Looking for suggestions for $500 PC build.

OmegaDL50

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Jun 27, 2012
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Normally I do a $700 to $800 build, like the build in my sig for example. My Dad's PC is over 6 years and it's starting to show it's age, the newest component inside it is a replaced HDD because the original crashed so in terms of salvaging I can probably just reuse the HDD and DVD Burner, everything else will need to be completely replaced.

With that said, Money's been kind of tight and with my upcoming tax return, that will give me just enough windfall to finally put some extra money away for a general purpose build to replace the aging one.

Anyways...

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

It will be used primarily for Web Browsing and Minor Gaming, The most demanding game will probably be something like The Sims 3 or Torchlight 2. For reference I will probably be using an Intel i5 4670k CPU for the Intel HD4000, yes it's integrated but my i5 3570k also has the same integrated solution I've got playable 60 fps+ framerates on Fallout New Vegas at 720p on the High preset, 1080p would probably be doable on the medium preset, so a higher end GPU isn't necessarily needed.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? Around $500 preferably, will stretch to $600 if absolutely necessary.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. Philadelphia, PA, and yes a Microcenter is near by, and yes I will go there to capitalize on any potential savings on what parts I don't buy on Newegg or Amazon.

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.
Case, PSU, CPU, Ram, and Motherboard. A GPU is not required but if included is secondary to everything else.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

HDD is a SATA III based Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB, large storage isn't necessary so reusing this will be more then adequate.

The DVD-Burner is 40x LG unit, barely even used. Probably won't even be used for the OS install either, Odd enough I can probably omit it entirely since it's barely used to be relevant. The last two PC builds I did were USB flash drive based installs using the Windows 7 USB Install Kit program that Microsoft provides at their website. Certainly saves up wasting DVDs, but having a hardback up via Optical media is useful sometimes.

6) Will you be overclocking? Not right away, but possibly in the future when I install a GPU to slightly increase performance.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
It's a 17 inch widescreen monitor, max res is 1440x900, this is why I said a GPU isn't necessary because I won't be pushing any resolutions to even take advantage of the fact.

When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Within the next 3 to 4 weeks.

Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? Yes, I have a unused Windows 8.1 x64 license via Dreamspark because of Tech School, which will be used on my Dad's build.

This are the parts I've picked so far - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Lmzn

People may question the brand of the motherboard. I have good experience with Asus, ASRock and Gigabyte boards, so I tend to stick with these brands because I have never had issues with them.

My PSU choice is always based on reviews from JonnyGuru.com or HardwareSecrets, which have given reputable PSU review's in terms of testing ripple, build quality, voltage regulation, etc, in fact there have been times that HardOCP has given a Fail grade to a unit that got a pass over at JonnyGuru so I always keep secondary opinions as an option.

I have a preferable for SeaSonic, XFX (Seasonic made), PC Power and Cooling (also Seasonic made), Some Corsair units, SuperFlower, basically any high quality PSU's that won't blow up my PC like some Diablotek or Powmax rubbish. A quality PSU is crucial for my build.

Keep in mind I am planning for future upgrades so while I may not need a 600w PSU now, in the future when I add a GPU it may be necessary, so better safe then sorry. It's better to spend for the parts now while they are at less cost, rather then replace it later spending even more unnecessary money when the parts I already need are readily available.

If there as way to optimize or get better pricing out of this, I'm all ears. I'd prefer to buy more expensive higher quality parts and wait until prices drop to take advantage, which is why I chose the parts I did within my spending limit. So I am open for suggestions for improvement.
 
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3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible. Philadelphia, PA, and yes a Microcenter is near by, and yes I will go there to capitalize on any potential savings on what parts I don't buy on Newegg or Amazon.
How long is the drive to Microcenter?

You can save $12 by going with this RAM instead:
$70 - Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C10D3B1/8G 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
 
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The drive to Microcenter is about 45 minutes away. It's definitely worth it. Considering the CPU + Mobo combo discounts they usually have.

Also thanks for the Ram recommendation, I'll definitely swap for that.

In the future when I have more money I'll probably get a better Monitor to coincide with the GPU purchase but for now, an integrated solution will suit my Dad's needs.
 
Okay I think I have about everything I need to make the build

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2Q0rv

Using the ram recommended by Dangman, I changed the PSU after some research, Which got a passing grade over in a discussion at JonnyGuru.com, changed the case based on the review at HardOCP, also the fact it was on discount for $60 (normally priced for $80) makes it quite the steal.

The Case, Ram, and PSU are already in the mail on their way.

Now I'll just need to drive up to Microcenter sometime tomorrow or Wednesday to pick up the CPU and Motherboard and start assembling it.

This should be more then sufficient for browsing the web, facebook games, and of course Torchlight 2 and The Sims 3, off the Intel HD 4600 as a temporary stop gap until I get some more money and throw in a cheap Radeon R7 270 or a GeForce GTX 660 in it.

This isn't meant to be a high end gaming PC, it's mostly internet browsing with minor gaming. However it's intend to last at least a good 5 years without upgrades which is why I'm picking higher quality parts for general computing build.
 
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