[SOLVED] Advice building girlfriend pc

[Manuel1]

Hi everyone, I'm building an entry level pc for my girlfriend that plays some light games like age of empires II and planet zoo and does some work with 4k images, I don't have a tight budget but wanted to ask some opinions regarding the builds overall balance so I don't go overkill for a mainly work related pc. I'll put the prices in euro but it's just a a little more in USD I think.

CPU: ryzen 3 3200g (95€) or ryzen 5 3400g (160€)
Motherboard:MSI B450M pro VDH max
Ram:8gb ddr4
SSD/HDD:250 gb ssd+1tb hdd
GPU: none, but will eventually upgrade to my used 1060 3gb
PSU: I could get a CX500 for 60€, a CV450 for 40€ or a seasonic gold gx550 modular for 85€, do you think this last one is too much for this build or does this small price difference for a premium psu justifies the buy?
Case:micro ATX nox Infinity Alfa
OS: Windows 10

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

[Lutfij]

PSU - Seasonic. Ram - DDR4-3200MHz at the very least. You can upgrade the processor later down the road and drop in a more powerful GPU. A PSU is considered to be the heart of your system so if it has a heart attack, it can and will take out the entire system's innards. That's why you never skimp out on the PSU.

Where are you located, and how much can yo spend in total for the build? Perhaps we can streamline the build. A preferred site for purchase would also help us to fold.

 

[velocityg4]

I can only surmise the work uses. With photo editing. I assume at least one cloud syncing service. Along with multiple other programs open along with many browser tabs. I would want more RAM. I'd also go all SSD given today's prices.

As I don't know which country. I set PCPartpicker for Germany for EU pricing.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€177.79 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B365M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€78.70 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory (€64.98 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€124.89 @ Alternate)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case (€44.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (€79.99 @ Corsair DE)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (€99.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €669.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-12 17:07 CEST+0200

 

[Manuel1]

PSU - Seasonic. Ram - DDR4-3200MHz at the very least. You can upgrade the processor later down the road and drop in a more powerful GPU. A PSU is considered to be the heart of your system so if it has a heart attack, it can and will take out the entire system's innards. That's why you never skimp out on the PSU.

Where are you located, and how much can yo spend in total for the build? Perhaps we can streamline the build. A preferred site for purchase would also help us to fold.

Portugal, but the prices are similar for the same for Amazon Spain, I wasn't expecting to spend more than 600€.

 

[Manuel1]

I can only surmise the work uses. With photo editing. I assume at least one cloud syncing service. Along with multiple other programs open along with many browser tabs. I would want more RAM. I'd also go all SSD given today's prices.

As I don't know which country. I set PCPartpicker for Germany for EU pricing.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-9400 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€177.79 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B365M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€78.70 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory (€64.98 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€124.89 @ Alternate)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case (€44.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (€79.99 @ Corsair DE)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (€99.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €669.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-12 17:07 CEST+0200

Yes photo editing mainly, good call, I'll pump the ram and ssd, that build looks good but it's missing a gpu to play some light games , or does the i5 have a decent igpu? Also I wanted to spend around 600€

 

[logainofhades]

I know PCPP, for some countries, doesn't give a lot of options, but this can give you an idea, for a starting point. You could probably find a cheaper option, on a quality PSU. I wouldn't buy an i5 9400. It's IGP is weak, and it is on a dead platform.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (€156.90 @ Globaldata)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€79.90 @ Globaldata)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€80.90 @ Globaldata)
Storage: Crucial MX500 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (€52.90 @ Globaldata)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (€62.90 @ Globaldata)
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (€64.90 @ Corsair)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx White (2018) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€139.90 @ Corsair)
Total: €638.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-12 17:18 CEST+0200

 

[velocityg4]

Portugal, but the prices are similar for the same for Amazon Spain, I wasn't expecting to spend more than 600€.

Knowing more about the type of work and programs used would be helpful. Also if a faster computer will allow her to make more money. By getting more work done, thus more clients.

As you say 4K photos. I assume it is something with Photoshop. Which is mostly about single to dual core speed. But large edits can really eat up the RAM.

 

[Manuel1]

Knowing more about the type of work and programs used would be helpful. Also if a faster computer will allow her to make more money. By getting more work done, thus more clients.

As you say 4K photos. I assume it is something with Photoshop. Which is mostly about single to dual core speed. But large edits can really eat up the RAM.

Mainly viewing a lot of large photo files at the same time, not so much editing with Photoshop.

 

[velocityg4]

Mainly viewing a lot of large photo files at the same time, not so much editing with Photoshop.

With the PSU the 550W is plenty. The 650W model was just cheaper. The motherboard has a BIOS flash button. Although I'd expect B450 motherboards to have an updated BIOS for the 3400G. You could always come across old stock. One with a flash button helps take the guess work out. But you could try your luck with a cheaper one.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (€151.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Motherboard: MSI B450-A PRO MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard (€95.99 @ Amazon Espana)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory (€83.48 @ Amazon Espana)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (€127.12 @ Amazon Espana)
Case: BitFenix Nova ATX Mid Tower Case (€37.85 @ Amazon Espana)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply (€84.90 @ Amazon Espana)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (€95.00 @ Amazon Espana)
Total: €676.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-12 19:09 CEST+0200

 

[Karadjgne]

With covid disrupting worldwide shipping and manufacturing, we are currently down to serous laws of supply and demand. And some ppl have used that to gouge the eyes out of everyone.

So it becomes a matter of availability, prices and availability of prices. To get what you want may mean digging a little deeper, the cost justifying the end results. If you aren't willing or able to get what's necessary, I'd wait a while until shipping and it's inherent competition drives prices back down closer to normal, otherwise you spend a lot of money on something that wasn't worth buying in the first place at any price.

Psu. Seasonic. The GX is the revamped version of the Focus Plus, a very respectable psu before the revamp. The rest are 'iffy' to say the least. You are looking at tomorrow to slide over the 1060, 450w will do it, but the CV is Corsair Value line, bottom of the bottom shelf 450w, definitely 'iffy'. The Corsair TXM is a step down from the GX, albeit a short step, and with her pc demands, not even a noticable step, so price will be the determining factor there.

Ryzen 3600. Might not have the fps of the 9400f in some games, but is overall the best value. It has the highest adaptability of any current cpu at the best price. It'll do everything and anything decently. The 3400G is a step down, but the need for an igpu makes that a second best choice by a long shot. Intel has nothing that compares with Vega graphics.

 

[Manuel1]

Thank you all for your valuable insight and builds, I think I now have a pretty good idea of what to go for with all your advice. Cheers