Cheap desktop build for music recording

MiskyBoyy

A friend is looking to build a new desktop PC for light enough use & some music recording. He has an external sound card for the music connections which will just require 1 USB. He also has 2 monitors, an SSD & HDD's already so just need the following I think: Motherboard, CPU, PSU, RAM & Case.

Doesn't have to be anything fancy looking. Just practical & cheap as possible.

I also have Amazon prime so would probably order to parcel motel to get stuff quicker unless there's a real bargain elsewhere.

1. What is your budget? - under 500

2. What will be the main purpose of the computer? General light use & muic recording

3. Do you need a copy of Windows? No.

4. Can you use any parts from an old computer? Yes 2 monitors, an SSD & HDD

5. Do you need a monitor? No

5b. If no, what resolution is your current monitor and do you plan to upgrade in the near future? 1920x1080, no.

6. Do you need any of these peripherals? no, I got that covered

7. Are you willing to try overclocking? I'd be interested trying it but not sure yet

8. How can you pay? Visa debit, Revolut, paypal etc.

9. When are you purchasing? asap

Edit: I also have Amazon student account which currently gets a further 20% off most Amazon warehouse products if there was anything decent there.

MiskyBoyy

I can get this PSU for €34. Not going to get any better than that surely? https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CP-9020097-UK-VS550-Power-Supply/dp/B00TE4XSMA/ref=sr_1_2?m=A2OAJ7377F756P&s=warehouse-deals&ie=UTF8&qid=1474034502&sr=1-2

+ HyperX Fury 8 GB DDR3 1866 MHz CL10 DIMM Memory Module both for €58

K.O.Kiki

I'll price one up when I get home.

MiskyBoyy

Turns out he has a stick of 8gb DDR3 so should be alright for RAM assuming this will be ok:

K.O.Kiki

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£65.93 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£51.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.51 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX TS 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.70 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £365.12 (€427)
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-16 18:34 BST+0100

The RAM your mate has is DDR3 SO-DIMM (laptop memory), no use to you.

The above build is kind of overkill tbh; you can drop the CPU to an i3-6100 if you want (total: €330). Core i5-6500 is more futureproof though.

No need for a separate graphics card, the motherboard can handle up to 3 monitors.
Case is a personal-preference thing; I personally love my Silverstone KL06 simply because the fans are quiet, and the dust filters are easy to remove for cleaning.

MiskyBoyy

Hey thanks for that bud.

What about the PSU I linked in post #2 and the single 8gb ram i quoted there too?

Edit: Apologies, the ram stick he has is actually a desktop one. I just got that image from google myself.

Edit2: Also, the Motherboard is out of stock. But the DDR3 version is in stock. Or would you suggest going for DDR4 and getting anew DDR4 stick(s) to go with it?

K.O.Kiki

MiskyBoyy wrote: »

Hey thanks for that bud.

What about the PSU I linked in post #2 and the single 8gb ram i quoted there too?

Edit: Apologies, the ram stick he has is actually a desktop one. I just got that image from google myself.

Edit2: Also, the Motherboard is out of stock. But the DDR3 version is in stock. Or would you suggest going for DDR4 and getting anew DDR4 stick(s) to go with it?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£177.92 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£63.05 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.51 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX TS 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.70 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £313.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-16 19:42 BST+0100

You don't really save much by going with older DDR3 but this would work.

I do not recommend your linked PSU; it's an "80+" but without the cert, it's basically junk.