Discussion Can you help me put together a $500 build for a friend?

[Order 66]

I have a friend who wants a $500 gaming PC build for mainly playing Fortnite. Their current system is a lenovo prebuilt with 8GB of RAM and an i5 7400. I have no idea what GPU they have, only that it is somewhere in the neighborhood of a GTX 1050 ti. I also have no idea what PSU they have as they were unable to provide this information. This is the best part list I have come up with, anything I can change to get more performance? https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GfQTz6

 

[COLGeek]

Something to be aware of, if the intent is to recycle the Lenovo case, that may be a challenge. Lenovo, like most OEMs, often use proprietary parts in their builds. Using standard parts in those confines may not work. Dell, for example used very different front panel and USB connectors in many of their systems.

Knowing what specific model of the current system may help to determine its suitability.

 

[Order 66]

Knowing what specific model of the current system may help to determine its suitability.

therein lies the problem, my friend doesn't know what exact model. I will ask them to send me a similar model that they know has the same case as the one they have.

 

[COLGeek]

Should be a label on the case, usually bottom or rear. Even the part number from the motherboard.

 

[USAFRet]

$500 is right at my decision point of Build or Buy.

Remember, adding in a valid Windows license reduces that $500 parts budget to ~$400.

 

[USAFRet]

For instance:

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[Order 66]

$500 is right at my decision point of Build or Buy.

Remember, adding in a valid Windows license reduces that $500 parts budget to ~$400.

yes, but can't you transfer an OEM license?

 

[USAFRet]

yes, but can't you transfer an OEM license?

Probably not.

Sell the old Lenovo as is, with its OS license.
Apply those funds to the new system.

 

[punkncat]

Not for nothing, but a build on this level is going to be hard (IMO) to suggest that good a power supply right off the bat. I also would not recommend using a 580 at this point.

I recently built up a machine for my son. Some of this was picked at MicroCenter, and some from Amazon and so forth. Some of the pricing has risen since then but worth checking on.

ASRock A520M-HDV
Ryzen 5 3600 (you could sub a 5500 here, but would be concerned about BIOS)
Crucial P3 Plus 500 GB - (Check for the Solidigm 1TB model on this also)
Silicone Power 2x8 DDR4 3200 - (check Ripjaws also)
Asus PCE-AX3000

For the power supply I actually went with an el-cheapo, but would recommend something like the Zalman 600W model.

On the graphics card. Used GTX 1080 are going for ~$130-150 right now. You can pick up an RX 5600 pretty cheap right now, or a 6600 for a little more.

On the case I went with a Deep Cool Matrexx 40 3FS- It was ~$50 and I wasn't terrible pleased with it. There are loads of inexpensive cases in that $30-60 mark.

No lie, went with the grey key for W11. I don't recommend others do so, but...

The whole build came out just at $505 minus taxes and gas to go get a few things.

 

[logainofhades]

That kind of budget, I would definitely be looking at used. Scour Facebook marketplace for used systems/hardware.

 

[Eximo]

Only a little over:

You can always run Linux, or just not activate Windows. Just means you have a watermark and can't change the background.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($92.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($32.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 670p 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $527.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-01 13:41 EST-0500

 

[helper800]

Only a little over:

You can always run Linux, or just not activate Windows. Just means you have a watermark and can't change the background.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($92.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($32.97 @ Amazon)
Storage: Intel 670p 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($33.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $527.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-01 13:41 EST-0500

Our builds are so close lol:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($92.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B660M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P3 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($45.76 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GX2 600 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $540.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-12-01 14:33 EST-0500

 

[punkncat]

And both of your builds aren't a huge leap from 66's parts.

 

[Eximo]

Yeah, easy to justify a 1TB SSD over a 512GB for $10.

I wouldn't turn it away. A little more powerful than the i7-7700k and GTX980 I gave my nephew.

 

[Eximo]

Just waiting on AMD to launch RDNA based G class chips. 7600G would probably be worthwhile as a very upgradeable platform.