So I've received several messages and even a profile message from @thernbroom about building desktops and figure it was time to drop an updated guide on how I tend to get desktops built for cheap. The official PC thread might be a little too big and intimidating for new builders to go in and look for advice, so this thread will always be locked and serve as a general guideline. I would ask for @daze23, @Ciggavelli, and @2gunsup for help keeping this up to date and post deals if possible.
ALWAYS START WITH A BUDGET WHEN ASKING FOR ADVICE, NO EXCEPTIONS
Case:
This is probably the most unnecessary high expense part I see in several builds. Listen I am not totally against a high end case, but the problem is that if you are on a tight budget...this can cut into a higher end product such as a video card, bigger ssd, or a faster cpu. This is one of the places you can go cheap, my suggestion? Things have standardized so much that you can get an old desktop on craigslist for about $20-$25 and that will cover your case, keyboard, mouse, dvd drive, and in some cases a decent sata hard drive. Chances are the PSU is not going to be good enough for whatever you need...just dump it on eBay or throw it in the garbage if you buy a used desktop on craigslist. New or used doesn't matter here...it's a case. Buy one, stick it under your desk and forget about it.
PSU:
Probably the most important part of your build. Don't go cheap. 80+ Bronze @ 500W is what I recommend to start off. Don't go cheap, don't go with an unproven brand as this can not only destroy your build, but can even cause a fire in certain cases. Brands I recommend here are Rosewill, EVGA, Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec. This is the most important part in which reviews are extremely important. DO NOT GET THE PSU USED ON A NEW AND EXPENSIVE BUILD. ONLY RECYCLE PSU FROM ONE OF YOUR OLD BUILDS, ONLY YOU CAN KNOW HOW HARD YOUR PSU WAS PUSHED.
MOTHERBOARD:
Intel or AMD? I was a long time AMD fanboy, but those days are over. Go Intel and go with a proven brand such as ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, or EVGA. If you NEED to go cheap, I usually go with BioStar and they can fulfill the needs of those looking for a low end build most of the time. Also, unless you are a complete phsyco like @Ciggavelli you don't need all the high end bells and whistles if you are just looking to game. 1 PCIe 3.0 slot, a couple of sata ports, and the latest cpu support should suffice. I would go with 4 RAM slots, but if your budget only allows for an mATX with 2 slots...that's fine with my recommendations going forward. I recommend buying your motherboard new.
CPU:
Again, you want to make a reasonable purchase here. I almost NEVER recommend the bleeding edge tech in this area. Best thing to do IMO? Get the 2nd highest end CPU or maybe even 3rd highest CPU unlocked if possible. Why? Well, most games are still GPU bound and on top of that once you break the $200 price point you start entering a point of diminishing returns. Only go for the bleeding edge when you are dealing with massive amounts of video that you must edit or huge photoshop files. Consider GTA V, which is one of the best and latest games out there...can run on a Core 2 Quad Q6600...an Intel CPU that came out 8 YEARS ago and can be bought for about $40 used on eBay. I tend to recommend buying new, but if you can get a lightly used CPU that has not been pushed much? Get it used if the deal is right.
If you DO decide to go AMD, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Don't buy a high end AMD CPU, it just doesn't make sense to drop anywhere between $180-$300 on an AMD CPU at this point as Intel crushes them at this price range. I would recommend the lowest prices quad core cpu if you decide that AMD is the best bet for you.
Don't buy an AMD APU unless you are a very casual gamer and have no interest in buying a GPU right from the jump. Kaveri is a nice platform to run games at medium settings at 720p-1080p, but anymore than that? :silvugh:
DDR3 1866 RAM is probably the lowest you want to go with an AMD APU, RAM is extremely important when you are looking for this kind of setup.
RAM:
DDR4 is becoming mainstream, but it's not necessary right now. The lowest speed I would recommend is DDR3 1600 with 1866 being ideal if you can find a deal. Keep in mind that when it comes to RAM speed, it has only shown minimal gains the higher you go. Invest more money in a faster CPU or GPU and then focus on the RAM once you are satisfied with those 2 first. I tend to buy used RAM from time to time if I could get a good deal. RAM either works or it doesn't most of the time. Go for low timing 8 or 9 if possible, but again not a deal breaker if unable to be achieved with your budget.
GPU:
NVIDIA or AMD? I usually go with AMD, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. AMD cards tend to run hotter and use more power. If this is a problem for you? NVIDIA has the edge here. Also NVIDIA has Physx, which some games take advantage of. It's not a dealbreaker for most, but it does enhance the experience if implemented nicely. NVIDIA tends to be a bit more expensive per performance, but the difference is usually not something to go crazy over. Go used if the deal is right.
Hard Drive/SSD
Go with a combo of an SSD and Hard Drive. SSD for speed and Hard Drive for Storage Space. Can't afford both? Start with an SSD first to install all the essentials, then buy a hard drive later. Hopefully you took my advice and bought a used desktop that comes with anywhere between a 250-500GB hard drive. This is purely based on whatever your needs are. If you are using a used hard drive, make sure you run all the tests to ensure it's integrity. Not sure or fails a smart check? Buy a new one...they aren't that expensive.
Keyboard/Mouse/Controller
Get whatever you want, this doesn't matter. I recommend the Wireless XBOX 360 controller for Windows. The XBOX One Controller can only be used wired right now
WINDOWS
Get at @2gunsup
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive:
Only if it's free, #streamset @newarkhiphop
ALWAYS START WITH A BUDGET WHEN ASKING FOR ADVICE, NO EXCEPTIONS
Case:
This is probably the most unnecessary high expense part I see in several builds. Listen I am not totally against a high end case, but the problem is that if you are on a tight budget...this can cut into a higher end product such as a video card, bigger ssd, or a faster cpu. This is one of the places you can go cheap, my suggestion? Things have standardized so much that you can get an old desktop on craigslist for about $20-$25 and that will cover your case, keyboard, mouse, dvd drive, and in some cases a decent sata hard drive. Chances are the PSU is not going to be good enough for whatever you need...just dump it on eBay or throw it in the garbage if you buy a used desktop on craigslist. New or used doesn't matter here...it's a case. Buy one, stick it under your desk and forget about it.
PSU:
Probably the most important part of your build. Don't go cheap. 80+ Bronze @ 500W is what I recommend to start off. Don't go cheap, don't go with an unproven brand as this can not only destroy your build, but can even cause a fire in certain cases. Brands I recommend here are Rosewill, EVGA, Corsair, Seasonic, and Antec. This is the most important part in which reviews are extremely important. DO NOT GET THE PSU USED ON A NEW AND EXPENSIVE BUILD. ONLY RECYCLE PSU FROM ONE OF YOUR OLD BUILDS, ONLY YOU CAN KNOW HOW HARD YOUR PSU WAS PUSHED.
MOTHERBOARD:
Intel or AMD? I was a long time AMD fanboy, but those days are over. Go Intel and go with a proven brand such as ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, or EVGA. If you NEED to go cheap, I usually go with BioStar and they can fulfill the needs of those looking for a low end build most of the time. Also, unless you are a complete phsyco like @Ciggavelli you don't need all the high end bells and whistles if you are just looking to game. 1 PCIe 3.0 slot, a couple of sata ports, and the latest cpu support should suffice. I would go with 4 RAM slots, but if your budget only allows for an mATX with 2 slots...that's fine with my recommendations going forward. I recommend buying your motherboard new.
CPU:
Again, you want to make a reasonable purchase here. I almost NEVER recommend the bleeding edge tech in this area. Best thing to do IMO? Get the 2nd highest end CPU or maybe even 3rd highest CPU unlocked if possible. Why? Well, most games are still GPU bound and on top of that once you break the $200 price point you start entering a point of diminishing returns. Only go for the bleeding edge when you are dealing with massive amounts of video that you must edit or huge photoshop files. Consider GTA V, which is one of the best and latest games out there...can run on a Core 2 Quad Q6600...an Intel CPU that came out 8 YEARS ago and can be bought for about $40 used on eBay. I tend to recommend buying new, but if you can get a lightly used CPU that has not been pushed much? Get it used if the deal is right.
If you DO decide to go AMD, here are a couple of things to keep in mind:
Don't buy a high end AMD CPU, it just doesn't make sense to drop anywhere between $180-$300 on an AMD CPU at this point as Intel crushes them at this price range. I would recommend the lowest prices quad core cpu if you decide that AMD is the best bet for you.
Don't buy an AMD APU unless you are a very casual gamer and have no interest in buying a GPU right from the jump. Kaveri is a nice platform to run games at medium settings at 720p-1080p, but anymore than that? :silvugh:
DDR3 1866 RAM is probably the lowest you want to go with an AMD APU, RAM is extremely important when you are looking for this kind of setup.
RAM:
DDR4 is becoming mainstream, but it's not necessary right now. The lowest speed I would recommend is DDR3 1600 with 1866 being ideal if you can find a deal. Keep in mind that when it comes to RAM speed, it has only shown minimal gains the higher you go. Invest more money in a faster CPU or GPU and then focus on the RAM once you are satisfied with those 2 first. I tend to buy used RAM from time to time if I could get a good deal. RAM either works or it doesn't most of the time. Go for low timing 8 or 9 if possible, but again not a deal breaker if unable to be achieved with your budget.
GPU:
NVIDIA or AMD? I usually go with AMD, but there are a couple of things to keep in mind. AMD cards tend to run hotter and use more power. If this is a problem for you? NVIDIA has the edge here. Also NVIDIA has Physx, which some games take advantage of. It's not a dealbreaker for most, but it does enhance the experience if implemented nicely. NVIDIA tends to be a bit more expensive per performance, but the difference is usually not something to go crazy over. Go used if the deal is right.
Hard Drive/SSD
Go with a combo of an SSD and Hard Drive. SSD for speed and Hard Drive for Storage Space. Can't afford both? Start with an SSD first to install all the essentials, then buy a hard drive later. Hopefully you took my advice and bought a used desktop that comes with anywhere between a 250-500GB hard drive. This is purely based on whatever your needs are. If you are using a used hard drive, make sure you run all the tests to ensure it's integrity. Not sure or fails a smart check? Buy a new one...they aren't that expensive.
Keyboard/Mouse/Controller
Get whatever you want, this doesn't matter. I recommend the Wireless XBOX 360 controller for Windows. The XBOX One Controller can only be used wired right now
WINDOWS
Get at @2gunsup
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive:
Only if it's free, #streamset @newarkhiphop