Where do you cut if you are really on a budget for a new PC ?

[yogurt_21]

idk for me there has never been a time where I didn't re-use something from an older rig when upgrading.

So in my votes re-using old = skimping.

so re-use case, psu if it's new/strong enough, cpu cooler if its fits the new socket, peripherals, etc. HD's usually make it through a rig rebuild or two as well.

Really when I'm upgrading it goes Mobo/Mem/CPU/GPU and that's it unless something else absolutely needs it.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Batteries for what? I think im missing something

idk for me there has never been a time where I didn't re-use something from an older rig when upgrading.

Im still using the ram a bought from the Sandy Bridge release . Until something breaks or becomes absolutely unusable I see no reason to stop using it

 

[hat]

Anything but RAM, PSU, storage. I stay strong on PSU so the whole thing has a strong and stable power supply, RAM because having enough RAM is essential for overall performance, and storage because I'd at least want a small SSD system drive and a reliable hard drive that's not likely to fail. Everything else is secondary/non critical. Runner up would be the chassis, I'd want to make sure my chassis is adequate for good hardware and good cooling in the future.

 

[jboydgolfer]

I just spent a minute trying to thank @64K 's post responding to my Battery question, repeatedly getting errors, then i find out the errors were because the post didnt exist

 

[peche]

I have one, but you tend to buy one, and besides replacing batteries, keep it forever.

so do i, APC Pro Back ups 1000Va. it has like 4 years with me, pretty solid unit, replacement batteries are well priced and always available!

Batteries for what? I think im missing something

UPS

Regards,

 

[Caring1]

If i'm building to replace a computer that has a faulty motherboard, then I reuse what I can and get the best feature set on a replacement board for my money.
Same applies when building new, reuse what I can and best motherboard with features I use, and at least a quad core, integrated graphics will do.

 

[GoldenX]

I have one, but you tend to buy one, and besides replacing batteries, keep it forever.

Same, recently had to sell it, it was too small anyway. Trying to buy a 500VA one in the near future when I build a desktop again.

 

[R-T-B]

Same, recently had to sell it, it was too small anyway. Trying to buy a 500VA one in the near future when I build a desktop again.

My 1500VA TrippLite spoils me.

 

[r9]

I prioritize:
1. GPU
2. CPU
3. Motherboard
4. RAM
5. PSU

I'm always looking for the best bang for the buck.
I rarely play games(wish had more free time), but I always have that in mind.
I could never understand people who spend more on motherboard than on CPU and GPU.
Okay I get it motherboard is important, stability overclockability, durability blah blah blah.
Same with overspending on PSUs.
But with shitty CPU and GPU that thing is not going anywhere anyhow.
On the RAM part you can always add more same with hdd.
Bottom line I would not sacrifice performance for so called stability.

 

[Leothelesser]

If you’re gaming and your GPU choice is a 580 / 1060 or less then your CPU can be a Ryzen 1400 or less. The GPU will do most of the bottle necking in AAA games.

8G of RAM, any Case you can fit it in and place under the desk, any storage that won’t crap out in the next 3 years and

A Seasonic Platinum PSU because it comes in its own felt bag and makes you feel special.

 

[R-T-B]

I prioritize:
1. GPU
2. CPU
3. Motherboard
4. RAM
5. PSU

I'm always looking for the best bang for the buck.
I rarely play games(wish had more free time), but I always have that in mind.
I could never understand people who spend more on motherboard than on CPU and GPU.
Okay I get it motherboard is important, stability overclockability, durability blah blah blah.
Same with overspending on PSUs.
But with shitty CPU and GPU that thing is not going anywhere anyhow.
On the RAM part you can always add more same with hdd.
Bottom line I would not sacrifice performance for so called stability.

The danger with cheaping out too much on the PSU is that it can easily wreck your heavier investments on that table.

Still, there is some solid logic to what you say, as there are some very good "budget" PSUs on the market these days that I'd easily trust for a 3 year service stint or something until I could grab what I really preferred. I made due with a Rosewill branded ATNG that wasn't really a recognized brand for many years. To my knowledge, @Toothless still uses it in his computer and despite their low cost, those were/are totally solid units.

Not everyone needs a Seasonic Prime. Wants are not needs.

 

[OneMoar]

with intel the board really matters very little
my order of cutting is
case
motherboard
ram
cpu is usually determined by the workload gaming i5 threaded loads i7

 

[Keullo-e]

CPU cooler. On my budget gaming rig, I run on stock cooler and lowered it's RPM range that it won't go WHOOOOOoooooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOMMMMmmmmm every 5 seconds when doing something CPU-intensive.. Temps > noise if you ask me.

 

[Vario]

Get a cheap case, Get a cheap <$20 CPU cooler. Get cheap slower speed ram, get a no frills motherboard, if intel, get a non K CPU or older generation intel or buy a used CPU. Whatever you do, don't cheap out on the graphics card. Used cards are a gamble and some brands like PowerColor are much worse than others like Asus. Don't cheap out on power supply, get at least an 80+ bronze. Storage, you could always go with a smaller drive and buy another later. I think at a minimum in 2017 you need an SSD, but you could do a 256 SSD and a 1TB mechanical rather than a 1TB ssd.

 

[Keullo-e]

Get a cheap case, Get a cheap <$20 CPU cooler. Get cheap slower speed ram, get a no frills motherboard, if intel, get a non K CPU or older generation intel or buy a used CPU. Whatever you do, don't cheap out on the graphics card. Used cards are a gamble and some brands like PowerColor are much worse than others like Asus. Don't cheap out on power supply, get at least an 80+ bronze.

On my ~15years PC history IIRC I've bought 4 new graphics cards and about 50 used ones. And no one has broken.

Also, the 80 Plus rating doesn't tell anything about PSU's quality. I prefer at least something Seasonic-made from ~400W range if it needs to be cheap one.

 

[Vario]

On my ~15years PC history IIRC I've bought 4 new graphics cards and about 50 used ones. And no one has broken.

Also, the 80 Plus rating doesn't tell anything about PSU's quality. I prefer at least something Seasonic-made from ~400W range if it needs to be cheap one.

Since 2004 when I started building my own PC, I've bought 4 used graphics cards from ebay that have died within a month or two of purchase or had such flaky performance I had to get rid of it: X800XL, 7800GT, 7850, 7970. I have only had one ebay purchased graphics card that lasted, that was a 9800GT. I have never had a problem with any card I have bought new, I've bought 4 new cards since 2004, no problems on any of them. I think people overclock these things to death and then trade up when the next best thing comes out and the second hand buyer is screwed.

 

[Keullo-e]

Since 2004 when I started building my own PC, I've bought 4 used graphics cards from ebay that have died within a month or two of purchase or had such flaky performance I had to get rid of it: X800XL, 7800GT, 7850, 7970. I have only had one ebay purchased graphics card that lasted, that was a 9800GT. I have never had a problem with any card I have bought new, I've bought 4 new cards since 2004, no problems on any of them. I think people overclock these things to death and then trade up when the next best thing comes out and the second hand buyer is screwed.

Could be, or thermal problems. I usually just check that the card works fine, then I take the cooler off and clean it (if there is dust) and change the thermal paste. And at least here in Finland we usually sell used PC parts the "if it's broken, you get your cash back" way

 

[FireFox]

The thread's title makes me sweat

 

[R-T-B]

The thread's title makes me sweat

I'm guess the "cut" in question for you is which organ to sacrfifice to attain that next Intel monster?

 

[FireFox]

I'm guess the "cut" in question for you is which organ to sacrfifice to attain that next Intel monster?

Exactly

Off topic:
This time i have to sacrifice my testicles

Joke.

Back On topic

I prioritize every single component of my Machine, even the sata cables

 

[Frick]

i see people listin' parts, but no one tell something pretty important? Back up batteries? no body uses them ?
when do my last build (yes this 3770 and all the parts i've replaced ) i did skipped SSD, Ram upgrade and also Case, started this build on a older Thermaltake V3 i had, cheap GPU and decent board with decent processor, then upgraded case.... then upgraded the video card, which has been replaced several times... sometimes its not about how kickass the rig starts... its how kickass you keep it!

Regards,

Batteries are for developing nations, like the US and Wales.

 

[R-T-B]

Batteries are for developing nations, like the US and Wales.

My forest tree-based electrical grid doesn't really disagree with this statement.

 

[dirtyferret]

Since 2004 when I started building my own PC, I've bought 4 used graphics cards from ebay that have died within a month or two of purchase or had such flaky performance I had to get rid of it: X800XL, 7800GT, 7850, 7970. I have only had one ebay purchased graphics card that lasted, that was a 9800GT. I have never had a problem with any card I have bought new, I've bought 4 new cards since 2004, no problems on any of them. I think people overclock these things to death and then trade up when the next best thing comes out and the second hand buyer is screwed.

I think I've bought around six "open box" GPUs over the years (Amazon, Newegg, Microcenter, etc.,) and only had an issue with one (too loud). I also bought an open box mobo for 50% off because one of the RAM slots did not work, it had four. I've also sold countless stuff on ebay (I've been selling on ebay since 1999) that I know worked and never had one complaint from a buyer.

On another note, Ive owned several PSU from Delta, Seasonic, and CWT. Never had an issue with Delta or CWT but two of my seasonic PSU (out of maybe five that I owned) had bad coil issues. Anyone can make a good PSU given the right budget and parts. And even good PSU OEM can have duds, a lot of times issues develop from shipping the units. One quick look on Newegg and I see the Corsair CX550M for $60 out the door and seasonic S12G $72 out the door plus $10 MIR. Those two would easily handle any single GPU gaming PC build with ease.

 

[rtwjunkie]

Even cheap cases are pretty good these days. So a case would be the first cost cutting I would do. Then the RAM. Finally storage.

Yeah, I have to agree that this is a good measure to save a few bucks. Cheap doesn't mean "bad airflow" or "bad ergonomics." For instance, in my secondary system I have used an iVektor from Enermax. $60 case that is sturdy, has a quality window, and excellent airflow...so much so that it cools everything quietly.

If it's for gaming, the CPU can be cut back on, and a more powerful on the same socket installed later, when funds are more plentiful. For this, an i3 for example, is not to be overlooked.

 

[Dethroy]

• I'd actually cut the GPU first. The price gaps between enthusiast, high-end and midrange GPUs have become startling in recent years. And with each new GPU generation your previous purchase will see the biggest decrease in value out of all components. That's why GPUs tend to be the PC parts that get swapped out the most frequently.
  
  
• You are much more likely to keep your CPU, MoBo and RAM combo for several years.
  
  
• A quality PSU will last you even longer.

Conclusion: Don't skimp on the PSU, CPU, MoBo and RAM. Buy a GPU that both 1) fits your needs & 2) fits your budget. If 2) doesn't align with 1) you may have to rethink your budget.
It's hard to make a definitive guideline for case, storage and CPU cooler imho, since way too many variables are at play here, other than generally recommending SSDs over HDDs anyday.