I'm planning to build a secondary PC for my living room, and I've got a budget of $300. I've already got a 120gb SATA SSD to use for the OS, and I'm considering spending $30 on an additional 8GB of DDR4 RAM where necessary. I'm focusing on Small Form Factor (SFF) builds since they'll fit better in my living space, and all the systems I'm looking at have at least 2 slots for low profile GPUs. Here are the used prebuilt options I've come across:
1. Small Form Factor, i5 9400, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $210
2. Ryzen 3200G, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, GTX 1050 Ti for $200 (which has potential for future upgrades)
3. SFF, i5 9400F, unknown 2GB AMD card, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD for $180
4. SFF, i7 4790K, 32GB RAM DDR3, 500GB HDD for $160 (the only DDR3 option)
5. SFF, i5 8400, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $180
6. i3 10100, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $200
7. SFF, Ryzen 5 4650G, 8GB RAM, 500GB HDD for $240 (notable for having a strong 6c/12t CPU).
For the GPU, I'm looking at either a low profile GTX 1650 or an RX 580, with both options below $100. Any thoughts on which build would be best for streaming and light gaming?
3 Answers
You might want to consider how you'll actually use the PC. If it's mainly for streaming and light gaming, I'd suggest going for the Ryzen 3200G build. It’s got decent integrated graphics which can handle older titles and streaming pretty well. Plus, it leaves room for upgrades later on with its AM4 socket. Just my two cents!
One thing to consider is the 32GB RAM option with the i7-4790K for $160. It's the only DDR3 build, but it still offers great performance for general tasks and light gaming. Just keep in mind that upgrading that RAM in the future might be a bit limited since DDR3 is less common now.
Honestly, 8GB of RAM is pretty limiting nowadays, especially for multitasking while streaming. If you can push your budget just a bit to get a build with 16GB RAM, that would make a significant difference. Otherwise, I think the i5 8400 option for $180 could work well, as it provides good performance without breaking the bank.
Yeah, I agree! The 3200G would probably give you the best bang for your buck, and since you’re not targeting hardcore gaming, the integrated GPU should be sufficient for what you need.