CheckEmoji Community · the emoji forum
🏠 Home 🆕 What's new ❓ Unanswered 🔥 Popular 📡 RSS Members 👥 0 online log in · register
Home › IT › Hardware › Desktops › Budget build around $5k – any suggestions?

Budget build around $5k – any suggestions?

Started by Thomas Miller3 · · 👁 4 views · 4 replies

📡 Subscribe to replies

Participants Thomas Miller3graniteharbor85Alexander Moore67
Thomas Miller3 Thomas Miller3 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Jul 2010
#1 ·
Hey everyone, so a buddy of mine reached out because he wants to pick up a PC, and he sent me some links like this:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/example_link

It looks decent enough—it'll definitely work. But we can do better, right?

He just needs a rig for browsing, streaming movies, general internet stuff... nothing heavy. His only game is FIFA. So, I cobbled together a list by pulling parts from some other threads; I think it’s solid, but I could really use a second opinion or any suggestions if something could be improved.

Custom Build:
1 x Intel Core i3 6100
1 x MSI H110M Pro-VD, Skylake, DDR4, 1151
1 x Windows Home 10 64Bit Eng Intl 1pk DSP OEI DVD
1 x Kingston DRAM 8GB 2133MHz DDR4 Non-ECC CL15 DIMM 2Rx8, EAN: 740617242713
1 x SSD SanDisk Z400s 128GB, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s - 60mj
1 x HDD Toshiba P300 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x LG DVD+/-RW DL 24/8/12/12× (dual layer), S-ATA, bulk, black
1 x Corsair CX430 PSU, 430W, CX Series
1 x Zalman T1 PLUS, mATX, USB3.0 black
1 x Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce GTX 750, 2GB DDR5, 128 bit, DVI-I*1/DVI-D*1/HDMI
Total: $1828

- I figure the i3 is more than enough. If my old laptop processor handles everything I throw at it, this i3 Skylake will be fine for him.
- The motherboard is just a copy-paste from another thread. It should be okay, right? No ghost issues or random Blue Screens of Death waiting to happen?
- Honestly, 4 gigs of RAM would probably suffice, but hey, 8 gigs is dirt cheap these days so why not.
- Included an SSD so everything runs smooth (my laptop's hard drive drives me insane), is this one alright? And that Toshiba drive—should be good, right? No weird firmware bugs or surprises?
- Got a GPU in there so he can actually play FIFA in Full HD like a normal person.
- Is this Corsair CX430 overkill? It says it's quiet, which is a plus. If the stock coolers on the GPU and CPU are also quiet, it'd be a nice setup for someone keeping the PC in their bedroom.
- And yeah, Windows. I don't know if anyone's going to install those "free" versions for him. Is this DSP OEI version the one that ties to the new build?

One last thing, I need some clarification: does the shop assemble and test everything before shipping for free? Will they actually install Windows and the drivers and make sure everything works? And do they offer a warranty on the whole configuration?

Also, any monitor recommendations? My friend is looking at this one, but I have no clue: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/example_monitor

Thanks! Cheers.
graniteharbor85 graniteharbor85 Active Member
116 messages
joined Apr 2014
#2 ·
It’s a pretty solid build for what he needs, but honestly—if I were him—I’d ditch Windows and grab an I5 4460/6400 instead. It’s just better for future-proofing, you know? That way he can swap in a beefier graphics card down the road without worrying about the CPU being a total bottleneck. Everything else looks well-researched, though I’d definitely steer clear of that Corsair CX 430. It’s a bit of a dud power supply that’s been rebranded a few times and tends to die on people left and right—definitely skip it. He should go with something more reliable like a Fortron Hexa + 400 w or maybe an XFX TS 450W. Shipping is free if you spend over $667, and if they order Windows with it, the shop will handle the OS and driver installs so they can make sure everything is running perfectly before it ships. Plus, the warranty works just like any other retailer—parts are covered individually, and the whole rig comes with a 12-month warranty that includes free diagnostics if anything goes sideways.

Edit: What kind of budget are we looking at for a monitor?
Thomas Miller3 Thomas Miller3 NewcomerOP
2 messages
joined Jul 2010
#3 ·
Thanks for the heads-up. I appreciate you warning me about that Corsair unit; they used to be pretty solid back in the day, but not so much now. We'll just stick with the Hex then.
As for Windows, even with those "free" versions floating around, you’re still essentially paying someone else for the service, which is just another headache he doesn't need. This way, everything shows up at his door ready to plug and play, which is exactly what we're aiming for (forgot to mention that earlier). Honestly, I'd just build the OS for him myself if I weren't stuck here in the States.

He didn't specify the monitor, but looking at the specs in this link, let's call it a 2K setup.
graniteharbor85 graniteharbor85 Active Member
116 messages
joined Apr 2014
#4 ·
An AOC like this should be more than enough.
Alexander Moore67 Alexander Moore67 Active Member
137 messages
joined Jun 2013
#5 ·
http://www.dell.com/en-us/p/dell-24-monitor-p2414h/pd
this one comes with DVI if you'd rather use that instead of HDMI

You must log in or register to reply here.

Log in Register

🔗 Similar threads