Building a $300 computer??

[flamefire999]

For my brothers christmas present my parents said that he could get his first computer. They don't want him to have a laptop because then they can watch him and make sure he doesn't do anything bad. I made this build for him (he does like to play Minecraft on my computer) and I was wondering if it would be able to play Minecraft at minimum settings. He just needs a solid 20 fps to play sometimes. The majority of the time he will be watching YouTube videos and Netflix. Here's the link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZmFX3C . BTW I'm gonna install Ubuntu on it because I taught him how to use it and I have an old monitor and mouse and keyboard for him.

 

[i7Baby]

Or try -

CPU: AMD A8-6600K 3.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($81.00 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus A88X-PRO ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($101.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 250GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.02 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $359.95
plus OS

or if you want Pentium

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($81.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R7 260X 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $515.90
plus OS

 

[USAFRet]

Mouse, kbd, monitor?
Ubuntu as the OS, but will that work for all his uses?

 

[Kaliz]

Not a balanced build, for 300$. The G3258 is a nippy little Dualcore, but with this budget you can get better.
For casual gaming i would recommend getting a socket FM2 AMD APU, which has built-in integrated graphics twice as fast as the GT610 you picked. Paired with fast RAM in dual channel and on top of the 500GB HDD a small SSD you will have a lightning fast computing experience.

 

[flamefire999]

Ubuntu will work for everything and whats wrong with the GT 610?

 

[Kaliz]

The GT610 is on par with Intel HD Graphics. which you already have on the G3258.

 

[i7Baby]

The GT610 is really weak - http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R7-260X-vs-GeForce-GT-610-PCI

 

[flamefire999]

Ok, so I changed the CPU and I dropped the 610. Will the A8 be good enough for minecraft?

 

[i7Baby]

Yes - http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=1235&game=Minecraft

 

[flamefire999]

Also I was wondering if I should drop the 500gb hard drive because he won't use all that space. He will only have 3 things on his computer: Chrome, Minecraft and Ubuntu. So should I put in a 64gb SSD?

 

[Kaliz]

Yes the A8-6600K is a great Quadcore for casual gaming

 

[i7Baby]

No. Stick to the HDD.

 

[Kaliz]

Also I was wondering if I should drop the 500gb hard drive because he won't use all that space. He will only have 3 things on his computer: Chrome, Minecraft and Ubuntu. So should I put in a 64gb SSD?

I would minimum 120GB SSD, like the Crucial MX100 128GB

 

[flamefire999]

So if I put in a 128gb SSD and dropped the HDD then it would be faster correct?

 

[USAFRet]

Not a balanced build, for 300$. The G3258 is a nippy little Dualcore, but with this budget you can get better.
For casual gaming i would recommend getting a socket FM2 AMD APU, which has built-in integrated graphics twice as fast as the GT610 you picked. Paired with fast RAM in dual channel and on top of the 500GB HDD a small SSD you will have a lightning fast computing experience.

Squeezing a rational size SSD within a $300 build is pretty tough.

 

[i7Baby]

No. It would only load the game quicker.

The crucial is $72 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148693

You could get a 2tb seagate barracuda for that. You don't put SSDs into low end builds.

 

[flamefire999]

Ok so I should just stick with the 500gb hard drive? And everything else is good?

 

[USAFRet]

So if I put in a 128gb SSD and dropped the HDD then it would be faster correct?

A single drive at 128GB is too small. Period.
He will quickly run out of space. Quickly, as in 2 months.

 

[theonerm2]

Even this is good enough for minecraft.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YHp33C
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YHp33C/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD 5350 2.05Ghz Quad-Core Processor ($48.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AM1M-S2H Micro ATX AM1 Motherboard ($34.79 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.73 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq 350W ATX Power Supply ($28.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $268.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-07 18:51 EST-0500

Minecraft is more RAM intensive so I included 8GB of RAM.

 

[flamefire999]

As I stated previously he will only have Minecraft, Chrome and Ubuntu installed on the whole computer. My parents are pretty strict with him as he's only 10 and Minecraft is the only game he can play on PC. He has a PS3 and he sometimes uses my PS4 for other games.

 

[Kaliz]

As I stated previously he will only have Minecraft, Chrome and Ubuntu installed on the whole computer. My parents are pretty strict with him as he's only 10 and Minecraft is the only game he can play on PC. He has a PS3 and he sometimes uses my PS4 for other games.

I'd still recommend getting the Crucial MX100 128GB SSD, since your brother only runs this 3 installs. He wont be downloading anyway since your parents are supervising