Recommendations for Low Cost PC

LRoverNOut on 23/10/2019 - 18:25

Currently looking for a low cost PC that will effectively handle excel spreadsheets (Macro's & VBA included) and on some occasions may look at gaming on relatively low requirement games such as (Dota 2 or LOL)

I am looking for a device that is relatively small in size so SFF and tiny cases preferred.

Looking to display this through a HDMI (Already prepared for the DisplayPort to HDMI conversion)
Budget is roughly around the $300 mark, however happy to stretch for the right device
256gb SSD preferred, however 128gb is sustainable.

Hoping the PC is well-capable of my above requirements and not something that will be stretched in terms of output.
Any good deals or recommendations out there?
Or any feedback in terms of things I should be looking out for?

RoverNOut

Computing

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 23/10/2019 - 18:32

    Your requirements are pretty much the same as https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/485594 however you may need to spend more money if you want a discrete graphics cards for games. You'll be limited to lower power cards though due to power supply constraints, something like a Geforce GTX1050.

    • Kangal on 23/10/2019 - 21:34
      +1

      ^This.

      Cheap: $400 = great for kids or grandparents or extra HTPC
      CPU: i5-4570 (4core / 4thread)
      GPU: Intel Iris HD/GT2 (4K output from DP)
      RAM: 2x4GB DDR3-1600
      Storage: 256GB SSD (Cheap) + 1TB HDD (5400rpm)

      Bang for Buck: $400 + $100 = economical Xbox One/PS4 console killer
      GPU: Low Profile, Half-Height (GTX 750 Ti)*
      CPU: i7-2600k (4c/8t)
      RAM: 4x4GB DDR-1600
      Storage: 512GB SSD (WD Blue3D) + 2TB HDD (5400rpm)

      Max Specs: $600 + $300 = not worth it, unless you really like the small profile
      GPU: GTX 1650
      CPU: i7-6700 (4c/8t)
      RAM: 4x8GB DDR4-2100
      Storage: 1TB SSD (Samsung Evo) + 2TB HDD (5400rpm)

      *also available are: GTX 650, R7 360, GT 1030, GTX 750, RX 550, GTX 750Ti, GTX 950, RX 460, RX 560, GTX 1050, GTX 1050Ti, GTX 1650.

      • RoverNOut on 23/10/2019 - 22:07

        Thanks for the recommendations both of you.
        So essentially, https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/490300 will suit my use case/needs for excel and very low level gaming when need be? Or are there any changes/upgrades I would need to make to it?

        • scotty on 24/10/2019 - 10:05
          +1

          suit my use case/needs for excel

          It wouldn't have a problem, like most modern Intel Core processors.

          very low level gaming

          Intel Core i5-4570 has HD Graphics 4600. You can search on YouTube for example "Intel HD Graphics 4600 League of Legends" which would give you a list of videos of people testing with that graphics. Vice versa for Dota 2.

          are there any changes/upgrades

          Maybe as Kangal has mentioned, adding a low-profile dedicated graphics later on so it can run more games.

          • RoverNOut on 24/10/2019 - 14:20

            @scotty: Sweet thank you for that!
            Looking at something with a much smaller case like https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Lenovo-ThinkCentre-M93p-Tiny-i5-…, would that impact performance much? and is this a suitable device?

            • scotty on 24/10/2019 - 15:37

              @RoverNOut: Tiny case means there's no way to add a dedicated graphics later.

              • RoverNOut on 24/10/2019 - 15:45

                @scotty: I'm okay with that as I don't forsee my pc gaming going beyond Dota to be fair. I was just wondering in terms of the processor, it was a i5-4570T @ 2.90GHZ, would that impact performance significantly for my use case.

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