1 x Intel Skylake Core i5-6400 (2.7GHz, 6MB,LGA1151) Processor 1 x MSI H110M PRO-VD (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, Audio, LAN) mATX Retail 1 x MSI Video Card GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC GDDR5 4GB/128bit, 1 x Kingmax 8GB DDR4 2133MHz 1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance 1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ - 60mj. 1 x Zalman T3 Mini-Tower ATX case, no power supply, black
I guess it might be better to just go with the 250GB SSD instead. You might also want to consider looking into a Dell Monitor, since the panel on that one is probably a bit better if you're planning on watching movies.
1 x Intel Core i5 Desktop CPU (3.2GHz, 6MB, LGA1150) box 1 x VGA Palit GTX960 2GB JetStream 1 x KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 (8GB, 1600MHz(PC3-12800)) CL11, Retail 1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+ 1 x SSD AD 120GB SP550 1 x HDD Western Digital Blue 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance 1 x Kućište MS Phoenix 2, black, no PSU 1 x MSI MB H81M-P33 (S1150,DDR3,VGA/DVI,USB3.0,LAN,SATAIIII) mATX
In my opinion, an SSD is a complete necessity for any build in the $800 to $900 range, even if you're putting together a gaming rig. It’s really not a luxury anymore; the speed difference is just too immediate and noticeable for anyone making the jump from an old HDD.
I have to disagree with that. You’d really only notice the impact of an SSD when you're multitasking or running Microsoft Office applications. Honestly, an i5 might be total overkill for this. I guess an AMD APU would probably serve you just fine, provided you pair it with an SSD, some fast memory, and a decent monitor.
You really need to let us know what kind of power supply and case you're running, because when you're working with an AMD build, you generally need a much higher quality PSU and a case with decent airflow to keep things stable.
By the way, I actually picked up a Dell XPS 13 about a week ago. It’s incredibly thin, super lightweight, and feels really high-end—basically intended for the exact same type of work you're doing, and I guess I'm pretty satisfied with it so far. It only has 4GB of RAM and the processor looks a bit weak on paper, but honestly, it's probably not as bad as it seems since it can boost up to 2GHz when it needs to.
Of course, what you actually plan to do with it matters most. If you're looking at gaming or doing some heavy-duty video editing, then this Dell is probably a pretty logical choice, given that it has a quad-core processor and a decent graphics card.
That said, if the goal is just multimedia or browsing the web, I guess you might want to look at something with a more power-efficient processor and an IPS screen. Having an SSD would also make the machine feel noticeably snappier, and you'd likely get much better battery life out of it.
I suppose everything just boils down to how you intend to use it.
There’s actually a pretty significant difference between that mediocre 1366x768 resolution and true 1080p. I guess it's pretty obvious once you see them side-by-side, but if you're planning on watching movies, you really ought to make sure you go with 1080p. It just makes sense.
An IPS screen is definitely a non-negotiable at this price point, especially given the kind of work you're doing. You could probably grab this one without an SSD and just pick one up later on your own; it might actually end up being cheaper than that Acer model they have listed.
I’d suggest aiming for the one with the GTX960M, mostly because it comes equipped with GDDR5 memory; the GTX950 being proposed here uses DDR3, which makes it significantly weaker in my opinion.
For a Core i3 + GTX 950 setup, I guess a 400W power supply should be plenty. If you opt for a cheaper motherboard instead of focusing on the essential components, you might lose out on that USB 3.0 header for your case, if that’s even something you care about.