~$500 Work/Play SFF Build Suggestions

[haxxorboi]

So I'm trying to put together a mini-itx system for my new office computer with a budget of around $400-600. Most of the requirements are basic (Word, Excel, etc.) but I also tend to also use virtual machines a bit and do some mid-level gaming sometimes on a lunch break or during an office LAN event. I'm usually one for overclocked i5/i7 Intel K setups, but that's probably a bit out of my budget. I may overclock if I can get a 212 into the budget and the case, but it's not a necessity.

The case will probably be a Sugo, 250D, or BitFenix (~$50-75), RAM will probably be 2x4GB (~$75), a 256GB SSD (~$150), and an old Corsair PSU (free). That leaves around $300 for the cpu, mobo, and gpu (if any).

So what does the Horde pick? AMD APU by itself, AMD FX + discrete, Intel AE, Intel i3, Intel i5?

Thanks!

 

[haxxorboi]

Nobody has ANY opinion on the best $300 combo of mobo, CPU, and GPU? I figured this would be a thread rife with fanboys at least.

 

[SaperPL]

For 300 bucks I'd say something like this is possible
Pentium G3258
GTX750 2GB
MSI B85I

This cpu has overclocking potential and it's already enough to play games on medium-high settings sub-1080p resolutions. The only problem with this one is that it won't run the games that require 4 threads like cod advanced warfare which sucks . If you don't need discrete gpu now, you could go for i3 T-version.

750/750TI is the only option here I think for the optimal price, performance and silence.

I'm not sure about the board, check out other cheap ones, maybe there's some better.

I wouldn't go for amd apu, and there are no FX mITX sized boards. I believe APU gpu's now are not that great, just slightly better than intel integrated ones while whole package drains greatly more power.

Also go for ram in one stick to leave some upgrade option for future.