Mini PC to sub $600?

[aCoeliac]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

 

I'm looking into helping a friend build a pc. He is currently using a mini PC that is using the i5 4500u, Intel HD Graphics and less than 4GB of Ram. 

 

He can't do much more than league atm, and would like to start playing titles such as Overwatch. 

 

I wod be grateful for your opinions regarding this build list, and if you could spot any places where money could be saved it would be much appreciated. 

 

(Bearing in mind his current situation his bar isn't going to be set very high regarding storage/Cpu speeds). 

 

Thanks

 

(All prices are in GBP) 

 

 

[emosun]

you'd do a lot better buying a prebuilt older machine than trying to fit all new separate parts into a budget this low

otherwise you're ending up with a g4560 which isn't very good. and you're spending money on a case and psu which would already exist in a prebuilt.

buy an old hp/dell workstation and drop a gpu in it.

[Taf the Ghost]

6 minutes ago, aCoeliac said:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

 

I'm looking into helping a friend build a pc. He is currently using a mini PC that is using the i5 4500u, Intel HD Graphics and less than 4GB of Ram. 

 

He can't do much more than league atm, and would like to start playing titles such as Overwatch. 

 

I wod be grateful for your opinions regarding this build list, and if you could spot any places where money could be saved it would be much appreciated. 

 

(Bearing in mind his current situation his bar isn't going to be set very high regarding storage/Cpu speeds). 

 

Thanks

 

(All prices are in GBP) 

 

 

Could poke around for a different case. You'll want a different PSU (and one the lists a price).

[SHROUD]

14 minutes ago, aCoeliac said:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

 

I'm looking into helping a friend build a pc. He is currently using a mini PC that is using the i5 4500u, Intel HD Graphics and less than 4GB of Ram. 

 

He can't do much more than league atm, and would like to start playing titles such as Overwatch. 

 

I wod be grateful for your opinions regarding this build list, and if you could spot any places where money could be saved it would be much appreciated. 

 

(Bearing in mind his current situation his bar isn't going to be set very high regarding storage/Cpu speeds). 

 

Thanks

 

(All prices are in GBP) 

 

 

Build something like this....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£84.98 @ PC World Business) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£62.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£78.27 @ CCL Computers) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£34.74 @ Aria PC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£41.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.99 @ Novatech) 
Total: £393.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-15 23:55 BST+0100

[Streetguru]

16 minutes ago, aCoeliac said:

 

So what's your budget in GBP?? Should be buying a Ryzen APU in any event so you have the AM4 upgrade path

 

Motherboard probably has an updated BIOS by now.

It can run games without a GPU, better to save for something actually good like an RX 570/580

and how small does the PC need to be?
 

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/Yjd4P3
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/Yjd4P3/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£84.98 @ PC World Business)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350N-Gaming WIFI (rev. 1.0) Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard  (£104.60 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot - Viper 4 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£79.78 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU650 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£38.89 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.99 @ Novatech)
Total: £399.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-15 23:55 BST+0100

[Mr.Sir]

7 minutes ago, Taf the Ghost said:

Could poke around for a different case. You'll want a different PSU (and one the lists a price).

actually that case is amazing for its price. very quiet and actually doesn't feel cheap at all, barely any flex

[Firewrath9]

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/W8pZWD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/W8pZWD/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£68.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£52.49 @ Novatech) 
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory  (£77.12 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£22.79 @ Aria PC) 
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£29.39 @ Aria PC) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  (£138.19 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£32.99 @ Ebuyer) 
Power Supply: be quiet! - Pure Power 10 400W 80+ Silver Certified ATX Power Supply  (£42.97 @ Amazon UK) 
Total: £464.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 00:01 BST+0100

 

mabye look at used market?

[Firewrath9]

4 minutes ago, Mr.Sir said:

actually that case is amazing for its price. very quiet and actually doesn't feel cheap at all, barely any flex

there are better, cheaper cases (corsair 88r)

[SHROUD]

20 minutes ago, aCoeliac said:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

 

I'm looking into helping a friend build a pc. He is currently using a mini PC that is using the i5 4500u, Intel HD Graphics and less than 4GB of Ram. 

 

He can't do much more than league atm, and would like to start playing titles such as Overwatch. 

 

I wod be grateful for your opinions regarding this build list, and if you could spot any places where money could be saved it would be much appreciated. 

 

(Bearing in mind his current situation his bar isn't going to be set very high regarding storage/Cpu speeds). 

 

Thanks

 

(All prices are in GBP) 

 

 

Better performing PC....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£103.72 @ PC World Business) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B360M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£78.02 @ CCL Computers) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£78.27 @ CCL Computers) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£34.74 @ Aria PC) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  (£138.19 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£41.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.99 @ Novatech) 
Total: £565.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 00:00 BST+0100

[r2724r16]

Buy a used HP Z workstation with a decent CPU or CPUs and throw in a graphics card

[GFuelBoi]

5 hours ago, aCoeliac said:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

 

I'm looking into helping a friend build a pc. He is currently using a mini PC that is using the i5 4500u, Intel HD Graphics and less than 4GB of Ram. 

 

He can't do much more than league atm, and would like to start playing titles such as Overwatch. 

 

I wod be grateful for your opinions regarding this build list, and if you could spot any places where money could be saved it would be much appreciated. 

 

(Bearing in mind his current situation his bar isn't going to be set very high regarding storage/Cpu speeds). 

 

Thanks

 

(All prices are in GBP) 

 

 

Get a GT 730, which is not only cheaper, but has more video memory.

And remove the pentium, get a different cpu

[Herman Mcpootis]

7 hours ago, aCoeliac said:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rLQ8P3

get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£68.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£52.49 @ Novatech) 
Memory: ADATA - Premier 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  (£62.94 @ More Computers) 
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£39.59 @ Amazon UK) 
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB StormX Video Card  (£112.79 @ Aria PC) 
Case: CiT - CIT-F3BLACKPURPLE MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£27.93 @ Box Limited) 
Power Supply: be quiet! - Pure Power 10 400W 80+ Silver Certified ATX Power Supply  (£42.97 @ Amazon UK) 
Total: £407.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 06:51 BST+0100

[aCoeliac]

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/8v3cBb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/8v3cBb/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£70.79 @ Aria PC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£59.99 @ CCL Computers) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  (£74.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB AERO ITX Video Card  (£103.55 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Corsair - Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case  (£40.55 @ Aria PC) 
Power Supply: be quiet! - Pure Power 10 350W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (£40.79 @ Aria PC) 
Total: £427.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 17:19 BST+0100

 

New list? Just feeling out some more ideas. He has now said that it should preferably be under £400, (~$520US), but is willing to wait until black friday, and other sales etc.

 

17 hours ago, Firewrath9 said:

mabye look at used market?

Will definitely consider.

17 hours ago, emosun said:

you'd do a lot better buying a prebuilt older machine than trying to fit all new separate parts into a budget this low

otherwise you're ending up with a g4560 which isn't very good. and you're spending money on a case and psu which would already exist in a prebuilt.

buy an old hp/dell workstation and drop a gpu in it.

 

hesitant to go down that route due to limited upgrade paths, but will bear in mind.

17 hours ago, Taf the Ghost said:

Could poke around for a different case. You'll want a different PSU (and one the lists a price).

^ cheers

 

17 hours ago, SHROUD said:

Build something like this....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£84.98 @ PC World Business) 
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£62.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£78.27 @ CCL Computers) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£34.74 @ Aria PC) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£41.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.99 @ Novatech) 
Total: £393.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-15 23:55 BST+0100

will consider, thanks

17 hours ago, Streetguru said:

and how small does the PC need to be?
 

preferably mATX, thanks for the rest of your suggestions, I'm not familiar with Ryzen APU's so I would be grateful for anymore suggestions you may have

 

17 hours ago, SHROUD said:

Better performing PC....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-8100 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£103.72 @ PC World Business) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B360M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (£78.02 @ CCL Computers) 
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  (£78.27 @ CCL Computers) 
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£36.99 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£34.74 @ Aria PC) 
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card  (£138.19 @ Amazon UK) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£41.99 @ AWD-IT) 
Power Supply: Cooler Master - MasterWatt 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  (£53.99 @ Novatech) 
Total: £565.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 00:00 BST+0100

A bit out of budget but will consider some of the parts there.

 

12 hours ago, GFuelBoi said:

Get a GT 730, which is not only cheaper, but has more video memory.

And remove the pentium, get a different cpu

Have taken this into account, thanks/

 

10 hours ago, Herman Mcpootis said:

get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  (£68.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AX370M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£52.49 @ Novatech) 
Memory: ADATA - Premier 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  (£62.94 @ More Computers) 
Storage: Crucial - BX500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£39.59 @ Amazon UK) 
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB StormX Video Card  (£112.79 @ Aria PC) 
Case: CiT - CIT-F3BLACKPURPLE MicroATX Mini Tower Case  (£27.93 @ Box Limited) 
Power Supply: be quiet! - Pure Power 10 400W 80+ Silver Certified ATX Power Supply  (£42.97 @ Amazon UK) 
Total: £407.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-09-16 06:51 BST+0100

thanks, will look at cheaper cases like the one you have mentioned.

 

 

tl;dr thanks to everyone for their input, if everything goes to plan this will only be my 2nd build (mine being my first), so any input/suggestions are greatly appreciated  

[Streetguru]

12 hours ago, GFuelBoi said:

Get a GT 730, which is not only cheaper, but has more video memory.

And remove the pentium, get a different cpu

Did you just suggest a GT 730 over a GTX 1050? The GT 730 isn't useful for much of anything.

The APU just lets you run games decently until you can save up for a much faster GPU like an RX 570/580 or 1060

Main thing it needs a decent motherboard and the fastest/cheapest RAM you can find
 

 

[aCoeliac]

3 hours ago, Streetguru said:

Did you just suggest a GT 730 over a GTX 1050? The GT 730 isn't useful for much of anything.

The APU just lets you run games decently until you can save up for a much faster GPU like an RX 570/580 or 1060

Main thing it needs a decent motherboard and the fastest/cheapest RAM you can find
 

 

OK that's great, the 2200G basically fits my friends needs perfectly, I will definitely think on this. 

 

Thank you for your patience!

 

Edit: Any recommendations for a decent one that would work out of the box? (Without Bios update etc.)

[Streetguru]

17 minutes ago, aCoeliac said:

OK that's great, the 2200G basically fits my friends needs perfectly, I will definitely think on this. 

 

Thank you for your patience!

Look for an ASrock Pro 4 B450 ATX or MSI Tomahawk B450 board for the APU, the ATX version of the Pro 4 B450 board has display port for use with a free-sync display should you get that before a GPU.

B350 boards may be cheaper and are probably BIOS updated to work with the APU.

[aCoeliac]

On 16 September 2018 at 8:54 PM, Streetguru said:

Look for an ASrock Pro 4 B450 ATX or MSI Tomahawk B450 board for the APU, the ATX version of the Pro 4 B450 board has display port for use with a free-sync display should you get that before a GPU.

B350 boards may be cheaper and are probably BIOS updated to work with the APU.

Alright thanks, I doubt he will be in the market for either for a while now, do you know of any B350 boards that have definitely been updated?

 

Thanks

 

Edit: Have found the Pro4 B450m for around 70GBP, which is about what I would expect.

 

Given we are not looking for any standout features particularly, is there any major drawback keeping it mATX?

[m0n4rchy]

1 minute ago, aCoeliac said:

Alright thanks, I doubt he will be in the market for either for a while now, do you know of any B350 boards that have definitely been updated?

 

Thanks

To be honest, if you buy from a digital retailer (Amazon, Newegg, etc), there's a pretty good chance that the BIOS of a B350 or X370 motherboard is already on the latest version, or if not, on a recent-enough version to where it supports it.

[Streetguru]

3 hours ago, aCoeliac said:

 

If the price difference isn't much it's probably worth picking up the ATX version for display port if the bigger case isn't much of an issue.

[aCoeliac]

6 hours ago, Streetguru said:

If the price difference isn't much it's probably worth picking up the ATX version for display port if the bigger case isn't much of an issue.

Ok, if I can find a fairly small/cheap ATX mid-tower, might consider going for that instead.