What do you think of this bargain basement config?

[SeekTruthFromFx]

I am considering purchasing the config below. Obviously you need to know the objective to see whether the system meets it.

This is to replace my five-year-old Lenovo laptop (Core i3 second gen, HD3000 integrated graphics, 450GB HDD) , which is still in excellent condition. Unfortunately, it can't be upgraded to Windows 10: the Lenovo forums contain many anguished reports that Win 10 irreversibly overwrites the custom screen driver, leading to a permanent BSOD. The lack of control over Win 10 updates has been putting me off upgrading (I couldn't risk missing a client conversation because of a forced update), but Microsoft's recent change of heart means I am now gearing up to take the plunge.

With the Windows 7 end-of-life fast approaching, I have eight months to find a solution.

The system will be used for typical home & office purposes (LibreOffice spreadsheets, YouTube, etc.) and online conversations with clients/partners (LINE, Skype & Zoom).

I also spend a lot of time playing PC games, but absolutely not your typical violent & expensive first-person-shooter. I play Simutrans (an open-source transport simulator that will run on a first-gen Pentium!), Civ IV, and Paradox grand strategy games (e.g. Hearts of Iron IV). For these games, CPU and RAM is more important than the graphics side. As my old laptop is well below the Paradox minimum requirements, they run at about 8 (eight) FPS, so anything better than that it is a bonus.

My budget is very tight: £400 or thereabouts. I'd like to buy a desktop so that I can upgrade it a piece at a time (in the style of Trigger's broom). I can use an old VGA (D-sub) monitor for the time being.

Case
PCS 3312B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Quad Core CPU with Vega Graphics (3.5GHz-3.7GHz/6MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
FSP 250W 80+ BRONZE POWER SUPPLY (For PCS 3312B BLACK Case Only)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days

In an ideal world, I'd choose a motherboard with an upgrade path (e.g. B450) but a cheaper APU (Athlon 200GE) instead, so I could upgrade to a much better APU in a few years. But beggars can't be choosers! And after a lot of research, PCS seems to offer a good deal to the budget-conscious.

Any thoughts?

 

[ubuysa]

Hello and welcome!

What did that spec come to? And how close to £400 is 'thereabouts'?

 

[SeekTruthFromFx]

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

What did that spec come to?

Sorry, that's an obvious point that I should have included. This spec comes to £399.

And how close to £400 is 'thereabouts'?

To be honest, my budget is 'at little as possible', but at the same time, I want to get good value. It seems silly to skimp on a CPU that I'll use daily for many years when the difference in price to a better model is the price of a meal for one (in central London, anyway!). I've looked hard at a Athlon 200GE, 1x4GB build for only £327, but if I take on a little more debt, then the £400 mark seems to the lowest optimum point for value. I really couldn't go above £400.

 

[Oussebon]

If money is so tight that this is the best kind of spec you can afford (and I don't mean that in a negative way) then you should be looking at how to avoid upgrading as much as possible.

That might involve saving up more, and you do have a good half a year before Windows 7 end of support.

Could you use Linux on your existing system to take you into 2020? Civ 4 and Hearts of Iron 4 apparently run on Linux.

The main culprits in the spec above are the case and PSU. These will severely limit your upgrade options - so you'll and possibly need to upgrade both before you can do some more meaningful upgrades!. Whereas, say, the Cyclone case and a 450W/550W PSU would do you for the lifetime of the PC, short of extreme gaming needs.

There are pennies to be pinched, but we're talking pennies. The SU800 is a bit of a waste of the M.2 slot (mobo only has 1). If getting a cheap SSD, the SU650 seems to make more sense.
The RAM. Dual channel is preferable, but 1x8gb is cheaper. And in any event you'll end up wanting to replace it with faster RAM. So 1x8gb saves a few quid.

Also meaning no offence, but if £400 is the furthest you can go while taking on more debt, what kind of upgrades are you really going to be able to do for this system? Is it worth buying if the plan is to upgrade, but the financial realities might preclude you doing so. If upgrades are a long while down the line, by the time you want to upgrade, all this tech will be superseded (PCIe 4.0 mobos, DDR5 RAM, newer and faster SSDs, Optane-like technologies, who knows what else).

There's an argument for a second hand PC too. Sure, if you want to upgrade the CPU in an older PC you'll need a new mobo and new RAM, but if it takes you a couple of years to really upgrade this thing then the same might well apply anyway.

Obviously I don't presume to know your personal finances, I'm just suggesting all angles are considered in case it saves money

 

[Stephen M]

Adding to Oussebon's advice, which I agree with, Simutrans has Linux repositories so you may be fine with all of your gaming on a Linux distro. Zorin (https://zorinos.com/) is both free and paid for but the free version is very good and it has been designed for people migrating from Windows. That option will also save you about 100 GBP on an OS licence.

 

[SeekTruthFromFx]

If money is so tight that this is the best kind of spec you can afford (and I don't mean that in a negative way) then you should be looking at how to avoid upgrading as much as possible.

That might involve saving up more, and you do have a good half a year before Windows 7 end of support.

...

Also meaning no offence, but if £400 is the furthest you can go while taking on more debt, what kind of upgrades are you really going to be able to do for this system? Is it worth buying if the plan is to upgrade, but the financial realities might preclude you doing so. If upgrades are a long while down the line, by the time you want to upgrade, all this tech will be superseded (PCIe 4.0 mobos, DDR5 RAM, newer and faster SSDs, Optane-like technologies, who knows what else).

There's an argument for a second hand PC too. Sure, if you want to upgrade the CPU in an older PC you'll need a new mobo and new RAM, but if it takes you a couple of years to really upgrade this thing then the same might well apply anyway.

Obviously I don't presume to know your personal finances, I'm just suggesting all angles are considered in case it saves money

Thank you very much for your advice, Oussebon. It is not what I wanted to read, but after considering your points, I think it is what I needed to read.

I agree that Linux is an option for me. I have used Linux (Knoppix) and Unix systems in the past, but never as my main home/office computer. The main difficulty is the messaging service LINE, which does not have a Linux version, but is very popular with my Taiwanese friends. But beggars can't be choosers.

That means that I won't be making a purchase right now, but the forum sponsors should know that it's a sale delayed not a sale denied. I very much hope to become their customer once my finances are more stable.

 

[SeekTruthFromFx]

Adding to Oussebon's advice, which I agree with, Simutrans has Linux repositories so you may be fine with all of your gaming on a Linux distro. Zorin (https://zorinos.com/) is both free and paid for but the free version is very good and it has been designed for people migrating from Windows. That option will also save you about 100 GBP on an OS licence.

Thank you for your advice, Stephen. I had not heard of ZorinOS before and have had a look at it. It might be a more digestible form of Ubuntu.

 

[Oussebon]

I'm glad it was useful, though sorry it wasn't in a more positive vein

You may well have tried this already, and I don't claim great familiarity with Linux or any familiarity with LINE, but

1) There's a guide here of apparently how to get it working?

How to install LINE (messaging app) on Ubuntu

I would like to install LINE chat platform on my Ubuntu 12.04 LTS system. Please, could anyone provide me the steps to successfully install this software?. I've been trying to install this software...

askubuntu.com

Albeit on an older version of Ubuntu, not sure if it might need updating.

2) Where messaging services have extensions for browsers, one can often just get the browser on Linux and install the extension:

LINE

Free messaging, Useful memo features, and Screenshots made easy.

chrome.google.com

instead of having to install a specific client that may only exist for Windows

I had a look at Zorin recently due to a similar scenario with a Win 7 PC and quite liked the UI.

However, this may be of interest:

All the Ways You Can Still Upgrade to Windows 10 for Free

Windows 10's free upgrade offer is over, according to Microsoft.

www.howtogeek.com

It has been widely reported online that Microsoft is apparently happy to accept Win 7 keys as activating Win 10.

You could take an image of your system with Macrium Reflect (and then verify the image of course) and then experiment with Zorin or other OSes of your choice including Windows 10. Which can be downloaded free from Microsoft. And you have the image to reinstall if you want to go back to Win 7.

Make sure to also back up all data etc first, etc etc.