[SOLVED] Budget PC with future upgrades in mind

[Barkfunklerbunk]

I've been using an antique Acer laptop from 2009 to watch movies, surf the webs, play skyrim, fallout new vegas, and ports of FFX and FFIX. The laptop is still going strong (definitely got my $500 worth), but I'm looking to enter the world of PC building.
Acer specs:
Acer aspire 7750g-9621
I7-2630qm
Radeon HD 6650M, up to 4GB hypermemory
8GB ddr3 RAM
Samsung evo 860 1 TB
Not too shabby really for a very old laptop

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Barkfunklerbunk/saved/bnZNqs

With that in mind, I've come up with this build that is somewhat SFF, and very low budget. I plan to eventually upgrade the CPU and add a GPU, add more cooling, more storage, etc.. but for the interim I thought this would suffice. Any thoughts or advice? This will be my first build ever.
I would opt for the amd ryzen 5 3400g, but from my understanding.. I would need to update the BIOS on the mobo. And since I plan on upgrading the CPU at some point, I think it would be better go with the cheaper 2400g for the interim. I'm wanting to spend as little as possible, but from what I understand I don't want to skimp on certain stuff, like the PSU.

 

[Obakasama]

Hm.... for longevity purposes I think the motherboard is also one not to skimp on, but only because it allows for an easier upgrade. Otherwise you may be in the position of having to upgrade/replace the motherboard, and at that point you may as well consider a core system upgrade (CPU, motherboard and probably RAM). There's the possibility as we use our system longer our requirements also grow, like amount of storage and ports we require. A well chosen motherboard could pre-empt some of those needs at the beginning.

It is likely you'd need to update the BIOS before being able to use the 3400G. It doesn't look like the motherboard has USB BIOS flashback, so you'd still need a compatible CPU to update it. The 2400G should be compatible out of the box.

 

[WildCard999]

I would make a couple of changes...
-Faster memory.
-Faster/cheaper SSD.
-Better quality PSU.

The build ends up being only $5 cheaper but less to initially put in due to the higher amount on the MIR on your build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pc8CzN

If you can find out if the BIOS on the motherboard has been updated enough then you could go 3400G and still keep it fairly cheap which would be ideal.

Edit: The Asrock B450M/AC supports the 3rd gen out of the box.
https://asrock.com/MB/AMD/B450Mac/index.asp#CPU

PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($131.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M/AC Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p Series 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake Core V21 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($81.99 @ B&H)
Total: $476.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-20 15:17 EST-0500

 

[logainofhades]

Much better gaming performance, for the money.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($71.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team GX2 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $475.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-20 15:23 EST-0500


For a bit more, you can get the 8gb gpu.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KnYqp8

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M Pro4-F Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($71.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team GX2 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 8 GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $485.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-20 15:24 EST-0500

 

[cryoburner]

If you can bump up the budget a bit, you can get a much better all around gaming rig.

I agree that if gaming is a primary concern, putting an RX 570 in there should get you a lot more gaming performance out the gate. An RX 570 can provide around 3-4 times the graphics performance of the Integrated Vega chipset inside the 2400G, which can mean the difference between running recent demanding games well with reasonably high settings at 1080p, and struggling to run them well at 720p with lower settings.

And a 1500X should perform quite similar to a 2400G, just without the integrated graphics. So in effect, the 2400G costs $50 more for integrated graphics that you plan on replacing eventually anyway, at least going by current sale prices. It's probably better to just put that money toward better graphics hardware now.

 

[Barkfunklerbunk]

I ended up going way over budget

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XcK9Nq

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ROG Strix B450-I Gaming Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($138.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($70.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 580 8 GB PULSE Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.37 CFM 80 mm Fan ($9.94 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM 31.37 CFM 80 mm Fan ($9.94 @ Amazon)
Total: $735.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-22 17:04 EST-0500

 

[WildCard999]

I ended up going way over budget

That usually happens but at least you got a good build out of it.

 

[Barkfunklerbunk]

I appreciate the advice that I got from the several of you and was a help to me in my final purchase. Thanks

That usually happens but at least you got a good build out of it.

I felt like if I was going to upgrade down the road, why not just get it over with right now.. and actually end up saving money. Sure I still might upgrade, but this config will probably prolong that.

I wanted to go smaller and the mini ITX case I chose really limits your options with a mobo. I chose, in my limited knowledge and opinion, one of the better boards I could get. I'm excited to get this built. It'll be amazing to have such a decent PC in such a small package.

 

[Obakasama]

From memory there aren't many ITX motherboards for Ryzen. Specs look nice to me.

 

[WildCard999]

I'm excited to get this built. It'll be amazing to have such a decent PC in such a small package.

I love ITX builds, having quite a bit of gaming performance in a small package.