Is it possible to make a medium-par gaming PC for < $550?

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Wesley La Ferriere

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Jan 1, 2014
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I will use this PC for gaming with games like Amnesia 1, Skyrim, and DAYZ (most important) and other fairly high quality games. I want all to run at 50-60 FPS on low-med settings (or high, if possible!).

I will also program games with this, so multitask-capable RAM is a must.

Thanks, guys!

-wes
 
Solution
ssddx
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox) | $109.99 @ TigerDirect
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler20) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d8gbsr) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard...
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ssddx

ssddx

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May 27, 2009
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[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2u2nK/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox) | $109.99 @ TigerDirect
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler20) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d8gbsr) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd10ezex) | $59.99 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-112000720g) | $153.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Case** | [Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-one) | $29.99 @ NCIX US
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430m) | $34.99 @ Microcenter
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24b1stblkbas) | $16.99 @ Newegg
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $556.71
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 20:55 EST-0500 |

requires you to have a copy of windows though. if you dont have windows you may need to trim back to a no-name 1600 ram (but only save a few dollars), buy a cheaper case (but only save a few dollars) and buy a lower end gpu. something around the level of a 550ti or hd6850 is all you need for high-ish settings on skyrim (not sure about the other two) so it should work out. just less future proof. i'd leave the mobo alone and cpu though (gives you a little bit of overclocking room, not a huge amount though. the psu offers a bit of headroom but not a huge amount so i wouldnt go any cheaper.
 
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Solution
J

jtenorj

Distinguished
Jul 28, 2012
925
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19,265
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($80.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $544.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-02 09:53 EST-0500)

This is the best I could do on your budget. When I searched newegg for reviews of this mobo, one user had gotten a phenom 2 x4 925(2.8ghz base clock) up to 4.2(a 50% increase) on a hyper tx3 cooler. With a bit better cpu, you hopefully can get it just as high(or higher). You may want to rearrange the fans a bit in the antec 300 two for better airflow. specifically, move the rear exhaust fan to front intake. You should be able to get a decent overclock out the xfx hd7770. It will then perform a tier or two above where it starts. I hope you already have a keyboard, mouse, monitor/tv and speakers/headset/headphones you like and intend to reuse. Maybe you even have a dvd burner you could reuse so you don't have to buy this one(either save a little or allocate a few of those bucks to improvements like a 1TB WD caviar blue HDD with 64MB L2 cache). Hope this helps.
 
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S

Sylvanriv

Honorable
Dec 1, 2013
225
0
10,860
What about this? FX-6300 and GTX 660. Assuming you don't need an OS.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($109.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: ASRock 880GM-LE FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($64.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: PNY XLR8 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.96 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z9 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $541.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-02 10:34 EST-0500)
 
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Wesley La Ferriere

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
38
0
10,530


Well, in response to what I have right now:

- Keyboard
- Headphones

I need with the computer:

- OS (windows)
- Monitor
- Mouse

I have been on a HP notebook for a year or two trying to game. No progress yet, so I decided I had better try building one. I have heard GREAT things about building computers! I might be able to choke up an extra $100 dollars though... Maybe...

I am liking these builds though. Thanks guys, for the start!
 
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jtenorj

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Jul 28, 2012
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I tweaked my original build. swapped the antec case for a zalman z12(much better for the price). Also put in a monitor similar to the one you posted, but perhaps a bit better for a little less money. Finally, I was searching cheap mice to keep you under 650 after rebates and the price of windows 7 dropped(now cheaper at another site). Before you factor in rebates, it comes to around 680 including shipping. after rebates it is around 640. here it is(hope you like) :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 945 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($80.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($20.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z12 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($81.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Dell E2014H 19.5" Monitor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Microsoft SideWinder X3 Wired Laser Mouse ($12.77 @ Mac Mall)
Total: $640.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-02 15:56 EST-0500)
 
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W

Wesley La Ferriere

Honorable
Jan 1, 2014
38
0
10,530
AWESOME! I will wait for others to approve, but bravo!

2 things though:

- You mentioned mail-in rebates. Is it AT ALL possible that I will have to pay more than what is said here?

- Is that a clear panel case!? YAY!
 
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J

jtenorj

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Jul 28, 2012
925
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I just checked outlet pc and they have a minimum of 6.95 shipping for an order based on the most basic ground shipping(for whatever reason, pcpatpicker fails to factor that in to the final cost). In light of that, add about 7 bucks to my last post. OP, are you right handed? Most people are, and the mouse you linked look like it is for the right hand. I use an ambidextrous mouse like the microsoft sidewinder I linked, but I use it wit my right even though I'm left handed. I considered several zalman mice for you(all but the most basic geared for the right hand) but went with the microsoft because it's good for the price and I didn't know your mouse hand preference.
 
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jtenorj

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Jul 28, 2012
925
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the z12 has 6 brass mobo standoffs preinstalled with an additional 7 if needed to fit a full atx or smaller mobo(like that gigabyte micro atx mobo). The mobo comes with an io plate and these things should fit together standard. The graphics card is not very physically large(compared to some higher end cards which can be close to a foot long or longer) and will easily fit. This setup will let you upgrade cpu to and fx hexacore or octa core in the future(if you want) and get a better gpu like an overclocked triple fan gigabyte gtx770 or 780(300mm clearance or just shy of 12 inches while those cards are about 11.5 inches at 292mm). The addition of the shipping cost at outlet pc should now go toward representing the full cost of these parts AT THIS TIME). Remember how I wrote windows dropped in price in the relatively short time I was looking at mice? Well. the opposite could happen for any other component at any time(volatile market, lots of ups and downs, sales and rebates expire and new ones for the same or different products kick in).
 
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jtenorj

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Jul 28, 2012
925
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19,265
that's a negative on a clear panel, but it does have a blue led fan under the front mesh for a little bit of flash. Also, the total cost of the last system I posted is a little cheaper than the one you posted (both before and after rebate savings get factored in).
 
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