Budget i5-4460 build: Is $3,000 worth it?

Hey, I'm just looking for a desktop tower—basically just the case and the guts—with an i5-4460 processor, ideally for under $1000... once I've managed to scrape some cash together later on, I'll definitely be picking up a dedicated graphics card.

Here it is:

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Seagate BarraCuda 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1 x Fortron 500W Hyper Power, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x MS PHOENIX case without PSU, Midi tower MBO: ATX, mATX
1 x ASUS H81M-K, 1150, Intel ® H81 express chipset, DDR3

$1007

The case isn't anything special, and neither is the motherboard, but nothing better fits within this budget. You have a pretty decent power supply, so you could pair this with a GPU like an R9 280. Also, you only have 4 GB of RAM, which you'll definitely need to upgrade to 8 GB if you're serious about gaming. Just keep in mind that this motherboard only has two RAM slots, so both will be filled once you add that second 4 GB stick.

Adam Moore3 said:Here you go:

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, 1150) Box
1 x 4GB DDR3 Crucial (1x4GB), 1600MHz CL11
1 x Seagate BarraCuda 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1 x Fortron 500W Hyper Power Supply, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x MS PHOENIX Case (no PSU included), Midi Tower, MBO: ATX, mATX
1 x ASUS H81M-K, 1150, Intel ® H81 express chipset, DDR3

$1007

The case isn't exactly anything to write home about, and neither is the motherboard... but honestly, when you're working with a tight budget, you just take what you can get, right? You actually have a pretty decent power supply though, so you could probably throw in a GPU like an R9 280 and be fine. Also—just a heads up—you've only got 4 GB of RAM here, which you'll definitely need to bump up to 8 if you want to actually play games seriously. And keep in mind this motherboard only has two RAM slots, so once you pop in a second 4 GB stick, both slots will be totally full...

where can I buy from Adam Moore3

That info is organized over at admin.com

If you want to play it safe, step up to a higher-quality motherboard and chassis—you definitely won't be looking to swap those out anytime soon:
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 soc 1150
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Seagate BarraCuda (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x Zalman T5 mini tower, black
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS (S1150, USB3.0 Header) mATX

Total: $1032

Free assembly and shipping via futura-it.com

Honestly, you’re better off just stretching the budget a little bit $133 so you actually get a decent case, a 1TB hard drive that'll outpace that Toshiba, 8GB of RAM, and a solid 500W power supply. Throw a GPU in later and you're golden. I don't see the point in being cheap here—it's not like we're talking massive amounts of money, and it makes a huge difference for the whole build. You'll thank yourself later.
Bottom line: this is just an example. If you really don't want to break the bank, pick one of the cheaper builds listed above!

Here’s how it looks:

1xIntel Core i5-4440 https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-4440-processor/p/N82E16816136372122

1xASRock H81M-HDS https://www.newegg.com/asrock-h81m-hds/p/N82E16813131234

1xKingston Technology ValueRAM 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Module https://www.newegg.com/kingston-technology-valueram-8gb-ddr3/p/N82E16817215345

1xSeagate BarraCuda 1TB SATA HDD, Serial ATA III, 1000 GB https://www.newegg.com/seagate-barraCuda-1tb-sata/p/N82E16822351234

Total: 2 $268 On Newegg, if you sign up for the PC Expert forum, you can snag a 3% discount, bringing the total to $907 (plus free shipping)!

1xFortron Hyper 500W, 80+ http://www.futura-it.com/catalog/computer-components/power-supply-hyper-500/

1x Zalman Z3, USB3.0 black, 3x120mm http://www.futura-it.com/catalog/computer-cases/zalman-z3/

Total: $232 Futura-it.com

Look, just because you think $150 doesn't mean the author feels the same way about their money. If they really just wanted to drop $1167 on a custom build, they would have just done it instead of making an entire thread titled "$3,000"... Plus, they already specified a 500W power supply to account for a future upgrade.

Adam Moore3 said:Just because you think $150 isn't a huge amount doesn't mean it's pocket change for the OP. If they really wanted to just toss $1167 at the rig, they would've just said so instead of putting "3000" right there in the title... Plus, they already mentioned they're running a 500W PSU for a future upgrade.

Look, it's all good, no need to get defensive. Just read my last sentence. 😉

Sean Garcia3 said:It's fine. No need to push back. Just read my last sentence. 😉

The point is, every build you agree with blows past the budget—whether it's an extra $100 or $500. You're picking what you want, not what the OP actually asked for.

We're building rigs based on the request, not based on what I, you, or some random tenth person wants. You can always go over budget if you want; that's the easy part.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:The point is, every single time you agree to a build, you somehow manage to blow past the budget by $100, $200, or even $500. It doesn't matter what the actual limit is—you just ignore it and pick whatever you feel like, completely disregarding what the OP actually asked for.

Look, we’re building this PC based on what the OP actually asked for, not based on what I want, what you want, or whatever random idea some tenth person has in their head. If you need to go over budget, just do it—that’s honestly the easiest part of this whole process.

Don't... I'm just not feeling it.

Sean Garcia3 said:Don't... I really don't feel like it!

I'm building a PC these days and I'm short about $133 so I was wondering if you could lend me some cash. Since it's not much to you, I'll pay you back as soon as I can...

Alexander Moore67 said:I'm building a PC right now and I'm short about $133 so I was wondering if you could lend me some cash since it's nothing to you. I'll pay you back when I can...

If we were actually friends, I wouldn't care, but since we aren't, sorry, not happening...
Honestly, why are people getting so worked up? Like I said before, just read my last sentence. From here on out, if anyone finds something unclear and feels the sudden urge to comment just to be difficult, please just do that.
To me, $133 isn't a huge amount. I get that it might be for someone else, but you can't exactly know what someone else's budget looks like. I gave a rough example and explained myself—if people can't grasp that, that's on them.

Sean Garcia3 said:If we were actual friends, I might care. But since we aren't...
I don't get why people are getting so worked up. Like I said, just read my last sentence. If anyone from here on out finds something unclear and feels the urge to comment, just go back and read it.
For me, $133 isn't a lot. I get that for some people it is, but you can't tell what's "too much" for someone else. I gave an approximate example and explained it; if you can't wrap your head around that, that's on you.

Stop giving "approximate" examples. You have a set budget. And even if you said it could swing by $100—$67...

Do you actually agree with the amount you "have" to work with?

If that's "extra" to you, then fine, just give the guy more so he can build the PC YOU want...

Nobody knows ahead of time. People provide the budget they can actually afford. Every topic has a price range you stick to based on reality, not based on whether you feel like throwing in another $100 or $167 more.