So, this is what I have ended up with. The prices are a little off since I got the mobo AND CPU for $220 @ Newegg for their FantasTech sale. I also bought a 750w Antec PSU for $90, but I have a $30 off mail in rebate, so I should get that for $60...
I haven't ordered the HDD yet, since I have the SSD from the laptop. I also have its HDD, but am afraid it won't work because it is like 7 years old ( I want to store photos, so not interested in using half broken parts for irreplaceable stuff LOL).
What are your recommendations if I wanted a GPU? Again mainly photos, but also CAD.
Thanks for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you guys!
"By then, re-read the info here, in other places, and purchase as you see fit."
Yep. If the 3xxxg cards are only a few bucks more, then I'll grab one of them, but otherwise I'll stick to the 2400g. From what I've heard, any b450 mobo that is cheap, works since I dont overclock. (I mean not "Chad's Budget Builds" brand, but Asus, Asrock, MSI, Gigabyte, etc)
"You can ask your nieces and nephews to make some colored drawings. Cost is free, but also priceless. Put 'em on the walls. THAT would make the room prettier"
that made my day! I will do that!
You are on a limited budget. Stay with the B450. In any case it'd make sense to go for a new X570 (but I wouldn't, they're super expensive now, and they do not add anything that I can give real value to), but you are not going to need ANY of the advantages (like PCI Express 4), as yet there's no solution or workflow that you could benefit from, neither you probably need the transfer to external disk or sth to be the speed of light.
Basically : You are not trading right now performance, nor any other thing when getting a B450. You're good to go with one, is one of the easiest questions to answer.
100 bucks... not sure if a bit expensive....wait... no, it's fine, as I get an ok B450 for 75 euros, more or less the same... But you don't need it to be "elite" and stuff. Just about any B450. Hunt for good prices.
PSU. Trust me, a 500W would do. (a 450, probably too, but, in case you upgrade later a lil the pc....)
Bronze is one of the ratings in the 80plus general qualification (meaning it gets at least a 80% of efficiency, but that varies if the pc is at 20% load, 50% or 100%). The difference between bronze, silver and gold is not super big (around 2 -10% between each category and the following). So, for this build, a bronze is enough. There's other matters, like how warm is your region and room, etc, which end up in more heat and so, less efficiency inside it. Of course, for carbon foot print, the more efficient, the better, but even already silver and gold are pretty expensive. You can't put 50% of the cost of a computer in the psu.... Or you end up non able to buy one to do your work...
I typically am fine with a 50 -65 bucks one. But this is sth very personal for each one.
One on the cheap that has good reviews : https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Bronze-Certified-Modular-CP-9020103-NA/dp/B01B72W1VA/
Or cheaper (I've no references, but has quite some good customer ratings) at 55$ :
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Bronze-Modular-Warranty-110-BQ-0500-K1/dp/B01N3OAFHD/
You can get one of these, or cheaper, and then after some time, replace it with a super efficient one, to use less electricity (for the eco, environment reasons, NOT for the 20$ you "might" save per year if you use very intensively that PC). Like for example this 130 $ one : https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-RM750x-Certified-Modular-Supply/dp/B079HGN5QS/
But right now at first, putting all the money in one go is hard to put elite components in every freaking part. You can go improving your build later. (ie, adding a discrete card later, more ram, etc. This is PC world, you can do this. ...stuff is not welded and only fixable by the super expensive support (when out of warranty). PCs don't have those issues.)
But obviously, if you are asking for a 500$ budget, a lot of people just get a box with whatever PSU it comes with (like 30$ ones). The labels of bronze, silver, etc, also refer to pieces quality in it, so, yes, typically the higher in the ranking, the more durable. But I've had cheap a$$ PSUs that lasted a lot. The environment thing, yep, that's the important matter.
That said, pay attention to offers, as often you find a fine box (all are fine, I mean, is rare to get sth wrong there, tho not impossible) with an OK PSU in it, and there you can save quite some dollars.
"A case (what I call box) of quality" ? Don't worry, any would be fine (I hope you are not talking about aesthetics... for me is like desiring that your hammer looks beautiful, lol). Again, don't try to search for the word "elite" in everything. You need to pay only what you need and what you will notice. Of course, as always there are differences, but here it wont affect your workflow for the better.
I believe that case is too old...might have probs...
WOW. Just...wow. Can I ask you why ???
Nothing in this build and budget shouts that you are going for a hardcore gamer (better said, hardware enthusiast to the point where functionality goes to a second priority....) build...
I mean, why?. That's only funky colored lighting (making some of us a bit dizzy while we work) that consumes more electricity and generates heat.If you are willing to save bucks... I don't see the point...But hey.
Those tend to show up in pricier pieces.
For your first post's description , light photo editing with AP... you don't need anything expensive, in really, any part. Just a good foundation for later upgrades. Which is typically better provided (since recently) by AMD. The B450 is enough. The Zen 2 integrated GPU CPUs will show up quite later, not now in the launch. So, you might want to swap it later, and will be less sad for you, as now a 2400G is dirty cheap (but quite more tested with all apps and drivers than any zen 2. So it's even the clever thing to do ! ), it'll have served its function, and surely in one year you still will be able to sell it to really cheapo grunts, we're always out there, lol.
Or... If get the luck of putting together some more cash, just do the definitive thing later on, and swap the 2400G for a 3700X, or the king of the solutions, which has the price of your entire budget, lol) the 3900X. Which might go cheaper once the uber beast of the 3950X is out. Already 3900X is beating the intel mainstream flagship, i9 9900K, so...
But your usage is light, so, if anything, I believe you'll swap it with a integrated GPU one, or a 3600 and a very cheap radeon 570 or 580. (and that's a heck of a machine for current games, so...)
But if you continue doing a light use, just replace it after one year or some months with one of those integrated gpu ones that AMD has decided to delay in its launch several months. Just to give your build some more years of staying functional. (of course, getting a 3700x, 3900x (I don't see the point for a 3800X) gives it a very long time till you start needing more power)).
Sanderguy777 got a reaction from SrPx in CHEAP PC build