Cheapest Reliable Mobo and CPU combo

Hello
I want to upgrade my desktop computer
I don’t need much processing power but reliability is very important for me
I just run Excel and few Google sheets etc.
What’s the cheapest combo I should go for which can run Windows 11
I don’t upgrade my computer often so would prefer something durable

If going with Intel, you could get something decent like an i3 7+ generation, along with a compatible motherboard.
Recommending Older gen, because it will have Integrated graphics, which will save you penny from getting a graphics card mandatory for getting a display output.
This pair would cost you like some 6000 rupees, if you take the items as used ones.

Coming to AMD, you can have Athlon 3000G, a dual core quad thread cpu with integrated graphics, which alone would cost like Rs. 3000 used, along with an A320m motherboard, costing like another 3000 rupees.
Again coming to almost the same price range.

If pushing slightly further, you can get the Ryzen G series cpu, which are ofcourse expensive, but on the side of Ryzen 3, 2200g / 3200g would cost like 3000rs used, and the board another 3k.
Combined might be slightly cheaper.

And a decent ddr4 8gb ram, costing 1k

Conclusion : Get an AMD Ryzen 3 APU build with A320m motherboard, with RAM as per your needs.
Should be more than enough as these items dont’ require a powerful power supply, so you can continue using your current PSU.

If still wanting to upgrade PSU as well, get a Corsair VS450, which can be found for around 1500Rs easily (used)

To run Windows 11 without any trickery, you need 8th Generation or higher CPU. Core i Series 7th Gen CPUs aren’t officially supported.
Since you don’t upgrade often, don’t go for the cheapest as you will end up spending more in the future.

4 Likes

I don’t need a SMPS as I have a reliable 650W Corsair
Can i use my Existing DDR4 3200 x1 8GB with any of your recommended setup?
I don’t want to go for trickery

1 Like

Okay then get yourself a Ryzen 3 2200G with an A320m motherboard. Would cost like 6000rs approx
Would be more than enough for you to proceed with your needs.

And also, hope you have an SSD for OS installation
If not, get a NVME drive to keep on for the Windows

Yes you can reuse your existing RAM with that if you want to keep costs low.

I have access to items from Australia
How does this combo look?

https://www.mwave.com.au/sharecart/0e99d5e5-201f-47c6-bc2a-0824fcec12e3

Any other combo you can recommend on this website?
Or this combo

https://www.mwave.com.au/sharecart/e810e138-cd6e-4c92-9cf9-386a5675dc57

I have a 250Gb SSD for the OS
I use a 2TB HDD for storage

i5 12400F needs a dGPU, opt for i5 12400

Cheapest option for basic stuff:

https://www.amazon.in/Refurbished-Lenovo-Thinkcentre-Desktop-Windows/dp/B0CL6N4ZPR

New desktop:

https://pcpricetracker.in/b/s/f5840377-818e-4029-a7ff-20813620d0b2

1 Like

i3 12th gen (12100) was the biggest generational leap for i3 series and great vfm. Paired with motherboard H610m gives good bang for buck.

@@shravank30 as suggested by @@OMEGA44-XT , go with i5-12400 and you will be ok for coming 5+ yrs. (count 10 yrs, if hardware last that much time) considering your current usage type.
Some of users was build system with i5-12400k and now they want to change to i5-12400, so take clue from their choice and go with i5-12400 only.
With i3-12100, though good for your use, but after 2-3 yrs, you may feel it a considerably slow, compare to i5-12400

1 Like

Can I go for I3 13100F and Asus prime H 610M ED4 CSM motherboard
Does the MB have inbuilt display output?
Why is the 12100F cheaper then the 12100?

The processor doesn’t have iGPU (or inbuilt display output). F suffixed intel processors don’t have iGPU that’s why they are cheaper.
Do not buy refurbished mini PCs from Amazon. You will not get any support and Amazon won’t help in returns.

Which has better value
I3 12100 or Ryzen 3 4300g
Is it worth spending 4000 extra when I really don’t need the extra computing power
Also which motherboard are vfm for my needs in both options?

Mention your budget.

Yes, the i5 12400 is worth it over R3 4300G if you plan to use it for a long time as mentioned in your first post. The processing & even RAM requirements are slowly creeping up. 4 core CPUs are fine now, but in a couple of years, not sure.

1 Like

Which motherboard should I go for with the i5 12400?
I want to use my existing DDR4 3200 8GB ram if possible , but not a deal breaker

You can go for any Intel 600/700 series desktop chipsets such as H610/H670/H770/B660/B760/Z690/Z790. Since your usage would be very light, stick to H- or B- series boards.

This is the cheapest motherboard that will support both 12400 as well as DDR4:

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0BKRDV1V3

with latest technology/updates/patches etc. every year software gets updated and need more and more RAM + Processing Power etc. spending extra now, help your system to work for coming years (5-10 yrs.)

@@shravank30

@@shravank30 ,

check price with them, good review about store over reddit users.

If you have budget you can go with AMD which gives better price to performance ratio.
I am giving you online price you should check offline and other website also. Almost all processor are very good in reliability
AMD
4300G for 6000

https://mdcomputers.in/amd-ryzen-3-4300g-100-100000144box.html

motherboard B450 for 4300

https://mdcomputers.in/asrock-b450m-hdv-r4-0.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

total around 10-10500

intel
i3-14100 for around 10000

https://mdcomputers.in/intel-core-i3-14100.html?sort=p.price&order=ASC

if you can get 12100,13100 for cheaper you can get they are almost same performance.
motherboard H610 for 6000

https://mdcomputers.in/asus-prime-h610m-e-d4-csm?sort=p.price&order=ASC

this motherboard has 3 display ports and 2 ssd can be used
total around 16000

You already have Ram psu and ssd.
These are very capable for your use case.
F variant in intel and without letter G in AMD processor don’t have igpu so you have to get discrete gpu

3 Likes