Extreme Budget Build for Friend

[mayonnaiseblackhole]

I have a friend who has a crappy 2011 macbook air and wants to upgrade. He is on a pretty strict budget with the max being $600, preferably lower with a monitor and peripherals needed as well included. We've been looking at getting an optiplex from ebay and upgrading the graphics card and whatnot but don't know where to start or what to look for. He will mainly be doing some lighter gaming (mostly ksp and waiting for ksp 2) as well as some 3D modeling and school work. Thanks for any help!

[Fasauceome]

4 minutes ago, DustierDolphin said:

We've been looking at getting an optiplex from ebay and upgrading the graphics card and whatnot

that's a big budget for an optiplex, if it's a $600 USD build

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor	$129.20 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$69.99 @ Amazon
Memory	GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$59.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	ASRock Radeon RX 570 8 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card	$139.99 @ Newegg
Case	Cougar MG110 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$43.98 @ SuperBiiz
Power Supply	Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$51.88 @ OutletPC
Monitor	Sceptre E225W-1920 22.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$79.99 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$590.02
	Mail-in rebates	-$15.00
	Total	$575.02
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-30 17:51 EDT-0400

If you're cool with cheapo peripherals, there are plenty of keyboards and mice around the $10 mark (despite the rockin specs of my PC I'm using a $12 mouse I got from Amazon), and cheap mechanical keyboards can be as low as like $35. If you're willing to spend a little extra on the monitor, there are sub $200 144Hz monitors nowadays that would be pretty sweet.

[TheNaitsyrk]

3 minutes ago, DustierDolphin said:

I have a friend who has a crappy 2011 macbook air and wants to upgrade. He is on a pretty strict budget with the max being $600, preferably lower with a monitor and peripherals needed as well included. We've been looking at getting an optiplex from ebay and upgrading the graphics card and whatnot but don't know where to start or what to look for. He will mainly be doing some lighter gaming (mostly ksp and waiting for ksp 2) as well as some 3D modeling and school work. Thanks for any help!

You can confidently buy PC with 3600 and GTX 1070 or even 1070 Ti all used.

Better value for money.

RAM is ultra cheap now and a decent PSU and cheap case won't cost much. 

Even SSD prices dropped.

[mayonnaiseblackhole]

1 minute ago, TheNaitsyrk said:

You can confidently buy PC with 3600 and GTX 1070 or even 1070 Ti all used.

Better value for money.

RAM is ultra cheap now and a decent PSU and cheap case won't cost much. 

Even SSD prices dropped.

Where would you suggest to buy it from?

 

[TheNaitsyrk]

1 minute ago, DustierDolphin said:

Where would you suggest to buy it from?

 

Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree. 

 

Have a look at YesTechCity channel.

 

Buying new at this budget is not gonna work well.

 

Don't buy Corsair if you can, their warranty isn't transferable. EVGAs is.

 

[thx1138]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor	$194.79 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI B450-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$38.99 @ Amazon
Storage	TCSunBow X3 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$28.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	ASRock Radeon RX 570 8 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card	$139.99 @ Newegg
Case	DIYPC Zondda ATX Mid Tower Case	$40.96 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA GD (2019) 500 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply	$55.98 @ Newegg
Monitor	Acer R240HY bidx 23.8" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$99.98 @ Newegg Business
Custom	Monoprice Modern Retro Over Ear Headphones (116150)	$29.99 @ Amazon
Custom	accessories	$25.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$759.56
	Mail-in rebates	-$25.00
	Total	$734.56
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-30 18:30 EDT-0400

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$139.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	MSI B450-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$74.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Sabrent Rocket 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive	$59.98 @ Amazon
Case	DIYPC Zondda ATX Mid Tower Case	$40.96 @ Newegg
Power Supply	EVGA GD (2019) 500 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply	$55.98 @ Newegg
Monitor	Acer R240HY bidx 23.8" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$99.98 @ Newegg Business
Custom	Monoprice Modern Retro Over Ear Headphones (116150)	$29.99 @ Amazon
Custom	accessories	$25.00
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$631.66
	Mail-in rebates	-$25.00
	Total	$606.66
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-30 18:25 EDT-0400

I would try for the 750$ since the longevity value would be much higher. but the second build is near your 600$

Some cheap used parts....Mainly the Case and maybe...maybe gpu would be an idea to check if your in a good area for it..

otherwise....Cpu/Mb/Ram combos can be decent as well. depending on your area.

I would argue the cause of buying new otherwise .

Though the "buy a dell. throw a gpu in it. and pair with a 50$ used monitor and $75-120 gpu" is a definite option if you can deal with any troubleshooting....though a bit lower than your budget....