I would try to find some way to squeeze a SSD into his budget, because that's the thing that will make him go "holy crap, this thing is FAST!" Even a small, cheap one just for the OS and programs would probably impress him a lot.
Does Microcenter have any combos of this CPU with an H110, B10, or H170 board instead of a Z170? That might shave off a few bucks. The only other room for savings I see is to get a less expensive PSU (although that one is pretty sweet!). Maybe a non- or semi-modular one in the 400-450W range? The one you've picked out is fantastic, but for a budget build it's on the luxurious side.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Type | Item | Price |
---|---|---|
CPU | Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor | $109.99 |
Motherboard | ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $59.99 |
Memory | G.Skill NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory | $29.98 @ Newegg |
Storage | Sandisk Ultra II 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $54.99 @ Newegg |
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $47.49 @ OutletPC |
Case | Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case | $29.99 @ NCIX US |
Power Supply | Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $49.99 @ NCIX US |
Other | RX 480 - expected US MSRP | $220.00 |
Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
Total | $602.42 | |
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-13 13:59 EDT-0400 |