II 520W will be enough for anything you get down the road save perhaps overclocked titan XP SLI.

Airstrike14 · Sep 25, 2016

Robert Cook :

So I should focus on the CPU and PSU? Any suggestions on the case? Worst thing that could happen is I buy all the parts and they don't fit in the case.

Robert Cook · Sep 25, 2016

Airstrike14 :

I would get a cheap case like the NZXT source 210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146076
it is absurdly cheap, and will fit a standard ATX board with no issues, fit a full sized PSU, and GPU, and it looks presentable. ( do not get me wrong, its side panels are thin, and bend easily, and cable management takes some effort, but this way you have a case to hold everything until you want to upgrade down the road.) I used it for a build before and it worked well enough especially with a modular PSU like that seasonic one. my logic is, with CPU progress shrinking, getting the best CPU and a good motherboard with it will last far longer and cost less than getting some sub par CPU and top end GPU and upgrading both.

Wolfshadw · Sep 25, 2016

Here's a build that you would be able to upgrade; just enough for windows operation. Later on down the line, you can upgrade the processor and the graphics card. You could also add more RAM and move your OS and programs to an SSD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($56.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($77.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($22.45 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 740 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($81.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec VSK4000E U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: FSP Group 500W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.30 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($84.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $456.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-25 18:44 EDT-0400

-Wolf sends

Robert Cook · Sep 25, 2016

while I like the Pentium idea, I would say if you do that get a GT 730 ( same as a 740 just slower clocked ( MSI aferburner fixes that

)) also get a z170 board, as having the ability to overclock is always worth it, and this way the motherboard should never need an upgrade. also I would get a proper 1TB hard drive like a WD blue. ( 250GB is not much at all, and 1 TB is now possible for under $50)

Wolfshadw · Sep 25, 2016

My decisions were based on a perceived timeline for upgrades. It's only a guess on my part, but I was thinking it would be several years before a reasonable CPU upgrade would occur. By that time, we're probably be looking at the next generation of processors and maybe a new motherboard chipset/socket.

I went with the smaller hard drive as it would be easier to transfer over to an SSD later on and I'm not sure if cloning software can clone just a partition or has to try and clone the entire drive.

-Wolf sends

hang-the-9 · Sep 29, 2016

Wolfshadw :

I don't know if it's a good idea to go with all lower end parts and then replace just about everything, since he looks to be OK with "enough hardware to function", how about taking away the add-on video card and getting a i5-6500 and just using the onboard video? And maybe getting a cheap used card off craigslist to use if it's too slow for games.

Ecky · Sep 29, 2016

I agree, the GT 740/730 isn't a good idea, it's very little better than Intel integrated video. Here's my take at a $500 upgradable PC:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($56.95 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($72.82 @ NCIX US)
Case: Xion XON-310_BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($24.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.33 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($84.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $375.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-29 15:07 EDT-0400

You're well below $500, but this does not include a monitor, mouse, keyboard or speakers, which could easily eat up the rest of that. If $500 is for the tower alone, you might consider getting a Radeon RX460 video card to make it into a halfway decent gaming machine right now, or upgrading from the Pentium to an i5 6500 to have a top-notch CPU for basically any use.

I picked a reliable power supply with power to spare, and a motherboard with plenty of expansion options in a socket that will receive at least 2 more years of new CPUs. I chose an SSD rather than a traditional hard drive because it's easier to add storage than to change your main hard drive.

delta5 · Sep 29, 2016

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4520 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($91.16 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($44.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.71 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $418.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-29 15:44 EDT-0400

Something along this. Whatever you decide; Make sure to get a quality PSU and a motherboard that will support what you want. If you have a, microcenter, near you; you could possible afford a 6600+mobo combo.

Ecky · Sep 29, 2016

^ 850w is massive overkill, but I like higher efficiency units. Even an i5 + GTX 1080 would not draw more than 250w combined.

delta5 · Sep 29, 2016

Ecky :

imo, it is best. It covers if he goes for AMD, OCing, Sli/Crossfire, and the less % of total power used = better life of PSU.

Ecky · Sep 29, 2016

Oversized PSUs also generate extra heat and waste power, though OP probably isn't paying for electricity yet. Given the rate at which component power consumption is dropping, I just can't see a unit that large being necessary. Ever generation TDP is lower, and a pair of GTX 1080's, which would draw ~360w, are $1400. On top of that, nVidia is slowly dropping support for SLI (and AMD, CF) because it doesn't work very well with the way games are designed now.

Anyway, I digress.

Robert Cook · Sep 30, 2016

Ecky :

For the most part a PSU only uses as much power as it needs, and thus does not make any extra heat or use extra power. It might not run as efficient at very low use, but that will not make much difference at all.

Ecky · Sep 30, 2016

Robert Cook :

Right, but where I'm coming from is, I can see better uses for that $100 extra in a PC with a Celeron, platter hard drive, and no discrete GPU, given that this power supply would be overkill in anything less than a $2000+ 4K SLI rig.

delta5 · Oct 1, 2016

Ecky :

Robert Cook :

Right, but where I'm coming from is, I can see better uses for that $100 extra in a PC with a Celeron, platter hard drive, and no discrete GPU, given that this power supply would be overkill in anything less than a $2000+ 4K SLI rig.

What if he decides to go with AMD video card tho? 595W is roughly 70% of 850W PSU and personally, I like to stay under 70% usage.

Ecky · Oct 1, 2016

Which AMD card? The RX 480 is just about as fast as AMD's last-generation R9 Fury, and draws 150w. There's literally zero point in buying a Fury or 390, given the new 14nm GPUs on the market which are faster, cheaper, and draw less power. With a single GPU system, even with overclocking it's near impossible to stress even a 400w unit, nevermind an 850.

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