Budget build for friend

By FlailingCamper
in Hardware Hangout

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Luc2k

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21 hours ago, FlailingCamper said:

Building custom computer for a friend. Here's the list I've made so far...

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/luke31500/saved/#view=RkgdnQ

 

Still need to find an OS. I've been looking for a decently priced, not sketchy, copy of win 10.

PLEASE DO NOT BE GENTLE. :|

In how much of a hurry is he? Current gen cards at 100$ (RX 460) and 150$ (RX 470) are on their way and they'll likely beat anything from the previous gen in price/performance.

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JustGeorge

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3 minutes ago, xendrome said:

How so, it looks like it is about 1/2 the speed - http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Pentium+G4400+%40+3.30GHz

I just went by this. Sorry if cpuboss isn't reputable.http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G4400-vs-AMD-FX-6300

 

Going Intel would open the door for him to upgrade to an i series chip down the road. If you go AMD, he can still upgrade, but still a flawed, underperforming architecture. Wait for Zen if you want AMD.

 

 

 

 

 

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JustGeorge

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Here's a z170 MB $100

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Fn7CmG/gigabyte-motherboard-gaz170hd3

 

and a 950 gfx card $112

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XrVBD3/msi-video-card-gtx950gaming2g

 

850 EVO 250GB SSD $90

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/3kL7YJ/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam

 

 

I'm @ $619. Swapped out your Amd stuff for Intel, changed to a 950 and got a Samsung 250GB 850 Evo instead.

 

I prefer to buy AMD, but until Zen materializes and begins to actually compete, I can't in good conscience steer anyone to them at this point. Intel is just better right now.

 

Edited by slamfire92
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BinaryData

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Ok, so Windows 10 is technically still "free" until the end of July, from what I've read. I could probably help you out with getting a legitimate OS. Once you get the system built, hit me up. I'll toss you one of my unused Windows 7 Keys.

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Luc2k

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1 hour ago, slamfire92 said:

Pentium g4400 trades blows with 6300 and its less than $60

And with the board you've linked the combos are about the same price and I'm not sure DDR4 support and 1 M.2 slot are worth it on a tight budget. There are cheaper boards I suspect, but I still wouldn't go with a dual-core due to my usage. OP does need to answer some questions before we can further narrow it down.

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JustGeorge

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14 minutes ago, Luc2k said:

And with the board you've linked the combo's are about the same price and I'm not sure DDR4 support and 1 M.2 slot are worth it on a tight budget. There are cheaper boards I suspect, but I still wouldn't go with a dual-core due to my usage. OP does need to answer some questions before we can further narrow it down.

I am because if it were me, I'd want to have a meaningful upgrade path on the same hardware. Muticore will become more important with DX12 and Intel is strong in both multi-threaded while being much better at single-threaded tasks.

 

That processor for me is a "foot in the door" with decent enough performance that will allow him to upgrade to a MUCH better CPU in the future. If he goes with AMD, he's stuck with DDR3 (which is a wash price-wise with the DDR4 I spec'd) and he's still going to have a weak CPU with only weak CPU's to upgrade to later.

 

Again, AMD is a no-go for me till Zen shows up. My current system as well as the last two I built were AMD, btw. I've got an i5, 8GB DDR4 and a Z170 MB sitting on ice till I can afford the rest of the components though.

 

Edited by slamfire92
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Mindovermaster Moderator

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3 hours ago, BinaryData said:

Ok, so Windows 10 is technically still "free" until the end of July, from what I've read. I could probably help you out with getting a legitimate OS. Once you get the system built, hit me up. I'll toss you one of my unused Windows 7 Keys.

He's using Linux... Irrelevant..

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BinaryData

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1 minute ago, Mindovermaster said:

He's using Linux... Irrelevant..

Really because I could've sworn the FIRST post stated He was looking for Windows 10, a non-sketchy but legitimate copy. But I guess I'm going blind and senile in my old age.

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Luc2k

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Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, slamfire92 said:

I am because if it were me, I'd want to have a meaningful upgrade path on the same hardware. Muticore will become more important with DX12 and Intel is strong in both multi-threaded while being much better at single-threaded tasks.

 

That processor for me is a "foot in the door" with decent enough performance that will allow him to upgrade to a MUCH better CPU in the future. If he goes with AMD, he's stuck with DDR3 (which is a wash price-wise with the DDR4 I spec'd) and he's still going to have a weak CPU with only weak CPU's to upgrade to later.

 

Again, AMD is a no-go for me till Zen shows up. My current system as well as the last two I built were AMD, btw. I've got an i5, 8GB DDR4 and a Z170 MB sitting on ice till I can afford the rest of the components though.

 

I'll give you the upgrade path if he wants to buy right now, but, while Intel may be good at multi-threading, in the current match-up, Pentium's  2 cores aren't going to beat the FX's 6 in programs that use them.

 

If he really wants to future proof, it would be better to wait and see what Zen brings as it is a major shift. Also, AMD uses fewer sockets for longer than Intel and the CPUs are priced more aggressively unlike, say a i5 K, which gets a measly 10% off over its lifetime outside of deals (where I live at any rate). Of course, the lower end Zen won't come at launch so that's a potential issue. The differences between DDR3 and DDR4 are meaningless in most scenarios so get whatever the board supports.

 

I'm curios, why did up you buy parts and why aren't you using them since you have the base. Was it some amazing deal, and do you need the old PC fully for something else?

Edited by Luc2k
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The Evil Overlord

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I'd consider the a 6350, or even one of the 9XXX series if your budget allows,

(it's a lot of bang for your buck, regardless of which camp anyone belongs to (<amd or intel>) real time usage matters more than some benchmark figure imo)

I agree with an upgrade to the GPU a 9XX will be better unless gaming is a secondary concern,  for everything else the 7 will suffice

(possible upgrade needed to the PSU if you do build around a 9 series amd)

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JustGeorge

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12 hours ago, Luc2k said:

I'll give you the upgrade path if he wants to buy right now, but, while Intel may be good at multi-threading, in the current match-up, Pentium's  2 cores aren't going to beat the FX's 6 in programs that use them.

 

If he really wants to future proof, it would be better to wait and see what Zen brings as it is a major shift. Also, AMD uses fewer sockets for longer than Intel and the CPUs are priced more aggressively unlike, say a i5 K, which gets a measly 10% off over its lifetime outside of deals (where I live at any rate). Of course, the lower end Zen won't come at launch so that's a potential issue. The differences between DDR3 and DDR4 are meaningless in most scenarios so get whatever the board supports.

 

I'm curios, why did up you buy parts and why aren't you using them since you have the base. Was it some amazing deal, and do you need the old PC fully for something else?

From what I've read, most applications are single/dual core oriented currently. DX12 is going to change things up on the gaming side, but unless you're going to be using high-level rendering software, compiling programs maybe photoshop, I doubt the extra cores on the AMD will matter much. Intel cpus also perform more instructions per clock, so thats a plus with the Pentium and he'll benefit even more from that when he moves up to an i5 or i7. Its true, they hold they're value and aren't cheap, but they're top dog atm. Intel/Nvidia love to milk the #1 spot for all they can get. Look @ Nvidia's $1200 gfx card. That MSRP is the biggest "F U cause we can!" ever.

 

As for why I'm sitting on my stuff....I want to build completely new this time. My PSU is over 4yrs old and I don't like my current case much. Want to buy a Corsair H60 cooler, a new PSU and waiting for a better third party RX480. Why AMD for gfx? Although I play PC games, my main form of gaming is old-school emulation. Adaptive refresh "Freesync" allows the emulated games to run smoother due to the odd refresh rates of certain arcade games used. Not paying the Nvidia tax for a gpu and then get nailed again as Gsync monitors cost more than Freesync compatible ones. Additionally, The Arcade emulator "MAME" is very Single-threaded and as mentioned, Intel cpus execute more instructions per clock, making them the better option. Higan a SNES emulator prefers Intel as well.

 

I'd have preferred AMD, but simply got tired of waiting on a better CPU. If Zen turns out to be what it claims, I'll be building another PC. Need a new HTPC anyway :)

 

 

 

Edited by slamfire92
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Luc2k

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6 hours ago, slamfire92 said:

From what I've read, most applications are single/dual core oriented currently. DX12 is going to change things up on the gaming side, but unless you're going to be using high-level rendering software, compiling programs maybe photoshop, I doubt the extra cores on the AMD will matter much. Intel cpus also perform more instructions per clock, so thats a plus with the Pentium and he'll benefit even more from that when he moves up to an i5 or i7. Its true, they hold they're value and aren't cheap, but they're top dog atm. Intel/Nvidia love to milk the #1 spot for all they can get. Look @ Nvidia's $1200 gfx card. That MSRP is the biggest "F U cause we can!" ever.

While that is true about single applications, I'm running quite a few at the same time (not necessarily multiple games though). Anyway, since the OP hasn't come back, there's not much else left to say about it.

6 hours ago, slamfire92 said:

As for why I'm sitting on my stuff....I want to build completely new this time. My PSU is over 4yrs old and I don't like my current case much. Want to buy a Corsair H60 cooler, a new PSU and waiting for a better third party RX480.

Suspected as much, although it's not something I would do. I prefer getting everything at once and have it operational because buying ahead of time could mean that I paid more just to have something sitting in a box (shorter warranty as well). Of course there are exceptions (deals, availability, Brexit :)), but that is my general approach.

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JustGeorge

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1 hour ago, Luc2k said:

While that is true about single applications, I'm running quite a few at the same time (not necessarily multiple games though). Anyway, since the OP hasn't come back, there's not much else left to say about it.

Suspected as much, although it's not something I would do. I prefer getting everything at once and have it operational because buying ahead of time could mean that I paid more just to have something sitting in a box (shorter warranty as well). Of course there are exceptions (deals, availability, Brexit :)), but that is my general approach.

I would've preferred to buy it all at once, but funds haven't permitted. If I hadn't started buying parts, I'd never commit. It won't be but a couple of months till I'm ready, though :)

 

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Regert

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On ‎21‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 11:40 PM, FlailingCamper said:

Building custom computer for a friend. Here's the list I've made so far...

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/luke31500/saved/#view=RkgdnQ

 

Still need to find an OS. I've been looking for a decently priced, not sketchy, copy of win 10.

PLEASE DO NOT BE GENTLE. :|

Well, what is the computer gonna be used for?

As you can see many here debate assuming your friend will be gaming. But we need more info then just a budget number.

1. Is gaming a goal here?

2. What resolutions are we talking about and what games?

3. Are you looking to get the best for a certain budget now or can you upgrade later?

 

 

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