Budget gaming PC build for the kids

I just pulled the trigger on that kit about half an hour ago. 🤣

If it doesn't show up, I guess I'll just grab a $317 2800MHz Trident Z kit instead—it might even have better chips than that Micron one.

crimsonstag84 said:I actually just ordered that kit about half an hour ago 🤣

If it doesn't work out, I guess there's always that $317 2800MHz Trident Z kit available, which might even have better chips than that Western Digital one.

I'm also kind of confused about why the more expensive one is 2800 MHz when this one is 3000, plus that AMD option you suggested was 3000 too, so I figured I'd just go with the 3k one.😬

So, I guess the MHz thing doesn't really determine what's better or worse.🤷

@jure, how am I supposed to know what my laptop can handle? Do I just check the motherboard specs? Oh, and someone mentioned it goes into the CD-ROM slot?

The 3000 kits all come factory overclocked, usually bumping the voltage from 1.2V up to 1.35V. This Trident Z kit runs at 2800MHz with tighter timings, but stays at 1.2V. I guess if you bumped it to 1.35V, it could probably hit 3200MHz quite easily.

Adam Williams2 said:Honestly, I'm confused. Why is the more expensive one 2800 MHz when this other one is 3000, and the AMD one you suggested was also 3000? That’s why I went with the 3k one. 😬

So the MHz thing doesn't actually determine what's better or worse. 🤷

@wiredotter14, how am I supposed to know what fits in my laptop? Do I just check the motherboard? Oh, and someone told me it can go where the CD drive used to be.

Check the laptop specs, the user manual, or just crack the case open.

You can swap it into the DVD slot since it uses a SATA connection, but don't assume that works for every laptop. Even if SATA is standard, I'm not sure the physical dimensions always match up. Plus, you'll need a caddy to hold the SSD instead of the optical (DVD) drive.

I haven't really thought about it much since most modern laptops don't even have a DVD drive anymore.

Just tell me which specific laptop model you're working with.

P.S.

Regarding the RAM—like Smartic mentioned—the frequency isn't physically baked into the chip itself; it's just how it's configured. Basically, chips within a 200MHz range are pretty much similar.
If one stick has better latency, it might perform similarly to a 3000MHz stick at 2800MHz.

But whatever, once you boot the PC, the frequency will likely default to 2133MHz anyway, and you'll have to manually bump it up.
You do that in the BIOS with a few clicks. There are already profiles set up for those frequencies, so you don't have to type in settings manually; you just select 3000MHz and the BIOS handles the rest.
So, most likely, that 2800MHz stick will work fine even if you select 3000MHz.

wiredotter14 said:Could you let me know which specific laptop we're talking about?

.

Is there some kind of shortcut to find out the exact model on the machine itself, or am I going to have to go hunting through old paperwork?🤷

And regarding the memory... I mean, even if I get a pre-built computer or someone else puts one together for me, will I still need to mess around with BIOS settings and stuff? I guess we can figure that out whenever it becomes necessary.😁

I found

One is a Dell Inspiron 5558, and the other one is an Acer Aspire e1-570g

So, I guess if I can grab some kind of SSD on sale while the deal is still going and swap it into them, it would be pretty helpful to know which one might work😁

Adam Williams2 said:Is there a shortcut to see the exact model right on the machine, or am I stuck digging through old paperwork? 🤷

So, regarding the memory—you mean even if I build a complex rig myself, or if someone else puts it together for me, I’m still going to have to mess around with BIOS settings? Fine. We'll deal with that when the time actually comes to get it running. 😁

If the shop puts it together for you, they might set it up, but honestly, don't count on it. Usually, when they do an install, they just leave everything on the defaults because... well, that's just how defaults work.
You could just ask them to set the memory frequency to whatever is actually printed on the sticks.
Look, honestly? It’s nothing special. Literally just a few clicks.

Adam Williams2 said:Found it.

One's a Dell Inspiron 5558, the other's an Acer Aspire e1-570g.

So, if I can snag an SSD on sale while this deal is still live, I might as well grab one for them too. It wouldn't hurt to know which one to pick. 😁

These are your classic-style laptops—you get a 2.5" HDD plus an optical drive.

You’ve got two choices: swap out the HDD for an SSD, or just tuck an SSD into the optical drive bay.
The second one is the better way to go—you end up getting the best of both worlds.
I might even swap them—put the SSD where the original HDD was since that's the first SATA slot, but honestly, it probably doesn't matter.

Bottom line: just grab a standard 2.5" SSD and shove it in there.
Look, if you're pulling it out of the drive bay, you’ll need a replacement tray. You're gonna have to track one down somewhere or check in with a repair shop to see if they can find one for you.

If you're in Washington, D.C., I can point you toward a solid repair shop.
http://www.laptoprepair.com/
Check out this laptop repair shop over in Washington, D.C.: https://www.facebook.com/servislaptopazagreb/
I took my laptop down there, and then later brought my buddy's over too, just to get them cleaned up—basically just to have the thermal paste swapped out.

They charge you for that. $50 It’s not a bad idea to do that after a few years anyway—dust builds up, and you eventually need to refresh the thermal paste on the CPU.
A buddy of mine got an SSD upgrade through that service they offer. He swapped his old HDD out for an SSD right in the laptop, then grabbed a USB enclosure for the old HDD so he can just use it as a portable drive.
Once they pop that laptop open, it’s a five-minute job to swap it out.

Give them a call and ask how the hell they handle things when ordering a drive bay.
Probably easy enough to find.

If you think you don't need much storage, you could just do what my buddy did and stick with nothing but an SSD in your laptop.

wiredotter14 said:...

So, regarding Best Buy, I’m pretty much set on them since they actually recommended another service to me once before. Since I'm picking up some stuff from there today, I can always ask them about it again. But, what I'm really wondering is if I should grab two SSDs while they're still on sale at Best Buy—maybe one of these: http://prntscr.com/ln9vq5. I wonder if that Adata one is any good; maybe I'd put a bigger one in the Dell. There are also these ones http://prntscr.com/ln9wbx, but I was thinking about putting something smaller in the Acer just for Windows. What do you think? Any recommendations? 😁

Just grab whichever one has the longest warranty.

Otherwise, check which repair shop offers cleaning or thermal paste replacement. You might be able to bundle the SSD swap into that service—it should run you about $67, and honestly, getting the thing cleaned out isn't a bad idea anyway.

Or just ask a local shop about those drive caddies and what they’d charge for the job you want.

One piece of advice: if you go with a 120GB drive, you’re going to need to keep the HDD, otherwise you'll run out of storage space immediately. That means you'll definitely need the caddy option.

But looking at the cost—if the caddy and the labor end up costing you, I don't know, an extra $67 compared to just swapping the old HDD out—I’d rather just buy a bigger drive and replace the current HDD entirely. You'll be limited to the SSD capacity, but unless you're hoarding movies and stuff, 240GB is plenty for a laptop. Personally, I’d take that over a 120GB SSD paired with a 500GB HDD any day.

I was actually thinking about the Acer, since it’s the oldest one and probably the biggest headache right now. I figure putting a 120GB SSD in there and doing a fresh install of Windows might give it a little boost. Honestly, who knows what it'll end up being used for once the desktop is set up? Maybe it'll just be a laptop tossed in a bag for running errands or checking random stuff here and there. I guess I'll just grab this 250GB one for my Dell. Plus, they all have the same 36-month warranty anyway 😬

Just grab the 120GB one then; if you're just using it for random junk, you don't need anything bigger.

I'm telling you, check how much extra that caddy option actually costs. You don't want to end up paying more for the tray than the actual drive, so decide if you really need both inside.

It's way easier to just swap out the existing HDD instead.

36 months is fine. On those older machines, you won't even notice the difference between the cheapest model and a high-end one—you'll get a massive speed boost regardless. That's why we suggested a better SSD for a desktop PC, but for this, it's not that critical.

you recommended this , but I'm wondering if it's actually the same thing as this one ? Just want to make sure I've got that straight 😁

also, would this be that little bay where you pop out the old HDD and slide an SSD in its place? I think that's what I'm following, but maybe I'm wrong

Adam Williams2 said:you guys recommended this one, but is it actually the same thing as that one? Just trying to clear things up here 😁

and would this be that little enclosure where you swap out the old hard drive for an SSD? Did I get that right?

They aren't identical. The MX500 is a newer version, though there isn't a massive difference.
The real headache is that it shows as out of stock, otherwise, it would've been a great deal.

No, that's not the enclosure you're looking for. That's just for turning an SSD into an external drive. You need one specifically designed for internal laptop installation.

So, something like these.
I can't tell you exactly which one fits your laptop without knowing the specific model.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2.5+laptop+hard+drive+caddy

wiredotter14 said:They aren't quite the same since the MX500 is a newer version, though I guess there isn't a massive difference.
The only real bummer is that it shows as unavailable, otherwise, it would have been a pretty sweet deal.

I grabbed it while it was still in stock, so maybe that's fine for the desktop build I'm planning?

I think we had a little misunderstanding about the drive bay. I'm asking if you can just take the HDD out of a laptop—like that friend of yours you mentioned—and then slide an SSD right into its spot. You know what I mean? 😁

Adam Williams2 said:I grabbed it while it was still available. So, we’re good for a desktop setup, right?

Look, we’re clearly talking past each other here. I’m asking about the drive caddy. My question is: once you pull the old HDD out of the laptop—like that friend of yours you mentioned earlier—can you just slide an SSD right into that same slot? You get what I'm asking? 😁

Yeah, that SSD looks solid. You scored a killer deal on that.

As for that tray... honestly, I have no clue what it's actually for.

All you need is a basic 2.5" SATA external enclosure that plugs into your computer via USB.

They're everywhere. You can find them a million different ways.
Looking for 2.5" USB enclosures. Check this out: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=usb+2.5+enclosure

For example.

I don't know what you guys are looking at here. This case? It’s just a box. A plain, basic chassis for a TV setup. If you're trying to build something specific, this might work, but there isn't much to say about it. It's just hardware. Nothing special.

Looking at this listing for TV cabinets. Prices seem all over the place. Hard to tell if any of these are actually worth the money or just overpriced junk. Typical.

aha, thanks man 🙏

if the professors around me had put in this much effort back in the day, I guess I might have actually become a doctor 🤣 🙏

Adam Williams2 said:haha, thanks man 🙏

If professors actually put this much effort into teaching me, I might’ve actually become a doctor by now. 🤣 🙏

🤣🙂

P.S.

Doesn't matter if the case supports SATA III or just SATA II for an HDD. An HDD is naturally way slower than even the SATA II limit anyway. Just make sure you grab one with USB 3.0.

The biggest distinction between those two SSDs is really just the warranty—you’re getting 5 years on the MX500 versus 3 years on the MX300. That being said, you made a solid call; that discount was too good to pass up.

Hey everyone, hey hey! I haven't actually picked up my computer yet—I was waiting on my paycheck, but now that it's finally here, I'm super excited to finally get this done...

So, since we were all putting things together earlier, you know, back when you guys were helping me, that MS Shadow case we talked about ended up being unavailable. So, I could really use some recommendations. I’m thinking about grabbing everything from Micro Center, but I also need a suggestion for a network card because the one I grabbed during that sale didn't actually show up in the shipment 😁

So, based on this— http://prntscr.com/lszwig

I still need a decent case that has some cool lighting, plus a network card since I'll need to connect via Wi-Fi 🙂

There are also a few little things I'm curious about, so if anyone is feeling generous enough to explain them to me...

For example, the power supply is only 550W, but I see there are ones that go up to 600W or even higher. Is 550W enough, and what are those stronger ones actually used for?

Also, I noticed the graphics card mentions DDR5, but we put together DDR4 memory here. Why wouldn't we use DDR5 instead? What's the actual difference? 🤷

And regarding the monitor, the recommendation was this 24-inch AOC, but what would you suggest if I wanted a 27-inch or maybe something even larger?

Thanks so much for the help 😁