So, like the title says, it's been a long time since I bought a new computer, and the landscape has changed a bit since then. The last brand new desktop computer I bought was in 2005, I think. I got a used computer a few years ago, but it can't handle anything past XP without grinding to a halt, so I assume almost anything I buy will be a jump forward.

Before I get further, how about a budget. I'd really like to keep it in the Under 400 range. I do 99 percent of my gaming on console or handheld, so likely the heaviest game it's going to put up with for a while is Hearthstone

I guess my biggest question is whether people think it's better to get a newer computer with less expansion possibilities, or something a couple of years back that might have slots for a dedicated video card, maybe a 2nd hard drive (or an upgrade to an SSD), or a couple extra sticks of RAM.

So there we go. For 400 or less, what's the thought on getting a "new to me" computer that could handle some upgrades vs. a brand new computer that maybe couldn't.

FWIW, I'm not averse to a DIY kit like this from newegg, but I don't think I'd trust myself to buy the parts individually. There would need to be either a sorted bundle of parts, a site that would help build such a list, or a friendly person who knows what they're talking about making a list.

Thanks Bombers

Edit: Not sure how relevant it is, but this will be used primarily for email, Facebook, Youtube, and probably Photoshop Elements or something. I do have a tablet, as well as a laptop (with an old-ish Pentium dual core chip), so the main purpose of this theoretical computer will be to sit under or on a desk, and get to whatever site(s) my wife points it at, as well as letting her do some light photo editing.

From what you want you might be happier with a tablet than a computer.

Slightly over $400, unless you take advantage of rebates, but here. You'd need to upgrade pretty much everything if you want it to stay competent with newer titles (Doesn't even meet minimum for Witcher 3) but generally this can handle Hearthstone and like 95% of the games on Steam really well. Only downside is that doesn't include an OS, if that's going to be an issue for you. (You can find Windows 7 keys for really cheap though)

As much as I am a fan of having my own PC, I agree, Hearthstone seems like the kind of game you'd play in bed or on the can or something, so tablet makes sense.

Unless of course you need one for work purposes, or for writing out longer form emails or documents, then any old pre-made thing will do you fine.

I built my first pc a few months ago and was surprised how easy it was. You're basically just plugging components into the motherboard.

Assuming you've got a monitor, mouse and keyboard already I think 400 dollars for what you need is reasonable.

I'd recommend googling 400 dollar gaming pc's and reading up a bit.

Here's a few ideas:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nw7vRB

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/kzZFP6

@sarahsdad:

Well , you could get a cheap laptop if you're not looking into doing any serious pc gaming.

If you really really want a desktop PC perhaps something like this would work, yes I very much like corsair ;), also I just picked any case but you should choose one that you like most, I think it's hard to fit a GPU under 400 bucks, maybe someone with more knowledge can.

But you can safely use the i3's integrated graphics (I would assume it plays hearthstone just fine) until you can afford a GTX 960 or something.

@turtlebird95, @thenine and @onarum: Thank you all for pointing me towards the pcpartpicker site, and putting together a few builds. That's super encouraging for the idea of building one myself.

I would recommend getting a good case, motherboard, CPU, RAM, Hard drive, and just use the graphics that are integrated into the CPU. That way you could get a nice video card later on if you decided that you wanted to do more intense gaming.

I think the easy no fuss route is to get a basic desktop machine from HP or some other maker. For about $400 to $450 you can get an Intel i3 or AMD A6 desktop that will do everything you want either Win 8.1 or Win 7. You COULD build one cheaper, but at that level having the damn company build it and support it with a warranty is nice.

HP, Lenovo, Dell, Gateway...they all put out machines form $250 to $450 that will suit your needs. If you want a family PC with enough kick, for simple photo editing, an Intel i3 would be that.

I really recommend that you build your pc incrementally.

What you need first are :

1- motherboard

2- APU

3- ram (single 4gb chip)

4- power supply (no less than 600W and if your current in good shape then you can still use)

5- HDD (for now and if yours work then don't waste your money)

Along with your current case and dvd drive you should have a fully working pc (a decent APU should handle hearthstone and many steam games with ease). After a while and once you have enough money you could choose between adding a new hardware unit (i.e. Graphics Card) or replace the currently old hardware unit with a new one (i.e. HDD).

PS. AMD carrizo is coming in two months from now so i suggest waiting for it to either get a new decent apu or a current cheaper apu.

I know it's nothing to get too excited over, but I've put together a list of parts, and would really appreciate anyone taking a look at it. I checked my current case, power supply, etc. and while the case has nothing wrong with it exactly, the power supply is just a little over 300 Watts, and honest to God, the internal cabling for the drives is all (as far as I can tell) SCSI.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JNJz99

• CPU: AMD A4-6320 3.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($41.39 @ OutletPC)
• Motherboard: Asus A78M-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($47.95 @ SuperBiiz)
• Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ Adorama)
• Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($36.99 @ Amazon)
• Case: Logisys CS369BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply ($40.99 @ SuperBiiz)
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
• Total: $321.28

The main thing I'm looking for here is to see if any of the parts seem really out of place with one another. I used the compatibility filter on the site, so I assume that won't be an issue. It's more a question of things like: Is the DDR3-1600 RAM going to outstrip the A4 processor, or anything like that. I do have a CD/DVD burner already, so that's not included in the build.

@sarahsdad: An AMD dual core ain't gonna get you anywhere. If you are set on getting a cheap CPU you should get this instead. You also want to get 2 4GB RAM sticks instead of 1 8GB. RAM works better in couples.

I threw together a build that's a little more expensive (due to the high quality PSU that won't explode) but it's smaller and faster.

@lowcaff: Nvidia doesn't make CPUs duder.

@corevi: Thanks for the build list. I went with the A4 to get something that had a built in GPU. I could be 180 degrees wrong, but wouldn't I also need a separate graphics card if I'm using the Athlon X4 for a processor?

@sarahsdad: Riiight, sorry. You are correct. Didn't realise that the 860 had no gpu.

You will need two memory dimms to make the integrated GPU on the APU worth while, otherwise your effective memory bandwidth is going to be half what it should be. (apu's are already bandwidth poor as it is).

Really if all you want is a PC for around 400 and only care about hearthstone I would advise looking at a nice i5 laptop. For what you have suggested you want a PC for you don't even need a graphics card the built in video support on the i5 would actually be enough. If you want to move up and do gaming eventually you are going to need to shell out more than 400 dollars or you won't be able to get anything worth upgrading to be honest. Looking at your parts list I echo earlier sentiments.... avoid AMD go for Intel. Like I said... i5.

Ok, I've got a Motherboard, Case, memory, and drives sorted out to ones that I like. I'm going Intel, since I feel like I can understand their chip ordering better than AMD. The motherboard is using the LGA 1150 socket, and the B85 chipset, so there should be plenty of room to expand if/when I want to add another drive, update the CPU, etc. The next question would be on the balance of getting a slightly slower chip and a graphics card, or getting a faster chip and no graphics card. I can get an i3 and what seems like a decent card for the price of an i5 and no card. A couple things to consider:

• The monitor I'm connecting to for the time being is at 1280x1024
• I'm fully expecting/prepared to put about 100.00 year into upgrades for this, for new monitor, better CPU, etc.
• I'm still expecting to do most of my gaming on console, so if a game comes out that the computer can't run, I'm pretty sure I will be 100% OK with adding it to my steam list for "someday"

I think you should just pick up an iPad Air 2

@sarahsdad: Again if hearthstone is your idea of PC gaming you don't even need a graphics card as long as you get an i5 or better with built in graphics. You also won't need more than 8gig ram. You should get a better processor and just not get a graphics card at all until later.

Quick update. Ordered the parts Friday/Saturday. Just wanted to give a couple quick thanks. First to @onarum for pointing me towards Corsair cases. Reading reviews of the original case I'd planned on I noticed all sorts of complaints with the built in power supply, so I switched out and got a Corsair SPEC-01 Red instead, with a Corsair power supply to put in it. Together they ran about 50-60 more than the original case I was thinking of, but with all of the good Corsair reviews, it seemed a safe bet. Also to @corevi for pointing out that RAM is better in pairs; I would have just bought one large chip instead of two smaller ones otherwise. And lastly to @karkarov. I ended up getting an i3 in the end, mostly from cost, and for what I expect to be doing with the computer. The board can be upgraded though, so I expect an i5 and a couple other upgrades will come latter.

Now it's just waiting, and hoping the snow storms sweeping Massachusetts don't cause too many problems with the deliveries.