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$200 Budget Build
PizzaPenguin_
53MP3RF1
After pages of discussion, my build has completely changed. This is what is looks like as of now:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $152.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-08 02:57 EDT-0400
The reason for so few parts is that I already have a Micro-ATX case, a PSU, 4 gigs of DDR3 1600 RAM, and an optical drive.
The general idea is to make a PC as cheap as I can, just to do basic things like web browsing, school work, and occasional Minecraft. I am leaning towards not getting a GPU, and then saving up some money to get a more expensive one later on.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $152.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-08 02:57 EDT-0400
The reason for so few parts is that I already have a Micro-ATX case, a PSU, 4 gigs of DDR3 1600 RAM, and an optical drive.
The general idea is to make a PC as cheap as I can, just to do basic things like web browsing, school work, and occasional Minecraft. I am leaning towards not getting a GPU, and then saving up some money to get a more expensive one later on.
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PizzaPenguin_
It's fine if they do have USB 3.0 ports - I just won't use them. Will the Cougar Spike fit my needs? It has some really good reviews on newegg and I can get it for just $29.99 on mwave.
If I were you, since you're a first-time or a newbie builder, I would go with an ATX Mid Tower case. I looked around on PCPP, and found a motherboard with onboard USB 3.0 headers, and a case with USB 3.0. USB 3.0 is backwards-compatible with USB 2.0 so you will be fine for plugging in your USB 2.0 devices (mouse, keyboard, flash drives, etc.) but as time goes on, more and more computers will utilize USB 3.0's higher transfer rates (to give you some perspective, USB 2.0 devices transfer data at a rate of somewhere between 400 and 500 megabytes per second. That's pretty fast. USB 3.0 devices transfer data at a rate of around 5 GIGABYTES per second. That's 10 times faster than USB 2.0. It really helps, especially with transferring large files. Plus, since it's backwards-compatible with USB 2.0, there's no downsides of going USB 3.0.
I took your build and changed the Motherboard and the Case, and I still came out under $200. So that's great.
Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $195.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 14:27 EDT-0400
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $195.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 14:27 EDT-0400
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If you want to run a bunch of games on ultra settings and such, the graphics card you need is around $250.
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And what would that be? You don't need that expensive of a GPU to play games on ultra? You could spend 140-170 and max out almost every game...
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Can confirm. I use a GTX 750 Ti.
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Well, I meant like 60+ fps, lol. You could spend 100 and max out every game at around 30-40 fps. (260x/750ti)
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+you can spend a lot of money on getting a Radeon 290x BUT you need a good CPU, at least 8GB of RAM, a good motherboard, a good PSU and that costs a lot of money. If you get a Radeon 290x and use Intel Pentium G3528 you'll be bottlenecking and you will play on low-mid even though you spent a lot of money on the GPU. He doesn't have the money, so he's getting the best build for his budget.
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^^^
Plus, I'm not going to be playing a bunch of games anyways. This is not a gaming computer. I may play a little Minecraft on it, but it's still not a gaming computer.
Plus, I'm not going to be playing a bunch of games anyways. This is not a gaming computer. I may play a little Minecraft on it, but it's still not a gaming computer.
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PizzaPenguin_
It's fine if they do have USB 3.0 ports - I just won't use them. Will the Cougar Spike fit my needs? It has some really good reviews on newegg and I can get it for just $29.99 on mwave.
It will fulfill all your needs. Just make sure it's the MicroATX version.
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My phone is more powerful than this.. have fun even starting minecraft let alone anything else...
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Double facepalm...
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You know nothing about computers.
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You clearly don't know what you're talking about.
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WTFshadyPizzaPenguin_WTFshady
You can use an ATX Mid Tower, but you need to check if the case supports MicroATX. Also, get a case that has USB 3.0 ports, just to make sure that everything is compatible with each other.
It's hard to find a case that doesn't have USB 3.0 ports, honestly. I don't need them, since my motherboard is incompatible with USB 3.0, but I don't really care. I think I'll go with that Cougar Spike, since it's cheaper than the Rosewill Galaxy, and still looks cool.
Oh, I thought that the case didn't have USB 3.0 ports, not the motherboard. Silly me Anyway, there are a lot of budget cases without USB 3.0 ports.
It's fine if they do have USB 3.0 ports - I just won't use them. Will the Cougar Spike fit my needs? It has some really good reviews on newegg and I can get it for just $29.99 on mwave.
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PizzaPenguin_WTFshady
You can use an ATX Mid Tower, but you need to check if the case supports MicroATX. Also, get a case that has USB 3.0 ports, just to make sure that everything is compatible with each other.
It's hard to find a case that doesn't have USB 3.0 ports, honestly. I don't need them, since my motherboard is incompatible with USB 3.0, but I don't really care. I think I'll go with that Cougar Spike, since it's cheaper than the Rosewill Galaxy, and still looks cool.
Oh, I thought that the case didn't have USB 3.0 ports, not the motherboard. Silly me Anyway, there are a lot of budget cases without USB 3.0 ports.
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WTFshady
You can use an ATX Mid Tower, but you need to check if the case supports MicroATX. Also, get a case that has USB 3.0 ports, just to make sure that everything is compatible with each other.
It's hard to find a case that doesn't have USB 3.0 ports, honestly. I don't need them, since my motherboard is incompatible with USB 3.0, but I don't really care. I think I'll go with that Cougar Spike, since it's cheaper than the Rosewill Galaxy, and still looks cool.
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PizzaPenguin_WTFshadyPizzaPenguin_One more thing.
I actually do need to buy a case, because my current one has a few issues. I personally think that this case looks pretty awesome. Will it be fine with my build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-galaxy02
It says that the case has front panel USB 3.0 ports, but my motherboard does not have onboard USB 3.0 headers. Is this a problem? I don't use USB 3.0, and I rarely use my front USB ports anyways unless I'm charging my phone. (I just use the back USB ports, for things like keyboard and mouse).
What type of case do you need? A full-mid-small tower? Also, how much should the case MOSTLY cost?
*EDIT*: This looks like a good one.
It's a MicroATX motherboard, which fits in a MicroATX case or a ATX Mid Tower, I believe. I do like the case I selected - I just wondering if it would be compatible (because of the issue with the USB ports).
You can use an ATX Mid Tower, but you need to check if the case supports MicroATX. Also, get a case that has USB 3.0 ports, just to make sure that everything is compatible with each other.
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One more thing.
I actually do need to buy a case, because my current one has a few issues. I personally think that this case looks pretty awesome. Will it be fine with my build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-galaxy02
It says that the case has front panel USB 3.0 ports, but my motherboard does not have onboard USB 3.0 headers. Is this a problem? I don't use USB 3.0, and I rarely use my front USB ports anyways unless I'm charging my phone. (I just use the back USB ports, for things like keyboard and mouse).
I actually do need to buy a case, because my current one has a few issues. I personally think that this case looks pretty awesome. Will it be fine with my build?
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-galaxy02
It says that the case has front panel USB 3.0 ports, but my motherboard does not have onboard USB 3.0 headers. Is this a problem? I don't use USB 3.0, and I rarely use my front USB ports anyways unless I'm charging my phone. (I just use the back USB ports, for things like keyboard and mouse).
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What type of case do you need? A full-mid-small tower? Also, how much should the case MOSTLY cost?
*EDIT*: This looks like a good one.
*EDIT*: This looks like a good one.
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It's a MicroATX motherboard, which fits in a MicroATX case or a ATX Mid Tower, I believe. I do like the case I selected - I just wondering if it would be compatible (because of the issue with the USB ports).
EDIT: It says the same thing for that Cougar case:
"Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case has front panel USB 3.0 ports, but the MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard does not have onboard USB 3.0 headers."
EDIT: It says the same thing for that Cougar case:
"Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case has front panel USB 3.0 ports, but the MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard does not have onboard USB 3.0 headers."
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I just want to say thanks to everyone in this thread who helped me get to this point. It's really awesome to have all of you smart computer people ready to help people like me.
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Yep thats a good in my book.
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Alright - That's probably what I'll get, unless anybody has anything that I need to change or consider.
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Just keep in mind that you'll probably only be pulling 30-40 FPS in Minecraft on medium settings.
This guy's using a G3220, which has the same iGPU as the G3240. He averages 22 FPS on 1080p at max settings.
This guy's using a G3220, which has the same iGPU as the G3240. He averages 22 FPS on 1080p at max settings.
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That's fine for me. I don't mind not playing on max settings, and MC isn't my main concern with this PC. Anyways, I'll probably get a decent GPU later on.
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Guys, stop. Do you want this guy's thread closed by this flame war? As for the OP, I think that that build is pretty good. The thing is that you might want to get a new build rather than upgrading that later.
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Quick question - are there any major benefits in getting my current motherboard rather than a cheaper one? I' won't need more than 2 RAM slot, so that's not an issue.
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I'd get a cheaper one, like a h81 one. You can find them for 40-50 dollars.
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Switched it out for one of those, seems like it'll do the job and shave some money off.
I'm leaning towards not getting a GPU for now, making the whole build just $150, which would be great on my wallet. Then, once I save up some more cash, I can get a better video card. This is what my build would look like:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $152.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 18:05 EDT-0400
I'm leaning towards not getting a GPU for now, making the whole build just $150, which would be great on my wallet. Then, once I save up some more cash, I can get a better video card. This is what my build would look like:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $152.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 18:05 EDT-0400
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Looks good to me.
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It IS good. Just go with that.
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Where are the case and the PSU?
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I already have a Micro-ATX case and a PSU.
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Lol.
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piercegovNo, they are biased, they give higher scores, but don't show benchmarks. Go to anandtech's bench, and look at real game/program benchmarks.
Well, they still show the specs.
No they don't. It's biased.
piercegovKillertoadpiercegov
For $250 I made one with an NVIDIA graphics card, albeit it's barely better than integrated, it still is better and it's only $30.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHHNYJ
A slower CPU and a slower GPU than the intel's integrated graphics, for more? How about no..
I wrote it wrong, it's $190. The GPU is supposedly slightly faster than intel's integrated GPU.
No, it's 250. Or 270 before rebates.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 740 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GT 610 1GB Video Card ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $250.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 17:13 EDT-0400
And the gt 610 is slower than the HD 4600.
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I have to leave, best of luck on the build.
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Killertoadpiercegov
For $250 I made one with an NVIDIA graphics card, albeit it's barely better than integrated, it still is better and it's only $30.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHHNYJ
A slower CPU and a slower GPU than the intel's integrated graphics, for more? How about no..
I wrote it wrong, it's $190. The GPU is supposedly slightly faster than intel's integrated GPU.
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No, they are biased, they give higher scores, but don't show benchmarks. Go to anandtech's bench, and look at real game/program benchmarks.
Well, they still show the specs.
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piercegov
For $250 I made one with an NVIDIA graphics card, albeit it's barely better than integrated, it still is better and it's only $30.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHHNYJ
A slower CPU and a slower GPU than the intel's integrated graphics, for more? How about no..
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Well as of right now, this is what my build looks like, and unless I really need to change something, I think I'm about done.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 240 2GB Video Card ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $240.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 17:04 EDT-0400
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 240 2GB Video Card ($54.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $240.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 17:04 EDT-0400
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I'd personally up the GPU a little bit. Like atleast to a 250/250x.
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Where'd the PSU go?
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For $190 I made one with an NVIDIA graphics card, albeit it's barely better than integrated, it still is better and it's only $30.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHHNYJ
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hHHNYJ
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They r bias
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Towards what? They give NVIDIA the higher score when they should, and AMD the same.
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I'll show you why it's biased.
Here's a comparison: the r9 290 ($370) vs. the GTX 780 ($460)
Here's GPUBoss's comparison: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-780
8.6 for the 290, 9.2 for the 780. Seems like a fair fight, doesn't it?
Well, let's take a look at Anandtech's unbiased benchmarks of various games with these two cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1036
Somehow, the 290 seems to be beating the 780 in every test, but GPUBoss said the 780 was better! I don't think the unbiased benchmark game tests are wrong... After having eliminated all other possible options, I guess it's just that GPUBoss is biased.
Anyways, to OP, I'd just skip the GPU for now. Save up for a few months, get $100 or $150, buy a 260x or a 270. Don't splurge like $50 now and then realize too late that your card is way outdated for what you'll need it for in the near future. Just keep the $50 in reserve and start your save-for-a-gpu-fund with $50 already in it!
Good luck with your build!
Here's a comparison: the r9 290 ($370) vs. the GTX 780 ($460)
Here's GPUBoss's comparison: http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-290-vs-GeForce-GTX-780
8.6 for the 290, 9.2 for the 780. Seems like a fair fight, doesn't it?
Well, let's take a look at Anandtech's unbiased benchmarks of various games with these two cards:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1068?vs=1036
Somehow, the 290 seems to be beating the 780 in every test, but GPUBoss said the 780 was better! I don't think the unbiased benchmark game tests are wrong... After having eliminated all other possible options, I guess it's just that GPUBoss is biased.
Anyways, to OP, I'd just skip the GPU for now. Save up for a few months, get $100 or $150, buy a 260x or a 270. Don't splurge like $50 now and then realize too late that your card is way outdated for what you'll need it for in the near future. Just keep the $50 in reserve and start your save-for-a-gpu-fund with $50 already in it!
Good luck with your build!
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This so invalid it's not even funny.
1. GPUboss isn't showing the Gaming scores so right from the get go the test is inconclusive. Good job.
2. GPUboss is showing more than just gaming.
3. Anandtech is showing just gaming so the comparative score would be different.
It's not biased, you just don't know how to look at websites that are showing two different things.
1. GPUboss isn't showing the Gaming scores so right from the get go the test is inconclusive. Good job.
2. GPUboss is showing more than just gaming.
3. Anandtech is showing just gaming so the comparative score would be different.
It's not biased, you just don't know how to look at websites that are showing two different things.
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1) Correct, they are rating it in their opinion, they think the 780 is better, when really it's not.
2) What else is it showing then? Other than a few benchmarks that are false
3) No, it's showing gaming, benchmarks from programs, how loud it is, how hot it is. They don't say which is better. They just give you stats, and then you decide on what to buy. Unlike biasedboss, which tell you which one they think is better, and they don't even explain why.
2) What else is it showing then? Other than a few benchmarks that are false
3) No, it's showing gaming, benchmarks from programs, how loud it is, how hot it is. They don't say which is better. They just give you stats, and then you decide on what to buy. Unlike biasedboss, which tell you which one they think is better, and they don't even explain why.
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That is incorrect
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Would you please provide an example? You don't have to even look at the scores, look at the tech specs. (It's hard to lie about those)
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