Need help building a $300-400 gaming pc

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icymn

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Jul 19, 2013
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Hey guys, this is going to be my first gaming pc that i'm going to build, if possible i would like the price to be around $300-400, and if you don't mind please give me some tips on how to build a gaming pc since i'm new to this, Thanks.
 
Realistically, a decent gaming PC will probably cost at least $550-$650 (plus operating system and peripherals), BUT depending on the games you want to play, the resolution of your monitor, and the settings you are willing to accept, $400 may be possible.
For example, if you intend to play only casual games, an APU-based system will meet your needs within this budget. If you're going to be starting off with a 1368x768 monitor, which doesn't need a hefty graphics card, you also might get by with a <$500 budget.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 645 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.34 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $400.24
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-19 12:39 EDT-0400)

I really have no idea if anything better than this exists for $400 budget as even a good netbook requires at least $500. $400 for a gaming rig is too low.

But the above build is very powerful for the amount of money it requires and would let you play games smoothly on mid settings.
I suggest you to raise your budget by $150 so a better CPU and GPU could be added.
 
The following is an example of an inexpensive gaming system.

Fractal Design Core 1000 FD-CA-CORE-1000-USB3-BL Black Steel MicroATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Model #:Core 1000 USB 3.0
Item #:N82E16811352032
$49.99 -$10.00 Instant $39.99
There are lots of inexpensive case choices. By reputation, I would assume Fractal Design to be a little better/sturdier than many typical cheap cases, although in the past I have been very satisfied with low-end Rosewill cases. Often $10 cheaper and/or with free shipping, those seem to be mostly discontinued or out of stock now.

ASUS P8B75-M LX PLUS LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Model #:p8B75-M LX PLUS
Item #:N82E16813131887
$69.99 $69.99
This board has modern interfaces, so it ought to remain viable through at least a few future upgrades.

XFX FX-775A-ZNP4 Radeon HD 7750 Core Edition 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Model #:FX-775A-ZNP4
Item #:N82E16814150612
$119.99 -$30.00 Instant $89.99
Can play any game, particularly at lower resolutions. For only $10 more, you might find a HD7770, which is substantially stronger.

Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Model #:EA-380D Green
Item #:N82E16817371033
$59.99 -$15.00 Instant $44.99
Has been my "goto" PSU in budget builds for years. Reliable, efficient, and quiet, it will handle a future graphics card upgrade to any card needing a single 6-pin PCIe power cable.

Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ...
Model #:BX80637i33220
Item #:N82E16819116775
$129.99 $129.99
You could save more money and get a G860, but as games become better threaded, that is becoming a worse idea all the time. This hyperthreaded dual-core should be able to play games for at least a few years.

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Model #:F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Item #:N82E16820231253
$36.99 $36.99
8GB would be nice, but on a budget, 4GB will do. I've had good results from G.Skill.

Western Digital WD Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:WD5000AAKX
Item #:N82E16822136769
$59.99 $59.99
Typical consumer drive. Large enough to hold a decent variety of applications and games, plus lots of data. If you don't work with video, you may not need to upgrade this ever.

LG 24X DVD Burner - Bare Drive Black SATA Model GH24NS95 - OEM
Model #:GH24NS95
Item #:N82E16827136259
$18.49 $18.49
Meh. One optical drive is much like another.

Subtotal: $490.42

Add the operating system, monitor, mouse, keyboard, and/or speakers if you don't have them.
 
Fantastic then, here you go -

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($34.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($254.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $594.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-19 12:48 EDT-0400)

The prices might be higher and the build might get a bit on the high side when buying occupying full budget, but I assure you that every penny is utilized in this build and it gives you the performance for its price. This build can max out almost all the games out there with no problems.

@Onus - The card is too weak. I don't think one can play any modern game properly on that card. At least HD 7770 should be there.
 
Solution
^The only thing I'd change there is the ancient-tech ASRock mobo. You want something with a 900-series chipset on it. The N68 is an old nVidia chipset with a very slow hypertransport buss and no modern interfaces.
If you're looking for a budget board, I would recommend OTHER THAN MSI, whose cheaper AMD boards are made with weak VRMs that may pop under load, especially if you try to overclock.

Edit: Oh yes, with another $100 in the budget, I'd absolutely get a stronger video card, although as was just shown in the $400 Spirit of mini-ITX SBM build, a HD7750 can play modern games on lowered settings.
 
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