Budget 0-20k Work from Home PC

M

meetdilip

Adept
Questions

  1. What is your budget?
    • 20K but can go a bit higher if necessary
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • A decently powerful laptop
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Got Wireless keyboard and Mouse from Logitech
    • 2 external monitors - Dell and Samsung
    • Speakers from Creative
  4. 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.
    • Everything other than keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor
    • (please mention the rest in above format)
  5. 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
    • No, maybe RAM upgrade
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Open to online purchase
  7. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No, new only please
  8. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • Work from Home - Libre Office, Google Docs
    • VSCode
    • Occasional GIMP and Inkscape
  9. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • No preference, need help
  10. If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    • No gaming at all
  11. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. I have a 720p old monitor from Dell and recently bought 1080p monitor from Samsung - 75 Hz
  12. Are you looking to overclock?
    • No
  13. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Even though I like to use Linux, there is a good chance I need to be Windows 11 ready as well. Consider both please
My primary needs are limited to Office documents. But I do code and draw a bit. So Photoshop and VSCode support would be nice.
 
At this budget, your best bet would be to get a used Dell Optiplex machine. An 7th gen i5 should come within this range. You can search through Olx or Indiamart or even post here in the WTB section.

If you want a new PC, then check this out

Pentium Gold G6400 processor (2 core/4 thread) with MSI H510M motherboard, 8 GB Crucial RAM, and 240 GB Kingston SSD. You can get any decent cabinet and power supply. What I've listed is just to account for the cost. This comes to around 17k.

If you can accommodate it within your budget, you can Core i3 10100 which is a much superior processor and will last longer without feeling slow.
 
Thanks. I am totally out of sync with the current PC budget requirements. I can spend more if that is worth investing. Not looking for a used PC at the moment.
 
get an i3, it will last much longer. Put in Linux, Will give you bang for the buck with LibreOffice & Gimp. i3 can also run PS.

that and the above-suggested 8GB RAM with a small SSD would make a good starter system.
 
If budget is flexible, then I'd suggest go with the following config
Core i3 12100 - 12k
MSI Pro H610M - 7k
Crucial 3200 MHz DDR4 RAM - 4k
WD SN570 500GB SSD - 4k
Decent 450w PSU & Cabinet - 4k

Total comes to 31k, but prices here are upward rounded, so should come within 30k.

This will be long lasting system as 12th gen has much superior single threaded performance than 10th gen. To put this in perspective, 12th gen i3 beats 10th gen i7 in single threaded performance and comes close in multi-threaded performance. That's the kind of gain you get by switching from 10th gen to 12th gen and it costs about 4k more.
 
gourav said:
Because AMD stopped making low cost processors. The only thing worth considering in the 5000 series is 5600, and that's too expensive for OP's budget. Anything older than 5000 series is not even in the running given the performance difference with 12th gen i3. So I don't even check those.
Click to expand...
I agree.

However, if the OP goes used, he can get a decent AMD system (including a 5600) which will serve him well.

Off the top of my head, based on current used trends:

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600g - 12K

Mobo: Any decent A320 - 2.5 - 3K

RAM - 4k (NEW)

SATA based 500 GB SSD - 2.6K (NEW). Yes, NVMEs are faster, but for his parents, a SATA SSD will more than suffice for everyday use.

PSU + cabinet - 4K

The total would be around 25K.
 
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