Amy Vaughn12, The i3 7100U isn't hard to find, but it's not cheap since we're talking laptop hardware here.
Currently hanging out at this guy's place, and turns out his shelf space is limited—only 33x33x33cm. So, that Intel kit would fit, but none of the actual cases will work.
He's considering that kit, paired with 8GB RAM and an SSD (needs to be m.2, which is a bummer because he's got a spare 2.5" HDD lying around).
The alternative is grabbing a 13" Acer laptop from a buddy, though the screen is basically bent into a banana shape.
What do you guys think that's actually worth?
Acer S3-391 450GB SSHD i5 3317U 4GB RAM. It's a 2012-era ultrabook. Screen is pretty much trashed.
Oof, at that price point, you might as well just grab a laptop with an SSD. An i3 7100 gets the job done, sure, but let’s be real—it’s nothing compared to any actual desktop processor.
Talked to a buddy who was looking at buying a laptop just to keep it plugged into his TV 24/7. Told him he’s wasting his time—better off just building a mini-ITX rig instead.
If you played it smart and saved some cash here, you could just pick up a PlayStation 4 or something similar for gaming. That way, this build handles the heavy lifting like movies, browsing, and music.
Got a 2TB external SSD, so there's no need to include one in the build.
Pentium and 8GB of RAM. It fits the budget, keeps things somewhat future-proof, and should handle opening a million Chrome tabs without choking.
It’s the case itself. I don't know the first thing about mini-ITX. Anyone got a power supply for around $30?$133 Should fit the budget, I guess. Check out this Spire PowerCube. It’s a 300W ITX power supply. Just thought I'd drop the link here.
It’s not like I’m totally out of space, but honestly, the smaller and thinner, the better. That's why I'm sticking with ITX.
Another thing:
I was thinking about picking up an A320 with an APU just to play some old PC games. But I can't find any ITX motherboards for Bristol Ridge anywhere.
Let's say the budget for the Bristol Ridge build is a little higher. $1000.
What’s the absolute smallest case you can get for an mATX build? With a Bristol Ridge A8 9600, you might just scrape by playing some 1080p PC games. Is there anything smaller than this? Check out this Thermaltake case. Looks like a decent option if you're hunting for something specific.
Since I won't be throwing a GPU in this build, I might as well go with a slim form factor.
I’ll probably pay in cash, ideally all at once from the same shop. But honestly, I could just build it myself using parts from different places if there isn't a long wait on specific items and the price difference is actually worth the hassle.
Richard Diaz52 said:I’d much rather see 4.0GHz than 3.6GHz, so I’m willing to pay $167 a premium. 😁 That’s basically what these machines are built for.
At that price point, you're looking at the territory of an AMD Ryzen 5 1600, or maybe slightly more for an i5 8400. The i3 8100 makes sense if it stays under a couple hundred bucks.
Just use two screws to bolt the GPU into the case. That’s basically all you need, provided you actually tighten them enough to secure the metal bracket into the chassis holes. A few years back, motherboards didn't even have metal reinforcement; honestly, plenty of them still don't. But heavy-duty graphics cards? They've always required that extra support.
Bryan Taylor6 said:dual channel only works if you run 2+2, 4+4, or 8+8—and they need to be identical sticks or at least very, very similar.
Mine runs 2+1+2+1 in dual channel. I’ve also had 4+(2+2) work before.
Different types of RAM. For dual channel, the specific type doesn't matter as much, but the timings and clock speeds have to adjust to the "weakest link" RAM. (usually happens automatically).
Plus, both setups are evenly distributed. The first one is a Sandy Bridge build, the second is an Ivy Bridge board.
Not sure if 4+2 will hit dual channel; I think it depends on whether the sticks are single-sided or dual-sided...
Either way, if you have another 2GB lying around, just throw it in. Even in a worst-case scenario where you end up with 6GB in single channel, it's still better than having 4.
Coffee Lake won't work on an H270 or any other 200-series chipset.
Your best bet is grabbing a Z370 board paired with an i5 8400 Or go the Ryzen 5 1600 route with a B350 or X370 board.
If you're looking for something to last you 8 years, then sure, nothing is "too much." But honestly? I think it's overkill. Better to just save your cash now.
mellowtiger83 said:Every product comes with a factory warranty at an authorized service center, but what I really want to know is if stuff bought through them can actually be serviced here in the States? If they can handle it, fine. If not, then it's just a massive headache and a waste of time and sanity.
Just call an authorized service center for one of the brands you ordered and ask them directly. Honestly, it probably just comes down to the specific shop and whatever contract they have with the manufacturer. There aren't any federal laws covering this. I wouldn't bet on everyone accepting it.
Plug it into your PC and see exactly how much power you're pulling while a game is actually running... if you're sitting around 90W, you could probably swing a beefier card that pulls about 75W, like a GTX 1050 or a GTX 1050 Ti, or maybe an RX 560...$100 which is way more powerful than a GT 1030
What's the point of wasting money on some multimeter just to tell him how much power the setup pulls from the outlet? It won't say a damn thing about what the PSU is actually delivering on the 12V rail.
75W is cutting it pretty close. Theoretically, it works if the PSU is high quality, but a GT 1030 is basically a safe bet. I wouldn't overthink it.
The GT 1030 pulls about 30W, maybe 40W at most. It’ll definitely work. The graphics card on an Intel build probably uses half that. Besides, these big-brand prebuilts don't come with junk power supplies; if it's 85+ certified, it'll deliver what it says on the box. No need to worry.
Adam Moore3 said:I'm honestly curious to see how the FX series will hold up against newer titles—hopefully, they'll be better optimized for multi-core setups moving forward. Keeping my fingers crossed for you, 🙂
"How" it handles them? Some newer games are actually pretty well optimized. Obviously, don't expect 80+ FPS, but hitting that 50-60 range is doable.
Fortnite is easily the best optimized CPU title I've ever had on my rig.
It basically spreads evenly across all 8 threads of my i7 920, while my RX580 sits at 100% usage the whole time (playing at 1440p).
Adam Moore3 said:Hmm, honestly, I'm not sure if the graphics are actually that heavy. For instance, I play it on my laptop relatively smoothly at 40+ FPS with an i5 4200M and 8750M, yet when I'm home on my desktop with a G3220 and r7 260 x, I get tons of FPS drops and stuttering even on the lowest settings. Though, it's totally possible that's just due to the RAM—I've only got 4 GB on the PC.
Anyway, even though it looks kind of cartoony and "unserious," it isn't that easy to run, and you shouldn't underestimate it, ESPECIALLY on Ultra settings.
I run Fortnite at 1440p on an RX580 8GB, and it keeps my GPU pinned at 100% almost the entire time, sitting at 50-70 FPS. Obviously, that's all on Ultra settings, which is why I'm saying it's demanding. It probably scales for weaker hardware, though.
silentcobra3 said:Honestly, that’s a killer deal for an RX580. Getting it for just $50 cash? That's a steal, especially since Freesync monitors are way more budget-friendly than those pricey G-Sync ones.
Does Freesync even make a noticeable difference on a build like this?
Yeah, great deal.
Sapphire nitro is slightly better than that one, but the difference is negligible.
Look, Fortnite demands a lot from your GPU, but it’s actually really well-optimized for multi-core setups.
I wouldn't bother with a high-refresh monitor; your CPU might end up being the bottleneck there anyway. Personally, I'd go for a 1440p monitor instead.
Regarding overclocking, that cooler is decent enough, but don't expect miracles with those processors. I'd try hitting 4.0GHz first while dropping the voltage to see how stable things get.
This one is probably one of the best deals if you want a dual-fan setup.
Radeon prices have stabilized a bit lately, so an RX580 8GB is worth considering.
But hey, just check how each card performs specifically for the games you play.
There aren't many games out there where an AMD FX 8320 would actually bottleneck an R9 280 enough to justify a full platform upgrade right now. RAM is pricey, and with all the new tech dropping next year, I'd rather wait.
If the GPU was the bottleneck, I'd just swap the card. Prices have finally stabilized, and since nothing groundbreaking is hitting the shelves anytime soon, it's actually a decent window to buy.
Personally, if I had a bit more cash to burn, I'd jump straight to something like a GTX 1060 or an RX580 and pair it with a 1440p monitor.