Budget 31-40k URGENT - need to buy immediately

singenaadam

Skilled
My 10 year desktop finally seems to have given up. Need to buy a replacement immediately Will order by tomorrow at the latest. Pl. help un suggestions.

What is your budget?
  • Not sure about this, pl. suggest seeing the requirement.
· What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
  • CPU - Intel i3 3220
  • Motherboard – Gigabyte B75M-G3H
  • GPU - None
  • RAM – 8GB (Corsair Vengence 4GB 1333 & GSkills Ripjaws 4GB 1333)
  • Monitor - Dell Ultrasharp 2310
  • PSU – FPS Saga II 400W
  • Cabinet: NZXT Source 10 Elite Midtower
· Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

  • HDD - 250GB SATA Samsung 860EVO - this work fine, I also have a Crucial MX 500 GB SATA as backup.
  • Cabinet: NZXT Source 10 Elite Midtower
  • PSU – FPS Saga II 400W
  • Monitor - Dell Ultrasharp 2310 – this doesn’t have a HDMI port, getting one from Amazon (Montor has only DVI, DisplayPort & VGA).
· Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

  • CPU - Intel i3 or i5 – with iGPU, looking more at i5.
  • Motherboard - any compatible motherboard - B660 chipset?
  • GPU – Not at this point in time
  • RAM – 2x8GB or 1x16GB
· Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component
  • May or may not.
  • RAM – maybe another stick if need arises.
  • A used GPU – may be.
· Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
  • Online purchase
· Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
  • No, don't have time.
· What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
  • Browsing
  • Office apps
  • Photoshop – pl. note that my present 10 year-old i3-3rd gen + *GB RAM was adequate for my Photoshop elements requirements.
  • Movies, music.
  • Downloading.
· Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
  • None
· If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
  • None
· What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
  1. 1080 - Will use the present Dell Ultrasharp monitor.
· Are you looking to overclock?
  • No
· Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
  • Windows 7 64 bit – if possible - will check out few images that have the latest USB 3.0 etc., drivers baked-in.
  • Windows 10 - only if 7 doesn't work out.
  • Linux - Ubuntu
This is an urgent need.

Really would like to avoid buying a cabinet & PSU, if possible. If that is not possible, pl. weigh in with suggestions on those two also. I have used NZXT and really liked it.

Pl. suggest!
 
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Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

  • CPU - Intel i3 or i5 – with iGPU, looking more at i5.
  • Motherboard - any compatible motherboard - B660 chipset?
  • GPU – Not at this point in time
  • RAM – 2x8GB or 1x16GB
Gigabyte B660M DS3H ~11300 / MSI B660M-A ~13250
Intel i3 12100 ~11790 / Intel i5 12400 ~17799 / Intel i5 12600 ~22000
Team Group VULCAN Z 3600c18 8GB x2 ~5000

Intel may launch 13th gen parts soon, but since it is urgent, either the 12100 or 12400 will be a massive upgrade.
Also, the MSI B660M-A is a better board and can be easily used for higher end CPUs.
 
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IMO this will suffice
CPUi3 12100
12500​
MoboAsus H610E
7200​
RAM1x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
4000​
Total
23700​

Use Win10 IMO. IF you feel you will need a more powerful CPU, get i5 12400 for like 18.5k, so another 6k increase,

AMD rig can also be considered since you aren't into gaming, but i3 12100 has better single core performance, which benefits apps like Photoshop. R5 5600G has a better iGPU & better multicore performance than i3:
CPUR5 5600G
14500​
MoboAsRock B450M HDV R4.0
5500​
RAM1x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
4000​
Total
24000​
 
IMO this will suffice
CPUi3 12100
12500​
MoboAsus H610E
7200​
RAM1x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
4000​
Total
23700​

Use Win10 IMO. IF you feel you will need a more powerful CPU, get i5 12400 for like 18.5k, so another 6k increase,

AMD rig can also be considered since you aren't into gaming, but i3 12100 has better single core performance, which benefits apps like Photoshop. R5 5600G has a better iGPU & better multicore performance than i3:
CPUR5 5600G
14500​
MoboAsRock B450M HDV R4.0
5500​
RAM1x16GB DDR4 3200MHz
4000​
Total
24000​
Yeah, the last one was a i3, used it for almost 10 years :) thought i5 would help in being more grunt.

Maybe I will play some light games in the future, from that POV, thought i5 would be better.
Gigabyte B660M DS3H ~11300 / MSI B660M-A ~13250
Intel i3 12100 ~11790 / Intel i5 12400 ~17799 / Intel i5 12600 ~22000
Team Group VULCAN Z 3600c18 8GB x2 ~5000

Intel may launch 13th gen parts soon, but since it is urgent, either the 12100 or 12400 will be a massive upgrade.
Also, the MSI B660M-A is a better board and can be easily used for higher end CPUs.
yeah, it's urgent.i hate buying this way, but TINA :(
any views on these:


GIGABYTE B660M DS3H


ASUS Prime B660M-A D4


MSI PRO B660M-A



GIGABYTE B660M DS3H AX


ASUS TUF Gaming B660M-PLUS D4

No use of the RGB headers for my use.

------------------------------------------------

one thing I observed, USB-C is available only on a few boards like Gigabyte, and not on all Asus & MSI boards. Furture is all USB-C, will this make a difference, or, do I get a USB-C hub when the need arises?
Will these fit in my present case? And, will my present PSU (assuming only 350W, factoring aging) suffice, esp., reg connectors?
 
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No use of the RGB headers for my use.

------------------------------------------------

one thing I observed, USB-C is available only on a few boards like Gigabyte, and not on all Asus & MSI boards. Furture is all USB-C, will this make a difference, or, do I get a USB-C hub when the need arises?
Will these fit in my present case? And, will my present PSU (assuming only 350W, factoring aging) suffice, esp., reg connectors?
Yea most motherboards (even the budget ones) come with RGB headers now. USB C header is useful if you're getting a case with a front panel connector.

As per the Hardware Unboxed review, the VRMs are very good on the MSI B660M-A. I would say that this is the most VFM board considering the features and upgradability.

I suggest changing your psu if it's 10 years old as well. Around 550W should be more than sufficient with enough headroom to power a mid to high end GPU.

These boards will fit your current case thanks to the standard form factor.
 
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Difficult to suggest without budget, but if you're not working with a tight budget, I'd recommend going with Ryzen 5 5600G due to its strong GPU. While day to day performance will be slightly slower than Core i5 12400, it's still insanely fast. And when you do need the graphics processing power, it will beat 12400 by miles.
 
Yeah, the last one was a i3, used it for almost 10 years :) thought i5 would help in being more grunt.

Maybe I will play some light games in the future, from that POV, thought i5 would be better.

yeah, it's urgent.i hate buying this way, but TINA :(
any views on these:


GIGABYTE B660M DS3H


ASUS Prime B660M-A D4


MSI PRO B660M-A



GIGABYTE B660M DS3H AX


ASUS TUF Gaming B660M-PLUS D4

No use of the RGB headers for my use.

------------------------------------------------

one thing I observed, USB-C is available only on a few boards like Gigabyte, and not on all Asus & MSI boards. Furture is all USB-C, will this make a difference, or, do I get a USB-C hub when the need arises?
Will these fit in my present case? And, will my present PSU (assuming only 350W, factoring aging) suffice, esp., reg connectors?
If you plan to attach a dedicated GPU, surely i5 12400 will be more futureproof, but i3 12100 can game well with budget GPUs like RX 6600.

R5 5600G has a better iGPU than even i5 12400, so there's that. The i3 12100 will perform better with dGPU vs R5 5600G with the same dGPU though.

I use Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX, good for cheap price, I bought it for 10.5k, lacks USB C header for cabinet front panel type C port. MSI B660M A Pro is considered the best value B660 option as it has VRMs good enough to support even i7 13700K. But for you nominal usage, H610 will do the job just fine.

I have a cabinet with front panel type C port, which I can't use now as when I was purchasing, I didn't feel like paying 7k extra for a mobo with type C header + WiFi.

Current PSU should be ok for basic build, but if you wish to add a dGPU, you need a new PSU.
 
OP didn't mention any need for gaming so basic intel iGpu should be fine 12400 with h610 MB should be good combo for your work. b660 is nice to have if you got budget for that. 16gb ram comes at 5K just make sure you don't buy less then 3200mhz.
 
did your mobo die or what happened?
Yes
As per the Hardware Unboxed review, the VRMs are very good on the MSI B660M-A. I would say that this is the most VFM board considering the features and upgradability.
OK. I will go ahead with this MSI board.
I suggest changing your psu if it's 10 years old as well. Around 550W should be more than sufficient with enough headroom to power a mid to high end GPU.
Will do this later, if the need comes up. Right now I want to buy reasonably good future-proof (an oxymoron when it comes to tech) stuff, as few as possible :)
Yea most motherboards (even the budget ones) come with RGB headers now. USB C header is useful if you're getting a case with a front panel connector.

As per the Hardware Unboxed review, the VRMs are very good on the MSI B660M-A. I would say that this is the most VFM board considering the features and upgradability.

I suggest changing your psu if it's 10 years old as well. Around 550W should be more than sufficient with enough headroom to power a mid to high end GPU.

These boards will fit your current case thanks to the standard form factor.
Thank you, I wasn't sure of the mounting holes.
I use Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX, good for cheap price,
My old one was Gigabyte and proved to be very reliable, the model you bought is very popular.
I have a cabinet with front panel type C port, which I can't use now as when I was purchasing, I didn't feel like paying 7k extra for a mobo with type C header + WiFi.
Yeah, this is what I had in mind when I asked the doubt, USB-C will proliferate much more in the future.
If you plan to attach a dedicated GPU, surely i5 12400 will be more futureproof, but i3 12100 can game well with budget GPUs like RX 6600.

R5 5600G has a better iGPU than even i5 12400, so there's that. The i3 12100 will perform better with dGPU vs R5 5600G with the same dGPU though.

I use Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX, good for cheap price, I bought it for 10.5k, lacks USB C header for cabinet front panel type C port. MSI B660M A Pro is considered the best value B660 option as it has VRMs good enough to support even i7 13700K. But for you nominal usage, H610 will do the job just fine.

I have a cabinet with front panel type C port, which I can't use now as when I was purchasing, I didn't feel like paying 7k extra for a mobo with type C header + WiFi.

Current PSU should be ok for basic build, but if you wish to add a dGPU, you need a new PSU.
Noted, will do.
--------------------------
Guys thank you for the quick responses.

99% I will be going with i3/i5, the above suggested MSI MoBo and 1 stick of 8/16GB 3200 RAM.
----------------------------
One final one:

Where to buy?

Amazon is generally 1-2k costlier than other places like MD, Vedant, etc. I bought my case from PrimeABGB last time and it took like ages to reach me. How do these guys compare from a delivery POV?

I will order them today and hope to assemble Sunday. Is this a practical expectation?
 
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apart from amazon other sites will take some time to deliver. for best prices go to pcpricetracker.in here you can select your parts with list of various sellers who are genuine and get the lowest price avaliable.

consider 3 day minimum for delivery.
 
If it's really urgent, then buying offline is the best option. You'll have the PC sitting on your desk by the evening.

If ordering online, you can check feedback about various websites on this forum. They're scattered here and there, so finding them might be an issue.

If you order from other than amazon, do make sure you make unboxing video of every single product. Individual stores are notorious when it comes to returns and replacements. Better to be safe than sorry.
 
If it's really urgent, then buying offline is the best option. You'll have the PC sitting on your desk by the evening.
Actually, I did take a round in one area of my city and will repeat it in the afternoon. No risk of damaged goods etc.
If it's really urgent, then buying offline is the best option.
It is urgent, else I wouldn't have used it in the thread title. I do get your point though, I've seen threads where the OP says "urgent" and did not buy even after 2 years :)

---------------------------------
Ordered in offline shop. Will get the stuff tomorrow. Proccy & RAM are not with the local shop guy, he's getting from Hyd. He will deliver all the 3 at home by lunchtime tomorrow.

Proccy: i5 12th gen - 500Rs more than online price, he said that matching online price is impossible, he's giving at Hyderabad rate.
MoBo: MSI B660M-A wifi - local guy matched the online price.
RAM: Corsair 8GB (will definitely go for another 8GB later) - local guy matched the online price.

I don't know what made me select the 31-40k tag, the bill is halfway ~36k.

Thanks once again for your prompt inputs, guys! Appreciate your time!!
 
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It is urgent, else I wouldn't have used it in the thread title.
My intention was not to say that it's not urgent and you're implying that. I just meant that if it's really urgent, like you need it in a day, then offline is the way to go. If it's urgent as in you definitely need it in a week, then online is a feasibile option.
 
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