Need recommendation for custom desktop

[given]

Hi, looking to custom build a PC with tight budget. My last desktop was a intel celeron back inthe 2000s.. since then have been using laptop. My current laptop is also a old rog with gtx970m. Have been browsing 2nd hand laptop and saw some i7 with gtx1050 going for as low as $700. Very tempting so just wanna see if with a budget of $500-$700 can get similar specs or not..
Main purpose is for gaming (dota), need to be able to run multiple VMs (min. 5). If can squeeze in a value for money monitor even better.. For desktop what is the equivalent gpu of 1050/1060?

Thanks in advance

 

[NightRaven49]

specs (before the slash) -->​

total for about $700-$800.
anyway old i7 laptops tend to be dual and quad core parts, so they probably cant handle vms too well either.

 

[Rashkae]

For desktop, you'll want more cores and RAM if you are running VMs. I would suggest a Ryzen 3600 (cheap now on Amazon) and 32GB 3200-3600 MHz RAM. Get Crucial Ballistix or Patriot Viper from Newegg SG. Can save a lot vs local shops. The savings should let you get a 1060 from Carousel (do NOT get the 3GB version)

 

[given]

Hi, thank you for the reply. May I ask why not the 3gb 1060? I saw this rig from Moneyface thread, kinda matches my budget, esepcially now the ryzen 5 3600 is going for $200+. Also since I will be running multiple VMs, I will change RAM to what you recommended. Then I also need bigger HDD, any recommended ones? The rest can follow the below rig? MB/PSU/CASE etc?

$800+ Build
CPU+MB: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + ASRock B450M Pro4 @ $332 (PC Themes)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-2666 CL16 8GB Dual Channel Kit [Black] @ $68 (Laser Distributor)
GPU: ASUS GTX 1060 3GB GDDR5 Dual Edition @ $169 (PC Themes)
SSD: ADATA XPG SX6000 Lite 512GB [NVMe M.2 2280] @ $94
PSU: EVGA GD 550W [80 Plus Gold] @ $109
DO NOT SCRIMP on power supply. All other components' lives depend on it!
Anything below this not worth to purchase.
CASE: Armaggeddon Kagami K1 @ $40
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64-bit Product Key @ $3 (Taobao)

Optional:
CPU+MB: Intel Core i3-9100F + MSI B360M Mortar Titanium @ $283 (Fuwell)
HDD: Toshiba P300 3.5" 2TB [7200 rpm] @ $77
Replace CPU with the above APU + 2TB HDD only if massive storage is required for personal data.

GRAND TOTAL: $800*°

 

[NightRaven49]

tbh moneyface's thread is a little outdated, u won't be able to find some if not most of the parts listed available, for example u probably won't find 2600 combos or the listed case and psu at sls. but they are a good reference point for what u should get.

also the 1060 3gb is a cut down version of the 6gb model with some cores disabled. so even though both are marketed as "gtx 1060", the 3gb model performs quite a bit worse than the 6gb one, which can lead to disappointment if ur not aware of this beforehand.

 

[given]

tbh moneyface's thread is a little outdated, u won't be able to find some if not most of the parts listed available, for example u probably won't find 2600 combos or the listed case and psu at sls. but they are a good reference point for what u should get.

also the 1060 3gb is a cut down version of the 6gb model with some cores disabled. so even though both are marketed as "gtx 1060", the 3gb model performs quite a bit worse than the 6gb one, which can lead to disappointment if ur not aware of this beforehand.

i see. Thanks ! will you be able to recommend a set up base on the budget? what about amd rx580? i see many seller using that, claiming to be better than 1060/1650. i know the parts i want, just that i have no idea what MB to put them on and power supply to use, and whether the MB can fit the ram/storage

 

[NightRaven49]

i see. Thanks ! will you be able to recommend a set up base on the budget? what about amd rx580? i see many seller using that, claiming to be better than 1060/1650. i know the parts i want, just that i have no idea what MB to put them on and power supply to use, and whether the MB can fit the ram/storage

if on a tight budget, rx580 is unbeatable in price to performance in the sub $200 category. and yes, the 580 does beat out the 1060 6gb, although only marginally. in fact, if u want more performance, u will have to shell out over $50 more for a 1070, or if ur looking for brand new, $100 more for 1660 super.

which cpu are u planning to use? usually storage has no compatibility issues, while ram is more of a cpu cooler clearance issue rather than mobo compatibility.

 

[given]

if on a tight budget, rx580 is unbeatable in price to performance in the sub $200 category. and yes, the 580 does beat out the 1060 6gb, although only marginally. in fact, if u want more performance, u will have to shell out over $50 more for a 1070, or if ur looking for brand new, $100 more for 1660 super.

which cpu are u planning to use? usually storage has no compatibility issues, while ram is more of a cpu cooler clearance issue rather than mobo compatibility.

wow thanks! to be honest i have no idea on the MB. i certainly would like to keep the temperature at as low as possible running few VMs and playing dota2 at the same time.
oh so rx580 4gb beat 1060 6gb? also how is the new i5-10400 vs ryzen 3600? the i5 is $30 more exp than 3600 and seem to have gd review on YT (or at least the 1 i watched) .. i dont intend to OC since my room has no aircon, so i very much would like to keep temp low ...

 

[NightRaven49]

oh so rx580 4gb beat 1060 6gb?

read the graph closer, its the 8gb. but for games that arent vram heavy, they should perform the same, since there is no cutting down on cores between different memory variants for the 580.

also how is the new i5-10400 vs ryzen 3600? the i5 is $30 more exp than 3600 and seem to have gd review on YT (or at least the 1 i watched) .. i dont intend to OC since my room has no aircon, so i very much would like to keep temp low ...

https://www.techspot.com/review/2032-intel-core-i5-10400/
it will only beat the 3600 in games with z490 motherboards, since on b460 boards ram speed is locked down to just 2666mhz. on the other hand, getting a decent b450 or b550 board with the 3600 will be much cheaper than a 10400 + z490 and will allow faster memory timings and oc support. to be fair u can save a little money on ram by having slower ram, so it boils down to the specific configuration u are looking at.

for productivity 3600 will win outright and hence is better suited for ur vm work.

 

[hafiz116]

Are you planning to run 5x VM’s on 8GB of RAM? What OS are these VM’s? From the sounds of it you will need at least 32GB of RAM - the OS/software will confirm the requirement here.

In terms of CPU the more cores the better so I don’t see how you can achieve this on a Budget! Gaming alone is doable on your Budget but adding the VM requirement blows it out of the water.

 

[given]

Are you planning to run 5x VM’s on 8GB of RAM? What OS are these VM’s? From the sounds of it you will need at least 32GB of RAM - the OS/software will confirm the requirement here.

In terms of CPU the more cores the better so I don’t see how you can achieve this on a Budget! Gaming alone is doable on your Budget but adding the VM requirement blows it out of the water.

Hihi, will be running windows 10 lite version. The only game I play at the moment is dota2, so im ok to compromise on the gfx. Is 16gb ram enough?

ryzen 3600 + b450 mb - ~$400 ?
1060 6gb - ~ $150-$200 for used? (currently using gtx970m and happy with that, willing to take anything between gtx970m and 1060, as much as budget allows)
crucial ballistix 16gb/32gb ~ $135/$230 (cheaper if can find 2nd hand)
1 tb hdd ~ no idea on price
256gb ssd ~ no idea on price
casing/power supply/fan etc need guide on recommendation and price

but ya, seems like over budget liao still havent include monitor lol ... damn

 

[hafiz116]

Hihi, will be running windows 10 lite version. The only game I play at the moment is dota2, so im ok to compromise on the gfx. Is 16gb ram enough?

ryzen 3600 + b450 mb - ~$400 ?
1060 6gb - ~ $150-$200 for used? (currently using gtx970m and happy with that, willing to take anything between gtx970m and 1060, as much as budget allows)
crucial ballistix 16gb/32gb ~ $135/$230 (cheaper if can find 2nd hand)
1 tb hdd ~ no idea on price
256gb ssd ~ no idea on price
casing/power supply/fan etc need guide on recommendation and price

but ya, seems like over budget liao still havent include monitor lol ... damn

Yes you will be over budget for sure but at least more likely to get what you want done actually done using a PC. A laptop on the other hand would cost you a lot more to spec it up.

In terms of the VM's your going to run you will need to see if you can actually run them with a lot less memory. Not sure of the project your working on here so that's a question for google I suppose. The killer comes in when you want to run them all at the same time as that is the actual hardware you will need to cater for and possibly +20%.

Hope this helps you align your hardware requirements and mot of all the budget!

 

[given]

Yes you will be over budget for sure but at least more likely to get what you want done actually done using a PC. A laptop on the other hand would cost you a lot more to spec it up.

In terms of the VM's your going to run you will need to see if you can actually run them with a lot less memory. Not sure of the project your working on here so that's a question for google I suppose. The killer comes in when you want to run them all at the same time as that is the actual hardware you will need to cater for and possibly +20%.

Hope this helps you align your hardware requirements and mot of all the budget!

Damn ... Looks like a 2nd hand laptop might fit my budget better .. have seen a few ~$700 range 16gb ram / 1050gfx around ..