New PC for the parents (400-500)

[zithe]

Long time no see, y'all.

Since it's been years since I kept up with hardware, I could use some opinions.

My parents need a new pc. They already have an ATX case and a monitor they can use. What do you guys recommend for a parts list (budget in the 400 to 500 range, shipped/taxed in NY) for something that can do some light gaming?

Thanks guys!

Edit: They like to do photo editing with adobe products.
Maybe be able to run games like CIV 6/FPS' on low-mediumish playably. They may want to be able to upgrade it in the future to play more demanding games.

 

[londiste]

Ryzen 5 3400G.
Whatever RAM and MB fits the budget.
SSD, again, what fits the budget.

 

[TheLostSwede]

What are they using it for? This is were you should start.
And an ATX case might not be the ideal solution.
I put together a Gigabyte Brix and mounted on the back of a screen.
This form factor means that there are minimal wires. The only downside is that the power button is on the back of the screen for the PC itself.
It's a computer that's only used for web access and maybe the odd Skype call etc. i.e. basic stuff.
There are a lot of similar system from various manufacturers and you should be able to find something that fits your budget.

Maybe something like this?

Amazon.com: Intel NUC10i3FNK BXNUC10I3FNK1 NUC 10 Performance kit : Electronics

Buy Intel NUC10i3FNK BXNUC10I3FNK1 NUC 10 Performance kit: Desktop Barebones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Something between that and a regular PC is also an option. That's a complete system.

Amazon.com: CUK AsRock DeskMini X300W Tiny Desktop (AMD Ryzen 3 3200G + Radeon RX Vega 8, 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, No OS) Small Form Factor Mini PC: Computers & Accessories

Amazon.com: CUK AsRock DeskMini X300W Tiny Desktop (AMD Ryzen 3 3200G + Radeon RX Vega 8, 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD, No OS) Small Form Factor Mini PC: Computers & Accessories

www.amazon.com

 

[zithe]

What are they using it for? This is were you should start.
And an ATX case might not be the ideal solution.
I put together a Gigabyte Brix and mounted on the back of a screen.
This form factor means that there are minimal wires. The only downside is that the power button is on the back of the screen for the PC itself.
It's a computer that's only used for web access and maybe the odd Skype call etc. i.e. basic stuff.
There are a lot of similar system from various manufacturers and you should be able to find something that fits your budget.

Maybe something like this?

Amazon.com: Intel NUC10i3FNK BXNUC10I3FNK1 NUC 10 Performance kit : Electronics

Buy Intel NUC10i3FNK BXNUC10I3FNK1 NUC 10 Performance kit: Desktop Barebones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I'll update OP with an edit. Thanks!

 

[TheLostSwede]

CIV VI requires a dedicated graphics card, so no chance with that budget.
Something like a GTX 1050 Ti would do, but that's still much much faster than integrated graphics from both AMD and Intel.

ASUS GTX 1050 Ti STRIX OC 4 GB Review

The ASUS GTX 1050 Ti STRIX OC is the highest-clocked GTX 1050 Ti on the market, with a fantastic cooler that is not only nearly inaudible with outstanding temperatures, but one that also stops its fans completely during desktop work. ASUS has also included a metal backplate with their card.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[phanbuey]

maybe:
ryzen 3200g - $94
450 board - ~$75 like this
rx 570 - $130 (xfx variant available)
ram - $70 like this
psu - something for $50ish like this
ssd - something for ~ $60

Right around the top of the budget but decent room to plop in a faster proc and gfx to give it some more juice in a few years. Maybe convince them to spend the extra $80 for the 3600, which will help in the photos department.

 

[zithe]

Thanks for the input guys!

 

[TheLostSwede]

maybe:
ryzen 3200g - $94
450 board - ~$75 like this
rx 570 - $130 (xfx variant available)
ram - $70 like this
psu - something for $50ish like this
ssd - something for ~ $60

Right around the top of the budget but decent room to plop in a faster proc and gfx to give it some more juice in a few years. Maybe convince them to spend the extra $80 for the 3600, which will help in the photos department.

You're right, the RX 570 might be a better option, took me a bit to find a review here, only one card tested...

Sapphire Radeon RX 570 Pulse 4 GB Review

Pulse is a new graphics card series by Sapphire, which does away with some rarely needed features in order to achieve better pricing. The Radeon RX 570 Pulse we review today is only $10 more expensive than the RX 570 base price and still comes with a backplate and an overclock out of the box.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[silentbogo]

For parents? Definitely NUC or AsRock Desk Mini.
Latter one may be a better option, cause of few reasons:
1) It's cheap as hell, even for a barebone
2) Socketed upgradeable CPU for both A300 and H310 variants
3) M.2 NVME slot and two 2.5" mounts give you tons of options in terms of storage.

Heck, for some basic amateur photoshop and typical web-browsing even an older DeskMini H110 paired w/ i5-6400 would do. Not sure about US, but locally there are still some stores selling leftovers under $120.

And a maxed-out A300W with 1TB NVME SSD would be just a tad over $500 state-side.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

I would be keeping an eye out for a 1600 AF for its normal sub $100 price or wait for one of the Zen 2 quads to be released.

 

[TheLostSwede]

For parents? Definitely NUC or AsRock Desk Mini.
Latter one may be a better option, cause of few reasons:
1) It's cheap as hell, even for a barebone
2) Socketed upgradeable CPU for both A300 and H310 variants
3) M.2 NVME slot and two 2.5" mounts give you tons of options in terms of storage.

Heck, for some basic amateur photoshop and typical web-browsing even an older DeskMini H110 paired w/ i5-6400 would do. Not sure about US, but locally there are still some stores selling leftovers under $120.

And a maxed-out A300W with 1TB NVME SSD would be just a tad over $500 state-side.

I guess you didn't read the OPs update to his post...

 

[silentbogo]

I guess you didn't read the OPs update to his post...

Missed the "upgrade in the future" part.