Help me cut costs

[ZenMonkey]

My friend wants upgrade his existing PC to a budget-level entry gaming PC for his 7-year-old son. He doesn't want to spend too much, so I helped him out with some parts/pricing:

 

i3-based Intel Build: ~$750 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pwzLzM

 

Ryzen 3 based Build: ~$720 - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Mz6bBP

 

I picked parts that were a few extra dollars here and there because, based on his past computers, I don't expect him to incrementally upgrade and wanted to give them a system that would last a few years on its own merit. However, I feel like I should be able to put something together for $600-650 instead of $700-750.

 

Any tips on where we could save a little cash? I know we could cut ~$25 by going with a 1TB drive, and another ~$25 if he didn't go hybrid, but I feel like the 2TB hybrid is money well-spent if he's not likely to buy an SSD or extra storage in the future. Am I totally off about that? I've never used a hybrid drive.

[seon123]

Since it's not really my business, I won't ask why a 7-year old needs their own PC with a dGPU.

Go for the Ryzen build, he probably won't benefit from the little extra power of the I3.

Change the CPU to the 1200.

Change the motherboard to whatever B350 board is cheapest. 4-cores can run on anything.

1x 8GB RAM instead.

I would get a 250GB SSD instead. How likely is he to use more space than that?

Maybe a cheaper case.

Don't get the old CX. Looking at the current pricing, the CX550M is available for $40, and the Smart Pro RGB 650W is available for $50.

Windows from Reddit or Kinguin for ~$25.

Do you really need more LED fans?

[Heknon]

That CPU does not support that ram speed

https://ark.intel.com/products/126688/Intel-Core-i3-8100-Processor-6M-Cache-3_60-GHz

DDR4 2400

[seon123]

Just now, Heknon said:

That CPU does not support that ram speed

https://ark.intel.com/products/126688/Intel-Core-i3-8100-Processor-6M-Cache-3_60-GHz

DDR4 2400

Neither does the 8700K. It won't have an issue running at that speed

[Heknon]

Just now, seon123 said:

Neither does the 8700K. It won't have an issue running at that speed

I know it wont have an issue just it wont take any benefit of the speed so its just a waste of money

[IziBartek]

There https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mmnB2R costs cut

[seon123]

Just now, Heknon said:

I know it wont have an issue just it wont take any benefit of the speed so its just a waste of money

There is a benefit in gaming, and some other applications. About 5%

https://www.techspot.com/review/1499-intel-core-i3-8100-i3-8350K/page3.html

[IziBartek]

imo thats a pretty decent build for 650 https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mmnB2R

[Heknon]

Just now, seon123 said:

There is a benefit in gaming, and some other applications. About 5%

https://www.techspot.com/review/1499-intel-core-i3-8100-i3-8350K/page3.html

oh well he is a 7 year old x

[IziBartek]

or this for 10$ more https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HWV9bj

[IziBartek]

Better CPU+cooler https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RhRx4C

[IziBartek]

Best option for the money https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rW2wRG

[ZenMonkey]

16 minutes ago, seon123 said:

Since it's not really my business, I won't ask why a 7-year old needs their own PC with a dGPU.

Go for the Ryzen build, he probably won't benefit from the little extra power of the I3.

Change the CPU to the 1200.

Change the motherboard to whatever B350 board is cheapest. 4-cores can run on anything.

1x 8GB RAM instead.

I would get a 250GB SSD instead. How likely is he to use more space than that?

Maybe a cheaper case.

Don't get the old CX. Looking at the current pricing, the CX550M is available for $40, and the Smart Pro RGB 650W is available for $50.

Windows from Reddit or Kinguin for ~$25.

Do you really need more LED fans?

 

Well, it's going to be a family computer but he would like for his son to be able to play games on it with a relatively smooth experience.

 

That was the cheapest ATX B350 mobo on pcpartpicker, and it has a $20 MIR according to the website.

 

pcpartpicker doesn't have any 1x8 RAM options for 3200. I could drop the speed down to 2600, but it's only a $9 difference and I thought dual channel was better, especially for Ryzen.

 

I use a 250GB SSD only for my windows boot drive and personal files and it's half full. I don't think it's large enough for the only drive.

 

Any suggestions on a good sub-$40 ATX case?

 

I'll switch out the PSU. What's the issue with the old version?

 

The OEM version of Win10 off Kinguin was a pain in the ass for me to get working, and hardware changes unregistered it and made me go through the hassle a second time. I wouldn't want to put someone else through that.

 

Nobody needs LED fans, but they're $5 a piece and the kid thinks they look cool.

[Jurrunio]

Do not use MSI's AM4 motherboards. RAM support is terrible and VRM quality is meh, so they arent as durable as other brands.

Dont use hybrid drives. The cache in there is only 8GB, so it's still terribly slow most of the time. SDD + HDD is much better.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/463Gr7
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/463Gr7/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($109.77 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($73.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory  ($81.78 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.98 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: Western Digital - RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($40.88 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Mini ITX OC Video Card  ($199.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cougar - MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case  ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Other: Operating System (WIndows 10) ($30.00)
Total: $669.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-06 16:29 EST-0500

 

4 minutes ago, IziBartek said:

Best option for the money https://pcpartpicker.com/list/rW2wRG

RAM is out of stock

PSU doesnt have modular cables so it can be messy.

For saving money the stock cooler will suffice.

[seon123]

5 minutes ago, ZenMonkey said:

 

Well, it's going to be a family computer but he would like for his son to be able to play games on it with a relatively smooth experience.

 

That was the cheapest ATX B350 mobo on pcpartpicker, and it has a $20 MIR according to the website.

 

pcpartpicker doesn't have any 1x8 RAM options for 3200. I could drop the speed down to 2600, but it's only a $9 difference and I thought dual channel was better, especially for Ryzen.

 

I use a 250GB SSD only for my windows boot drive and personal files and it's half full. I don't think it's large enough for the only drive.

 

Any suggestions on a good sub-$40 ATX case?

 

I'll switch out the PSU. What's the issue with the old version?

 

The OEM version of Win10 off Kinguin was a pain in the ass for me to get working, and hardware changes unregistered it and made me go through the hassle a second time. I wouldn't want to put someone else through that.

 

Nobody needs LED fans, but they're $5 a piece and the kid thinks they look cool.

Gotcha on the use case. 

Looking at PCPP, there are a couple of cheaper B350 boards. The Pro4, for a bit more should be good for 6-cores, should they decide to upgrade.

There is a 1x 8GB 3000 MHz kit for $93 on PCPP. While dual channel makes a difference, imo getting 8GB sticks is the way to go for upgradability, and stability when he upgrades. Ideally, you don't want to run 4 sticks of RAM on dual channel.

If you need the space, I would get a 1TB SSHD, or a normal HDD. 

Low end cases is not my thing, I just know that there are cheaper ones, if you need to cut the cost. It's not like a bad case will blow up.

The old version uses 85° and CapXon capacitors. It also performs poorly in regulation, ripple and hold up time. And it's only rated for full power at 30°C.

Just making suggestions to save cost, and in a budget build, Windows takes a big chunk of the price. You could just not activate Windows, you'll just have a watermark, and not as many customisation options.

The thing with LED fans, is that they get really annoying after a while. Lower end ones are DC controlled, so their brightness will vary based on the RPM, and you can't turn them off. Maybe I'm just too easily annoyed by small things, so feel free to get them. 

[Heknon]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JcNhVY

$630