Light Gaming Machine (for friend)

Kobathor · October 19, 2015

It's simple. I have a friend that needs a new PC, and I don't know exactly what he needs.

My friend only plans to play Sims 4 and minecraft. That's it.

He doesn't want Sims 4 to be on all low settings, so don't show me a potato PC.

Budget is guaranteed $520 for now. He's not building just yet, but around Christmas time. I'm making this thread now to show him he shouldn't buy a pre-built computer (that was his original plan.)

This is what I have so far - http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kg9Vpg

I know the PSU is overkill, change it if you must. Also needs a case.

The build is OP for what he plays . I am not experienced in low power builds. Please help me make a cheaper, better for him build. The RAM and SSD will most likely stay the same, but you guys could even make this Micro ATX or something.

Thanks for reading / helping!

TL;DR friend has around ~$550 to build a rig that will only play Sims 4 and minecraft. I want it to be a little more powerful than that in case he wants to play other games.

VioDuskar · October 19, 2015

do you need a DVD-W/R? i'd ditch it.

you could probably get away with an i3 to be honest. but i think you did a decent job.

Jacktastic-Mofo · October 19, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nQmbMp

This is what I'd go for on that budget

Kobathor · October 19, 2015

do you need a DVD-W/R? i'd ditch it.

you could probably get away with an i3 to be honest. but i think you did a decent job.

I could probably change it, but he wants the ability to read CDs/DVDs. I don't think he needs write, so maybe it'll change.

Kobathor · October 19, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nQmbMp

This is what I'd go for on that budget

Oh dang, I didn't know the 950 was $129 right now.

I like that build! He would probably not even use all its power, but whatever. The PSU could be tuned down though.

EDIT -http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VPwx3C

Noyu · October 19, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nQmbMp

This is what I'd go for on that budget

Damn, dude beat me to it. T_T

EDIT:

Though, does he really need an aftermarket cooler?

Swndlr · October 19, 2015

??

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($114.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M Eco Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Kingston HyperX Fury 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($193.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($38.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $609.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-19 00:48 EDT-0400

Kobathor · October 19, 2015

-snip-

And Swindlr to the rescue!

Jacktastic-Mofo · October 19, 2015

Damn, dude beat me to it. T_T

EDIT:

Though, does he really need an aftermarket cooler?

Why not? Quieter and cooler.

Oh dang, I didn't know the 950 was $129 right now.

I like that build! He would probably not even use all its power, but whatever. The PSU could be tuned down though.

EDIT -http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VPwx3C

The extra PSU wattage is for growing room, who knows with a proper PC your friend may turn into a fully fledged PC gamer and want moar powa!

Kobathor · October 19, 2015

Why not? Quieter and cooler.

The extra PSU wattage is for growing room, who knows with a proper PC your friend may turn into a fully fledged PC gamer and want moar powa!

Sure. But, he doesn't really play much computer anyways (none at the moment,) so idk.