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Before reading this, realize that I am only a random dude on reddit, and that I am only speaking from my experience. More experienced people on other subreddits will provide you with much more accurate answers. If you don't feel like reading the entire post, here's the TL;DR: It's not that hard, just watch out to make sure the big stuff (such as motherboard and cpu) is compatible, and it's plugging in cords from there. Don't splurge on stuff you don't need. The internet (google) is your friend.

Honestly, as long as you have all the parts and don't mind searching around for the right place to plug it in, it's not too difficult. Basically, make sure your parts are compatible (/r/buildapc should be able to make sure, but there are always websites such as https://pcpartpicker.com/) and just plug it all in to your motherboard correctly, after making sure your board fits in your case. The hardest part is applying thermal paste to your CPU, then installing it into your motherboard. Which, is not hard at all. Just... don't force it in.

Tips from me: I used this chart to build a low-level PC. It looks like you'll need a "great" machine (~$600) if you want a decent 30 FPS at 1080p. Best thing about this chart is that every row is a working build, completely compatible. But, feel free to mix and match parts.

For basics: Make sure that your PSU can provide enough power for your CPU and Video Card. Make sure your motherboard is compatible with your CPU. (I think the two main types are AMD and Intel, both boards and CPUs. Don't mix the two. Also make sure the board supports the same number of pins on your CPU.) Beyond that, it's mostly mix and match whatever!

Oh. I recommend, at the very least, a hard drive with a higher than normal spin speed, and equally high read/write capabilities. I personally used this 1TB 7,200 RPM disk, partly for the RPM, and mostly because I didn't trust seagate. Feel free to do your own research before buying anything. You can also splurge on a SSD, but only if you're serious.

I hope that I was able to provide some helpful info! I'm a bit of a computer nerd though, so this stuff comes more or less naturally to me.

Edit: Also, when building, don't forget to buy an Operating System (Windows) and possibly a cheap optical drive (disk drive) to install it with. Pro tip: If you buy Windows 10 and don't like it, you can roll back to 7, even if you used a windows 10 installation disk. I think. You'll have to google that as well.

P.S. I got a windows 10 installation USB. So disks may be obsolete. But, always get something that you can use to recover. You will thank yourself for this one day in the distant future. Personally, I just went with the installation USB, since you can boot from that for recovery. But you can't boot from a downloadable windows installation. If that makes sense.

• Get an SSD, ASAP. Single best upgrade you can make to ANY PC - 250GB Samsung 840 Evo is $75 on Amazon, the 850 Evo is $90. If you want 500GB, you'll pay about $150 for the 850 EVO, 840 EVO doesn't have the 500GB available (Amazon shows it at $272 for a 500GB?! I think it's no longer produced)
  
  
• Max out your RAM. Your MoBo can support 32GB of RAM -- 16GB should do you plenty of good. $67 on NewEgg
  
  
• So far that's only $142 of your $350. That leaves you with $208 for a nice GPU. I have a GeForce GTX 750Ti that does great, and I'm not a gamer at all, so I really only bought it in case I decide to game later on (Dark Souls 3 will apparently run perfectly on my machine, which makes me very happy). You can get a GTX 950 or 960 under that price limit, both are mid to high tier graphics cards (980 is the highest in the series, atm [correct me if I'm wrong I don't know shit about gaming GPU's])
  
  
• If you don't want to spend $200 on a GPU, or if you can up your budget to $400, you can get both a really nice GPU and a better motherboard that supports DDR4 RAM, which of course increases the cost of the RAM, but it's all about future proofing.
  
  TL;DR: For the amount of your budget, buy the SSD and RAM I recommended. Either spend $200 on a GPU or spend $150 on a mid-tier GPU, up your budget to $400 and get a better MoBo for future upgrades. Good luck!
  
  Edit -- I just saw you have an AMD CPU. I've heard that nVidia & Intel work better together, and AMD works best with the other cards. Adjust accordingly.

Man, I just did this a few weeks ago. I got rid of the DVD drive and moved the 1TB HDD that it came with over to where the DVD drive was at and installed the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD where the 1TB drive is now, that's because the connector where the HDD is now connected to is SATA III vs SATA I where the DVD drive is at. In other words if you want to better speeds remove the HDD and put the SSD in, then if you want the extra storage space (1TB) remove the DVD drive and put in the HDD there using a caddy.

I found myself needed the DVD drive ZERO (0) times since I've bought the laptop but everyone is different. By the way I highly recommend upgrading the RAM as well, it cost an extra $58 but it's totally worth it. My laptop, fully loaded with Norton 360, Office 2013 Pro, Adobe Acrobat X Pro, and all my other programs boots up in about 7 seconds. Here is the parts I used..

USB to SATA III cable

RAM

You need a T5 screwdriver to remove the screws to get into where the components are, I bought this set because it's handy for other things as well. BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU LOOSEN AND TIGHTEN THOSE SCREWS, THEY STRIP EASILY. Don't tighten them like the lug nuts on your car, TRUST ME!
Just use the cable and the software that came with the SSD to migrate the OS over from the HDD to the SSD, it's that easy!! If you want I can find the caddy that I used to replace the DVD drive, mine fits perfectly but I had to buy 2 because the first one was the wrong one. The outer plastic shell would not fit on the first one, but the second one fits perfectly. I can even post pictures showing you where the parts are located once you open the laptop.. Let me know, and I hope this helped!

*Edit - Found the Caddy

Definitely head to /r/buildapc when you're ready to go. As the other 2 people have said, go desktop over laptop if possible. Seriously, it's waaaay more worth it. They cited the overall cost as a main concern, but another key note is that if something goes wrong and parts need to be replaced, it's much easier to do it with a desktop than a laptop. There are a multitude of other reasons, but I won't bore you.

That said, the good news is this is an excellent time to build a PC. The current gen entry level cards are total tanks compared to last gen and priced under $300 [RX 480 and GTX 1060, don't bother going lower than that]. AMD and Intel are also both getting ready to release new processors, so you've got the pick of their competition with each other [which will probably be priced competatively as well]. DDR4 is now standard, and the price has dropped significantly over the last year or so.

Another key note is that the games you listed above aren't very resource intensive; I hover around 60 maxed on all of them, and I've got an FX8320 @ 4.5ghz and a GTX 960 4gb. This is pretty dated hardware [I need an update preeeeetty bad], and I run them without my computer breaking much of a sweat.

As for the issue of portability, chromebooks are your friend. I can't recommend them enough. You can sink a good amount into a PC, then use the leftovers to pick one up dirt fucking cheap. Many are also linux compatible if you're looking for a full OS experience, but heavily research this first. It's not as easy as writing a new OS to the ssd and calling it a day.

edit:: If you do decide to go the laptop route, this is a pretty good contender for the price - https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-NVIDIA-Windows-E5-575G-53VG/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474336950&sr=8-1&keywords=acer+gaming+laptop. But really, you're selling yourself short by buying a gaming laptop. You'll get much better durability, performance, and repairability out of a desktop.

League is one of the easiest games to play. My 4 year old Laptop can play it with 4 GB of Ram and an intel i3. Yes 4 GB is enough but if you can get 8 GB that would just make everything more enjoyable.

https://m.newegg.com/Product?ItemNumber=34-315-713&iscoz=true

Found this one. It has a dedicated graphics card. Won't be able to run games on high settings but it should play League fairly well. It has 1 TB storage which is pretty good. The CPU is also alright and it has 8 GB of DDR4 RAM. Alternatively if you believe he doesnt need that much storage (1 TB) you can buy him the one with 256 GB SSD storage. It would make loading LoL faster.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01DT4A2R4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1480120731&sr=8-1&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=laptop&dpPl=1&dpID=41HfDkXXyeL&ref=plSrch
This one is 500 dollars though.

That is better, but you still run into integrated graphics which are extremely inferior to dedicated graphics.

On the product page, scroll down to "Product Features." About halfway down that list it shows "Intel HD Graphics 620." These are integrated graphics. This means the CPU is doing what a dedicated GPU would normally do.

If you see Nvidia "something" or ATI Radeon "something" these companies produce dedicated graphic cards.

I did a quick search on Amazon and found these:

Acer Aspire E5

ASUS 2-in-1

These might not be the best laptops for you, but it gives you an idea. In the names of the devices, it lists a Nvidia GeForce 940MX. Sometimes stores like Amazon, Newegg, or BestBuy might list the PC as having integrated graphics or dedicated, but it is always best to rely on your own knowledge.

LinusTechTips did a video on positive vs negative air pressure and found the difference in temperature settings was negligible at most. Positive air flow, however, should reduce the dust that enters your pc, assuming you have dust filters over your intakes.

Liquid cooling should not be remotely necessary. Yes, it will improve performance over air cooling, but for most users air cooling is plenty good. /u/smgswattted, are you using the stock cooler? if so, get an inexpensive aftermarket (hyper 212 evo probably still best value) instead. Make sure you also have at least one case fan.
As far as airflow, this video shows that the key factor is having an adequately sized heat sink.
Personally, I'd wager your problem stems from bad/old thermal compound (and possibly using a stock heat sink). [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2p6Hk4IfqI} video explains what thermal compound is, and this video talks about how to apply it most effectively.
That said, /u/desuemery's list is very comprehensive/covers all the bases, but personally I'd suggest just getting that hyper 212 cooler and some new paste before getting liquid cooling or anything fancy unless you just want to be cool. That and get dust filters.

You need an SSD. HDD's are very slow on modern operating systems and will bring any PC down. I dont even know why they still put them in computers. Otherwise your specs are not that bad.

I'd get a Kingston A400 assuming you're on the cheap side, but if you want best of the best in every category you can get a Samsung one. I can help you through the installation, cloning, ext, processes if you wish once you get the drive.

Samsung: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-250GB-Internal-MZ-76E250B-AM/dp/B07864WMK8/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=samsung+ssd+240gb&qid=1567214881&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Kingston: https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-240GB-Solid-SA400S37-240G/dp/B01N5IB20Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=kingston+a400+240gb&qid=1567214901&s=gateway&sr=8-1

What the guy said, cooling can be fixed with something like a cooling pad, which you can buy for like 30 bucks on Amazon. A laptop without a dedicated graphics processor for games won't be able to play very powerful things. Also since it's modern, it won't be able to run really old things (not sure how old Sims is, but you might still have problems playing it)

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=asc_df_B075FLBJV7/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=%7Bcreative%7D&hvpos=%7Badposition%7D&hvnetw=o&hvrand=%7Brandom%7D&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=%7Bdevicemodel%7D&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795260789354&psc=1&th=1

This is a good laptop with a little memory, but you could definitely upgrade it with a 1tb ssd or hdd and get more ram. You could also get an external drive. But this one has a graphics processor called an mx150 that can even play most triple a games at 1080p 30 frames per second on low graphics. This will play modern games, but you would need to upgrade the ram to play better games.

#1, Upgrade to Windows 10 right now. There is ZERO reason to be using Windows 8, It's all but deprecated at this point. It will detect your Windows 8 key and convert it to a 10 key. Download the iso, do an "In Place Upgrade" by mounting the iso (double click it) then run setup. Download HERE. Make sure you have a good 60GB of space for rollback if needed.

#2 Since Windows 7, drivers and libraries are cached. What you see as 4.5GB in use is not correct at all. There is likely less than 3GB actually in use, the rest will dynamically move out of RAM the MOMENT you need the RAM for something else.

#3 Don't use antivirus, there is no need these days. Windows Defender is fine. Install Malware Bytes if you need to do some cleaning, then uninstall it. (which will free up more memory)

#4 open up task manager, go to the startup tab, and see what you have that opens on startup. Disable crap you don't need.

#5 RAM is astonishingly cheap right now, but because of chinese tariffs, may be going up. You can grab another 16GB for $60. you have two slots free, Do it up. Looks like 1333Mhz DDR3. $60 for 2x8GB DDR3

Edit: #6 and if you don't have an SSD get one now, they are also astonishingly cheap. Get a Samsung, use the live data migration utility with a USB to SATA adapter. You can literally copy the entire OS to the SSD while the computer is running. Then just rip out your mechanical drive, and install the SSD in it's place. Done. Lighting fast computer. Samsung 860 Evo 500GB/ USB to SATA/ 2.5" to 3.5" adapter / Samsung Data Migration Utility

If you are going to be gaming, you can look at the recommended specifications for the games you want to play. This will give you an idea of the amount of power you will need from your laptop. Sims 4 and WoW.

The problem is trying to find a laptop with a graphics card that is suitable to play these games that isn't ridiculously expensive. You're going to want a graphics card with around 1ghz and 2gb GDDR5 for the recommended settings. I would recommend no less than 4GB memory (ram) and a 750GB - 1TB hard drive. Both of these games also recommend an Intel i5 processor or better (i7).

Just doing a quick search, this computer should be good enough to run both of those games at the recommended settings, with a 17.3 inch screen ($999). Link. If you're looking for cheaper, you can get it with a 15.6 inch screen for $100 less ($899). Link. Here is one that is even less and should be good enough, although the amount of storage worries me a bit ($799) Link. If you would post your budget it would be easier to get a computer in your range though.

The Z77 board should be completely compatible with your CPU the question is HP and other manufacturer have been known ro glue or even sodder CPUs to the boards. Don't know if they still do but they've done it in the past. While your at it get a after market cooler ideally this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_aw_sbs_1?pi=SY115&simLd=1 it cools the best for almost any price point including lower end Water Cooling systems. And it's one of the quietest. Good luck

You can get an Acer Aspire with a fairly new i5 and a 940mx for under $600.

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-15-6-Inch-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2R4

That's pretty much the best you're going to do at that budget without buying used.

You really want to pay attention to the video card and how old it is. The 940mx is bare minimum, any weaker than that and integrated graphics on a newer cpu is going to be better.

Notebookcheck is great for gaming benchmarks on laptop video cards.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-940MX.156033.0.html

If you increase your budget by a couple hundred bucks you can find something with a GTX 1050, which would be great. If you can't and you buy used I wouldn't go with anything weaker than that 940mx - try for maybe a 960m

If everything is we asked look into a chromebook, because they are the bottom $200 range computers, for under $550

I recommend these 2

Acer Aspire E 15 Laptop, 15.6" Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 8GB RAM Memory, 256GB SSD, E5-576G-5762- $560

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=twister_B076919RKR?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

HP - 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 3 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Chalkboard Gray- $519

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-3-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-chalkboard-gray/6344776.p?skuId=6344776

Lastly this one is good but it's on clearance and it's hard to find while on clearence

HP - 15.6" Touch-Screen Laptop - AMD Ryzen 5 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Ash Silver Keyboard Frame, Natural Silver- $398, it's on clearance on best buy

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-memory-128gb-solid-state-drive-ash-silver-keyboard-frame-natural-silver/6338059.p?skuId=6338059

I think the two things you'll get the most benefit from are: good GPU (for gaming) and good display (I think you'll notice the difference between a good quality display and a not-so-good one more than a lot of other things).

The Dell Inspiron 7559 and the HP Pavilion Power are both good options at this price point. For a slightly cheaper one with a less-good GPU that should still enable Overwatch to be playable in decent settings, the Lenovo Ideapad 700.

Ok:

I've been searching around on US amazon, assuming its 500 USD.

I would say for streaming you need at least 8 gigs of ram and a pretty good processor, so like intel core i5..

Here's what I found:

Acer Aspire E 15

The reason being its pretty up to date, and it has an SSD. Also a dedicated graphics card. It's a bit over budget but I have one similar, and it works for game streaming so Audio streaming should not be a problem.

There is also a refurbished option for the same laptop:

Refurb E 15

which is just $10 over budget.

And lastly, I found the

ASUS VivoBook

It's the same price as the refurb E15 but it's brand new. Also it has USB C which neither of the previous options have.

Hope this helps.

Totally worth the money, it is a little bit older of hardware, but with a more modern graphics card you could play all modern games at high settings at 1080P. I'd buy it, take the whole thing apart, blow out any dust, clean it up, apply more thermal paste on the CPU and put on a new CPU cooler. AMD is known for heat issues so I'd probably get a better aftermarket cooler, the coolermaster hyper 212 is one of the highest rated ones and it's only $30 https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-RR-212E-20PK-R2-Direct-Contact/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_22_sspa?keywords=cpu+cooler&qid=1550607885&s=gateway&sr=8-22-spons&psc=1.

Brand wise I recommend: Asus, Lenovo, Toshiba, etc. You should browse Dealzon when you have a rough idea what you want, to help yourself save money.

And as /u/morsmage said /r/suggestalaptop is a better place to ask.

This is something I bought, it's not an i3/i5, but it's not a normal i7 either. I present the 14" Lenovo Y40 gaming laptop for $750: w/ coupon @ Dealzon. It's a dual core i7 w/ hyperthreading, so has 4 logical cores. The one I purchased I bought an SSD, but the hybrid this one comes w/ might work for you. I'm happy w/ the battery life, can get up to 4 hours or more, depending on what you're doing. If you want a better battery life get rid of any mechanical HDD, and get an SSD. I personally bought this one, the 840 EVO series has the lowest idle power usage: Samsung 250GB SSD. If this laptop is too much for you, Lenovo has a bunch of other decent laptops for a lower price.

do yourself a favor and get something like this if you want to play those games. Thats an older AMD APU if im correct on a laptop, which is already bad, and add that with the RX540, which would probably thermal throttle everything. Also, the games you want to play are newer ones, and I'm pretty sure thats not even close to minimum "playable" requirements

For heavier gaming focus: (good price btw)


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B074Q54GSR/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752253&sr=8-9&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=51RRmfUEm-L&ref=plSrch


More class focused, can still play some games:


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B075FLBJV7/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752366&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=41HfDkXXyeL&ref=plSrch


Really good middle ground, good Graphics card for gaming, you do lose the SSD in favour of a bigger graphics card though so not as good for day to day tasks


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XFG7157/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1521752410&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop+nvidia&dpPl=1&dpID=41zfabBnrLL&ref=plSrch

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00AWRUICG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1449729777&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=ethernet+over+power+adapter&dpPl=1&dpID=31IYBNuPwFL&ref=plSrch

This one will work fine, honestly most power line adaptors will work for you. Be sure to order from somewhere that offers returns. You'll need to be sure that both adaptors are plugged into the same wall circuit. The only way to check without trial and error with the adaptor is by flipping fuses with something like a lamp plugged into each outlet you intend to use. If you flip a breaker off and both lamps turn off they are on the same circuit.

I got the best $800 laptop that I recommend a lot to people on that subreddit, it's highly rated and popular, premium features galore. Suitable for anyone.

http://www.amazon.com/Dell-Inspiron-i7559-763BLK-Full-HD-GeForce/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=zg_bs_565108_10

Edit: Also, your current graphics card is not removed. I've drawn a box around it in red. It may not be functional, and it's certainly not worth using anymore, but it's there.

You don't need to factory reset it.

• Download a windows installer and put it on a USB drive.
  
• Buy a cheap SSD. This one is fine for $30.00
  
• Disconnect the current hard-drive and connect the SSD instead.
  
• Insert your USB and install windows. (you may have to change the boot priority from the BIOS, but it should boot the installer from the USB.
  
• You should now have a usable Windows 10 computer. You don't even have to pay for Windows yet. If you're real budget conscious, you could try to extract the Windows key from your old hard-drive. I've done this successfully twice.
  
• Browse r/hardwareswap until you find a GTX 1050ti for under $100. I saw one go for $75 3 days ago.
  
• Install that.
  
  Now you have a perfectly fine gaming PC. You'd have to spend $500 to build something that will outperform this $100-$130 version.
  
  If you really don't want it, you can drop it off at my place. I'll put it to use. ;)

You can probably find a decent laptop for $500. It won't have a DGPU, but if you buy a modern one the integrated graphics should be good enough for very basic gaming.
This way you won't have to worry about the cost of a monitor and such.
Here is one for $550 that has a dedicated graphics card if you really want one, although it's not very good.
If you need under $500, here is one without a dGPU but should do a decent job.

Some coolers can get quite large, make sure you have enough space in your case. Some of them also require access to the backside of the motherboard to install.

I recently did a build for my friend, using [this cooler](http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Contact-Heatpipes-RR-T4-18PK-R1/dp/B00BSKY1M4). It was for the 1150 socket, but should be similar to the AM3. The Hyper 212 EVO is an even more popular choice (performance vs money), but my friends case wouldn't fit that cooler, so I chose the T4 instead.

Some coolers orient more on cooling, and are a bit louder, while some are near silent but don't cool as good. It all depends what you want.

It is pretty weak. You'd probably want something like this EVGA 500B, since it's low cost and relatively decent for low-power rigs.

It looks like DDR3 RAM has had a pretty severe price spike recently, so I would look around on Craigslist for an 8GB set. Alternately, r/hardwareswap is probably a good place to find some reasonably priced 8GB kits. Don't go for anything above like $35 though.

EDIT: Scratch that, PM this guy about the DDR3 if you have $40 to spend on RAM along with the $40 for the PSU.
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/comments/5on83m/usatx_h_asus_z87_pro_motherboard_4x2_gb_ddr31333/


EDIT pt2: Never mind, this guy is in WA (cheaper shipping) and is selling 8gb for 30
https://www.reddit.com/r/hardwareswap/comments/5on23r/usawa_h_itx_storage_server_teclast_tbook_11_ddr3/

Not quite. That looks like IDE to sata


Something like this would work. I’d recommend one with a power supply as IDE drives can require more power than a USB can support.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002OV1VJW/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stvp_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519098611&sr=2&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2972396462&pd_rd_wg=guS77&pf_rd_r=QHVHJ0VNWYBRNX8Z59P1&pf_rd_s=mobile-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=9701&pd_rd_i=B002OV1VJW&pd_rd_w=4G6yC&pf_rd_i=sata%2Fide+to+usb+3.0+adapter&pd_rd_r=5840e8c3-ed95-4ac0-aa87-d50b8402f800&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65

Sounds like the 2GB cloud option is not enough but maybe a 128gb SanDisk USB key might do?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TKFCYP0/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502839397&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=128gb+flash+drive&dpPl=1&dpID=31utQ2xdhBL&ref=plSrch

If more then that is needed I would suggest a 1tb WD drive they are not much more expensive and don't require external power but do have an additional cable and bulk.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CRZ2PRM/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1502839464&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=1tb+external+hard+drive&dpPl=1&dpID=31vtVo4NJ3L&ref=plSrch

if you want to build it, i would go for an AMD APU (unless your mother is a gamer XD)

• AMD A8-7600
  
• AsRock FM2A68M motherboard
  
• 2x Kingston DDR3 ram 4GB
  
• Corsair VS450
  
• an HDD
  
• a Case
  
  Sorry if the links are for amazon.it, but i'm pretty sure you can figure out what to buy from them

$700 is a bit tight for some of the newer games, this is the best i could come up with that fits reasonably close to that.

AMD FX-8350

Corsair H75

Gigabyte AM3+ 990FX

corsair vengence pro 2x4

MSI radeon rx470

corsair r500

EVGA 500w


i would recommend you wait a month or so in case the price of AM3+ stuff drops due to the ryzen being released, if that happens you might be able to afford an rx480

Depending on what router you have an what it’s capacities are in terms of wireless. This will impact your WiFi speed and latency.

Best connection will always be cabled but this can be messy so your second best option will more than likely be using a power line Ethernet adapter.

Here is an example from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Powerline-ethernet-Adapter-TL-PA4010KIT/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541363837&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=network+over+powerline&dpPl=1&dpID=41SIVgLUmaL&ref=plSrch

Asus TUF FX505DT Gaming Laptop, 15.6" 120Hz Full HD, AMD Ryzen 5 R5-3550H Processor, GeForce GTX 1650 Graphics, 8GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe SSD, Gigabit Wi-Fi 5, Windows 10 Home, FX505DT-AH51, RGB Keyboard https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VBK4SYS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CCw4DbVR21DH2

This one if your planning on playing lower demanding titles, rocket league, LOL, smite, etc.


Acer Predator Helios 300 Gaming Laptop PC, 15.6 inches Full HD 144Hz 3ms IPS Display, Intel i7-9750H, GTX 1660 Ti 6GB, 16GB DDR4, 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD, Backlit Keyboard, PH315-52-78VL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QXLFLXT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_QDw4Db49VPC49


This one if your planning on playing more demanding titles, note that both are currently on a Black Friday sale so now would be the time to pick either of them up. Cooling/airflow shouldn’t be a big problem in the either but if it’s something your concerned about or would like to have the peace of mind about, I included a link down below for a laptop cooling pad (also on a back Friday sale)



Havit HV-F2056 15.6"-17" Laptop Cooler Cooling Pad - Slim Portable USB Powered (3 Fans) (Black+Blue) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NNMB3KS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qGw4DbDC7XKPC

Possibly, you could fry your battery too maybe, I am guessing you should be fine, as long as the bottom is properly ventilated. If you have it on a blanket, for example, its going to fry your pc. If you want to be sure though, they have laptop fan pads such as [this one] (https://www.amazon.com/HAVIT-HV-F2056-Laptop-Cooling-Cooler/dp/B00NNMB3KS/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1500068579&sr=1-3&keywords=laptop+fan) that should help.

i5 or i7 matters less than what generation the chip is, a current gen i5 with four cores will outperform a last gen i7 with two. For games you’d want to focus more on what GPU it comes with though.

I’ve done a bit of research on this recently, and I’d recommend this laptop as a good bang for your buck that I believe would be plenty capable of running Fortnite.

This would be a two piece setup but it supports PCIe m.2 nvme drives. It also has m key support. The first part is the drive adapter and the second is the adapter from the adapter to USB. It comes out to about 45.96 not including shipping for both parts.

https://www.amazon.com/Startech-M-2-U-2-Adapter-Interface/dp/B073W65QX6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1504427625&sr=1-1&keywords=pcie+m.2+enclosure+nvme

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=pd_bxgy_147_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G63VTGMKHZPAMDF3K5BS

I think this would do pretty well for you
https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-Nanoedge-i5-8250U-Processor-Fingerprint/dp/B0762S8PYM/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1542051316&sr=1-2&refinements=p_36%3A-50000

If you can squeeze another $100 eventually, I would recommend getting an SSD to upgrade it with. SSD will make it much faster.

Also, /r/SuggestALaptop

Do you have an external USB to HDD/SATA reader? This is the perfect time to backup your files somewhere. If you don't have it, you should get one, it's very handy not only when diagnosing boot errors. I've got this exact model, it has been working great since two years ago.

Edit: grammar.

Hey :)

Would you consider this if you have the budget for it? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DT4A2R4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?&ie=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=D63V2G3K1VF23RDWZ1RY&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=6aad23bd-3035-4a40-b691-0eefb1a18396&pf_rd_i=desktop&linkCode=sl1&tag=jokerprodu03-20&linkId=a0853d0a414a45922ca9214ec5ae2a78

I dont think you can go any cheaper and still play overwatch at low settings. Here is a video about the laptop, highly recommended!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVXR05dSqrs&t=1s

Any other questions?

Here are some options that you might find suitable:

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Notebook-i3-7100U-Processor-Keyboard/dp/B077RML4SK/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1536554606&sr=8-12&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=laptop

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-i5-8250U-NanoEdge-Fingerprint-F510UA-AH51/dp/B0762S8PYM/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1536554606&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=laptop&dpPl=1&dpID=41ep9XKCNHL&ref=plSrch

https://www.amazon.com/8th-Gen-i5-8300H-GeForce-FireCuda-Windows/dp/B07BP9QG2J/ref=mp_s_a_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1536554790&sr=8-25&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=laptop

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Touchscreen-Notebook-Processor-Bluetooth/dp/B078BQVGFV/ref=mp_s_a_1_42?ie=UTF8&qid=1536554902&sr=8-42&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=laptop

Amazon has tons and tons of these. All of the brands you have mentioned are great and more often than not build solid, well done notebooks. Something you might want to look for with the notebook is either an SSD or at least a 7200RPM drive, most of these low end laptops will usually come with a 5400RPM drive that's just super sluggish

So.. bad news. Wanted to wait a bit to see if it was just a small period of bad connection, but it's still really bad. Definitely a lot better than before, but still makes games unplayable at times and have trouble streaming video as well when the connection gets all shoddy. Think a powerline adapter would work any better at all? This one look good?

Powerline networking might be an option. It uses the powerlines in your house to extend your network so you don't have wires running every which way. Here's an example of one of those products: Link

Here's one that also serves as a wifi extender if you need a better signal in a certain area: Link

https://www.amazon.com/VivoBook-Nanoedge-i5-8250U-Processor-Fingerprint/dp/B0762S8PYM/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=laptop&qid=1555618995&s=gateway&sr=8-5

​

or

​

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=laptop&qid=1555618995&s=gateway&sr=8-7

​

both are great. one's got an ssd ones got a normal hdd (ssd= faster loading times)

Yeah SSDs have come down in price by a lot . It does leave a little to desire in the write department but as an OS drive where it's going to be mostly reading data. Here's the link if you're interested. https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-240GB-Solid-SA400S37-240G/dp/B01N5IB20Q/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=ssd&qid=1556762476&s=gateway&sr=8-6

For the desktop itself, I would recommend this HP small form factor system. It has a Core i5 and Windows 10 Pro. https://www.amazon.com/HP-Quad-Core-Windows-10-Refurbished/dp/B01CV9G1BO/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1518314407&sr=1-2&refinements=p_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A2289793011

As for the monitor, I would recommend this one:
https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-21-5-Inch-HDMI-Monitor/dp/B015WCV70W/ref=pd_sbs_147_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B015WCV70W&pd_rd_r=AW6K1SK8Q35NDJ84E2P1&pd_rd_w=3oQls&pd_rd_wg=5ygqh&psc=1&refRID=AW6K1SK8Q35NDJ84E2P1

This is what you're looking for.

There are other options but this one is pretty inexpensive.

This one's pricier but better:

Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM 15.6-Inch FHD Notebook (Intel Core i3-7100U 7th Generation , 4GB DDR4, 1TB 5400RPM HD, Intel HD Graphics 620, Windows 10 Home), Obsidian Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pWh.zbSQF83MY

I recently bought the Dell Inspiron i7559-763BLK. Quite happy with it. I'm adding a PNY XLR8 480GB SSD for ~$125 since it has space for an additional hard drive. Less than $1000 without any company discounts.

Crucial 8GB Single DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) DIMM 288-Pin Memory - CT8G4DFS8213 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BIWLFGQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_wDHpzbXN3V5VSEVGA 500 W1, 80+

WHITE 500W, 3 Year Warranty, Power Supply 100-W1-0500-KR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H33SFJU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_TDHpzbKEX362CSeagate 1TB

BarraCuda SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive (ST1000DM010) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LNJBA2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_tEHpzbEXEX631ZOTAC GeForce GTX

1050 Ti OC Edition 4GB GDDR5 Super Compact Gaming Graphics Card (ZT-P10510B-10L) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M27X994/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_HEHpzbFHG70CKASUS LGA1151

DDR4 M.2 HDMI DVI USB3.0 H110 MicroATX Motherboard (H110M-A/M.2) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H5YC9BQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UEHpzbNN1F0NA

I don't have personal experience, but this is usually the recommended adapter. You don't need anything fancy and unless you have fiber internet, you won't need more than the one linked.

I recommend checking out this thread as there is one important factor explained in various comments (the second has the most detail). It doesn't impede anything, just might make it a little more difficult to setup.

This would allow access to the files inside:


https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Adapter-Converter-Optical-External/dp/B002OV1VJW


There are many like this, simply search for "IDE to USB adapter" or "PATA to USB adapter" on whatever site you're shopping.

I just bought a 240 GB Kingston for $27 on Ebay. It's around the same price on Amazon

SSD's are pretty cheap right now.

128GB for $52.50.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K8A29BE/?tag=pcpapi-20

I'd recommend spending $25 more and getting nearly double the space though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9G43WU/?tag=pcpapi-20

That works! If you're not planning on getting a second GPU, id go with this 500w model: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DZ6R9GE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_UXmxybCJPYVFV.

They perform really well for the price.

This computer has a VGA port and two Displayports for monitors. You'll need to buy a Displayport to HDMI cable to make this computer to work for you.

Get two of these monitors and two Displayport to HDMI cables to connect the monitors to the computer. Monitors that come with Displayports and Displayport cables are much more expensive than these well reviewed devices.

Yep. Here's a really fast 120gb for $90: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Electronics-EVO-Series-2-5-Inch-MZ-7TE250BW/dp/B00E3W1726

It will improve battery life but perhaps not noticeably.

If you are tight on budget, [this] (https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-E5-575G-53VG-15-6-Inch-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1487011123&sr=1-4&keywords=Acer) is pretty good. It has small capacity, but has another slot for another hard drive and another stick of RAM, so you could buy a large drive and stick it in.

Chromebooks will fill your needs, maybe not go for the cheapest one though

this one is a good example of what you should get but you might want to pick up a external hard drive

Get an external drive kit like this one, then remove the hard drive and connect it to a different computer using the kit.

Dell 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (6th Gen Intel Quad-Core i5-6300HQ Processor up to 3.2GHz, 8GB DDR3, 256GB SSD, Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M, Windows 10) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_qOPxybNQM77PB

(Comes with an ssd and has a good graphics card for the $800 price range)
(EDIT: If you want an i7 you can switch but then you get an 8gb ssd so pick your poison)

Dont play PUBG with the Aspire 5, i would recommend this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-Predator-Helios-GeForce-Keyboard/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=sr_1_29?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1509880943&sr=1-29&keywords=Gaming+laptop

I'd suggest (and this isnt a popular opinion, I know) the Acer Predator Helios 300. Heres an amazon link:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

Don't waste money on computing power which you will never need. You will probably use it to write assignments, surf the web etc. This is more than enough: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575-33BM-15-6-Inch-Processor-Generation/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1498013428&sr=1-4&keywords=laptop

Looks like you answered your own question, although thoes numbers seem way to low.

Look for a device called Kill a watt.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ its a dell inspiron 15 and packs good enough specs to do everything you need it to do. It stretches your budget but you can also buy a hard drive to put in if you need more mass storage

Buy a external adapter to USB and just plug it in after the computer boots?

https://www.amazon.com/Mosuch-Adapter-Converter-Optical-External/dp/B002OV1VJW/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1518206272&sr=8-4&keywords=external+hd+adapter&dpID=51zEeCiolkL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

This

$4 more and you can get a TB Plus, it's not a seagate drive.

You can setup a network over the power line. Check this out:

TP-Link AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 500Mbps (TL-PA4010KIT) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWRUICG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_0.UkzbQ3Q9P2P

Check on the restrictions though...

This?

This is all that I have picked out atm, will these work together in this case?
And will it run smoothly? Keep in mind I already have the i5 Processor

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V4V4SFC/ref=s9_acsd_simh_hd_bw_b4Ok4_c_x_4_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=YAV3J147A638ED1FDJCY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=0ae2f422-b2bf-5e3d-9ce8-e6051f3a726c&pf_rd_i=1048424
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J8CCUL2/ref=s9_acsd_simh_hd_bw_b1C5u_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=N0KMSCQMA11K09FMH4N0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=ad112e6b-2646-5740-bcb2-f227e6e7d96e&pf_rd_i=284822
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37597/corsair-value-select-cmv8gx4m1a2133c15-8gb-1x8gb-ddr4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZXDOL6/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b1C5v_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=WC80WMW66RG0XQ3VVHJV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=202b99be-dd6c-5402-b007-d88175803d72&pf_rd_i=284823
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H33SFJU/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b4sE4_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=6ANT2574KVWQF2V9KW5T&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=7e75590d-4a69-5772-b319-56dff81b4149&pf_rd_i=1161760
https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37360?gclid=CjwKEAjwq5LHBRCN0YLf9-GyywYSJAAhOw6ml6F1yrV8GI2P3fukMniqcDrnwsAd0levtuVDjgFQ_hoC2xDw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033Z2BAQ/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b1PRY3f_c_x_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_r=Y8BCJFTCRVCDD7YPB6SD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=d8716360-4766-5419-81fe-e3c48400ce8c&pf_rd_i=1292107011
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Deepcool-Tesseract-SW-Mid-Tower-Gaming-Desktop-PC-RED-Computer-Case-No-PSU-/322007039086?hash=item4af91d7c6e:g:eOMAAOSwKtVWvpBG

ya it would wreak your laptop for the GPU to run off of it so you would need a power supply to power the GPU only in very rare cases would the GPU run of your laptop's power and not wreak the thing.
(ex: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H33SFJU/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_b4sE4_c_x_2_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=S64ZHD0G24ZVGS4GYQDD&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=7e75590d-4a69-5772-b319-56dff81b4149&pf_rd_i=1161760 or a smaller one IF you only need a small amount of power to run the card)

What about this, then can you perhaps buy a refub'd GPU?

What adapter?

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492887608&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=usb+to+sata+adapter&psc=1

I probably can't explain it from my phone on the mobile reddit app. I just spent an hour with an intern last week going over this. But he researched how to make a bootable macrium thumb drive on his own so i didnt have to.
That's why i say the samsung data migration software might be the simplest. Plus a usb to sata cable.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HJZJI84/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1517929532&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=usb+sata

this is the one I have.

Get one of those laptop cooling pads or some new RAM for your other computer since that's literally one of the cheapest/easiest components to replace.

https://www.amazon.com/HP-Pavilion-22cwa-21-5-inch-Backlit/dp/B015WCV70W/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1480285408&sr=1-2&keywords=monitor This is it

What about this https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015WCV70W/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1469538422&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=gaming+monitor&dpPl=1&dpID=51CvjRu6c8L&ref=plSrch
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0051U1XMI/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1469538380&sr=8-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=gaming+desktop&dpPl=1&dpID=41RV7335SRL&ref=plSrch

Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6 Full HD, Intel Core i5, NVIDIA 940MX, 8GB DDR4, 256GB SSD, Windows 10, E5-575G-53VG https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DT4A2R4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_w.n0xbE7VWQAZ

Splurge and get this

120gb is way too small. 240 or 256gb is the minimum capicity I would get, even if you're not gaming (but especially if you are)

You can get a sandisk 240gb ssd for $70, so it's actually cheaper per GB than a $40 120gb ssd

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575-33BM-15-6-Inch-Processor-Generation/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ 1TB of storage, AC Wireless, plenty of power.

cheapest laptop that can run it

Cheap fix: https://smile.amazon.com/Kingston-240GB-Solid-SA400S37-240G/dp/B01N5IB20Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?keywords=kingston+256bgb&qid=1568935412&s=electronics&sr=1-1-fkmr0

+

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 (and a flash drive)

I believe the Acer Predator Helios 300, would suit most those needs: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Predator-i7-7700HQ-1060-6GB-G3-571-77QK/dp/B06Y4GZS9C

Maybe this would suit your needs?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06Y4GZS9C/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1518639761&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=razer+laptop&psc=1

Ditch the 2-in-1s. Absolute trash. They only add $200 on a normally $500 laptop. Get thi instead: https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Aspire-i5-8250U-GeForce-E5-576G-5762/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1522972688&sr=1-1&keywords=acer+aspire+e15&dpID=41HfDkXXyeL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Acer Aspire E 15, 15.6" Full HD, 8th Gen Intel Core i5-8250U, GeForce MX150, 8GB RAM Memory, 256GB SSD, E5-576G-5762 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075FLBJV7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_taJ4BbKKGR0DM

Here you go brother

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0762S8PYM/ref=pd_rhf_ee_s_vtp_ses_clicks_0_2?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0762S8PYM&pd_rd_r=JB6ZMTR6H75Q8H152NYW&pd_rd_w=gW8kG&pd_rd_wg=FZlfc&pf_rd_i=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=05d75987-58ed-4d36-bbfa-515cd87e4ee3&pf_rd_r=JB6ZMTR6H75Q8H152NYW&pf_rd_s=desktop-rhf&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=JB6ZMTR6H75Q8H152NYW

This'll work for web browsing and basic applications. Don't expect to game on it, but it'll work for most simple tasks.

This is a hard question to answer seeing that there are way too many variables to calculate it. You can however use a power meter to answer this question.

I have a version of this that doesn't have the SSD. With the version I'm linking you can add an extra hard drive. You can also add an extra 8GB of ram, I did.

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sxts_k2p_hero1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=2668835642&pf_rd_r=7TXPMJRHEDE0BWT6GDSW&pd_rd_wg=5m0mW&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_w=LgHan&pf_rd_i=dell+inspiron&pd_rd_r=2MMP8V5YMEFTTTW32GK1&ie=UTF8&qid=1478471063&sr=1

Take it to a pc repair shop they can unsolder the battery and reset it within a day usually. Getting a new hard drive won't do anything since your locking the BIOs bootup for the machine. The laptop is locked from even booting at this point.

Another option is to remove the hard drive and use one of these adapters.

http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Adapter-Converter-Optical-External/dp/B002OV1VJW

The wattage on a power supply isn't indicating the power it draws. It's indicating the max power it can supply before shorting out. To know the power consumption per min/hour/day. You need to know how much power each component is consuming. Rather than trying to sit and calculate that. You could buy this device. You enter into it how much your electric company charges you per kW. Then plug your computer in and this device will tell you everything.

Hard fish? Do you mean hard drive https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9G43WU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xNR1DbVFPH3SG

Or

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-blue-500gb-internal-sata-solid-state-drive/6025802.p?skuId=6025802&ref=212&loc=1&extStoreId=459&ref=212&loc=1&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=Cj0KCQiAiNnuBRD3ARIsAM8Kmltv4Vl5yb515PUKdk-Qx677om2JSk10rheEH0gcot0puWyYy781o-oaAnZiEALw_wcB

Max power draw is on a sticker on your PSU, or on the box it came in. or if you're desperate look up the model and find the data sheet or website for it.

for current power draw try a Kill-a-watt.

For in between $500 and $550, I would take a look at the ASUS VivoBook F510UA. It's a 15.6" laptop with an i5-8250U, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, 1TB HDD, and is only 0.8" thick and 3.7lbs. Unfortunately, the configuration to add a 128GB SSD is an extra $100 for some reason, but if you aren't happy with the HDD's speed, it has an M.2 slot that you can utilize to add an SSD, or just remove the HDD altogether and put in a 2.5" SSD.
Laptop: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0762S8PYM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_EJzOBb55QX1BW
250GB M.2 SSD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077SL4FZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_4RzOBbG2KAX60
240GB 2.5" SSD: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9G43WU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_2TzOBbVDPPT1E

You're looking for this adapter this adapter.

Edit: The hard drive is probably formatted as NTFS. If that's the case, then basically, all you can do on it is copy things from it to your Mac (which is what you said you wanted to do, so you should be fine). You can't actually change anything on the hard drive unless you get some software to fix it (you can also fix it yourself; I'll link you to a tutorial for that if you run into the issue). If the hard drive is formatted as FAT32 or exFAT, then you shouldn't run into any problems.

Reason for me buying this instead of building is because I'm looking to expand and get familiar with building. I don't feel comfortable going in with no knowledge and only having youtube/reddit by my side. I'd rather gradually expand on one, rather than build it from scratch. At least for now.


Also - I'm probably going to end up buying a new HDD. I was looking at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Desktop-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1451866426&sr=1-3&keywords=sata+hard+drive but I've never installed one before. I understand what you need to do, such as: Install SATA connector/psu connector, and mount the HDD - but I'm just not sure how to install a OS onto the HDD.


As you may have noticed, my current HDD isn't detected. It shows up in the BIOS - but I'm unable to install a new OS because it doesn't detect any partitions (or the actual drive). Would purchasing a new HDD solve this issue and just make it so the system detects it? That way I can install a OS? My current hard drive seems to be "Locked" or something. It's just strange how this PC was built with new components, and it died that easily.


I'm beginning to wonder if the components were cold when I first booted the device on and it destroyed the hard drive. I didn't really sit and wait a few hours before plugging it in. It could of also got banged around during transport and something killed it. I just don't know.