PC part picker challenge

[Acid Panda]

I'm trying to convince a friend in the us to get a gaming pc but he is a peasant student and has jack shit for money.

the budget would be about $500-600 and all new parts as it will be a first time build.

performance is key aiming for 1080p high 70-144 fps.

 

i wanted to get multiple options and opinions as to how best balance the pc. I have built my own (see parts in signature) and just have not a lot of experience in the red team which i feel might suit this price point. needs to utilise dual channel ram

 

go play

[TeaDrinkingMaximus]

4 minutes ago, Acid Panda said:

I'm trying to convince a friend in the us to get a gaming pc but he is a peasant student and has jack shit for money.

the budget would be about $500-600 and all new parts as it will be a first time build.

performance is key aiming for 1080p high 70-144 fps.

 

i wanted to get multiple options and opinions as to how best balance the pc. I have built my own (see parts in signature) and just have not a lot of experience in the red team which i feel might suit this price point.

 

go play

You sound like an asshole. He has no money but are coercing him into spending money?

 

BRB with a Rig.

[DesolationGod]

thats a low budget... best i could do assuming he does not need a monitor...  I would not go with an ssd here since if its for gaming, youll want space over speed for this budget. you could go with 8gb of ram to knock a little off the price

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor	$164.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$59.99 @ Newegg Business
Memory	G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$77.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$44.85 @ Amazon
Video Card	XFX - Radeon RX 580 8 GB GTS XXX ED Video Card	$187.89 @ OutletPC
Case	DIYPC - Zondda-O ATX Mid Tower Case	$32.90 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	EVGA - BT 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$39.19 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$677.80
	Mail-in rebates	-$70.00
	Total	$607.80
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:03 EDT-0400

 

[NunoLava1998]

Good build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($134.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($93.88 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 580 4 GB GTS XXX Edition Video Card  ($169.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Corsair - 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $593.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:05 EDT-0400

 

 

Rarted build:

Spoiler

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7640X 4 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($327.52 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC - Freezer 33 eSports ONE (Black/Red) CPU Cooler  ($37.49 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: EVGA - X299 MICRO ATX 2 Micro ATX LGA2066 Motherboard  ($163.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($47.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($57.89 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 570 4 GB Gaming 4G  Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Corsair - 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $853.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:04 EDT-0400

 

[LienusLateTips]

You sound like a asshole, but, sure.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($89.77 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450 AORUS M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: *Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($55.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: *Inland - 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 580 8 GB GTS XXX ED Video Card  ($187.89 @ OutletPC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($46.98 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $544.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:06 EDT-0400

[LienusLateTips]

2 minutes ago, DesolationGod said:

 

Power Supply	EVGA - BT 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$39.19 @ OutletPC

 

That's one hell of a fire hazard.

[Acid Panda]

3 minutes ago, TeaDrinkingMaximus said:

You sound like an asshole. He has no money but are coercing him into spending money?

 

BRB with a Rig.

ah catch 22 he only plays on xbox complains about resolution and framrte but wont build a pc yet

[TeaDrinkingMaximus]

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($49.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 590 8 GB FATBOY OC+ Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - Carbide SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $588.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:10 EDT-0400

[NunoLava1998]

1 minute ago, LienusLateTips said:

That's one hell of a fire hazard.

Isn't fire hazard, just lasts 2 years and will fuck up your components when it dies.

This is the fire hazard:

https://www.mbit.pt/tooq-fonte-alimemtacao-ep-ii-tqep-500sse-o-500w-oem

[LienusLateTips]

Just now, NunoLava1998 said:

Isn't fire hazard, just lasts 2 years and will fuck up your components when it dies.

This is the fire hazard:

https://www.mbit.pt/tooq-fonte-alimemtacao-ep-ii-tqep-500sse-o-500w-oem

Search "EVGA BT" on reddit. You'll find a ton of pics of exploding EVGA BTs, and other low end EVGA units.

[DesolationGod]

Just now, LienusLateTips said:

That's one hell of a fire hazard.

not really...at such a low budget, you arent getting much better and it has pretty good reviews online unless you sacrifice performance

[NunoLava1998]

Just now, LienusLateTips said:

Search "EVGA BT" on reddit. You'll find a ton of pics of exploding EVGA BTs, and other low end EVGA units.

Well, then it's a potential fire hazard, but the one I linked is definitely, a fire hazard.

[DesolationGod]

Just now, LienusLateTips said:

Search "EVGA BT" on reddit. You'll find a ton of pics of exploding EVGA BTs, and other low end EVGA units.

its the internet and i assume those are the small minority... in over 20 years ive never seen a power supply explode under normal use, this is not a heavy oc build here...

[LienusLateTips]

Just now, DesolationGod said:

not really...at such a low budget, you arent getting much better and it has pretty good reviews online unless you sacrifice performance

The S12III 500W is at $32. The CX550 is at $38. 

 

The first is group regulated, but at least you don't need fire insurance to have piece of mind.

The latter is a quality DC-DC unit, with quite good electrical performance online.

 

Also, the BT does NOT have good reviews. Unless you count customer reviews, which on PSUs are useless.

[LienusLateTips]

1 minute ago, NunoLava1998 said:

Well, then it's a potential fire hazard, but the one I linked is definitely, a fire hazard.

Yes.

Just now, DesolationGod said:

its the internet and i assume those are the small minority... in over 20 years ive never seen a power supply explode under normal use, this is not a heavy oc build here...

But whats the point of getting a cheap unit that could explode over something cheaper (or the same price) that won't?

[Findiculous]

He would be better off browsing craigslist for a second hand pc. More bang for buck if he looks in the right place.

 

Has he ever built a pc? Though its not exactly difficult, it can be daunting.

[DesolationGod]

5 minutes ago, LienusLateTips said:

Yes.

But whats the point of getting a cheap unit that could explode over something cheaper (or the same price) that won't?

any power supply COULD explode... 99% of all powersuplies wont under normal load. The ones that do are typically pushed beyond their limits because users are stupid. The sheer paranoia when it comes to powersupplys here is rather funny, often overspending when its not needed given most never keep their pcs long enough for a psu's lifespan to even matter.

[Acid Panda]

8 minutes ago, Findiculous said:

He would be better off browsing craigslist for a second hand pc. More bang for buck if he looks in the right place.

 

Has he ever built a pc? Though its not exactly difficult, it can be daunting.

Yes it a first time build I live in the uk and he is in the us. So I wanted new parts to eliminate any issue entirely. I’ve mentioned it not that bad as long as time and care are taken.

[LienusLateTips]

30 minutes ago, DesolationGod said:

any power supply COULD explode... 99% of all powersuplies wont under normal load. The ones that do are typically pushed beyond their limits because users are stupid. The sheer paranoia when it comes to powersupplys here is rather funny, often overspending when its not needed given most never keep their pcs long enough for a psu's lifespan to even matter.

Overspending? What? I suggested a CHEAPER power supply than yours. That's not overspending. 

 

When your power supply is missing crucial protections, I wouldn't call that a "safe" power supply.

[Findiculous]

1 hour ago, Acid Panda said:

Yes it a first time build I live in the uk and he is in the us. So I wanted new parts to eliminate any issue entirely. I’ve mentioned it not that bad as long as time and care are taken.

You should probably make sure that HE is comfortable with building a PC. Its all well and good you saying "just take care when you do it" but not everybody feels comfortable putting a system together and if done wrong you can end up out of pocket by quite a bit.

 

We all start somewhere true. But if he as an individual does not feel prepared to put together a PC himself with case, cable management, thermal paste, cooler, RAM, install OS, set up boot order (if required), it could be too much for a beginner or somebody who hasnt done the research/isnt confident to do it themselves.

 

So again I would recommend your friend browses craigslist, ebay etc and you can help him by filtering out the scam builds which arent worth the money and recommend some systems with decent hardware for the price which will run at the desired spec.

 

Another benefit of purchasing second hand, is that not only can you find a good deal, but its quite a nice introduction into upgrading components piece by piece rather than a complete build from scratch.

[imSafeboot]

Hi! I just say your post and decided to compete in the challenge. My apologies for going 8 dollars over budget. This PC is upgradeable in the future and is kind of future proof with 16GBs of RAM and 2TBs of disk space. 

 

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor

$134.99

 

MOBO: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard

$59.99

 

RAM: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

$77.99    

 

SSD: Kingston - A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

$19.95

 

HDD: Western Digital - Blue 2 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive

$61.99  (Promo -$5.00 = $56.99)

 

GPU: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB Phoenix Fan Video Card

$214.99  (Promo -$20.00 = $194.99)

 

PSU: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

$53.99  (Promo -$15.00 = $38.99)

 

Case: DIYPC - DIY-F2-O MicroATX Mini Tower Case

$24.99    

 

 

Base Total:    $648.88                
Promo Discounts:    -$5.00                
Mail-in Rebates:    -$35.00                
Total:    $608.88    

 

Apologies again as this might not be the best build of out the others. I believe that this rig can do 1080p gaming with reasonable FPS (at least 70FPS but not sure 144FPS at Ultra). Good luck in your search!

 

EDIT: I believe you can pay less if you didn't need that case. Cases go from $19.99.

[imreloadin]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($139.66 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool - GAMMAXX 400 74.34 CFM CPU Cooler  ($23.79 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($59.99 @ Newegg Business)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($55.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 580 4 GB Video Card  ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case  ($31.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $600.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 18:34 EDT-0400

[LienusLateTips]

24 minutes ago, imSafeboot said:

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor

$134.99

Why not go for R5 1600, same price?

[mxk]

4 hours ago, TeaDrinkingMaximus said:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory  ($49.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX - Radeon RX 590 8 GB FATBOY OC+ Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - Carbide SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($36.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - EVO Edition 620 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $588.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:10 EDT-0400

damn I really just watched someone use intel in a budget build.

 

also the PSU isn't too good. Last, why a Z370 mobo with a locked chip...?

1 hour ago, imSafeboot said:

Hi! I just say your post and decided to compete in the challenge. My apologies for going 8 dollars over budget. This PC is upgradeable in the future and is kind of future proof with 16GBs of RAM and 2TBs of disk space. 

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor

$134.99

MOBO: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard

$59.99

RAM: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

$77.99    

SSD: Kingston - A400 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

$19.95

HDD: Western Digital - Blue 2 TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive

$61.99  (Promo -$5.00 = $56.99)

GPU: Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB Phoenix Fan Video Card

$214.99  (Promo -$20.00 = $194.99)

PSU: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

$53.99  (Promo -$15.00 = $38.99)

Case: DIYPC - DIY-F2-O MicroATX Mini Tower Case

$24.99    

 

RAM is slow for Ryzen, you can get 3000mhz for just a little more. The deal isn't bad on the 1060 6gb but the card itself isn't very good. Maybe an RX 580 8gb or even a nice 1660.

4 hours ago, DesolationGod said:

thats a low budget... best i could do assuming he does not need a monitor...  I would not go with an ssd here since if its for gaming, youll want space over speed for this budget. you could go with 8gb of ram to knock a little off the price

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor	$164.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$59.99 @ Newegg Business
Memory	G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$77.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$44.85 @ Amazon
Video Card	XFX - Radeon RX 580 8 GB GTS XXX ED Video Card	$187.89 @ OutletPC
Case	DIYPC - Zondda-O ATX Mid Tower Case	$32.90 @ Newegg Business
Power Supply	EVGA - BT 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$39.19 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$677.80
	Mail-in rebates	-$70.00
	Total	$607.80
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 16:03 EDT-0400

 

RAM is too slow for Ryzen, 3000mhz is a minimum for Zen. No SSD? PSU is also pretty bad, LienusLateTips already talked about that.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($139.66 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($68.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($39.89 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Team - L5 LITE 3D 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($49.99 @ Newegg Business) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB OC Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($35.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($38.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $593.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-19 23:28 EDT-0400