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$290 System (excluding GPU) - Can it be done?

CCap
By CCap
in New Builds and Planning
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Hello:

 

Right now, I'm in a bit of a sticky situation. 

 

I am in need of all the necessary components a PC would need for $290. I don't mind buying used, and I do not need peripherals or OS. I am located in Tampa, FL, so if you find something on ebay, just make sure that it's in the US. Also, the closer you can get it to Florida, the better.

 

The usage of this PC will be gaming, so in theory I should be fine with something like this, but I want to see if you guys can come up with something better. 

 

 
CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 740 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard:  MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($46.00 @ Amazon) 
Memory:  A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB ACX Video Card  (Purchased For $1.99) 
Case:  Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($44.99 @ NCIX US) 
Total: $334.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 22:46 EDT-0400)
 
First, let's get this out of the way; I know that there are more than a few bottlenecks in this system-- I am well aware of that. I just need the darn thing to work, and after watching Austin Evan's video about the X4 740 I know that it shouldn't bottleneck the 780 that hard anyways. 
 
I just need help cutting costs another $40, should I go for only 4gb of RAM? Or should I just buy a used CPU/Mobo combo on ebay?
 
I already have the 780, so before you tell me "don't use it" I already own it.
 
Gratias tibi et bonam fortunam.
//ccap
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Whut happened to your rig?

Main Rig: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR RGB DDR4-3600 | Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX | Storage: 500GB Crucial P3 Plus, 4TB Silicon Power UD90 | GPU: AsRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend | Cooling: ThermalTake Floe 280mm w/ be quiet! Pure Wings 3 | Case: Sliger SM580 (Black) | PSU: Corsair SF850

Main Server: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | RAM: 64GB (2x32GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 | Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair VII Hero WiFi | Storage: 512GB SKHynix NVMe | GPUs: NVIDIA TITAN Xp 2-way SLI | Cooling: Thermalright Frozen Prism 360mm | Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow (White) | PSU: Seasonic Focus GM850

File and Media Server (AOOSTAR WTR Pro): CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5825U | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Silicon Power DDR4-3200 SODIMMs | Storage: 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 2x14TB Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC530

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Whut happened to your rig?

It's sitting beside me. A friend of mine said "here's a 780 and $290, make it work and I'll pay you $498 when i get my next paycheck" so i obliged. 

 

(funny backstory, if you want i'll tell it, just ask me. i don't wanna type it right now lol) (edit #2: i goofed the first time and put 300, i was listening to 3hunna and it just got to the chorus so i couldn't stop typing 300)

//ccap
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It's sitting beside me. A friend of mine said "here's a 780 and $290, make it work and I'll pay you $300 when i get my next paycheck" so i obliged. 

 
CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 740 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($74.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory:  A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB ACX Video Card  ($0.00) 
Total: $296.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 22:58 EDT-0400)
 
And find an old case normally destined for the trash? It should work fine. I am going to look on eBay though as well.

Main Rig: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X3D | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR RGB DDR4-3600 | Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX | Storage: 500GB Crucial P3 Plus, 4TB Silicon Power UD90 | GPU: AsRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend | Cooling: ThermalTake Floe 280mm w/ be quiet! Pure Wings 3 | Case: Sliger SM580 (Black) | PSU: Corsair SF850

Main Server: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X | RAM: 64GB (2x32GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 | Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair VII Hero WiFi | Storage: 512GB SKHynix NVMe | GPUs: NVIDIA TITAN Xp 2-way SLI | Cooling: Thermalright Frozen Prism 360mm | Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow (White) | PSU: Seasonic Focus GM850

File and Media Server (AOOSTAR WTR Pro): CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5825U | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Silicon Power DDR4-3200 SODIMMs | Storage: 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 2x14TB Western Digital Ultrastar DC HC530

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Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center) 

 

I can't order from Microcenter, hence the reason I went for the MSI board from Amazon :D 

 

 

(same price and doesn't look like its from 1970)

//ccap
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Meh, I don't even know if the GTX 780 will fit.


CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($79.49 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard:  MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($46.00 @ Amazon) 


Storage:  Toshiba  500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.00 @ Newegg) 


Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $295.46

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 23:11 EDT-0400)

 

Edit: It might. Here's a different one.



CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($79.49 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard:  MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($46.00 @ Amazon) 


Storage:  Toshiba  500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($45.00 @ Newegg) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB ACX Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 

Case:  Azza CSAZ-206 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $290.46

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 23:13 EDT-0400)

| CPU: An abacus | Motherboard: Tin foil | RAM: 2 Popsicle sticks | GPU: Virtual Boy | Case: Cardboard box | Storage: Cardboard | PSU: 3... Er... Make that 2 hamsters | Display(s): Broken glass | Cooling: Brawndo | Keyboard: More cardboard | Mouse: Jerry | Sound: 2 Cans of SpaghettiO's |

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a little bit over but its better

i got an fx chip in the budget

EDIT: Redid it because i forgot psu

 

 
CPU:  AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($88.94 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler:  Arctic Cooling ACALP64-GT 25.6 CFM CPU Cooler  ($8.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($34.99 @ Micro Center) 
Memory:  Patriot Viper 3 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.99 @ TigerDirect) 
Total: $337.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 23:19 EDT-0400)

FANBOY OF: PowerColor, be quiet!, Transcend, G.Skill, Phanteks

FORMERLY FANBOY OF: A-Data, Corsair, Nvidia

DEVELOPING FANBOY OF: AMD (GPUS), Intel (CPUs), ASRock

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snipzorz

He said that he didn't mind buying used. Didn't you mention an i5-2500K on ebay or something? Maybe he could do something with an older gen CPU/mobo and get a beast-ish system for his "buddy".

| CPU: An abacus | Motherboard: Tin foil | RAM: 2 Popsicle sticks | GPU: Virtual Boy | Case: Cardboard box | Storage: Cardboard | PSU: 3... Er... Make that 2 hamsters | Display(s): Broken glass | Cooling: Brawndo | Keyboard: More cardboard | Mouse: Jerry | Sound: 2 Cans of SpaghettiO's |

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Buy this RAM for the build quick http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-SKILL-Ripjaws-Series-8GB-2-x-4GB-240-Pin-DDR3-SDRAM-DDR3-1333-PC3-10666-/251550850612?pt=US_Memory_RAM_&hash=item3a91995e34

FANBOY OF: PowerColor, be quiet!, Transcend, G.Skill, Phanteks

FORMERLY FANBOY OF: A-Data, Corsair, Nvidia

DEVELOPING FANBOY OF: AMD (GPUS), Intel (CPUs), ASRock

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SHIT I MISSED BY 30 SECONDS I COULDN'T LOG IN IN TIME ;(

//ccap
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SHIT I MISSED BY 30 SECONDS I COULDN'T LOG IN IN TIME ;(

its ok ill find a different one

FANBOY OF: PowerColor, be quiet!, Transcend, G.Skill, Phanteks

FORMERLY FANBOY OF: A-Data, Corsair, Nvidia

DEVELOPING FANBOY OF: AMD (GPUS), Intel (CPUs), ASRock

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I was talking about CPU/mobo not RAM, damn it!  :lol:

 

SHIT I MISSED BY 30 SECONDS I COULDN'T LOG IN IN TIME ;(

Shieeeet, son. Gotta be fasta than that, my boi.  :P

| CPU: An abacus | Motherboard: Tin foil | RAM: 2 Popsicle sticks | GPU: Virtual Boy | Case: Cardboard box | Storage: Cardboard | PSU: 3... Er... Make that 2 hamsters | Display(s): Broken glass | Cooling: Brawndo | Keyboard: More cardboard | Mouse: Jerry | Sound: 2 Cans of SpaghettiO's |

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clutch much

 
Video Card:  Asus GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card  (Purchased For $0.00) 
Other: Asus M5a78l ($30.00)
Other: WD caviar green 1TB ($25.00)
Other: Some antec case + DVD reader ($1.00)
Other: some random RAM 2x4GB ($50.00)
Other: Corsair CX600 ($10.00)
Other: fx 8320 ($130.00)
Total: $275.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 23:35 EDT-0400)
 
 
Im pretty proud of this @CCap
click the link for more links to ebay pages
 

FANBOY OF: PowerColor, be quiet!, Transcend, G.Skill, Phanteks

FORMERLY FANBOY OF: A-Data, Corsair, Nvidia

DEVELOPING FANBOY OF: AMD (GPUS), Intel (CPUs), ASRock

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  AMD Athlon X4 740 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory:  Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital WD Blue 320GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($42.94 @ Amazon)
Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB ACX Video Card  (Purchased For $1.99)
Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $289.88
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-10 23:36 EDT-0400)

80+ ratings certify electrical efficiency. Not quality.

 

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GTX780?!

 

hmm...

 

are you really in a hurry to build this system?

 

the Athlon 760K is the minimum CPU you should use for this build.

 

plus you will need to OC the CPU to at least 4.5GHz and above to make sure the CPU can feed the GPU

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

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@CCap i found the best deals on ebay and did it. check it out and buy before the time runs out on some of them

FANBOY OF: PowerColor, be quiet!, Transcend, G.Skill, Phanteks

FORMERLY FANBOY OF: A-Data, Corsair, Nvidia

DEVELOPING FANBOY OF: AMD (GPUS), Intel (CPUs), ASRock

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@CCap i found the best deals on ebay and did it. check it out and buy before the time runs out on some of them

i made a few offers on some of them, as for the cpu/mobo I don't think I'll win the bid on the motherboard for the price, so i could be stuck with a cpu and no motherboard for a while.. that's the last thing i need.

//ccap
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i made a few offers on some of them, as for the cpu/mobo I don't think I'll win the bid on the motherboard for the price, so i could be stuck with a cpu and no motherboard for a while.. that's the last thing i need.

which CPU did you bid on?

 

you say you only can order from Amazon right?

 

 

how about this board?

 

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-A78M-E35-Bolton-Micro-Motherboard/dp/B00HGLX8J6/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1402466097&sr=1-2&keywords=a78m-e45

 

MSI A78M-35

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

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-snip-

I ended up not bidding on a CPU yet only because I don't think I'll win the bid on the motherboard, and if I don't win the bid on the motherboard I'm already going to be out of money. Unless there is a buy it now AM3+ motherboard that is <$20 then I'm going to pass on the 8320 and end up with the Athlon.  

//ccap
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I ended up not bidding on a CPU yet only because I don't think I'll win the bid on the motherboard, and if I don't win the bid on the motherboard I'm already going to be out of money. Unless there is a buy it now AM3+ motherboard that is <$20 then I'm going to pass on the 8320 and end up with the Athlon.  

the FM2+ board with the Athlon X4 760K are currently the better option budget wise over the AM3+ platform which is quite dead

 

never underestimate the power of the Richland CPUs, if you are lucky you could get one which can OC up to 5GHz or more with just air cooling on the 212 Evo

 

pair it with the MSI FM2+ board I suggested in the previous post.

Budget? Uses? Currency? Location? Operating System? Peripherals? Monitor? Use PCPartPicker wherever possible. 

Quote whom you're replying to, and set option to follow your topics. Or Else we can't see your reply.

 

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