Advice on $200-$300 budget "office" build

[abowman27]

Hi all,

My girlfriend wants me to put together a new homework/youtube type of PC for her teenage boys, but as cheaply as possible. Doing a bit of looking around today, it seems I can build a skylake i3 system pretty cheap. I don't need a power supply (have an evga 430w lying around) or a hard drive. Here is what I was looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/E4HAMOSCW4YF/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_v?

I want it to work for a while, but upgradeability isn't really a concern. I just want it to be reasonably quick (and stable) for homework, videos, maybe some web games. Is going skylake i3 excessive? Would I be better off with an older AMD or non-skylake build for cheaper? Thanks in advance!

Edit: Not sure if prime prices show on the wishlist, that stuff adds up to about $250. Also, would I need a fan for the i3, or do they still come with an OEM fan?

 

[GraySilencer]

Hi all,

My girlfriend wants me to put together a new homework/youtube type of PC for her teenage boys, but as cheaply as possible. Doing a bit of looking around today, it seems I can build a skylake i3 system pretty cheap. I don't need a power supply (have an evga 430w lying around) or a hard drive. Here is what I was looking at:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/E4HAMOSCW4YF/ref=cm_wl_rlist_go_v?

I want it to work for a while, but upgradeability isn't really a concern. I just want it to be reasonably quick (and stable) for homework, videos, maybe some web games. Is going skylake i3 excessive? Would I be better off with an older AMD or non-skylake build for cheaper? Thanks in advance!

Edit: Not sure if prime prices show on the wishlist, that stuff adds up to about $250. Also, would I need a fan for the i3, or do they still come with an OEM fan?

You can go with the Pentium instead of the i3. Try this.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4500 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: *Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $179.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-23 17:56 EDT-0400

 

[BadActor]

I think I would stick with the i3 in case the youngsters get a little older and want to do a little gaming. The i3 is perfect paired with a mid level graphics card. The i3 will come with a stock cooler, so no worries there.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $239.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-23 20:14 EDT-0400

 

[abowman27]

Thanks for the advice! I noticed you both stuck with my mobo choice, I'm assuming it's a decent one then? You also both chose the same RAM, so I'm assuming that's better, or was it just a financial choice? I see you also both chose different cases, is there an issue with the one I chose, or were you again just going for cost effectiveness? Thanks again!

 

[BadActor]

The motherboard is fine for your application and Gigabyte is one of my favored brands since they generally build good quality boards. The case is personal preference, really, but the Fractal has decent quality considering it's price.

 

[sadams04]

Consider a B150 chipset motherboard for its four memory slots. Leave an upgrade option open...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: DIYPC Solo-T1-BK ATX Mid Tower Case ($28.89 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($17.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $263.73