Cheap pc ideas? €400 - 500

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 9:21am #1

Hi. Any ideas for a cheap desktop pc.
Only special requirements is that it needs a monitor, hdmi and a good looking pc case.

Monotype · 18-06-2013 11:12am

What about Windows? Keyboard, mouse, speakers? What's it to be used for? Use the "How to ask for computer build help" link in my signature for more good questions to answer.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 11:35am

Monotype wrote: »

What about Windows? Keyboard, mouse, speakers? What's it to be used for? Use the "How to ask for computer build help" link in my signature for more good questions to answer.

To use it for video playback and occasional gaming.
Windows 8. I can get the peripherals in a shop like the mouse, keyboard and speakers in a shop.

uncle_sam_ie · 18-06-2013 12:18pm

ianol1989 wrote: »

To use it for video playback and occasional gaming.
Windows 8. I can get the peripherals in a shop like the mouse, keyboard and speakers in a shop.

Do you need W8 or do you have it?

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 12:19pm

uncle_sam_ie wrote: »

Do you need W8 or do you have it?

I could get the dvd for windows 8 myself

Monotype · 18-06-2013 1:25pm

How about this for starters?

Item|Price
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€16.37
4GB G.Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€30.96
Aerocool Qs-200 Advance Micro-ATX Gehäuse - schwarz|€41.00
Corsair Builder Serie CX430 V3 Non-Modular 80+ Bronze, 430 Watt|€40.99
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€5.00
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.82
AMD A10-5800K Accelerated Processor mit AMD Radeon HD 7660D Grafik|€112.23
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M, FM2, mATX|€58.28
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€508.55

There's a newer A10-6800K, but it's €20 more. Much the same CPU but the graphics is better. They also overclock really well, going by the results that I've seen. There's cheaper APUs too. Generally paying less means less CPU cores and poorer graphics capabilities.
You can pick out a different case if you'd like. What do you mean by occasional gaming?
That includes assembly for €5 (special offer at the moment, it seems, as it's usually €20).
That's a decent monitor, but you can skimp here for a cheaper TN panel if you'd like.
Can you cut the DVD drive?

BloodBath · 18-06-2013 1:39pm

If you're going for an APU you want much faster ram to make the most of it. 1866 should be the minimum speed ram you get for it. The graphics improves a lot with higher speed ram on them.

An alternative build with a dedicated graphics card. A little over budget and missing a dvd drive which you shouldn't need outside of installing windows which you can do through another pc. I would say go for a 7790 if you can stretch to another €24.

Item|Price
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€102.99
MSI 760GM-P23 (FX), Sockel AM3+, mATX, PCIe|€37.43
Zalman T2 Mini Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€18.69
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€30.64
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€27.45
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 OC, 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express|€98.00
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.82
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€518.92

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 1:45pm

Monotype wrote: »

How about this for starters?

Item|Price
LiteOn iHAS124-04 schwarz SATA|€16.37
4GB G.Skill RipJaws PC3-12800U CL9|€30.96
Aerocool Qs-200 Advance Micro-ATX Gehäuse - schwarz|€41.00
Corsair Builder Serie CX430 V3 Non-Modular 80+ Bronze, 430 Watt|€40.99
Rechner - Zusammenbau|€5.00
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.82
AMD A10-5800K Accelerated Processor mit AMD Radeon HD 7660D Grafik|€112.23
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M, FM2, mATX|€58.28
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€508.55

There's a newer A10-6800K, but it's €20 more. Much the same CPU but the graphics is better. They also overclock really well, going by the results that I've seen. There's cheaper APUs too. Generally paying less means less CPU cores and poorer graphics capabilities.
You can pick out a different case if you'd like. What do you mean by occasional gaming?
That includes assembly for €5 (special offer at the moment, it seems, as it's usually €20).
That's a decent monitor, but you can skimp here for a cheaper TN panel if you'd like.
Can you cut the DVD drive?

Cant cut the dvd drive, i never play dvds but the dvd drive is essential for installing and fixing windows . i learnt that mistake from crappy netbooks.
That build looks perfect, i didnt know that they even assemble it too. I mean occasional gaming as in, i dont play much games but itd be nice to have an average graphics card.
Microatx case is grand too, btw is there a motherboard with more connections on it like a hdmi. Thatd be legend, having a microatx pc with hdmi,

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:06pm

BloodBath wrote: »

If you're going for an APU you want much faster ram to make the most of it. 1866 should be the minimum speed ram you get for it. The graphics improves a lot with higher speed ram on them.

An alternative build with a dedicated graphics card. A little over budget and missing a dvd drive which you shouldn't need outside of installing windows which you can do through another pc. I would say go for a 7790 if you can stretch to another €24.

Item|Price
LG 22EA53VQ-P|€127.91
AMD FX-6300 Prozessor, Boxed, Sockel AM3+|€102.99
MSI 760GM-P23 (FX), Sockel AM3+, mATX, PCIe|€37.43
Zalman T2 Mini Tower - schwarz, ohne Netzteil|€18.69
Corsair VS Serie VS350, Non-Modular, 80+|€30.64
4GB Corsair Valueselect DDR3-1333 CL9|€27.45
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 OC, 1GB GDDR5, PCI-Express|€98.00
WD Caviar Blue 1TB 6Gb's|€56.82
Shipping|€18.99
Total|€518.92

Thanks.
That is a great build too, Your build and the other one in this thread are class.
What is the motherboard like?

Monotype · 18-06-2013 2:21pm

The one I posted does have HDMI on it. Come to think of it, I'd be more inclined to go for AM3+, something like Bloodbath's build as it has a better future.

That machine is more powerful overall both in graphics and CPU, but at the cost of a lower class PSU, RAM, motherboard and case. The RAM makes little difference, the PSU should be safe (although I did read that the parts are a little on the cheap side, we really need one of the big reviewers to dissect), you could forgo the bonuses of easier assembly and USB 3 if needs be from a case.

I would push a little more into the motherboard though. I think that 6Gbps ports are quite important these days as you'd get a lot more out of an SSD, should you add one (which, I recommend that you do, down the line). However, the selection of AM3+ motherboards is kind of sorry, so you'd probably be better off with the larger ATX sized motherboard and case if you wanted to improve that.

BloodBath · 18-06-2013 2:24pm

The pus is cheap but is fine for this system.

I was trying to stick to budget. If you want a matx am3 board with sata 600 and usb3 ports then go for this one.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/59301/ASRock+960GM+U3S3+FX%2C+Sockel+AM3%2B%2C+mATX.article

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:28pm

Monotype wrote: »

The one I posted does have HDMI on it. Come to think of it, I'd be more inclined to go for AM3+, something like Bloodbath's build as it has a better future.

That machine is more powerful overall both in graphics and CPU, but at the cost of a lower class PSU, RAM, motherboard and case. The RAM makes little difference, the PSU should be safe (although I did read that the parts are a little on the cheap side, we really need one of the big reviewers to dissect), you could forgo the bonuses of easier assembly and USB 3 if needs be from a case.

I would push a little more into the motherboard though. I think that 6Gbps ports are quite important these days as you'd get a lot more out of an SSD, should you add one (which, I recommend that you do, down the line). However, the selection of AM3+ motherboards is kind of sorry, so you'd probably be better off with the larger ATX sized motherboard and case if you wanted to improve that.

You have some great parts in your build too. Its a tough choice between the two.

Ill go with bloodbaths build as well as your psu and suggestion of a 6gbps ports. Which motherboard should i go for?
All the builds here are micro so im best sticking with the micro build motherboards because wed have to start again.

BloodBath · 18-06-2013 2:33pm

Just went for matx as it allows some savings. You could go atx for a little more if you wanted.

Chose an atx case as well. Any of the ones below will do. The board doesn't have usb3 headers for the front case connections though so make sure it's a usb2 case.

Atx board.

Atx Cases.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:33pm

BloodBath wrote: »

The pus is cheap but is fine for this system.

I was trying to stick to budget. If you want a matx am3 board with sata 600 and usb3 ports then go for this one.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/DDR3/59301/ASRock+960GM+U3S3+FX%2C+Sockel+AM3%2B%2C+mATX.article

I think that motherboard is the best choice so far.
Can i ask is 350 enough for the psu,
Is the 450w a safer option for the future

BloodBath · 18-06-2013 2:36pm

The 350w is fine for the current build.

If you want one with enough power for future upgrades or builds then I'd grab this one.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/400+-+500+Watts/30074/Super-Flower+Amazon+80Plus+450W.article

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:36pm

BloodBath wrote: »

Just went for matx as it allows some savings. You could go atx for a little more if you wanted.

Chose an atx case as well. Any of the ones below will do. The board doesn't have usb3 headers for the front case connections though so make sure it's a usb2 case.

Atx board.

Atx Cases.

So all the parts mentioned in the thread could fit into an atx build if i just change the motherboard and the case.
Had never thought of that, great idea. Thats something ill deifnitely consider when i draw up the final build idea

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:39pm

The options like the atx build and the psu both help make it a future proof build.
If i have the spare 100 ill definitely invest it into the extra parts that you suggested. Thanks

BloodBath · 18-06-2013 2:41pm

Yep. Only the board and case needs to be changed. A lot of atx cases will take matx boards even but you might as well get an atx board if going atx case. They have more expansion room. Additional pci and ram slots.

If you can stretch to €600 you could improve the build a lot.

Monotype · 18-06-2013 2:55pm

BloodBath wrote: »

The board doesn't have usb3 headers for the front case connections though so make sure it's a usb2 case.

Atx board.

Atx Cases.

I'm not sure which board you were referring to but that board does have a USB3 header, it's one of the better cheap AM3+ boards out there.

Regarding PSU: 350W is certainly enough. The quality of the PSU is the only thing that's slightly in question. It's probably fine though. It looks to be much the same as the CX series - efficiency is decent and they just seem to have saved some money by making it 230V only and not having it certified a 80+. I was only referring to a discussion I read a while back saying that the capacitors were not up to scratch, but I'm not an engineer and the only way to be sure is to have one of the PSU masters to strip it down. You wouldn't be pushing the PSU to its limits anyway and Corsair are a decent company so in all likelihood, you'd be fine saving the money on it.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 2:59pm

BloodBath wrote: »

Yep. Only the board and case needs to be changed. A lot of atx cases will take matx boards even but you might as well get an atx board if going atx case. They have more expansion room. Additional pci and ram slots.

If you can stretch to €600 you could improve the build a lot.

Thanks again. Im considering the atx build more now.
Heres a case im looking at,
what is a top mounted hdd station for.

http://www.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?adp=0&aid=50990&agid=631&apop=0

Monotype · 18-06-2013 3:07pm

There's a few reviews online - looks decent enough for the price and features. Only downsides are usually saying that cable management could be better as well as making it more screwless or that it's slightly light and flimsy.
Really good for ~€36 though as some docking stations nearly cost that much.

The docking station is just for putting an internal hard drive straight into, i.e., instead of using an enclosure or opening up your PC to add another drive. Handy for external storage or moving large amounts of data around.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 3:26pm

Monotype wrote: »

There's a few reviews online - looks decent enough for the price and features. Only downsides are usually saying that cable management could be better as well as making it more screwless or that it's slightly light and flimsy.
Really good for ~€36 though as some docking stations nearly cost that much.

The docking station is just for putting an internal hard drive straight into, i.e., instead of using an enclosure or opening up your PC to add another drive. Handy for external storage or moving large amounts of data around.

Thanks again monotype, ill consider the psu you mentioned and the second psu bloodbath suggested. With both of your ideas, i could make a great pc just under €600. So with the docking station , does that mean there will be a hard drive in the case for the pc and that the docking station serves only the spare hard drives for files amd whatnot.

Monotype · 18-06-2013 4:38pm

Yeah, it's just if you want to connect another hard drive for temporary reasons but don't want to go opening your case. Basically, you just plonk it straight into the top, no need to worry about cables, so long as you have it wired up on the inside properly.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 6:15pm

Monotype wrote: »

Yeah, it's just if you want to connect another hard drive for temporary reasons but don't want to go opening your case. Basically, you just plonk it straight into the top, no need to worry about cables, so long as you have it wired up on the inside properly.

I might just go for that case. I wonder if you could boot from the hard drive in the dock.

Monotype · 18-06-2013 6:29pm

Probably yes. Most likely you just connect up the dock to the motherboard and the PSU as normal on the inside of the case. It should be exactly the same as connecting inside the case.

ianol1989 · 18-06-2013 6:36pm

Monotype wrote: »

Probably yes. Most likely you just connect up the dock to the motherboard and the PSU as normal on the inside of the case. It should be exactly the same as connecting inside the case.

That could be useful. Thanks for everything. This thread could nearly be pinned because its so helpful in determining a great cheap pc.

Cheap pc ideas? €400 - 500

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