Creating a PC under £100? Tips on choosing a motherboard and CPU.
Creating a PC under £100? Tips on choosing a motherboard and CPU.
So my son and I chose to assemble a PC together so we could both enjoy playing Minecraft simultaneously. We aimed to stay under £100, opting for second-hand components while still putting everything together ourselves (or avoiding a poor prebuilt unit). I had an outdated power supply—no major problems, though it got upgraded later when a GPU was added—and a stock Intel cooler. I thought we could locate a reasonably priced LGA1151 compatible motherboard for the 2017 CPU, but it seems that being labeled "discontinued" often means it's costly.
Since I'm not very familiar with current tech, do you have any advice on motherboard or CPU pairings that might now be considered outdated yet not too old?
I understand using a second-hand PSU isn't ideal, but I don’t think we’ll worry much if our custom build ends up being a fire hazard after six months. I’ll double-check everything to make sure the alarms work properly.
We’re located in the UK and plan to buy from eBay or Gumtree unless we find a great deal on Amazon. Our goal is for the system to power on, connect to the internet, and start playing Minecraft.
Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Don't restrict your options. Also consider H170, H270, H110, B150, Q170, and Q270. These are essentially Z boards sold without overclocking in OEM machines.
You might also discover a fully used desktop at a similar cost if you pay attention. This allows you to extract parts or resell the surplus components.
Additionally, new remanufactured boards can often be found on platforms like aliexpress. They recover functional chips from damaged boards and integrate them onto fresh PCBs. Support levels may vary, but they sometimes include modern features.
Motherboards become less common over time relative to CPUs, which is why prices tend to increase as they age, especially in areas where remanufacturing operations operate.
You already have a good setup with an LGA1151 CPU, a standard Intel cooler, and a PSU. Skip the overly expensive second-hand ATX boards and focus on affordable microATX options. If you wait a few weeks, you can likely find a functional motherboard under £30. Verify CPU compatibility before purchasing the board.
Don't restrict your options. Also consider H170, H270, H110, B150, Q170, and Q270. These are essentially Z boards sold without overclocking in OEM machines.
You might also discover a fully used desktop at a similar cost if you pay attention. This allows you to extract parts or resell the surplus components.
Additionally, new remanufactured boards can often be found on platforms like aliexpress. They recover functional chips from damaged boards and integrate them onto fresh PCBs. Support levels may vary, but they sometimes include modern features.
Motherboards become less common over time compared to CPUs, which explains why prices tend to increase as they age, especially in areas where remanufacturing businesses operate.
I wasn't familiar with the Q ones and tried to steer clear of them due to lack of knowledge! And I hadn't paid much attention to the H ones either. Appreciate your assistance!
Another inquiry – does stylish RAM outperform plain green options? Probably not, since you won’t be using it intensely.
Understood. Unless you're pushing RAM to extreme overclocking levels with high XMP settings, most heatsinks aren't necessary. However, DIMMs featuring advanced LED illumination clearly perform better than standard green PCB designs, don't they?
I was convinced by those smart LEDs that convert heat into radiant light... (I received 8GB of essential green components for £8, which brought my total to £122 including the monitor).
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: Intel Core i3-7100 3.9 GHz Dual-Core Processor (Bought for free)
CPU Cooler: Intel E97379-001 CPU Cooler (Bought for free)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B250M-K Micro ATX LGA1151 (Bought for £38.00)
Memory: Crucial CT2K4G4DFS824A 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 (Bought for £8.00)
Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB 2.5" SSD (Bought for £16.00)
Video Card: Asus 710-2-SL-CSM GeForce GT 710 2 GB (Bought for £15.00)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower (Bought for £25.00)
Power Supply: Corsair CX450M (2015) 450 W, Bronze Certified, Semi-modular ATX (Bought for free)
Monitor: BenQ GL2450HM 24.0" 1920 x 1080, 60 Hz (Bought for £20.00)
Total: £122.00
Costs cover shipping, taxes, and any available discounts
Generated by PCPartPicker
Date: 2023-07-27 23:38 BST+0100