Baseline Budget Build: $400

[PizzaSHARK]

After talking with some buddies of mine about budget builds, we were looking at upgrading my old pile of garbage and making it something usable. The idea I'm going with is to just worry about the baseline right away, and upgrade to decent components as the money comes in - I could save $800 for everything all at once, but I don't like the idea of dumping that much money into a computer all at once, because what happens if the car breaks down or I get laid off? Not smart to not have something in savings these days.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G530 2.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($48.57 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.79 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $359.17
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-10 04:06 EDT-0400)

So the basic idea is this: get a good quality motherboard and PSU to build on, and get the real CPU and GPU later on. As you can see, there's no HDD or GPU listed - I'll be reusing my existing components, and I'll get a copy of Windows 7 (R.I.P., WinXP) on my own. The HDD is... well, I can't remember the brand offhand, but it's SATA and 236GB, which is large enough for right now.

The GPU is pretty old, a Radeon HD 4870 512MB. Obviously, this is where the bottleneck will happen and it'll be the first part to be replaced; the plan is to replace it with something like a 6870 or 7850 depending on availability. Obviously the 4870 is operating on an older variation of PCI-E, but the motherboard should be backwards compatible so it shouldn't be an issue.

The Celeron is honestly just amazing for the price. I'm currently using a decrepit E4300 Core2Duo, so even just a different dual core CPU is going to be night and day. The Hyper 212+ isn't exactly necessary for the Celeron (stock cooling will work fine), but I'm planning on overclocking the i2500k I'll be upgrading into, and that's going to require decent cooling.

The case is a pretty simple, mid-range Corsair case. The Cooler Master HAF 912 is $20 cheaper and is about the same, feature-wise, but it's an ugly ricer piece of crap. I'm willing to spend $20 more for a case that doesn't look like dogshit.

Memory is pretty simple - lower voltage means tighter timings, 8GB will be plenty to start with, G.Skill is a reputable brand, and it's 1600. I've heard that the Celeron might not actually be able to support 1600, but that's fine; it'll slow it down if necessary, and the i2500k will have no issues with 1600.

Lastly, the PSU is a SeaSonic, it's bronze certified, it's large enough to support my planned system (calculated draw will top out just under 500W, which gives an extra 20W of safety), and it's modular. I don't think that can be beat.

Any suggestions for improvements on this base? I don't see much anywhere where fat can be trimmed, but it'd be nice to be able to get a fresh HDD right away instead of adding one later.

[hapylol]

Looks like you have got a lot of good idea's there. I would maybe switching a couple things and I listed it below-

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G530 2.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($48.53 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($84.79 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $308.13
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-10 09:19 EDT-0400)

I removed the Cooler(as it is pointless to buy now) and saved you some money on the PSU. I don't think you need to buy the cooler now and like you said things could happen IRL to cause issues. Coolers are coolers and you can always pick it up later.

This build might allow you to get a HDD right now since you said you had $400. You could get something like the WD Caviar Black 500GB.

[PizzaSHARK]

Yeah, I could drop the cooler and see if I can squeeze the HDD in, but there's no way I'm going from SeaSonic to fuckin OCZ; there's a reason their stuff is so cheap, and that's because it breaks constantly. I've seen reams of tirades on their SSDs, PSUs, and other products breaking literally a few months after purchase, so I know I'm not gonna be touching their products

Besides, 600W is way too big; power draw for the system with SSD+HDD, i2500k with overclocking, and a mid-range GPU (I used a 6870 though I'll try to get a 7850 if one is available when I'm ready to buy) was a hair under 500W, which means the SeaSonic's 520W is plenty. It's also modular (easier for cable feng shui) and Bronze certified, which will end up saving me a fair amount on the power bill over the years.

[Biernot]

OCZ psu, really? I would stay with the Seasonic... (and if you don't need the modular part, you could even get the S12 model, which should save another $10)
And to drop the heatsink is a good move here. You don't need an aftermarket fan unless you get a six-core and/or want to overclock.

[PizzaSHARK]

OCZ psu, really? I would stay with the Seasonic... (and if you don't need the modular part, you could even get the S12 model, which should save another $10)
And to drop the heatsink is a good move here. You don't need an aftermarket fan unless you get a six-core and/or want to overclock.

The plan is to upgrade to an i2500k after I get a new GPU, at which point I'll need the heatsink to handle the overclocking. I'll probably try to squeeze in an HDD with the initial buy, but if I can't I'll just grab the heatsink now.

[Jeffv426]

OCZ psu, really? I would stay with the Seasonic... (and if you don't need the modular part, you could even get the S12 model, which should save another $10)
And to drop the heatsink is a good move here. You don't need an aftermarket fan unless you get a six-core and/or want to overclock.

I agree here as well, your PSU is something that you want the top quality on and as i have the Seasonic M12II 520, and its top notch. Look to skimp elsewhere, like maybe u can save a few bucks getting some 1333 ram. You wouldnt notice much difference and could be had for 35$.

[PizzaSHARK]

I agree here as well, your PSU is something that you want the top quality on and as i have the Seasonic M12II 520, and its top notch. Look to skimp elsewhere, like maybe u can save a few bucks getting some 1333 ram. You wouldnt notice much difference and could be had for 35$.

But the plan is to upgrade to the i2500k - even if the celeron can't handle 1600, the i2500k surely can. I'd save $20 now, but that would mean gimping performance down the road, wouldn't it?

[hapylol]

I agree here as well, your PSU is something that you want the top quality on and as i have the Seasonic M12II 520, and its top notch. Look to skimp elsewhere, like maybe u can save a few bucks getting some 1333 ram. You wouldnt notice much difference and could be had for 35$.

The OCZ is not an unreliable PSU... just because it isn't Seasonic or Corsair does not mean it can't be trusted. If I linked a thermaltek or Rosewill then I would understand the caution, but the OCZ has been given plenty of positive reviews all around.

[PizzaSHARK]

The OCZ is not an unreliable PSU... just because it isn't Seasonic or Corsair does not mean it can't be trusted. If I linked a thermaltek or Rosewill then I would understand the caution, but the OCZ has been given plenty of positive reviews all around.

OCZ products are about as well known for breaking or catching fire as the Ford Pinto was known for randomly exploding. Sure, they work great when they aren't spontaneously combusting, but I'd prefer a product with more than three months' of life in it

I think I'm just gonna buy everything in chunks each paycheck instead of waiting for the ~$400 all at once. Any suggestions for which pieces would have the most consistent pricing? Would any of those components be expected to go down in price in a month's time? Two months' time?

[hapylol]

OCZ products are about as well known for breaking or catching fire as the Ford Pinto was known for randomly exploding. Sure, they work great when they aren't spontaneously combusting, but I'd prefer a product with more than three months' of life in it

I think I'm just gonna buy everything in chunks each paycheck instead of waiting for the ~$400 all at once. Any suggestions for which pieces would have the most consistent pricing? Would any of those components be expected to go down in price in a month's time? Two months' time?

Do you always just make up things as you go? If you actually read the reviews you would realize that the OCZ PSU's are perfectly acceptable and cost 1/2 of what a corsair does.

[Orionsheart]

I have been using an OCZ PSU for over a year and half. Havent had an issue once with it. Its a nice modular psu. Also been using an OCZ vertex 2 the same amount of time. Has fantastic read/write speeds for the time I got it and again not a single problem with it. That being said, I dont know about other OCZ products, but just because its OCZ does not mean its crap. And with the amount of products any company puts out there are going to be problems with some. Just go look at reviews for any PC component, there may be 1000 good but there are inevitably those 50+ that have a bad experience.

[Jeffv426]

But the plan is to upgrade to the i2500k - even if the celeron can't handle 1600, the i2500k surely can. I'd save $20 now, but that would mean gimping performance down the road, wouldn't it?

Not sure how close you were to your budget cap is all But yes, if you can go a few extra bucks then by all means get some 1600. The real point is that you spend the money to get a quality PSU, just read the reviews(horror stories) and decide on one. During the reseach for my own build, it was stressed by every veteran builder to NOT skimp on that. Seasonic and by extention XFX have very good quality as well as having affordable models.

[Berserker Cronus]

OCZ products are about as well known for breaking or catching fire as the Ford Pinto was known for randomly exploding. Sure, they work great when they aren't spontaneously combusting, but I'd prefer a product with more than three months' of life in it

I think I'm just gonna buy everything in chunks each paycheck instead of waiting for the ~$400 all at once. Any suggestions for which pieces would have the most consistent pricing? Would any of those components be expected to go down in price in a month's time? Two months' time?

Prices on computer components will always go down unless there's some sort of shortage. And while I don't think things will change in regards to the parts you've chosen a great deal within the next couple months, it's never a good idea to buy components over time unless you can use them in the present.

[Llunai]

OCZ products are about as well known for breaking or catching fire as the Ford Pinto was known for randomly exploding. Sure, they work great when they aren't spontaneously combusting, but I'd prefer a product with more than three months' of life in it

I think I'm just gonna buy everything in chunks each paycheck instead of waiting for the ~$400 all at once. Any suggestions for which pieces would have the most consistent pricing? Would any of those components be expected to go down in price in a month's time? Two months' time?

OCZ PSU's are rebadged Fortrons. Internally, they are identical in every way (except, perhaps, for adding a LED to the fan). Externally, they add some flashy looking paint and an OCZ sticker. Fortron, for those not in the know, are considered to be among the most stable and reliable PSU's out there. Fortrons are also just another brand for Sparkle. Antec PSU's are also rebadged Fortrons/Sparkles.

I've used many OCZ PSU's over the years. They've all been rock solid. I've also used Sparkles. Same deal.

[Eroginous]

You don't need anything better than stock cooler for that CPU. You won't be over clocking it and the stock cooler will do as good as any aftermarket cooler.

[Biernot]

I think I'm just gonna buy everything in chunks each paycheck instead of waiting for the ~$400 all at once. Any suggestions for which pieces would have the most consistent pricing? Would any of those components be expected to go down in price in a month's time? Two months' time?

Parts, which usually do not vary much over time:
- PSU
- Case

Parts, which will vary, and most likely will drop:
- CPU
- MB
- HDD

normally, RAM would also be in the second category, but as it is on a very low level at the moment, i do not expect any major drops in the next year.

[PizzaSHARK]

You don't need anything better than stock cooler for that CPU. You won't be over clocking it and the stock cooler will do as good as any aftermarket cooler.

Please read the entire thread. My plan is to upgrade to an i2500k and overclock once I upgrade the GPU. This is just a baseline, not the finished build; the Hyper 212+ won't be needed for the celeron, but it'll definitely be required when I start overclocking the 2500k.

Parts, which usually do not vary much over time:
- PSU
- Case

Parts, which will vary, and most likely will drop:
- CPU
- MB
- HDD

normally, RAM would also be in the second category, but as it is on a very low level at the moment, i do not expect any major drops in the next year.

Useful information. Thanks!

[Llunai]

Please read the entire thread. My plan is to upgrade to an i2500k and overclock once I upgrade the GPU. This is just a baseline, not the finished build; the Hyper 212+ won't be needed for the celeron, but it'll definitely be required when I start overclocking the 2500k.

He does have a point though. There's nothing stopping you from grabbing a boxed CPU that comes with a stock cooler now, and adding a performance cooler when you upgrade the processor.

It really depends on when you'd rather spend the extra money -- then or now.

[helusay]

Well, one concern that I have with the build is that the Hyper 212+ is HUGE approx. 6.25" tall and the case is 8.30" wide. Are you sure it will fit? Not to mention the issues people have had with RAM clearances on that particular unit. Do you think that when you upgrade to the 2500k you might be able to sock away few extra bucks and get a liquid cooled heatsink like the Antec Kuhler 620? It will save you some space in the case and provide you with some great cooling when you OC the 2500k.

[PizzaSHARK]

Well, one concern that I have with the build is that the Hyper 212+ is HUGE approx. 6.25" tall and the case is 8.30" wide. Are you sure it will fit? Not to mention the issues people have had with RAM clearances on that particular unit. Do you think that when you upgrade to the 2500k you might be able to sock away few extra bucks and get a liquid cooled heatsink like the Antec Kuhler 620? It will save you some space in the case and provide you with some great cooling when you OC the 2500k.

Something to consider, figured the 300R was about the same size as the HAF 912... it's actually a little bit less than an inch thinner. Then again, if I do go with the (ugly!) HAF 912, I could easily delay the Hyper 212+ until it's time to get the i2500k and squeeze in an HDD earlier.

I like that idea. But christ, the 912's so fucking UGLY