First Ever Gaming Build - Tight Budget

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Anonemone

Honorable
Jun 8, 2013
2
0
10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: 400 - 600 (As economical as possible; anything over 500 will be very difficult for me.)

Usage: Dedicated gaming

Monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Everything; new build.

Need OS: No

Preferred Website for Parts: Newegg, physical stores in the DFW area (Texas)

Location: United States

Parts Preferences: Whatever gives the most bang for the buck

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Overall, I am tired of playing on consoles, and like the idea of a computer that i can periodically upgrade. My budget however, is very low. Honestly, anything over 500 will be a stretch.

Why I am Upgrading: I want to be able to comfortably play modern games at least at medium settings with mods.

Thanks for the help, guys.
 
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X79

X79

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
3,039
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13,460


With inspiration from you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($116.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($49.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.64 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $498.58
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 16:07 EDT-0400)
 
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J

Jack Revenant

Honorable
Apr 16, 2013
2,625
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13,160
This is about as low as I'd go, for gaming:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 1GB Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $514.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 16:05 EDT-0400)

If you can stretch a bit further, this is what I'd recommend:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($65.58 @ Outlet PC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($248.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $619.02
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 16:07 EDT-0400)

Edit: X79 offers a superior $500 build.
 
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D

Deus_Ex_Machina

Honorable
Jun 7, 2013
32
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10,540


The problem with that build is if he wants to upgrade later there is no easy way. He'd be better off saving on the video card by buying an EVGA GTX650 instead(http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-01gp42650kr). He can then use the saved money for buying an i3 proccessor(http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i32100) and a MSI Z77A-G41 motherboard(http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z77ag41).It does raise the price a little but you could find the i3 on sale or go with 4-6 GB of ram. This would give you more room to upgrade in the future.

Like Jack and X79 said AMD might also be the answer for you.
 
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X79

X79

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
3,039
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13,460
Intel build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3210 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($106.14 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B75MA-P45 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($49.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.64 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.50 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.74
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-08 16:20 EDT-0400)

Then you upgrade the motherboard to an ATX one as the first upgrade you do for this build.

After that you add a 1TB HDD or 128GB SSD.

Then you either get a case which is bigger and you like better or you upgrade the CPU to

an i5. Then you can upgrade the GPU later on and lastly you get some 1600Mhz RAM and you're

rollin'.
 
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Solution
A

Anonemone

Honorable
Jun 8, 2013
2
0
10,510


Thanks for both of those builds. Which one would you recommend: Intel or AMD for my situation?
 
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X79

X79

Honorable
Apr 17, 2013
3,039
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13,460


No worries.

Intel without a doubt.
 
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