Build recommendations under $900

Greetings everyone,

I am seeking some guidance regarding a PC build with a budget capped at $8,000—though I might stretch to $9,000 if the performance jump justifies the extra cost.
This machine isn't intended for gaming; rather, it's a workstation designed for professional tasks that demand significant CPU power and high RAM capacity, especially since it will be driving a dual-monitor setup consisting of two 42" 4K displays.
I certainly wouldn't consider anything with less than 16GB of RAM, and while the GPU doesn't need to be a top-tier powerhouse since gaming isn't the priority, I want something capable enough so it isn't obsolete within a year. For storage, a Samsung 870 EVO will suffice for the OS and essential files, as everything else will be handled via external drives.

https://www.bestbuy.com/ra...D1050/product/
I would appreciate your thoughts on the configuration listed above. Is it actually worth the investment? I happen to live near a major hub where Best Buy has a local branch, which would be quite convenient for any potential repairs or support issues.

Alternatively, if there is an absolutely stellar configuration out there, please feel free to suggest it.

I realize I am asking for quite a bit of your time, so thank you in advance for your effort and assistance.

Best regards,

I can't believe Best Buy is asking $3000 for that junk. It’s barely worth 4 bucks. I guess you should probably wait until someone builds you something decent instead of rushing out to grab that.

That pre-built from Best Buy isn't ideal. For multitasking, an 8700K won't give you any real edge over an Intel Core, it just pulls more power. Plus, the PSU is a total mystery—it just says 500W. You can definitely pick better components.

The setup in the Future

A future great SSD with a 5-year warranty, 32GB of RAM, and a decent semi-modular PSU.

The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads, comes with a perfectly fine cooler, and honestly, you don't even need to overclock this Ryzen 7 2700 xX. The boost clock is plenty good on its own.
If you want to save some cash, grab the standard 2700 instead, spend the difference on an extra cooler, and overclock it yourself.

The platform has staying power. You'll have room to upgrade to newer generations later, likely when they drop those 12 or 16-core chips for this same socket.

You could cut costs on the case, the GPU, or the SSD (though I’d still suggest going with an NVMe SSD if it fits your budget, since this one is a future great SSD).

fadedorca66 said:I can't believe Best Buy is asking $3000 for that junk. It’s barely worth 4 bucks. I guess you should probably wait until someone builds you something decent instead of rushing out to grab that.

It's not quite as bad as saying it's only worth 4, but some of the specs are completely wrong and totally unoptimized.
For example, putting an H310 motherboard—which is basic entry-level stuff—with an 8700K processor is a massive mistake. Plus, they don't even mention what kind of cooler they paired with the 8700K. Honestly, there's almost a 100% chance that CPU is going to throttle, whether it's because of heat or just lacking enough power.

Cooler Master Hyper 212, socket: 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011, 2011-3, 2066, AM4, ACFRE00028A
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 1700 x box, 3.4GHz, 16MB Cache, s. AM4
DDR4 32GB (2x16GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX Black, 3000MHz,CL16, CMK32GX4M2C3000C16, CMK32GX4M2D3000C16
Motherboard ASUS ROG Strix X370-F gaming, 90MB0UI0-M0EAY0, s AM4
Power Supply 550W Fortron Hydro GE, ATX 2.4, PPA5504501
Case Fractal Design case, black
SSD 250GB Samsung 970 evo, M.2 2280, MZ-V7E250BW
Graphics Card EVGA RX 570 4G D5 Nitro plus OC, 4GB GDDR5, 256-bit, 1340/1750MHz, 11266-14-20G, 11266-46-20G

Total: $2.75 - ADM

I guess I'd save $367 by going with the 1700 x instead of the Ryzen 7 2700 x since there's maybe a 10% difference. Threw in a high-end board for $67 more.

👍👍

Solid combo.

Only if you're obsessed with CPU performance. If the processor is going to be the bottleneck for whatever this rig is actually doing, then dropping an extra 10-15% just to get a 10% speed boost isn't a bad call.

+ Also, not sure if the improved RAM support on the 2000 series makes a real difference. It's got a better memory controller, but how does that actually play out with 16-32GB of high-speed RAM?

RAM speed probably won't even matter to him (though he hasn't been super specific about which software he's actually running), since you really only see those kinds of performance gaps in gaming when you're paired with a high-end GPU.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/...nalysis/4.html

I really appreciate everyone stepping up to help. 👍👍👍🙂
I’m still weighing my options; I’ll admit I'm feeling a bit out of my depth here..😵
The real dilemma is avoiding the temptation to just "throw money at the problem." It's easy to get pulled toward the premium, higher-priced options, but I have to wonder if that extra cost actually offers any tangible value 🙂

@Kimberly Gomez34

My setup consists of a massive amount of browser tabs, several standalone trading applications, Excel, and a connected DVB-S2 PC card (TBS5925 - 5927) that tends to be quite demanding on the processor.
https://www.tbsdtv.com/products/tbs5...tuner-usb.html

Even if I decide to use this machine for occasional gaming, it isn't a priority—truthfully, I probably won't even launch a game.

Thanks again, truly.🙂

Honestly, either one of those two works fine.

crimsonstag84 hooked you up with a better motherboard, so that’s a solid investment right there.

You’ll have to judge for yourself if paying more for the processor is worth getting that extra ~10% performance during heavy CPU tasks.

Personally? I'd go with what crimsonstag84 suggested. That 1700 x is a killer deal, and with that better board, you won't have any issues upgrading to the 3000 series down the road.

I honestly can't believe you'd need such a powerhouse PC for that. Honestly, 16 GB—or even just 8 GB—paired with an Intel Core 1600x or 2600 (with those 6 cores and 12 threads) is more than enough to get the job done. If you really want to beef things up, upgrading the GPU to something like an EVGA RX 570 is only going to cost you a few extra bucks...

My best guess is that a handful of basic apps won't be able to chew through that much processing power or RAM anyway.

I was actually wondering if 32GB might be overkill right now. I can scrape by on 8GB, and I suspect a single 16GB stick should suffice for the time being, assuming I can just pop in another one later if the need arises.

Indeed, I think I'll go with the option suggested by crimsonstag84; having that headroom for a future upgrade would be ideal if things ever get demanding.

A bit of a headache here: I'm running a custom-made application that tends to pin the CPU because it hasn't been optimized. Honestly, it needs a complete ground-up rebuild, but since it's being dictated by higher management, we just have to make do with this version.
It might even pass with 8GB, but I’d rather move up to 16GB just to ensure it's a step forward from my current setup.😎

https://www.newegg.com/p/product...c16&code=83377
Is this 16GB module a solid choice?

Thanks again, everyone. Much appreciated.🙂

Uh, I'd say RAM prices will probably drop about 15-20% by the end of winter, so maybe you could just grab one 16GB stick now and pick up another 16GB one in three months.

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if I could get some help putting together a PC build with an $8,000 budget—well, maybe a bit less than that, $3.00.
The main thing is that this machine will be used mostly for watching high-res movies, multitasking with a bunch of different apps open at once, having way too many tabs running in the browser, and doing some photo editing work...
It’s not really meant for heavy gaming, so I don't think we need a crazy high-end graphics card or anything. Just maybe a decent best buy so they can play a game here and there when the mood strikes.
One important thing is that it needs to be able to connect to at least two monitors (they're older models, so I don't have all the specific details on them right now).
Also, since there will be several external HDDs (probably 3 or 4) plugged in constantly, it would be really helpful if the case had plenty of front-facing USB ports available.
I've been seeing a lot of suggestions lately for either a Ryzen 5 2600 x or a Ryzen 7 2700 x, but I'm a little confused about whether I'll need to buy an extra cooler, since I think one might already be included with the processor.
I was also thinking about including a 500GB-ish SSD and 16GB of RAM... and if possible, maybe a motherboard that comes with built-in WiFi...
Which motherboard and graphics card would you say are the best buy for this setup?

I suppose it’s probably possible to put something together for even less money that would still cover everything I mentioned above.
But my friend is really looking for something that will last him through the next 10 years of average daily use.

Thanks so much.

Some Best Buy items:

1 * EVGA AMD Radeon RX 580
SKU: 11265-09-20G - $510

1 * Ryzen 5 2600 x processor (6C/12T, 3.9GHz, 19MB, 65W, AM4) box, Wraith Stealth
SKU: YD2600BBAFBOX - $453

1 * MSI B450 GAMING PLUS, S.AM4
SKU: B450_GAMING_PLUS - $266

1 * GSkill Aegis 16GB (2x8) DDR4 3000MHz memory
SKU: F4-3000C16D-16GISB - $333

1 * Crucial SSD 500GB MX500 SATA
SKU: CRU-CT500MX500SSD1 - $220

1 * Cooler Master Hyper 212 cooler, socket 1151/1150/1155/1156/2011-v3/2011/AM4
SKU: 050.903.341- - $66

1 * SAMA ARMOR 550W 80PLUS GOLD
SKU: 0151335 - $150

Total: $1998, plus a future great SSD

All that's left is a case and maybe an HDD if they want one (anywhere from 1TB to 3TB). They can pick whatever they like since there are so many options—tempered glass, flashy RGB gamer styles, or sleek, closed designs. Just make sure it's a mid-tower that supports ATX motherboards and ideally has at least two fans for airflow.

I was wondering how much sense it actually makes to spring for a slightly better processor right out of the gate, maybe something like an Intel Core Ryzen 5 2600 x or even an Intel Core Ryzen 7 2700 x? I'm definitely not the type to ever mess around with overclocking, so that's off the table.
In that scenario, would it be worth picking up a slightly higher-end motherboard and perhaps a bit more robust power supply too?

I mean, if we're looking at spending somewhere around $2.75, does it really make sense to go that route, and just how much of a jump in performance would that configuration actually give compared to what I've got planned?

Thanks!

I don't think it's really worth splurging on a beefier processor or a higher-end motherboard. Maybe just grab a power supply with a longer warranty instead.

He doesn't necessarily need a better motherboard or power supply (though there's certainly room for an upgrade if he wants). Nothing much changes there, as Ryzen chips are pretty efficient. Honestly, the 2600X isn't worth the jump over the standard 2600, whereas the 2700 and 2700X are in a different league entirely—but that's only for those who actually need the extra cores. As far as photo editing goes (which sounds like more of a casual hobby), he almost certainly doesn't need an 8-core, 16-thread CPU, but if he really wants to pull the trigger on one, he can definitely handle it without any issues.

Regarding Wi-Fi, he should just grab a $15 USB adapter with an antenna and call it a day. There’s zero point in dropping $667 on a high-end motherboard just to get built-in Wi-Fi; he doesn't need a board that expensive

I’ll probably have to look into grabbing an extra hard drive and maybe even an optical drive too, just to be safe.
That would pretty much be the final setup I'm aiming for. For the case, I might go with that Illuminator model that Google mentioned was part of her best-buy pre-built bundle.
If I remember correctly from what I saw, Google builds those things herself and then ships them right to your door, right?

Yep, it’s free. He can just pay in person when he stops by.

Regarding the GPU, I'm not entirely sure if it’s overkill if he isn't planning on playing anything graphically demanding, but looking at the big picture, it's hands-down the best value on the market right now. The 8GB version will definitely get the job done, but it might be more cost-effective to shell out an extra $133 to grab that extra 4GB of VRAM... But hey, that's entirely up to him.

I think so, they handle assembly and shipping.

Just check those monitors. If they're older models, there's a good chance they won't have HDMI or HDMI ports—they might just be stuck with DVI or VGA. If that's the case, you'll need an adapter, like something that plugs into the monitor's DVI port so you can actually use an HDMI cable. (A passive adapter should only run you about five bucks.)

Now, if they're ancient and only have VGA, things get a bit more complicated. But honestly, I doubt we're dealing with hardware that old, especially since someone's planning on doing photo editing on them.