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Budget PC build around $400

Started by analogtinker75 · · 👁 4 views · 7 replies

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Participants analogtinker75crimsonstag84fadedorca66
analogtinker75 analogtinker75 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Mar 2007
#1 ·
Hey there.
I need some eyes on a build I'm putting together. It's mostly for office work, general browsing, and messing around with photo and video editing on the side—plus streaming movies in Full HD. Gaming is actually at the bottom of my priority list, just something light if I feel like it.

I've got two different configurations sitting in front of me and I'd appreciate some feedback on them, specifically if I should swap anything out or if I'm missing something vital. Both of these setups lack a dedicated GPU, so I'm wondering if that's going to be a massive dealbreaker for what I want to do.

Option one:

Option two:
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#2 ·
The second option is definitely better. I’ve put together a slightly upgraded version here (better case, power supply, and drive, plus an extra cooler):

Intel Core i5 Desktop PC
GIGABYTE Main Board Desktop AMD A68 (GA-F2A68HM-S1)
Fortron 400W Power Supply
Corsair Vengeance DDR3 RAM, 1866MHz, 8GB Black HX318C10FB/8
Zalman micro tower case black, ZAL-ZM-T1 PLUS
Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm
LC Power CPU Cooler LC-CC-95 - 90mm Intel/AMD

Intel / AMD total: $821 Centro
analogtinker75 analogtinker75 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Mar 2007
#3 ·
I’ll probably need a DVD burner too, but my real headache is the lack of a dedicated GPU. I’ve always preferred having that extra headroom for graphics just in case I decide I want something more out of this rig than what's currently on tap. Plus, let's be honest, web browsers and apps are getting increasingly bloated and demanding by the day, and since I plan on riding this machine for a long time, I don't want to be stuck with an underpowered setup before I know it.

What’s the verdict on that GeForce GTX integrated graphics from the other suggestion, or should I just bite the bullet and grab a dedicated card?
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#4 ·
The performance is still about $30 higher... the integrated graphics on this processor are actually more powerful than all those cheap cards up to $167, so it should handle everything just fine, except maybe heavy gaming on max settings. You can always grab a dedicated GPU later and just disable the onboard one 😉
analogtinker75 analogtinker75 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Mar 2007
#5 ·
Alright, thanks. Look, is that cooler actually necessary? I've been reading that a third-party cooler for this CPU is overkill since the TDP is only 65W—and you can even drop it down to 45W if you need to.

Also, I found this recommendation for a motherboard: ASUS FM2A Motherboard (FM2+, DDR3, DVI/VGA, USB3.0, SATA III) mATX ASR-FM2A78M-DG3+

What’s your take on it based on what you suggested earlier?
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#6 ·
It’s true, you don't strictly need it for that processor. You could probably just grab a better motherboard with an A88 chipset instead:
analogtinker75 analogtinker75 NewcomerOP
1 message
joined Mar 2007
#7 ·
The fact that these boards don't have HDMI isn't even a real issue since I can just throw on a DVI to HDMI adapter, right?
So, looking at the options, which motherboard would actually be the better call—that one you mentioned with the A88 chipset, or that ASUS one I brought up earlier?
fadedorca66 fadedorca66 Regular
372 messages
joined Nov 2022
#8 ·
Fine, take this one:
http://www.newegg.com/asus-a88xm-e-motherboard/p/N82E16813149210

It’s got HDMI, so you won't have to mess around with adapters.

I’d probably skip ASRock; they can be a bit finicky with their LGA 1151 sockets. I actually own one, and there are a few little things about it that just get on my nerves...

And definitely grab two sticks to hit 4GB of faster RAM—your GPU will perform way better if the memory is running in dual channel.

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