Question What is the best budget config harnessing the power of DDR4 RAM?

[PrabhakaranKaruppaih]

Hi Guys,

We have decided to go with DDR4 RAM. Can you members please tell me a good yet affordable budget config harnessing the full power of DDR4 RAM without any bottlenecks?

HDMI and USB 3.0 are must. Thank you.

Regards,
Prabhakaran Karuppaih

 

[Ecky]

DDR4 does not perform significantly better than DDR3. The reason to buy it is not because it's any faster, but because it's now cheaper, and DDR3 is going out of production and will gradually become less available and more expensive. Therefore, if you're in need of a new PC now, it's a good idea to get one with DDR4 support, but beyond that it's pretty irrelevant.

Do you need a new computer right now? Why the focus on what RAM technology it has?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

DDR4 isn't going to do anything DDR3 didn't do.

What is the budget ?

 

[Ecky]

What are your needs?

For a basic office PC, I'd probably do something like this:

i3 6100
H110 ITX motherboard with integrated WiFi
M.2 SSD, probably Samsung 850 120GB or 240GB
1x 8GB DDR4, leaving a slot open for an upgrade down the road
Tiny ITX case + power supply

You can very easily build an office machine that you could nearly put in your pocket, but will use mostly standard desktop PC parts.

 

[Ecky]

Nearly all socket 1151 motherboards (which are the ones that take the i3 6100) will have HDMI out - it's pretty standard. Also, the vast majority use DDR4. Boards that accept DDR3 are uncommon. Most any 6th generation Intel motherboard you pick will satisfy both of these wants.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Do you have a budget yet for this office PC ? Anything besides office suite and web surfing ? I will assume $500 and no Adobe or any other demanding apps

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H110I Pro Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($87.98 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ITX Mini ITX Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.91 @ OutletPC)
Total: $477.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-15 22:32 EDT-0400

 

[Ecky]

$350 will be hard to meet if you're spending close to $100 of that on a Windows license. I feel you'll need to drop down to a Pentium to meet your budget. Here's a rough sketch for a build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110N Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($31.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 540s 120GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec ISK 110 VESA Mini ITX Desktop Case w/90W Power Supply ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.91 @ OutletPC)
Total: $371.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-15 22:51 EDT-0400

 

[Ecky]

I started off with a slim ITX case that will attach to the back of the monitor, to minimize the system's footprint. The Pentium is there to meet the budget, but I feel a Core i3 would be a better choice if you can swing it. One stick of RAM prevents dual channel, but the performance hit is minimal and it leaves room for an upgrade later. The motherboard has both built-in WiFi and an M.2 slot. The SSD is from the most reliable brand (Intel) and uses the M.2 slot, cutting down on the size of the case and getting rid of wire mess.

The 90w power supply is plenty for the Pentium, but if you move to an i3, you might consider going with the i3 6100T for the slightly lower TDP. I imagine a 90w power supply would still be sufficient, but better to be safe. That, or you could get a similar case with a slightly larger unit. I think 120w would support any full-speed Intel desktop CPU.

 

[Ecky]

After looking at prices, your goal of 23,000 simply can't be done, partly because Windows costs ~11500 rupees on its own. This is the best I can do, using close to the absolute cheapest components:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor (₹5400.00 @ Amazon India)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (₹7800.00 @ Amazon India)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (₹2725.00 @ Amazon India)
Storage: Sandisk Z400s 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (₹2975.00 @ Amazon India)
Case: Corsair Carbide SPEC-M2 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (₹6499.00 @ Amazon India)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 350W ATX Power Supply (₹2549.00 @ Amazon India)
Total: ₹27948.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-16 08:50 IST+0530

₹28000 before Windows, ~₹40000 after purchasing Windows.

 

[Ecky]

I would greatly prefer to build a mini-ITX PC but for whatever reason, ITX motherboards are almost twice as expensive in India as mATX and ATX boards.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Hi Jack. Our budget is 350$ that's around 23000 Indian rupee. Is it possible to build a 6th gen i3 PC with a DDR4 in it? I am from India so its better if the components are available in Indian ecommerce sites like amazon.in. Please remember we are looking for a motherboard having an HDMI port in it. Thank you.

That wuda been good info at the start .... but remember time is money ... skimping on hardware can cost a lot down the line.... some upgrades can pay for themselves after just hours of usage.

- 8GB is a start but always install RAM in pairs.

- You'll need to have room for storage for the web site you are creating so reducing to 1 TB to save $20 is hard to justify... still the 1 TB SSHD gives you 4 - 8 times as much storage as an SSD would give you in this budget.

Can't get anywhere near 23,000 ... at 38,000 after lotta cutting

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor (₹5400.00 @ Amazon India)
Motherboard: MSI CSM-H110M Pro-VHL Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (₹5110.00 @ Amazon India)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (₹3750.00 @ Amazon India)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive (₹9877.00 @ Amazon India)
Case: Cooler Master K380 ATX Mid Tower Case (₹4435.00 @ Amazon India)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 350W ATX Power Supply (₹2549.00 @ Amazon India)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full 32/64-bit (₹7563.00)
Total: ₹38684.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-16 09:03 IST+0530

 

[Tradesman1]

You might consider going Haswell and DDR3 - in all honest with your budget you aren't going to get any gains from DDR4 as you will pretty much be limited to entry level DDR4 2133 and manufacturers aren't really putting much effort into higher performance at the 2133 level. At it's release most all DDR4 2133 was at a 15 CL, with some at CL14, there is now a small selection at CL14 and only about 4 sets with tighter CLs. Most are pretty much bypassing the lower end DRAM as p'performance' in favor of the mid higher data ratees and pushing for even higher data rates. Might do better pricewise and get more for your money with Haswell