Hi guys! I'm thinking about building a computer for my girlfriend. She will be using it for Photoshop, web browsing, and some gaming. Mainly Bethesda titles, and Dragon Age Inquisition. She said she would like to run PCSX2 as well, but I'm not sure that will be doable? It will be going in the living room, because she will be using the big-screen TV as her monitor. How is this build? We're on a pretty strict budget. Any tweaks you would make?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FrFqJx
I'd go for different parts. You didn't say what your budget was, so I stuck to the same $550 after rebate cost as your build. Here's what I recommend:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($177.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($151.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($43.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $557.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-12 00:46 EDT-0400
1. I removed the cooler. As you won't be overclocking, the stock cooler should be alright, although maybe loud. Besides, a better CPU cooler is always something you can add in the future, but being able to take the cost of that and spend it on a slightly better graphics card/PSU now will matter more in the longer run when it comes to the longevity of the PC
2. The motherboard I chose supports frontal USB 3.0, which is nice to have. Otherwise there's not a lot of differences between the Gigabyte and ASRock motherboard.
3. Non-overclocking socket 1150 motherboards don't really support high speed RAM, it will be forced to run at lower speeds. You might as well save some money and just get decent 1600MHz RAM instead.
4. The Toshiba hard drive is just a few dollars less and is virtually the same as the WD Blue. You could go with the WD Blue instead if it's more available.
5. I was able to find a cheap yet decent R9 280 which is stronger than the R9 270. It should perform better for games.
6. I changed the Thermaltake cube case for the cheaper tower style Cooler Master N200. If you prefer the Thermaltake case for the looks and form factor, then it's fine to add it back.
7. Spending a bit more on the power supply will benefit you more in the long run. In the future, 450 watts will limit what kinds of upgrades you may be able to do for this PC. For $13 more, getting a 550 watt power supply is better idea. Rosewill's Capstone power supplies are rebadged Super Flower models, and are fairly high quality.