Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

Best PC Builds For The Price


Use your brain

Recommended Posts

I think that this could be a fun thread. 

Goal: Find the cheapest possible PC build for any task that you pick.

 

My Goal: Capable of running any modern game at medium/high settings at 1080p with a reasonable frame rate, while also being able to edit videos and record while you play.

 

Build- 6 Core Processor with 16g ram and a 750ti overclocked Gpu for $452.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xDshPs

* Note this build will be outdated next month when the 1070 and 1080 launch, which will lower the prices of the older cards that crush the 750ti.

Edited by Use your brain
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Unless one is sitting in front of that PC 12 hours a day I can knock that $452 down to $280 / $220

The monitor / display really should take up the bulk of the costs ~

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Use your brain said:

I think that this could be a fun thread. 

Goal: Find the cheapest possible PC build for any task that you pick.

 

My Goal: Capable of running any modern game at medium/high settings at 1080p with a reasonable frame rate, while also being able to edit videos and record while you play.

 

Build- 6 Core Processor with 16g ram and a 750ti overclocked Gpu for $452.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xDshPs

* Note this build will be outdated next month when the 1070 and 1080 launch, which will lower the prices of the older cards that crush the 750ti.

If you're going to want to keep it for awhile I'd upgrade to an ASUS M5A99FX motherboard (fastest chipset specifically for FX chips) and a lowest speed (and coolest and most reliable in theory) 8-core FX CPU.   Low end Vishera core.  8300 class I think?   Another $75-150 to your build maybe?  To keep costs down and make up some of the difference you could save money on the RAM going with just 8GB, and put max horsepower into the video card since you're a gamer.   If your mainboard can handle 32GB DDR, just buy a single good 8GB stick and you'll maximize the longevity of the PC that way by upgrading to 16 and 32 later.

Interesting website.  I'll have to look at it vs Newegg from now on.   ;)

Edited by Yamato
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, third_eye said:

Unless one is sitting in front of that PC 12 hours a day I can knock that $452 down to $280 / $220

The monitor / display really should take up the bulk of the costs ~

Well the build I was making would double as your gaming console and your day to day browsing computer, but yea you are correct you can make a browsing build with integrated graphics for very cheap. I put one together for ~$175 for someone earlier, but it didn't include a monitor, I would like to see your build.

 

26 minutes ago, Yamato said:

If you're going to want to keep it for awhile I'd upgrade to an ASUS M5A99FX motherboard (fastest chipset specifically for FX chips) and a lowest speed (and coolest and most reliable in theory) 8-core FX CPU.   Low end Vishera core.  8300 class I think?   Another $75-150 to your build maybe?  To keep costs down and make up some of the difference you could save money on the RAM going with just 8GB, and put max horsepower into the video card since you're a gamer.   If your mainboard can handle 32GB DDR, just buy a single good 8GB stick and you'll maximize the longevity of the PC that way by upgrading to 16 and 32 later.

Interesting website.  I'll have to look at it vs Newegg from now on.   ;)

Yea this thread was just going to be hypothetical builds, I was just trying to see the cheapest possible way I could make a gaming/editing computer that still had good performance. The 8gb of ram downgrade would bottleneck in some games, and would bog down certain editing programs. The 8 core would be a sick upgrade, but for the GPU I was using that CPU would be a bit overkill, as there would defiantly be bottlenecking issues.

 

Yea man throw together a build on there, it only takes a few minutes. I'm really just wanting to see some interesting builds that people come up with.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Use your brain said:

Well the build I was making would double as your gaming console and your day to day browsing computer, but yea you are correct you can make a browsing build with integrated graphics for very cheap. I put one together for ~$175 for someone earlier, but it didn't include a monitor, I would like to see your build.

 

Yea this thread was just going to be hypothetical builds, I was just trying to see the cheapest possible way I could make a gaming/editing computer that still had good performance. The 8gb of ram downgrade would bottleneck in some games, and would bog down certain editing programs. The 8 core would be a sick upgrade, but for the GPU I was using that CPU would be a bit overkill, as there would defiantly be bottlenecking issues.

 

Yea man throw together a build on there, it only takes a few minutes. I'm really just wanting to see some interesting builds that people come up with.

Its a matter of what defines 'Games' these days ... with DirectX 11 and above, motherboard RAM above 16 GB is pretty much overkill ~ the GPU board with 4GB should be sufficient for the standard displays even with Nvidia's SLI rigged up ... not all monitors is built for the Ultra HD modes and not all games really looks any different revved up from the standard texturing and antialising settings ... the board CPU and GPU bus bandwidth should matter more with Win 10, I hazard a guess ~ then again ... its how one wants to define 'games' these days ...

All in all its pretty decent setup for something under $500 ~ :tu:

Edited by third_eye
lost thought ~
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, third_eye said:

Unless one is sitting in front of that PC 12 hours a day I can knock that $452 down to $280 / $220

The monitor / display really should take up the bulk of the costs ~

What kind of warranty do you get for that price though?   Usually when my computers are only worth $220 I give them away for free.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Yamato said:

What kind of warranty do you get for that price though?   Usually when my computers are only worth $220 I give them away for free.

Depends on the outlets really ... if the parts are still mint I guess 3 months is a pretty good deal if one is on friendly terms with the sellers ~ these days DIY parts and boards are pretty sturdy and problems are usually associated with Legacy Drivers and generic Plug and Play associations with the OS ... realistically speaking if fixing it up for a inTEL Windows environment it should be quite reliable ... come to think of it its no longer so much of a headache for a Linux set up nowadays even ~

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, Use your brain said:

Well the build I was making would double as your gaming console and your day to day browsing computer, but yea you are correct you can make a browsing build with integrated graphics for very cheap. I put one together for ~$175 for someone earlier, but it didn't include a monitor, I would like to see your build.

 

Yea this thread was just going to be hypothetical builds, I was just trying to see the cheapest possible way I could make a gaming/editing computer that still had good performance. The 8gb of ram downgrade would bottleneck in some games, and would bog down certain editing programs. The 8 core would be a sick upgrade, but for the GPU I was using that CPU would be a bit overkill, as there would defiantly be bottlenecking issues.

 

Yea man throw together a build on there, it only takes a few minutes. I'm really just wanting to see some interesting builds that people come up with.

Yeah plus 16GB is only $57 so not really much of a savings there anyway.   Yours is a really good deal for what you're describing.   Personally I'd still take the uparmed MB and CPU.   The 8-cores bottleneck in games too, it depends on what you're playing.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

43 minutes ago, third_eye said:

Depends on the outlets really ... if the parts are still mint I guess 3 months is a pretty good deal if one is on friendly terms with the sellers ~ these days DIY parts and boards are pretty sturdy and problems are usually associated with Legacy Drivers and generic Plug and Play associations with the OS ... realistically speaking if fixing it up for a inTEL Windows environment it should be quite reliable ... come to think of it its no longer so much of a headache for a Linux set up nowadays even ~

Linux is looking like an alternative to Windows more and more.

If I can't build something that I know'll last for three-ten years, I won't build it.  Just takes more time to save up for it. ;)

SSD drives are getting so cheap now, I wouldn't go with an old 7200RPM HDD on any build I do from now on.  That's the biggest overall bottleneck on the $450 PC by far.    A 250GB SSD can be had for around the same price as a 1TB HDD, it'll pay for itself every reboot.   Plus you might be able to add an old HDD or two to the new PC as a 2nd or 3rd drive for free storage. 

It's a little like high speed internet used to be.  Once you go SSD, there's no going back. :)

Edited by Yamato
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 25/05/2016 at 9:34 AM, Use your brain said:

I think that this could be a fun thread. 

Goal: Find the cheapest possible PC build for any task that you pick.

 

My Goal: Capable of running any modern game at medium/high settings at 1080p with a reasonable frame rate, while also being able to edit videos and record while you play.

 

Build- 6 Core Processor with 16g ram and a 750ti overclocked Gpu for $452.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xDshPs

* Note this build will be outdated next month when the 1070 and 1080 launch, which will lower the prices of the older cards that crush the 750ti.

I don't know what games you will be able to play on that 750ti i would go for maybe a 960 if your looking at budget cards and 16gb of ram is total over kill 8gb will be more then enough.

The bottleneck in the system is the WD blue HDD i would definitely be opting for an SSD their cheap enough these days

Edited by GoldenRabbit
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/27/2016 at 5:04 AM, GoldenRabbit said:

I don't know what games you will be able to play on that 750ti i would go for maybe a 960 if your looking at budget cards and 16gb of ram is total over kill 8gb will be more then enough.

The bottleneck in the system is the WD blue HDD i would definitely be opting for an SSD their cheap enough these days

The 750ti is able to play Fallout 4, etc.  The 960 is a very good upgrade though, and should drop to around the same price once the 1070s and 1080s are released. The 7200rpm 1Tb WD HDD doesn't really "bottleneck", but yes you would get a very big improvement of load times with the SSD.

 

I just found a very good deal for a CPU that is even cheaper than the 6300 :o

 

The Intel Xeon E5-2670 is a 8 core processor with hyperthreading, which makes it act as a 16 core processor. It runs at 2.6 Ghz, which is a little sluggish, but the price it comes at more than makes up for it. It also still crushes most i7 processors in benchmarks.

 

This was a $1500 CPU in 2012, but due to Facebook shutting down a lot of servers, these cards have flooded the market. You can now pick one up for only $65!  https://www.natex.us/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=Intel-E5-2670-SR0KX&Click=4&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine&gclid=CKXlnI3n-MwCFdU7gQodYTIPKQ

 

Now the catch... the LGA 2011 x79 motherboards are hard to find, most places are still asking $2-300 for them. However there should be a lot of these floating around in used pcs/servers, so you could stumble onto one in your local pawnshop or used part store.

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Win7 32bit on a M7vig Pro DDR 266mhz (2GB max) motherboard with Athlon XP 1700 cpu.
256mb FX5200 agp nVidia graphics card

I can still surf the web on the above spec computer but can't give it away.  No takers, not even the charity shop.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

If you want a real usable computer for less than $200:

Xeon CPU from $10  (maybe get 2)

used server motherboard (up to 2 CPUs) like  Supermicro X8DTE-F  with integrated peripherals and graphics card $100

Memory, about $60- $100

 

and you have a pretty powerful and cheap computer (with 8 cores) for less than 200 bucks using your old case and power supply.

 
Edited by questionmark
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a pretty poor/moderate rig (but cheap!), but I do have a 320gb ssd for the os and two 2tb hdds where I store the games and steam.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is the best I can do for under $200 from this site.  http://pcpartpicker.com/p/t42ZxY

 

It would be a very good browsing Pc, and the APU can be easily overclocked if you wanted to play older games at good quality. Also decided to get USB 3.0 just because it came with a motherboard that could overclock for just a dollar more.

Most people would probably want a 1tb HDD instead of the 120gb SSD, but it's down to personal preference. I would just use a Pc like this for browsing and would want the faster boot time. I took the 8gb Ram because it's cheap atm.

Edited by Use your brain
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Im gonna build a new gameing rig, intell I7 chip 32 gigs of ram and a 1080 video card, i will be set for a few years lol alien ware lol they use to be good  there over priced and they use cheap parts.

Edited by coolguy
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/1/2016 at 11:47 AM, sols1941 said:

If you have a lot of finance take Alienware R3

 

Don't buy an Alienware. The main guys who made it what it was have left, it's just a big money grab from Dell now, please don't support that.

 

If you have a lot of disposable income, and want a very powerful prebuilt rig, buy one from ORIGIN. https://www.originpc.com/company/

 

ORIGIN is run by the guys who made Alienware great, their pcs are first class and have great support. You will spend a lot of money, but you will get what you pay for.

Edited by Use your brain
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.