$650 general use/light gaming desktop

M

Misfate

Weaksauce
Joined
Oct 2, 2008
Messages
107
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Light gaming (League of Legends; running modern games at 60fps at lower settings), streaming HD video, web browsing, word processing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$500 - tax and shipping included.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Los Angeles, CA, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU, RAM, case, GPU, PSU, HDD, Motherboard, OS.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Optical drive, keyboard/mouse, speakers, monitor.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
17'' 1280x1024 monitor.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Sometime between now and a few days before Christmas.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Nothing particular in mind.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No. I have a .edu email, so I'm wondering if I can get the OS at a discount somewhere.


I'm planning to replace my 4 year old LGA 775 desktop, and I am within driving distance of Fry's - not Microcenter though.

Questions
1. Should I use one of these processors and forgo a video card - Core i3-3225 or A10-5800K?
2. Will I need an anti-static wristband or any other accessories while assembling the computer?

Thanks in advance for any help! :)
 
Last edited:
Please come back in three days as thats when we will know what Newegg's December combo deals will be. Also, how far do you live from this Microcenter?:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/f115d278#/f115d278/1

Though off the bat, don't go AMD as you'll get better gaming performance from an Intel setup. Even the Pentiums will outperform that AMD.
 
I live about an hour and 30 minutes away from that Microcenter unfortunately.

The reason I chose AMD is because I've seen people recommend the Phenom quad-core over the newer Intel dual-cores on r/buildapc.
 
Yeah that's why I stopped posting in that particular subreddit: Waay too many poor recommendations to fight through.
 
Yeah I wouldn't go with an AMD build unless you already have the motherboard or CPU. In other words, building from scratch, go with Intel.
 
Bump

I changed my budget from $600 to $500 since I am reusing my monitor. I also added 2 questions to my original post.
 
1) The Core i3 3225 isn't a good option from an onboard video standpoint. The A10-5800K does have better onboard video than the Intel but the CPU is a bit weaker than Intel for gaming. So in other words, if you're NEVER going to add a 3rd party video card, the A10-5800K is an all right choice. If you are gonna add a 3rd party video card in the future, you're better off with an Intel Pentium or Core i3. But not the Core i3 3225 since its faster onboard video isn't worth it IMO.

2) Anti-static wristband wouldn't hurt. A screwdriver of course is needed.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3V Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7750 2GB Video Card ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $493.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-12-04 03:27 EST-0500)

How does this look?
 
THe PSU isn't $50 since it's requiring a rebate. At its regular price, it's not that great. Go with this PSU:
$46 - Corsair 430CX V2 430W PSU

The promo code for that RAM ends tomorrow. So best get that RAM ASAP.

If you want to use Windows 8 and since you have a student email, check this out:
$40 - Windows 8 Professional SP1 64bit OEM Upgrade

Follow this guide (or any other guide you find on google) to do a clean install using the upgrade disc:
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windows-8/a/clean-install-windows-8-upgrade.htm

With the leftover cash, up the CPU to the Core i3 2100.
 
Thanks for the help - ordered everything.

That Windows 8 upgrade needs a current installation of Windows on the PC it's being used on, and it's not student exclusive.
 
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