I would double check to see if the 1030 low profile for fit.

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-GV-N1030D5-2GL-Computer-Graphics/dp/B071DY2VJR

This looks like it would work.

Peace.

I did try that earlier (this was the one I used) but there's a couple snags. First off I'm not sure what it's looking for in the "motherboard" section. I've searched everywhere and found various names for my motherboard, but none of them match anything on the list. Picking different options on the list doesn't make a huge difference though (some of them raise or lower the wattage by 100).

The bigger problem that I just discovered is that under the GPU field, the selection includes "GeForce GT 1030" and then simply "GT 1030". When put together with my CPU (Intel Core i5-2400) it calculates either "600-699W" or "400-499W", respectively. This is why I estimated 600W earlier. Even more confusing, Doofff originally linked this amazon listing; but when I search the full name of that listing, the first result is this page, which is what I linked above. So is there a difference between these two cards, or is all this not a big deal?

EDIT: Also none of the other fields seemed to make any difference with the calculation.

The other comments were so bad that I got up from my phone to go to the computer...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

I didn't check the qvl list of the mobo because I just picked one that should work fine without a bios update at a price point another could match.

This is obviously under budget and you could improve things you wanted... but I would say clarify your changes if you thought going prebuilt was a better option.

This is the 80 dollar graphics card in the other commentators suggestion... getting it still has you under budget from his "cheap" prebuilt which I assume doesn't include tax? (which isn't needed for this build because the processor is an APU that has fantastic integrated graphics)

I will assume someone will say get a bigger power supply... but you don't need it. Minimum for a 1060 6gb is still 400 so this should be good to just upgrade to a decent gpu when your friend has money.

Also someone might say the dell has windows, but this is at least 60 or likely more dollars cheaper (even if you do add a 1030 and sub in a 1600) that you can put toward windows later if you want it... or just not. I have made 4 pcs that use the unactivated (not illegal!) win 10 pro.

random comparison video GT 1030 (G4560) vs Vega 11 (Ryzen 5 2400G) Comparison in 12 Games GPU vs APU Or google... there are tons. It is important to note the RAM speed. I parted out 3000mhz, which should be good to go. Also there are fps discrepancies due to the resolution differences in some videos. FPS is increased extremely when on 900p or similar which works on some games.

Building this gets you a could good CPU that acts as a playable GPU, saves money from the total build budget, and allows the computer to be used NOW and then save for a real GPU in a much shorter time.

yeah I keep thinking I should probably go with an Optiplex 9020 since they have an I5. I have one of those running my fighting game cab and it runs everything great. Even have DragonBall Fighterz on it. Was just seeing if I could avoid spending the extra money.

This is the graphics card I have in my 9020 https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071DY2VJR?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

For the SFF models you'll need a low profile, single slot card like this one, that's why our options are limited.

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-GeForce-GV-N1030D5-2GL-Computer-Graphics/dp/B071DY2VJR

1030 would fit the bill. I have one for my server and a more powerful card for a guest.