PC Barebone Kits?

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 5, 2015

I was going to build a nice custom PC with awesome specs, until I realized how expensive it was with the OS license and monitor and speakers and keyboard and mouse. So I almost gave up on the project (because it was out of my budget with everything I wanted). But today, I found some barebone kits on TigerDirect.

So of course, on-the-shelf PCs are cheaper than custom-built PCs with similar specs, because major manufacturers purchase components at cheaper prices. But this - barebone kits - they're basically mainstream PCs without the manual labour involved. Which is awesome for me, since I was considering just buying a normal PC and taking it apart (I was mainly going to build my custom PC for the fun of building one, anyway).

1) http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9686144&Sku=B69-00553%20M
2) http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9494624&Sku=
3) http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8680968&Sku=
4) http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9597662&Sku=
5) http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9618893&Sku=B69-10376

I came across five that I liked (they're the above), that fit under my hobbyist budget. (I'm mostly building it as a first PC, and for the fun of it, and would like to keep it cheap.) I would appreciate it if someone could recommend me the best one, the best one for my budget and uses. (I mostly use my laptop for casual gaming, web browsing, document creation and editing, light photo and video editing, listening to music, and Netflix, so those would likely be my main purposes for the desktop, even though I've never used one before.) (Of course, there'd be homework too, sadly.) Consider the following factors, however:

- I want to keep it under $550 CAD, without OS or monitor or peripherals (I already have a keyboard and mouse, and a really old monitor I could possibly use). Cheaper is better, because I don't want to invest too much in my first build.
- I am 13 years old and I am doing this entirely from my bank savings and allowance, and since I'm still a student, I'd like to conserve money if I can. $800 CAD is ALL the money I have in my bank account.
- I would like to keep it cheap because I might add in a dedicated video card, more RAM, or a better case. And I also need money for my monitor(s), speakers, and accessories.
- I want a good motherboard because I would like to add additional parts later on.

Thanks! I would greatly appreciate feedback. I'm still 13, so I apologize if there are any errors or confusing areas in my typing.

UPDATE: My original custom PC parts list:

AMD FX X8-8320
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=64&item_id=053295
Kingston ValueRAM 8GB DDR3
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=24_326_327_761&item_id=066757
Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_130&item_id=048464
WD Blue 1TB 3.5" SATA3 7200RPM 64MB Cache OEM Hard Drive (WD10EZEX)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=15_1086_210_212&item_id=050727
ASUS M5A78L-M
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_1207_1205_335&item_id=079858
Corsair CS Modular CS450M 450 Watt 80 PLUS Gold Certified Power Supply
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_1238_443&item_id=065430
Deepcool Tesseract SW-WH White Window Mid Tower Case
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=6_112&item_id=078756
ASUS Radeon R7 240 2GB DDR3 (R7240-2GD3-L)
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=43_1200_557_558&item_id=083332

QuadRings · Sep 5, 2015

So of course, on-the-shelf PCs are cheaper than custom-built PCs with similar specs

No not usually. Take a look at a low end ASUS ROG tower, an 900 dollar model. My brothers custom built was 778, and mine 945, and both play at a much higher quality. Most towers are cheaper not because of discounts, and while manafactuers do get them, their premium name adds to the price tag, leading them to put s****y parts in to balance costs. 900 dollars (at best buy) will get a tower from ASUS with a GTX 745, a GPU which is worth less than 100 dollars, as its superior, the 750 ti, is about 110. Building is usually cheaper, unless a massively overpriced GPU, an overkill CPU, or Water Cooling loop on a mid range PC is factored in for no reason. I'm not sure what it'd be in Canadian money, but I live 1 mile from the from the border, and I've out together builds that cost between 650 and 777 USD (without keyboard and monitor, but with OS. I'll post them if you like, I don't know prices for the builds in Canada.) that did about 50 to 60 FPS at 1080p on ultra in Crysis, Far Cry, and GTA V, while also not performing bad in editing (my brothers computer was built for animating). What part list did you have before you came to Barebone PCs?

EDIT: Reread the post, and checking out those links. I may be able to build a PC with similar performance at your price point, since no keyboard or monitor is needed. Check back tomorrow morning for my update

synphul · Sep 5, 2015

I understand you're trying to keep cost down but I don't see that happening with those barebones kits really. While I'd love to see you save money it would be nice to have dependable parts. The best looking barebones kit you listed is the fx 8300 build but it doesn't include a video card. You'll need one just to make the monitor work. It has a poor quality power supply included with it (in my opinion) and that's not going to be good for the whole system which relies on good power.

Same thing with the i5 build, the power supply is really questionable. It does have integrated graphics but nothing I think you'll be happy with trying to do much if any gaming. It too will need a video card for decent gaming performance but would be usable as is.

The apu's (amd a8 type) are kind of mediocre cpu and gpu in one, though the integrated graphics are a little better than intels.

It's not a whole lot of budget to work with especially for the things you'd like to do (video editing, gaming etc). It would bring you closer to $800 cad but this build is fairly balanced and would be usable for quite awhile I think. You could save some money and go with a cheaper gtx 750ti.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($149.95 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.00 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.00 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $791.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-05 21:34 EDT-0400

Or with a 750ti
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($149.95 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($108.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($56.99 @ NCIX)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.00 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($169.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($67.00 @ Vuugo)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $731.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-05 21:35 EDT-0400

The second build would leave you some money for speakers. If trying to go even less expensive you may end up with a system that can't be upgraded. Too weak of a power supply, meaning a graphics card may require a better power supply. Not enough ram will hurt system performance (some of those barebones only had 4gb of ram). It's not worth trying to save a lot of money on a kit where the parts are going to cost you more to upgrade them every time you try to upgrade your system. It's better to get a good quality power supply to start with, things like that.

QuadRings · Sep 5, 2015

Problem is, his budget is 550 CAD. Chaos, you have to realize if you are going for gaming or large scale editing and such, you need a powerful computer. Like Synphul said, the best kit you chose still needed a GPU, an HDD, and RAM. That is alot. Cheapest build I can recommend costs 500 USD, but really can't play big games like GTA V and COD. It'll barely scrape by. You need a big build, about 750, to do that. I'll include both in my post.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($52.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.20 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 250 2GB Video Card ($75.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($39.60 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: Arctic Cooling Arctic F12 74.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.30 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $456.05

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($90.00 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($87.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.40 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($89.75 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($17.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($18.00 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $781.36

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 5, 2015

Sorry if I wasn't clear. By gaming, I meant casual gaming. I mostly play Civilization V or Castle Crashers or MineCraft on my current laptop. With video and photo editing, I'm just an amateur, and I'm not a YouTuber, so I really don't need an awesome graphics card. My other uses don't require a lot. Remember, I'm only 13, and this is my first build. I'm mostly doing this for fun. So really, I can't muster anything above $550 CAD (well, without additional parts, anyway). Cheaper is better for me.

So, which one is the best out of the five? I'm considering the FX-8300 build, but I don't know...I want to save up some money for future upgrades...so I might as well as go with the dirt-cheap $200 one.

QuadRings · Sep 5, 2015

Again, it depends. Being barebones, you need to factor a 50 dollar hard drive, a fifty dollar 8gb RAM kit (Recommended for nearly any game), a wireless card if needed, and, if you get that 8300 kit, a gpu of at least 100 dollars. That's 200 dollars on top of standard costs. And that's in the US, where it's cheap. That 500 dollar build I recommended would play your games at 60 FPS, the minimum these days, but that's all I can recommend. The 8300 is horribly outdated, runs hot, and is missing parts. Any cheaper, and I can only assume performance will get worse.

EDIT: Realized something else. Unless you get Linux, that's ANOTHER 90 dollars on either build. And Linux doesn't have good support for most games, even Steam.

EAJuggalo · Sep 5, 2015

This looks more like what you're looking for. The major issue is that there isn't much of an upgrade path from this forward, you're going to have to build a completely new system in a couple years, or sooner if you want to get into any serious gaming. http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/cD2Dgs

GPUEnthusiast · Sep 5, 2015

It looks pretty good, buck you should be able to save some more money. For example, those Corsair SP120s are not optimized for airflow. They are premium fans optimized for static pressure (CPU air cooler, water cooling radiator). If you like Corsair fans, look for some AF120s as they are usually cheaper.

QuadRings · Sep 5, 2015

May also want a cooler, since the 7870k can overclock. Perhaps later on, perhaps now, but it's a good idea.

QuadRings · Sep 6, 2015

I also never realized stuff in Canada was so expensive. The part list I linked had a GPU to Dual-Fire (using a 7870k or 7850k APU at the same time as an R7 250), a better motherboard, and much better RAM for the same price! Jeez... is it only cheap to build in the US? Now I see why Chaos had such a problem putting together his part list...

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 6, 2015

QuadRings, the AMD-8300 kit already has the RAM and just about everything I need for just the PC itself. And the OS, I'm getting Windows 10, so that's around $150 CAD at Amazon. And as for the GPU, yeah, I should get one around $100. That's fine. But please, just recommend me one of the above...and don't suggest components. I just need to decide which one to get.

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 6, 2015

QuadRings :

Mm....hm. And there also aren't very good sources for components, either. If you try to get it off a US site, the Canadian dollar will kill ya. And you have to pay for customs and taxes too. So pretty much, you're in luck. But we do get a free health care system and library. There's also tons of wood for the lumberjacks. And lots of snow.

GPUEnthusiast · Sep 8, 2015

In terms of being the most ready out of the box, I suggest this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=9686144&Sku=B69-00553%20M

This is the FX-8300 model with the 1866 MHz RAM that you linked above.
The MSI motherboard is solid and the 970 chipset will offer some overclocking power delivery if that's what you want, but a better cooler would be needed.
The 2TB HDD and CPU is what really sells this one.
The PSU in this one is still mediocre, but still the best one out of the bunch. I'd just be wary of using anything above something like an R7 370X or GTX 970 for a GPU.

Go with this one, I think it's worth the extra money since everything is already done for you. All you need is Windows and a good GPU (both of which you can figure out yourself it seems)

PS: Your typing is very clear and concise for a 13 year old. Must be that Canadian education

PPS: The one that I recommended above does NOT have built in graphics in the CPU like the Intel Coreii5 and AMD A8 models do. Which means you will need a graphics card before you can get video output. If this is a deal breaker, consider going for the i5-4590 model as it has built in HD graphics to use as a general computer until you can save for a dedicated GPU.

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 8, 2015

GPUEnthusiast :

I rather thought this was the best option, too. Thanks for the help! I've already picked the solution, but I still have just a few more questions. Do you think the power supply will be any good? I mean, the wattage is decent, but the reviews don't seem all that good to me. Will it be able to power this machine for at least a couple years? If not, could you recommend an affordable yet good-for-the-price power supply?

Also, does the FX-8300 come with integrated graphics? I know some AMD CPUs don't, but even if it didn't, I've read somewhere that the motherboard will often supply a GPU. Is this true with this one? If not, could you recommend me a few decent video cards for around or preferably under $100 CAD? This is my chosen GPU, but I don't really know if it'll do. Thanks!

synphul · Sep 8, 2015

No the fx line of cpu's don't include integrated graphics. They require a discrete graphics card. The apu's like the a6/a8/a10 line include integrated graphics. Keep in mind that any system, intel or amd with integrated/onboard graphics takes some of the system memory to run the graphics. If you have 4gb of ram on a system with integrated graphics you may only end up with 2gb of system ram with 2gb used for the onboard/integrated graphics. If using a dedicated video card, the video card has it's own video ram and the same system would be able to use all 4gb of ram for the system.

Part of the reason costs are higher in canada is the currency conversion rate. Canadian dollars are only worth about .75-.76 cents in u.s. currency so something of equal price at $100 us dollars would cost $132 CAD and would be the same price. Just like 100 pesos aren't worth 100 u.s. dollars. By that figuring, the op only has around $416 usd to work with which is roughly the cost of a gaming console.

You could add a 750ti video card to the fx 8300 barebones build for $153 cad which would bring the price of the pc tower (no peripherals) to $633.
http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx750tioc2gd5

GPUEnthusiast · Sep 8, 2015

Yeah. Thermaltake has had a very non-illustrious (as polite as I can put it) history with making power supplies. This power supply is not a terrible unit by any means, you could do much worse with something by LEPA, Apevia, Insignia (Best Buy in- house brand) or somewhere like SolidGear (the PSU that comes with the Core i5 build you listed, I wouldn't trust it to charge my phone through a USB port, let alone power a computer) It just isn't something I would have in one of my machines. Or something I would recommend using even close to it's advertised 12v amperage (GPU power is fed from the 12 volt rail) or total wattage.

So, in short, the Thermaltake PSU has two major drawbacks versus a unit that is actually higher end. The first is I would assume their quality control isn't nearly as high, so there would be a higher chance you would receive a dead unit in the machine (don't worry, still covered under warranty, and still less likely than all of the other no-name ones that these builds have). The second problem would be components used. Similar to stuff from Corsairs low end CX line, the components in these units probably aren't the best. They'll work, but don't expect to get even 500 watts out of that 600 watt PSU.

Yes you are correct, as I put in the PPS of my last reply. The AMD Piledriver and Bulldozer line (FX Series) do not feature any sort of on-board graphics solution. This is why if you look at the I/O for that MSI 970 motherboard, you only see ethernet, audio, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 and that's it. No HDMI, DisplayPort or DVI.
If this is a deal breaker, shoot for the Intel Core-i5 unit, with the expectation that you'll be spending your first allowance on getting a decent PSU, instead of a decent GPU.

Best GPU at the moment for around 100 dollars (USD) though it normally retails for less than that is the AMD R7 250. Preferably look for one by Sapphire or MSI at your Canadian retailers. If that doesn't pan out, look for an Nvidia GTX 750 (non Ti), and if that STILL doesn't work... Based on what you've told me, and the titles you play, you could potentially buy an Nvidia GT 740... I've ran Minecraft on a GT 440 back in 2010... so... same product, three years newer, there must be a decent chunk of performance to be had. The beauty of the GT 740 is that it really doesn't use a power connector from the PSU, it's just powered completely by the motherboard.

Chaos Sorcerer · Sep 9, 2015

Thank you all very much! Problem solved. I'm still looking at GPUs, though. I'll probably decide on one. Again, thanks for all of the feedback!

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