PC for $250.. Is it worth?

[Snooooowman]

So earlier I posted for a $400 gaming PC, and found what i thought was the best build for my budget. But. Then i got looking around.

I've found someone that will sell me a PC with....
Core i5 6400
8GB of ram
NO GFX card ;-;
Windows 10, and 500gb HDD.

for $250

So... I was wondering if it was worth? Get the already really decent PC for $250, and spend the rest of my budget on the GFX card?

Also, Not familiar with the core i5 6400, how does it perform?

 

[sizzling]

It's going to depend on what exact make and model PSU it is. If it's low wattage or low quality it will need replacing before putting a GPU in. It looks like an ok base to pair a GPU with.

Another concern would be what case just to rule out any problems with a GPU fitting

 

[Snooooowman]

It's not a custom built PC, It's an ASUS. I don't think I'll have any troubles with the PSU, But if I do, I'll replace it.

Thanks

 

[guanyu210379]

In my opinion, it is owrth it. You just have to replace the PSU and add a new GPU.
If you buy pre-built like from ASUS, you will have to replace the PSU.
The PSU is only chosen to fit the system without any dedicated GPU.
I am 99% sure.
The case? well, probably needs to be replaced if it is too small.

But...it is still worth it..
i5 6400+ mobo+8GB ram+Windows 10 legit copy worth more than USD 250
If you are lucky, you can use the case, as bonus.
as usual, try to bargain to get the price lower.

Edit:
Prices, here where I live:
i5 6400 €180
mobo (cheapest, estimated) €50
8GB RAM €40
Win 10 home OEM €80
Total: €350 roughly about USD380.

Edit (again):
You just aim that pre-built PC only for the Windows 10 copy, the proc, the mobo and RAM.
If you are lucky, you can re-use the case.
The PSu must be replaced no matter what dedicated GPU, you want to add.

 

[sizzling]

A prebuilt from ASUS will have the weakest and lowest quality PSU they could get away with. You will need to change it. You need to change it before you have problems, if it fails it can destroy other components. Is it a slim case? They do some and that would be a problem for fitting a GPU.

Pre built PC's from companies like ASUS, Dell, HP are not made to make upgrades easy, they would rather you bought a new PC

 

[bliq]

A prebuilt from ASUS will have the weakest and lowest quality PSU they could get away with. You will need to change it. You need to change it before you have problems, if it fails it can destroy other components. Is it a slim case? They do some and that would be a problem for fitting a GPU.

Pre built PC's from companies like ASUS, Dell, HP are not made to make upgrades easy, they would rather you bought a new PC

well, it also depends on what GPU you're going to throw in there. If it's a GTX750Ti or one of the new GTX950 (or lower) that don't require a PCI-E connector, then you're good with the factory GPU.

 

[Wayfall]

and to think back in 2013 a AMD FM2 system cost me around £300, my current home built pc is haswell and partpicker puts all my prices to around £1000.

When I used my AMD system back in 2015 it struggled at lot with low frame-rate in matches with more that 10v10 and I could just about play Skyrim on medium 1080p.

Its amazing the power you can get now for £300 compared to 2013.

 

[Chugalug_]

Notice the guy fails to mention the inclusion of PSU, Mobo or case....
Sounds a bit dodgy, but if you can get those in it, then its a pretty good deal.
Get him to test run it to make sure it gets good performance in a benchmark.

 

[sizzling]

I wouldn't even try a 750Ti. Often these prebuilts say something like 250w psu but then only 10A on the 12v rail which is not enough to safely run a gpu and the rest of the system

 

[Wayfall]

Completely not worth it, you can build your own system for £300 with a Skylake CPU in it with a budget card for now to keep you going.

 

[sizzling]

You realise £300 is just over $450?

If it had a good PSU I'd say it was worth it but if he has to buy a new psu and case the yeah go and build something new

 

[DustinV]

DOLLARS NOT EUROS, read the post please

No matter if it's US, Canadian, or Australian dollars etc. that PC is a very good price, I'd buy it.

 

[guanyu210379]

You realise £300 is just over $450?

If it had a good PSU I'd say it was worth it but if he has to buy a new psu and case the yeah go and build something new

For USD250, you get already processor, motherboard, RAM and a Windows copy.
Yes, you need a new PSU and case..plus the new GPU...
But that is still worth the price, if the PC is still working properly.
an i5 6400 alone costs already €180 (USD200)
A Windows legit copy is about €80 (USD90)
From these 2 together, you have already to pay €260 (USD280)
You still get the mobo, I would estimate that the price of a cheap mobo for about €50 (USD55)
You get also DDR4 8GB RAM, it costs about €40 (USD44), yes, even the one without any heatspreader regardless of the price.
If you have to buy those 4, you need already to spend about €350 (USD380)...yet here...you get all of those for USD250 (€220)
I can not understand your thinking about turning the PC completely down?
Of course, prices vary depend on, where you live.

 

[DustinV]

Prices are actually cheaper in the USA than that ^^ but still an amazing price

 

[sizzling]

I'm pointing out that the suggestion of spending £300 means spending an extra $200 than he wanted to spend on this pc

He needs to factor in a new PSU and might even need a new case. By the time you add them on this is not as great as it may first appear.

 

[guanyu210379]

I will repeat in details....
If you buy all of the components without buying that USD250 PC.
i5 6400 €180 (USD 200)
mobo (cheapest, estimated) €50 (USD55)
8GB RAM €40 (USD 44)
Win 10 home OEM €80 (USD90)
In total: €350 (USD390)

For a proper similar PC without that USD 250 PC, you pay USD390+USD 50 case and USD 60 PSU = USD500.
If you collect/salvage the parts from that USD250 PC (mobo, RAM, proc, windows), you pay for a proper PC, USD250 +USD 50 case and USD 60 PSU = USD 360.
You are saving USD140 by buying that pre-built PC <--- this is quite a lot

If you do not salvage that USD250 PC, you know that you still have to buy a processor, RAM, mobo and Windows.

 

[Snooooowman]

As an update, the case is 100% fine, and i got a new 400 PSU today. Also got a Radeon r7 360, its a budget card, but i hear good things about it.

 

[unicorn_impaler]

To be honest, I'd prefer a i5 6500 because the extra ~500mhz on the base clock is really helpful in cpu reliant apps and games. The i5 6400 is really good though and I don't see it bottle necking your gpu (when you get it). If the guy is legit and like sizzling said, the gpu you want will fit in your case. Then I see no problem.