Looking for cheap but easily upgradeable desktop
September 23, 2015 9:05 AM   Subscribe

I want to spend less than $400 to buy a fully functional new desktop. Regardless of the CPU it would have, I want to be able to put in an i7 later on. I want to be able to add more RAM and a powerful video card without having to get a new case or power supply. HDD should be at least 1TB. It can start with 4GB of RAM, since I plan to upgrade. If it's 4GB i'd prefer it to be on a single stick. I would also prefer Windows 10 to be already installed.
posted by spacefire to Computers & Internet (11 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
Are you be willing to buy components and put it together, or are you only looking for a fully-assembled PC?

Do you have peripherals already and just need the case/guts, or are you also looking for monitor/keyboard/mouse?

Do you want/need a CD/DVD/Bluray drive?

I'd check out some of the combo deals that Newegg offers and also Tiger Direct.

Another useful place might be reddit's /r/buildapcforme subreddit, but that's if you're willing to put the parts together. Buying parts separately will be cheaper and more upgradeable than an assembled unit.
posted by bookdragoness at 9:22 AM on September 23, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you want prebuilt, I would just shop around for something with an Intel platform motherboard and a full-sized case. Here you go.

Caveats:
Only 2 memory slots.
The PSU rating is not listed, but I would guess it's not great.
The motherboard is going to be some weird made-for-Dell thing from Foxconn or whoever and may or may not have the firmware to run whatever CPU you want to upgrade to, and God knows if you could find an updated BIOS.

If you wanted to DIY... you're not going to make $400. The OS alone, plus an Intel CPU, plus an Intel-compatible MB is going to be $300. Maybe with an AMD setup you could squeeze lower.

If you can stretch your budget, I would check out Tech Reports build on this page (the first one). Take out the video card, take out the aftermarket cooler, cut the RAM, cut the SSD, add Windows 10, maybe swap the CPU for an i3, and maybe save $15 or so on an H97 motherboard instead of Z97. You could get it down to maybe $425-450. It would be a LOT easier to upgrade afterwards, though.
posted by selfnoise at 9:28 AM on September 23, 2015


Response by poster: sorry for the confusion, I would like it prebuilt and I don't need any pereipherals
posted by spacefire at 9:34 AM on September 23, 2015


I think it's already clear from previous posts that you're not going to get what you want new, prebuilt, for less than $400, and not crap. I would check out your used market - my local Craigslist is full of people selling towers with PSU and i3/i5 processor and mobo, 1-2 generations away from current, minus graphics card and SDD. This is, I think, your best bet. I advis against ebay b/c few people know how to ship an assembled tower without risking damage. At least, that was the case the last time I bought from ebay.
posted by BrunoLatourFanclub at 10:24 AM on September 23, 2015


Best answer: Nthing that you won't find your desired specs in a prebuilt for that price, and that since budget is tight you'll simply have to put this together yourself to get the best bang for your buck.

I would get a 256GB SSD instead of a 1TB HD, SSD will make a huge difference in performance and that will be enough space for OS and applications. I've seen them for like $70 at that size. You can get a bigger standard drive for files and media and so on later.

Definitely don't skimp on a power supply, as today's or yesterdays budget PSUs are unlikely to work well with tomorrow's high end video cards and whatever else.

Are you a college student? I was able to use Microsoft's Dreamspark to get Windows 8.1 earlier this year, I would guess they'll also have 10 for qualified students.
posted by tremspeed at 10:45 AM on September 23, 2015


You're talking about wanting to upgrade nearly everything, later. What are you using now? Do you not have a desktop at all, or is there a reason you're not upgrading your current box? When you're talking about trying to save a case and power supply, all I can think is, don't you already have one sitting around somewhere? My desktop is a Frankenstein of this order, but I'm a little baffled by the notion that you're buying a cheapo budget machine with the specific aim of eventually turning it into a powerhouse. It would probably make more sense if you possibly can to wait until you can afford the computer you really want, or else do upgrades to whatever hardware you already have. You won't want to run an i7 and a good video card with the sort of power supply you'll get in a $400 box. By the time you're talking about a cheap spinning disk, a motherboard, and a case as the only pieces you want to keep long term--and you will want the SSD, really, to match the rest of your wish list--then you're essentially paying the bulk of that $400 for stuff you'll barely use. Can you elaborate the reasoning behind all this? It might make certain recommendations much more sensible than others.
posted by Sequence at 12:35 PM on September 23, 2015


I second Sequence here. Building your own with those specs is certainly achievable at that price, buying it and upgrading later is pretty wasteful, and would be much more difficult. Cheaper prebuilts tend to use OLD generation processors (Big box stores still sell desktops with Celeron processors in them), and smaller cases, just powerful enough PSUs, Mobos with less space for RAM, or other concessions on size and power.

I also wonder, is there a specific reason you want an i7? Don't mean to be that AMD guy, but if you stuck with AMD you can purchase a combo kit from Newegg for about $400 which already has 8GB of RAM, 1TB HDD and 128 SSD, a pretty OK video card AND the ability to upgrade your processor considerably. Plus a case and PSU and Mobo of course.
posted by shenkerism at 2:57 PM on September 23, 2015


I would go to NewEgg.com and just add filters for what you want. You can find a pre-built for that price range with what you want. Here, I did the search for you: link

However, I agree that just building what you want right now is the easiest, most cost effective thing. Adding new parts to a cheap Dell doesn't make a ton of sense to me. I've provided many answers with details on how to do your first build, if you need advice on that. It sounds more complicated than it is. (I'm confused why you want RAM in one stick -- dual sticks is better, FYI.)
posted by AppleTurnover at 3:43 PM on September 23, 2015


Response by poster: @Sequence: The only desktop I have that is not a dinosaur is a slim form I bought 4 years ago (mistake) so I cannot upgrade.
posted by spacefire at 6:47 AM on September 24, 2015


Response by poster: I don't know if I want to spend the time to build something myself and then fix all the compatibility issues.

If I'm willing to go a bit over budget, will this be a good option:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883230052&cm_re=gaming_kit-_-83-230-052-_-Product

I need it for CAD software, Windows 10 testing of my own software, and some gaming maybe, mostly titles a year or older.
posted by spacefire at 7:06 AM on September 24, 2015


Instead of worrying about compatibility issues, I would suggest picking a reputable system guide - Ars Technica Budget Box, the Tech Report box linked above - and build that. I stepped through the Budget Box update in the Ars forums (updated in August) and could build a decent upgradeable tower sans peripherals for under $500.

But if you really wanted to be upgrade-ready, I would be prepared to buy way more mobo and PS than you currently need, which takes you into $600-$700 range.
posted by BrunoLatourFanclub at 9:23 AM on September 24, 2015


« Older Why do some things that can get very hot cool much...   |   Comic Book Upgrade - Graphic Novels for 14 year... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.