Best Computer for under $600

[Turbonerd]

Hello,

Been browsing forums for weeks and the more I start learning about CPUs and Motherboards the more lost I get. So here is my new build request.

Approximate Purchase Date: This Month

Budget Range: $600 or less (incl Windows 7 OS)

System Usage from Most to Least Important:
- Photo Storage
- Photo Editing
- HD Video playback
- Wireless Internet Connection
- Email/Internet

Parts Not Required: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Anywhere

Country: Canada (Vancouver)

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No clue what this is. 😗

Additional Comments:
- Would like to ability to upgrade in the future without having to start from scratch.
- Would like USB 3.0 and wireless card.
- Need at least 1TB HDD.
- I have friends who can help assemble so am not worried about buying parts.
- I don't do any gaming

Thank you.


EDIT:
So I found these systems on Newegg. Are either of them sufficient?

$559:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883113175&Tpk=N82E16883113175

$389:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883103381

 

[tagxl007]

Seems like a dual core processor will do you good, amd or intel, 4gb of ram, 6-8gb if you can afford it
look into intel i5 or lower end i7's find a compatible motherboard, go for a 1gb pcie video card
if motherboard does not have usb 3.0 get a pci card for it and wifi as well , they should be around 20-30 dollars each

if you want to upgrade later grab a motherboard thats capable of running recent chipsets ie.) for intel LGA2011 and more than enough pcie slots and ram slots than you need but most likely this will break your 600 budget

SLI and Crossfire are technologies belonging to Nvidia and Ati respectivivly that allow you to install multiple video cards and they run in "synch" with each other, you only need this if you are doing lets say 3d gaming or graphics over 2+ monitors and its very expensive.

check out www.newegg.com ot www.tigerdirect.com

Hopefully someone else can help you better, I was never good at building budget pc's.... everytime i try it still comes out to over 2000 lol
but it is possible to get what your looking for, just a personal opinion though "if your gonna build it put a few hundred more in and it will last you many many years"

 

[tagxl007]

that gateway model looks beyond perfect for what you want to do its got a 6 core processor and 6gb of ram.

only thing i can think of that might work that system to its limits is encoding/decoding or trans-coding video or audio but it should handle what you want from it very very nicely

 

[tagxl007]

oh i forgot one thing, the video card is integrated into the motherboard which is great on the budget but the negative side is it will use system resources such as Ram and possible cpu cycles and it shouldnt but may lag on full 1080p video

 

[Turbonerd]

Thanks for the info. I found another system from NewEgg but it is DIY. Would it be worth using this as a starting point?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.810611

Is there anything else I need to buy to make this work other than an OS and a wireless card?

 

[tagxl007]

Looks like a great deal and is beyond what you will be using it for, it should be ample computing power for years to come, and yea all you need is an os and wifi card and you will be all set

 

[tagxl007]

Oh and grab a anti static grounding wrist strap while ur on newegg, dont want to fry ur parts off the bat.

 

[Turbonerd]

So I think I've found a system. It was a floor model so its pretty cheap:

http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&product=2514069&category=Desktops_English&catalog=Online&tab=2#more

I hope this has everything I'll need? If it doesn't have USB3.0 I can buy a PCI card with USB3.0? I also have no idea what MOBO it has so not sure if it is very upgradeable. But at this price, it seems to good to be true.

Is there any reason I should stay away from this system?

 

[drunkducki]

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10360BD5628&vpn=AD3650WNGXBOX&manufacture=AMD -$118.90
AMD A6-3650 APU W/ AMD Radeon 65XX HD GFX Quad Core Processor Socket FM1 2.6GHZ 4MB 100W Retail Box

http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_334&item_id=041721 - $69.99 - $10MIR
Gigabyte GA-A75M-S2V Socket FM1 AMD A75 Chipset Dual-Channel DDR3 1600/1333/1066 MHz 2x PCI-Express GLAN 8.2-CH HD Audio 6x SATA 6.0Gb/s 4xUSB 3.0 6xUSB 2.0 DVI/VGA Micro ATX

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15380BD5798&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL&manufacture=G.SKILL - $41.69
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL Ripjaws 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24 240PIN DIMM Memory

http://www.amazon.ca/Barracuda-Lp-Sata-1-5TB-HD/dp/B004IZN3W0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1327099279&sr=1-1 - $117.98
Seagate Barracuda Green ST1500DL003 1.5TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=63078&vpn=SOURCE210ELITE-BK&manufacture=NZXT - $60.38
NZXT Source 210 Elite Mid Tower Steel ATX Case Black 3X5.25 EXT 8X3.5IN INT 120MM USB3.0 No PS

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=10370AC4745&vpn=VP350&manufacture=ANTEC - $33.63
Antec Basiq VP350 350W Power Supply ATX12V V2.3 Dual +12V Rail 120MM Fan

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950DR7314&vpn=SH-222AL/BEBE&manufacture=Others - $17.80
Samsung SH-222AL 22X DVD Writer SATA Lightscribe OEM

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12850SW2113&vpn=GFC-02050&manufacture=MICROSOFT - $98.70
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT SP1 DVD OEM

wireless adapter ~$30

Total: $589.07 - $10MIR

 

[Turbonerd]

Best answer selected by turbonerd.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey