I failed. Need help with a Budget Build

[Decimus]

Trying to design a budget build for my brother and I failed. Now I come to [H] seeking guidance because I don't already spend enough time here

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing and gaming. He is not a heavy gamer but is a huge Total War fan and has been away for 2 years. Now he would like to be able to get Rome Total War 2 and play that even if it is on low settings(Hope I can do better though for some longevity)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
He said between $400-$600 with tax and shipping(I know it's on a budget)

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US but not really close to any hardware PC store. MC, Fry's etc.(Eastern WA)

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, Mobo, RAM, PSU, SSD, Case, GPU, OS, maybe monitor.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
I am capable of it so parts dependent if it is worth it.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
If we can't squeeze a monitor into the budget I have an extra Dell 20" Ultrasharp I will let him have. 1920x1200

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Over the next couple weeks. I plan on trying to get some of the parts used on the FS/FT if I can find them or very similar. Doing this I might be able to drop his cost enough to buy an asus 24" 1920x1080 monitor

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 in particular. USB 3.0 is pretty much standard now so other than that nothing extra needed

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No. An OS is needed but I found a copy of Win 7 Pro 64 bit for $63 so unless there is somewhere cheaper? Can go through a .edu email too if there are any better deals?

The other option I might think about is selling him my 2500k and mobo for $200-230 or something like then I will just upgrade myself. Don't really need to but if it helps him out I would consider it

 

[Dangman]

Well first and foremost, you're going to give your bro that Dell monitor. No way can you do a good $600 gaming PC with OS and monitor. It';s already tough with the OS. But with monitor? No way unless he's only planning on playing Minecraft.

Second, you do realize that to get a comparable upgrade to your current system right now, it's going to cost you at aleast ~$350. Nor would it be that much of a noticeable upgrade for that $120 to $150 out of pocket. In other words, maybe just give your brother $100 for his build instead?

 

[samm]

Its certainly possible but I wouldnt expect huge performance numbers:

Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 ($15.99)
A10 6800K ($129)
8GB ram (PC312800) ($65)
WD Blue 1TB 7200 (60)
Ultra SD SSD 64GB (60)
LG DVDRW (16)
ThermalTake V3 (25)
600W ThermalTake (35)

$400 +Tax (includes rebates as well)

You can swap out the APU for a FX4130 and similar MB and then add a low tier GPU. And you would be looking at $150 more. Monitor would be reach with the FX, but with the APU and no GPU combo I think doable.

 

[wtourist]

Need to know how much GPU is required.
Also check "for sale/marketplace" of any websites you are familiar with for used parts..

 

[Decimus]

Well first and foremost, you're going to give your bro that Dell monitor. No way can you do a good $600 gaming PC with OS and monitor. It';s already tough with the OS. But with monitor? No way unless he's only planning on playing Minecraft.

Second, you do realize that to get a comparable upgrade to your current system right now, it's going to cost you at aleast ~$350. Nor would it be that much of a noticeable upgrade for that $120 to $150 out of pocket. In other words, maybe just give your brother $100 for his build instead?

Eh I would rather upgrade my rig even slightly than just giving him a $100 off the bat. I know it is a rough task with his price range hence me "failing" to figure out a decent build and bringing it here. I can definitely give him the Dell monitor since I have 2 sitting in the closet unused(been debating on trying to remove the bezels on them and move them somewhere else but that is a project down the road)

 

[Decimus]

Need to know how much GPU is required.
Also check "for sale/marketplace" of any websites you are familiar with for used parts..

He wants to be able play Rome Total War 2 which is the most he will be using this for. He doesn't have to have it at max specs which lists a 4550 as min requirement. Hmmm now that I am thinking I think I have a 4870 lying around too. Would using that be worth it?

 

[samm]

if you have a spare 4870 lying around, i`d switch him to the FX series and you should be goods to go

 

[Dangman]

Eh I would rather upgrade my rig even slightly than just giving him a $100 off the bat. I know it is a rough task with his price range hence me "failing" to figure out a decent build and bringing it here. I can definitely give him the Dell monitor since I have 2 sitting in the closet unused(been debating on trying to remove the bezels on them and move them somewhere else but that is a project down the road)

All right then.. Here's what I recommend:
$200 - Your 2500K and MSI motherboard
$70 - Corsair CMV8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$110 - MSI R7790-1GD5/OC Radeon HD 7790 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$62 - Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$49 - Corsair 430CX V2 430W PSU
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$63 - Windows 7 Pro you found
---
Total: $597 shipped

The HD 7790 is significantly faster than the HD 4870 while using a lot less power. It would also last a bit longer. A SSD simply isn't possible with that low of a budget without going with some really low quality parts. We're already scraping the bottom of the barrel so to speak with the case and PSU. I would not recommend going lower than either of those two parts. As for the 8GB of RAM, RAM prices are going to keep rising like they have for the past year. So might as well get as much RAM now before they get even more stupid expensive. So I highly recommend buying that RAM ASAP.

As for your upgrade, here's what I recommend:
$229 - Intel Core i5-4670K CPU
$101 - MSI Z87-G41 PC MATE Intel Z87 ATX Motherboard
---
Total: $330 shipped

Roughly equivalen to your current setup.

 

[J Macker]

...
The other option I might think about is selling him my 2500k and mobo for $200-230 or something like then I will just upgrade myself. Don't really need to but if it helps him out I would consider it

upgrade from the 2500k? to what cpu? don't do it!

Seriously, I'm sorry I changed to Haswell, the OC takes more time and doesn't go as far. There's virtually no benefit for Haswell.

Even an Ivy bridge isn't really an "upgrade".
Don't bother with an i7 for gaming either, there's no benefit.

If you want to use a 2500k in his system, just buy another 2500k.

Also, the 7790 isn't nearly as good as a 7870, which can be had for about the same price used. A used 7850 is <$100, and is also much faster than a 7790.