Replacing laptop with desktop.

[Chance_P]

Hey guys, I haven't been on this site for a few years. The reason is that I primarily used the For Sale section of this website, but in 2009 I bought a laptop that I am still using and haven't had a reason to come back on here. My laptop is still kicking, but I have decided to go back to a desktop. Reason being, I never move my laptop from my desk. My go to device is now my note 3. My current laptop that I bought in 09 is still working perfectly for what I do now. I was hoping I could post the specs of my laptop, and you guys could help me decide what I need to build a comparable or better desktop. First let me answer the standard questions.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web browsing, music downloading, video playback through TV or 2nd monitor while browsing. ExTrEmE gaming (RCT, lol)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
No budget, but plan on purchasing 90% of parts used from these forums.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Sioux City, Iowa

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.
PSU, RAM, mobo, cpu, hdd, gpu Basically all I have is a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and an antec 900 ive had sitting in my closet for 5 years lol.

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?
no

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920x1080 24 inch

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
as soon as someone on here sells me some parts!

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.
USB 3.0, nothing else comes to mind, been out of the game for awhile and on a budget.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Win7 64bit

I also want to mention that I may add a second monitor in the future, and possibly a SSD and some large HDDs for video storage.


Specs on my current laptop that just wont die.

What do you guys think? I paid 500 for this thing in 2009, so I think I have got my money's worth. This laptop was supposed to ship with an i3, and even had an i3 sticker on it, but thanks to this forum I knew what was really inside. I appreciate anyone's time that replies to this!

 

[tiraides]

Spell out which games you're playing. Though most work fine with a dual-core processor, some really benefit from the use of a quad-core.

I don't like the idea of you buying everything used. In many cases, it turns out to be a piecemeal affair where you wait anywhere between days to weeks (to even months) between the first part you buy and the next.

But the "bare minimum" you should look at is:

Intel Core i3 dual-core processor (from Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, or Haswell family)
Socket 1155 (Sandy/Ivy Bridge) or Socket 1150 (Haswell) ATX or micro ATX motherboard
8GB of DDR3 RAM
SSD of at least 120GB
HDD of at least 500GB
(I'm waiting on your response before I recommend a specific video card)
SATA DVD burner (they're cheap enough that you could buy one new)
PSU of at least 430 watts (and, ideally, less than a year old)

Which edition of Windows 7 do you have? (Yes, I'm aware that you have the 64-bit version.)

 

[Chance_P]

Spell out which games you're playing. Though most work fine with a dual-core processor, some really benefit from the use of a quad-core.

I don't like the idea of you buying everything used. In many cases, it turns out to be a piecemeal affair where you wait anywhere between days to weeks (to even months) between the first part you buy and the next.

But the "bare minimum" you should look at is:

Intel Core i3 dual-core processor (from Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, or Haswell family)
Socket 1155 (Sandy/Ivy Bridge) or Socket 1150 (Haswell) ATX or micro ATX motherboard
8GB of DDR3 RAM
SSD of at least 120GB
HDD of at least 500GB
(I'm waiting on your response before I recommend a specific video card)
SATA DVD burner (they're cheap enough that you could buy one new)
PSU of at least 430 watts (and, ideally, less than a year old)

Which edition of Windows 7 do you have? (Yes, I'm aware that you have the 64-bit version.)

Like I said, my current laptop has no problems doing anything I currently do. The game I play is roller coaster tycoon, I doubt any hardware currently available would have any problem running it. The only reason I even mentioned that I play the game in my original post was to provide some humor, as I know most of the people here are serious gamers.

I am open to buying new parts, and have been looking on newegg for prices. I have never used an AMD processor, but have been looking into it as it seems they are cheaper, and I will be able to get decent performance without the use video card. (less parts, less money). If I decide to run a second monitor I will pick up video card when the time comes (any suggestions) Like I said, I don't really need any more performance than what my laptop already has, so I would like to build something utilizing low end parts in regards to what is currently being offered.

Here's what I was thinking after looking at newegg...
AMD dual core processor
cheapest mobo with good reviews
8gb of ram
Small SSD for OS and programs
1gb HDD for video storage
sata dvd burner
low end, but reliable, psu

Do you think I can get all of this for under 350? 300? Look forward to hearing back from you.

PS I have the Home Premium Edition

 

[tiraides]

The best that I could do for under $350 new is:

$48 - AMD A4-5300 Socket FM2 dual-core APU
$57 - Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-DS2 Socket FM2+/FM2 AMD A55 micro ATX motherboard
$70 - Kingston HyperX Red KHX16C10B1R/8 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$60 - WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB HDD
$20 - Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA DVD burner
$40 - Corsair CX430 V2 430 watt PSU
$30 - Xigmatek Aeos micro ATX case

$325 - Total before taxes and shipping

With a sub-$350 budget, you have to choose between the SSD or the HDD; you can't get both. As you can see, the memory and the storage each cost more than any other component.

 

[Chance_P]

The best that I could do for under $350 new is:

$48 - AMD A4-5300 Socket FM2 dual-core APU
$57 - Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-DS2 Socket FM2+/FM2 AMD A55 micro ATX motherboard
$70 - Kingston HyperX Red KHX16C10B1R/8 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$60 - WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB HDD
$20 - Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA DVD burner
$40 - Corsair CX430 V2 430 watt PSU
$30 - Xigmatek Aeos micro ATX case

$325 - Total before taxes and shipping

With a sub-$350 budget, you have to choose between the SSD or the HDD; you can't get both. As you can see, the memory and the storage each cost more than any other component.

I've already got an antec 900 case, and im about to pull the trigger on an antec green 380 psu and sata dvdrw for 30 bucks. Do you think that psu will be enough to run a sdd, hdd, dvdrw, and a decent processor? no gpu.

 

[fantabulous]

I've already got an antec 900 case, and im about to pull the trigger on an antec green 380 psu and sata dvdrw for 30 bucks. Do you think that psu will be enough to run a sdd, hdd, dvdrw, and a decent processor? no gpu.

Plenty.