What should I use to build a computer under $300?

[Charles Petit]

Okay, so I am going to build my first computer and I wanted to start off with a core i3, that way I could eventually upgrade to a core i7. On my computer I will be running Ubuntu, so you obviously don't have to factor the OS into the cost. I could use one of my old hard drives if that would help with the cost.

 

[dhamiltongrey]

i bought the i5-2500k from amazon when they had it in stock, got it for £170 that was the biggest spend
the asrock p67 pro se 3 motherboard was £50
the vengeance 8gig 1600mhz ram was £60
the SSD i bought for £25 from a for sale or swap site
power supply £35 850watt
nvidia gtx 650 ti ssc 1gig was £90 from ebuyer when they had an offer on

this came to £430 pounds..

if you went for a different cpu i3 and different graphics card you might get it cheaper.. but prices have come down so much now that you could get an i5 instead.. but the whole system under $300 dollars.. im not convinced you could do it.... if you got second hand parts and did the build yourself then i suppose.. be interesting to see if you could..

 

[Charles Petit]

i bought the i5-2500k from amazon when they had it in stock, got it for £170 that was the biggest spend
the asrock p67 pro se 3 motherboard was £50
the vengeance 8gig 1600mhz ram was £60
the SSD i bought for £25 from a for sale or swap site
power supply £35 850watt
nvidia gtx 650 ti ssc 1gig was £90 from ebuyer when they had an offer on

this came to £430 pounds..

if you went for a different cpu i3 and different graphics card you might get it cheaper.. but prices have come down so much now that you could get an i5 instead.. but the whole system under $300 dollars.. im not convinced you could do it.... if you got second hand parts and did the build yourself then i suppose.. be interesting to see if you could..

For now I probably will stick with the built in graphics on the CPU, but do you think it would be ok to use a case that had a built in power unit. It is a Rosewill case with a built in 450W power supply and it only cost $50, so that would bring down the cost as well.

 

[dhamiltongrey]

whats the primary role for the computer if you dont mind me asking.. it would help to determine the exact needs. a 450 watt power supply is perfect for a 7600gt card if you decided to get one.. im sure there under 30bucks now.. cheaper than a PSU

 

[Charles Petit]

whats the primary role for the computer if you dont mind me asking.. it would help to determine the exact needs. a 450 watt power supply is perfect for a 7600gt card if you decided to get one.. im sure there under 30bucks now.. cheaper than a PSU

The main purpose is just a good everyday computer and some video editing for YouTube. Thank you so much for helping out so far!

 

[dhamiltongrey]

i do aplogise, i was referring to the 7600gt as an answer to a private message so ignore that.. for your system a 450watt power supply is quite capable of powering an i3 or an i5, i had a 400 watt in my i5 system to start with, then went to 450 when i installed a different graphics card, then i went to 650 but that died so im on 850watt now.. an everyday computer with video editing, pretty much any decent graphics card and processor will achieve it.. pick all the components that fit your price bracket then review each one.. then order and build thats what i did..

 

[Charles Petit]

Okay, would you mind putting together a build on parts picker?

 

[sparestuff]

The problem is that with a <300 budget computer it really isn't worth going into the intel route. AMD actually makes some decent cpus which come with gpus, and tbh it would be a hard fit to try and fit all the parts under 300. I can try list some good parts here:

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

CPU: AMD A8-6600K 3.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A55M-S1 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($34.69 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $301.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Best I could do

 

[dhamiltongrey]

Okay, would you mind putting together a build on parts picker?

whats the local currency to you, is it dollars.. im asssuming it is but need to know the exact currency to determine best prices. $ and £ are very close on the keyboard, a typo would confuse..

 

[Charles Petit]

Okay, would you mind putting together a build on parts picker?

whats the local currency to you, is it dollars.. im asssuming it is but need to know the exact currency to determine best prices. $ and £ are very close on the keyboard, a typo would confuse..

Yes it is dollars