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Home office PC build ideas?

Started by Joshua Garcia3 · · 👁 7 views · 104 replies

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Participants Joshua Garcia3wiredotter14Bryan Taylor6Andrew Miller102Kimberly Gomez34wanderingbison9Adam Moore3Alexander Moore67Larry Barrett2Anthony Rivera9swiftfalcon89William Richardson12fadedorca66boldpilot5crimsonstag84granitecrane2mistypanther11Tyler Jones46
wiredotter14 wiredotter14 Regular
433 messages
joined Aug 2007
#21 ·
Joshua Garcia3 said:It’s an EVGA SuperNOVA 500 GT. It’s about 6 years old now, but it was just sitting in a backup rig—probably only actually powered on maybe 20 times. Barely used. You really think it’s trash? Think I should just swap it out?

The link is right here.

If they aren't beat up, they should be fine. An i3 build paired with an RTX 1650 Super probably pulls maybe 200W under load.
Andrew Miller102 Andrew Miller102 Active Member
81 messages
joined Jul 2024
#22 ·
wiredotter14 said:@Cilim if you can swing the budget for a GTX 1650 Super, it’s a much better value than the GTX 1050Ti.
If the 1650S is out of reach, go for the 1050Ti since it's significantly stronger than integrated graphics and will handle most games reasonably well.

@Andrew Miller102/">@@Andrew Miller102, take it easy, the guy is just trying to pick out a GPU.

"I mentioned it just as an aside," as if I'm blind to what's being bought here. 😁 Besides, it really is absurd that they're still pushing that ancient HDMI 1.4 standard—which hasn't been relevant since 2009—onto modern motherboards and sockets even now in 2020.🍿
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#23 ·
Alright, fine, he made his point. Don't just keep 😁

Joshua Garcia3 said:So, the selection has been narrowed down to these parts:

ASUS H410M-H Motherboard, Intel H410, LGA1200, micro ATX - $166
Intel Core i3-10100F CPU, 3.6GHz (Turbo 4.3 GHz), LGA1200, boxed, no integrated graphics - $231
Patriot Viper Steel PVS416G320C6K Memory, 16GB DDR4 3200MHz, CL16, (2x8GB) - $185
480 GB CRUCIAL BX500 SSD, CT480BX500SSD1, SATA3, 2.5", max up to 540/500 MB/s - $139
Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200rpm HDD, 64MB, Barracuda, ST1000DM010 - $99

Now all that's left is the graphics card. The suggestion was either gtx 1650 super or gtx 1050 ti?

Honestly, I would ditch the HDD and that SATA SSD entirely and just grab a 1TB NVMe SSD instead (every modern platform supports them now). Look for something with a 5-year warranty—starting with options like the Kingston A2000 or the Crucial P1. You can find them here:$300

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=1tb+A2000 - Best Buy has some decent deals, though search engines don't always show everything.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=crucial+p1+1tb

Of course, you know how much storage space you actually need. Judging by the architecture of the next-gen consoles that just hit the market, an SSD is going to become a requirement for gaming.

Regarding the GPU—definitely go with the gtx 1650 super if the budget allows. Pay close attention to that "super" part; it’s noticeably better than the standard gtx 1650, and it doesn't cost significantly more.

If your power supply is reliable, stick with it. It won't be a major drain on your resources.

Here, go ahead and compare prices across different retailers.

i3 10100f
ASRock H410m-hdv
2x8gb ddr4 3000mhz - BTW, the H410 chipset can't actually push memory at 3000mhz, but buy it anyway since it isn't any more expensive than 2133mhz (plus, it might come in handy later or make it easier to resell).
GTX 1650 super - Prioritize a GPU with a 3-year warranty over one with two. A single-fan model is more than enough and stays quiet.
Joshua Garcia3 Joshua Garcia3 Active MemberOP
70 messages
joined Jun 2008
#24 ·
Timothy Kim60 said:To be honest, I’d probably just ditch the HDD and that SATA SSD entirely. I'd just go with a single 1TB NVMe SSD instead—pretty much any modern platform supports those anyway. Maybe look for one with a solid 5-year warranty, specifically something like a Samsung 970 EVO or a Western Digital Blue. You can find them for under $300

I haven't really messed around with an NVMe SSD before. On a Gigabyte motherboard, I can see exactly where that NVMe SSD slots in because there's a visible M.2 connector right on the board, but I don't see a connector like that on this Asrock motherboard
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#25 ·
My apologies, the ASROCK H410M-HDV/M.2 actually features that connector 🤦

It’s honestly hard to believe there are still boards out there lacking this. It’s been the industry standard for at least 3 or 4 years now.

EDIT

Just grab the cheapest H410 you can find that includes an M.2 slot. That is, unless you’re planning to upgrade to an i7 or i9 down the road—in that case, you should look into B460 boards priced around $80. You'll need decent VRMs for those chips, and that's usually where the pricing starts to climb.
Joshua Garcia3 Joshua Garcia3 Active MemberOP
70 messages
joined Jun 2008
#26 ·
Joshua Garcia3 said:So, I've narrowed my list down to these specific parts:

ASUS Prime H410M-E Motherboard, Intel H410, LGA1200, mATX - $166
Intel Core i3-10100F CPU, 3.6GHz (Turbo 4.3 GHz), LGA1200, boxed, no integrated graphics - $231
Corsair Vengeance LPX Memory, 16GB DDR4 3200MHz, CL16, (2x8GB) - $185
480 GB CRUCIAL BX500 SSD, CT480BX500SSD1, SATA3, 2.5", up to 540/500 MB/s - $139
1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD 3.5" 7200rpm, 64MB, ST1000DM010 - $99

Now I just need a GPU. I was thinking maybe an NVIDIA GTX 1650 super or perhaps an NVIDIA GTX 1050 ti?

If I swapped out that Intel Motherboard and Intel i3 combo for an AMD motherboard and processor at roughly the same $433 price point, would I be able to get something better—maybe more powerful—assuming everything else stays exactly as listed above? Or...

EDIT: From what I can see, for about $433 I might be able to grab:

- AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU, AM4 socket, 12nm, YD1600BBAFBOX
- ASUS Prime A320M-K Motherboard, AM4 Socket, AMD A320, 2x DDR4, max 32 GB, mATX

Is that actually an upgrade over the Intel setup mentioned earlier, or am I mistaken...
Bryan Taylor6 Bryan Taylor6 Active Member
179 messages
joined Oct 2017
#27 ·
I think going with the 6-core processor is the smarter long-term move. The motherboard is just an entry-level model, so look for one with "v2" in the name. My guess is that comes with a 350 chipset, which actually lets you overclock the CPU. With a 320, you can forget about it. Even if some brands label their v2 as a 320, it's different under the hood... the real question is, do you even need to overclock?
wiredotter14 wiredotter14 Regular
433 messages
joined Aug 2007
#28 ·
Joshua Garcia3 said:If I swapped out that Intel's motherboard and Intel i3 combo for an AMD board and CPU at that same price point—roughly $433—could I get better performance if everything else stays the same? Or...

EDIT: Looking at what you can grab for about $433, this seems doable:

- CPU AMD Ryzen 5 1600 BOX, s. AM4, AF 12nm, YD1600BBAFBOX
- MBO Asus Prime A320M-K, Socket AM4, AMD A320, 2x DDR4, max. 32 GB, mATX, AGP

Is that actually better than the Intel setup mentioned above?

It's better for futureproofing because of the extra cores. Plus, the upgrade path is significantly better, especially if you pick up a B450 board (they aren't expensive).
On the flip side, the i3 10100 f is actually slightly faster on average right now and won't be obsolete for gaming anytime soon. It’s slower than the 1600 which has more "muscle," but it holds its own today.

If you're cutting it close with your budget, stick to the i3 + H410 option rather than going Ryzen + AMD A320.

@Mahun, there's no real need to overclock, but a B450 is the smarter move for the upgrade path and general features. You could drop a 5000 series chip into a B450 board in a couple of years without any headache, giving you a massive upgrade with minimal effort.
Bryan Taylor6 Bryan Taylor6 Active Member
179 messages
joined Oct 2017
#29 ·
If you could actually stretch the limits of a B450 motherboard, that would be the dream. I'm right there with you...
Joshua Garcia3 Joshua Garcia3 Active MemberOP
70 messages
joined Jun 2008
#30 ·
wiredotter14 said:It’s probably better if you're thinking about being future-proof since there are more cores, plus the upgrade path is significantly better—especially if you pick up a B450 motherboard (they aren't exactly pricey).
On the flip side, an i3-10100F is actually averaging slightly faster right now and won't be outdated for gaming anytime soon, at least compared to the 1600AF which has decent substance but feels a bit slower lately.

If you're working with a tight budget, I guess you might be better off going the i3 plus H410 route rather than pairing a Ryzen with an A320 board.

@Mahun, there isn't really a need to overclock, but a B450 is likely the smarter move because of the upgrade potential and general feature set. You could drop a 5000 series chip into a B450 board in a couple of years without any drama, giving you a solid upgrade with minimal effort.

Yeah, if you even slightly lean toward a B450 motherboard, the budget starts to creep up, I guess. 🙄
wiredotter14 wiredotter14 Regular
433 messages
joined Aug 2007
#31 ·
Joshua Garcia3 said:Yeah, touch one component like an MBO B450 and suddenly the budget skyrockets, huh. 🙄

Look, if you're just looking at entry-level options for both, there isn't much of a gap. You can find a B450 board for cheap. Sure, a beefier one would be better, but when money is tight, entry-level B450 gets the job done. $167 What's your actual total budget for this whole build? And does having an upgrade path later actually matter to you?
If you're really scraping by, an i3 is a solid move.
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#32 ·
Joshua Garcia3 said:Yeah, even a tiny bump in specs means you need a bigger budget, doesn't it? 🙄

Look, it’ll run just fine on a Boeing 737, but honestly, it’s a missed opportunity if you don't grab an AMD B450 with four RAM slots and a decent VRM heatsink—like the AsRock Pro4 or the Gigabyte DS3H $200
.
With an AMD B450, you get much better RAM speed support (which modern games actually care about now, even with a dedicated GPU), overclocking headroom, and a guaranteed upgrade path to the Ryzen 5000 series (BIOS updates should be rolling out by January if they haven't already).

Sure, there are some Boeing 737 boards that might support Ryzen 5000 via beta BIOS updates from AsRock, and maybe official support will follow later, but sticking with the 400 chipset is the much safer bet for long-term support.
Bryan Taylor6 Bryan Taylor6 Active Member
179 messages
joined Oct 2017
#33 ·
Bryan Taylor6 said:That might still apply from a few weeks ago. Maybe go for a beefier GPU and then get a matching power supply from the same brand, or just stick with a classic hard drive for extra storage...

intel i3-10100f $231
asrock h410m-hvs motherboard $156
2x8gb patriot viper steel 3200mhz $169
Kingston SSD 500GB, A2000,
M.2 2280, NVMe, PCIe 3.0 $163
Zalman S4 Midi Tower window Black $93
Fortron 400 w Hexa 80 PLUS power supply, $111
KFA2 GTX1650 SUPER EX, 1-Click OC, 4GB $442

USA news

Alexander Moore67 put this all together in a thread up until $1333 recently, so use that as a guide... CPU, motherboard, RAM—that's the core. Everything else you can mix and match... depending on what you want and what you can afford...

Correction
The Asrock h410 doesn't have an M.2 slot for an SSD, so you'll need to grab any H410 motherboard that actually includes an M.2 slot.
Joshua Garcia3 Joshua Garcia3 Active MemberOP
70 messages
joined Jun 2008
#34 ·
Bryan Taylor6 said:Power Supply
The Asrock h410 doesn't actually have an M.2 slot for an SSD, so I guess you'd need to grab any H410 motherboard that actually includes one.

Exactly, we realized that pretty much immediately. 😁 There is an Asrock h410 M. 2 available, but the price jumps up quite a bit compared to the standard Asrock h410.
Alexander Moore67 Alexander Moore67 Active Member
137 messages
joined Jun 2013
#35 ·
I'm looking for a Biostar H410MHG$165
Joshua Garcia3 Joshua Garcia3 Active MemberOP
70 messages
joined Jun 2008
#36 ·
GigaByte H410M-H is $166
Bryan Taylor6 Bryan Taylor6 Active Member
179 messages
joined Oct 2017
#37 ·
Aside from Asrock and Biostar, I'm always going with Gigabyte
Larry Barrett2 Larry Barrett2 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Aug 2013
#38 ·
Hey, I need a hand picking out a home setup.
Which one of these two is actually worth the money?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-desktop/p/541302001234

https://www.microcenter.com/site/desktop-computers/hp-pavilion-desktop/product/example
Alexander Moore67 Alexander Moore67 Active Member
137 messages
joined Jun 2013
#39 ·
Larry Barrett2 said:Hey, I'm looking for a home computer setup.
Which one of these is the better pick?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/computer-desktop/p/example-link-1

https://www.microcenter.com/site/computer-desktop/p/example-link-2

https://www.amazon.com/desktop-computer/dp/example-link-3
Larry Barrett2 Larry Barrett2 Newcomer
3 messages
joined Aug 2013
#40 ·
What do we think about this deal from General Motors?
The longer I sit on my hands, the more these prices climb. That build from Future with the 5500XT 8GB is already sold out...

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