Pc for about 250sh dollars?

[Windows Vista]

So I want to buy a personal pc so I can do some light gaming and homework and upgrade from the family MacBook Air. The things I would need it to do would be: Able to run Planet Coaster at about medium settings, browse the internet, and run minecraft without being too slow. My budget is about 250$ and I don't need the best hardware, just something that would do the things I said above. I don't really care if its pre built or not, and I don't have a preference for lap or desk top. Thanks!

[NunoLava1998]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$64.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Value 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$29.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Crucial BX500 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$21.99 @ Amazon
Case	Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$33.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 450 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$37.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$298.72
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$268.72
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-07 14:28 EDT-0400

This should do well.

[lordbaal]

Based on the recommended specs for that game. Newegg and Tiger Direct have refurb PC's.

Or go and get a refurb for the manufacture website.

On Newegg there are refurb for under $200 that meets the recommended specs for the game you want to play.

[kelvinhall05]

Used Thinkpad.

[nick name]

37 minutes ago, NunoLava1998 said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$64.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Value 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$29.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Crucial BX500 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$21.99 @ Amazon
Case	Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case	$33.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 450 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$37.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$298.72
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$268.72
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-07 14:28 EDT-0400

This should do well.

And you could even just build that on the mobo box and not build in a case.  As long as you don't have a cat that is.  

[mariushm]

Most of the cheap refurbished computers come with <250w power supplies with proprietary connectors that would limit you when it comes to upgrades.

 

The configuration below would fit in the 250$ budget but I'm not very happy with it :

 

* I configured it with a single stick of 8 GB because the motherboard has only 2 slots. It's CRITICAL that you add a second 8 GB stick at a later point when you find another 30$ as having memory in dual channel mode will speed up the computer significantly (more than 10-20% boost)

* Ideally you'd pay 10-15$ more on a B450 based motherboard, as that would allow you to upgrade later to a Ryzen 3xxx series processors. A320 motherboards are limited to Ryzen 1xxx and Ryzen 2xxx processors. Some will actually also work with Ryzen 3xxx but there's no guarantee. Also, A320 boards don't allow overclocking and in general have cheaper and older components on them (ex 5-10 years old onboard audio chip) so it's often not worth the 10$ difference.

* I'd pay 10-15$ more for a better quality power supply and I'd probably pay 10-15$ more for a 240 GB SSD.

 

All these would raise the budget of your build to around 300$

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$54.99 @ Amazon
Memory	Crucial 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory	$30.99 @ Amazon
Storage	PNY CS900 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$19.99 @ Amazon
Case	Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$27.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	EVGA 400 W ATX Power Supply	$32.89 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$256.74
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$246.74
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-07 14:57 EDT-0400

 

[panzersharkcat]

Used ThinkPad T440p for $185. You can always upgrade later.