400 dollar build

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

Alright so here is the deal I know this has probablly been posted 4000 times on the forums and i've read most of them but I would like to know the best possible 400 dollar build for light gaming, web browsing, you know word processing etc. I would like to play games like don't starve, counter strike go if possible, some indie games, and just games on steam in general where I don't have to worry so much about the minimum requirements. I'm only 14 but my dad has built computers in the past and I feel like its something im capable of doing as well so I'm totally up for building one. No need for os or any other outside components besides the computer are needed so do not worry about. Now I dont really prefer intel or amd I honestly just want the best performance out of it. Thank you guys and have a great day

CaptainMorgan_ · Jan 6, 2014

Im 14 also. I am building a medium duty PC and the cheapest i have seen it is $600 USD. If you are doing light gaming, i would suggest a laptop possibly. I bought a laptop a few years ago when i started playing Minecraft. They can be very good for even for medium gaming like DayZ or TF2.

Heres a laptop very similar to the one i got
http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-office/-/products/Laptops/HP-Pavilion/E1K49AV?HP-Pavilion-15z-n100-Notebook-PC-ENERGY-STAR-

ssddx · Jan 6, 2014

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wvxq) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wvxq/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2wvxq/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 M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a78lmusb3) | $54.99 @ Microcenter
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f314900cl9d8gbxl) | $68.00 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st500dm002) | $49.99 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-01gp43652kr) | $134.99 @ Microcenter
**Case** | [Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cougar-case-spike) | $24.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx430m) | $29.99 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lg-optical-drive-gh24nsb0) | $15.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $488.93
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 03:49 EST-0500 |

it exceeds your budget by $88 but its hard to go with a build that isnt stuck on a past socket with zero upgrade options without going to an apu.

you could always drop down on the gpu a bit, go with the non modular psu, go with cheaper ram (though thats a good deal i gave you on the ram) and maybe drop down in a few other places to meet the build but it would be hurting performance.

dont go with a laptop. for the same price point a laptop will have maybe half the performance of a desktop.

Scremin34Egl · Jan 6, 2014

Best I could come up with.........................

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($49.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7790 1GB Video Card ($112.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.61 @ B&H)
Total: $400.54
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 04:33 EST-0500)

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

i actually own a netbook that will play some games fair but i just dont like gaming on a laptop i like ssddx's build but I also your build scremin will there be a very noticeable difference in performance with the six core than the quad core and what is better the 650ti or the 7790? and also i might be able to get my hands on a spare hard drive my dad has. One last question should i use linux or just go windows os for this type of build either way i can get a copy of both for free just asking for opinion

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

Scremin34Egl :

also that ram isn't compatible with the motherboard so if I have an extra hardrive will I be able to upgrade the mobo

Transmaniacon · Jan 6, 2014

I would go with an APU instead. It does well in light gaming and given your needs, I think would work fine. The APUs benefit from fast RAM, which is why I chose DDR-2133, and down the road you can crossfire a HD 7750 with the CPU for added performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($139.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $417.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-06 13:16 EST-0500)

ssddx · Jan 6, 2014

7790 vs 650ti (yeah its the boost edition but they dont have the normal on there)

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1035?vs=1040

the 650ti and 7790 arent too far apart but the 650ti is just a bit better.

in some cpu intensive games like bf4 you might notice a big difference between the two but in most games you likely wont. having more cores will help with multitasking though. generally the 6300 is the middle of the road choice for amd cpu.

his build runs a bit light on ram (you might have a definite problem) while mine is future proof and honestly would only need a better gpu or a better cooler so you can o/c a bit to stay current.

your choice though.

ssddx · Jan 6, 2014

an APU is very weak compared to any half decent slot based graphics card. kind of silly to include one for $500 considering the op gains another $50 for already having a hdd.

a fx6300 and 650ti (or even better yet a 650ti boost edition) would destroy it.

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

thats what I was thinking out of this build I want the best graphical performance and an apu I dont think would be great with the extra 50 dollars what would consider to upgrade for the gpu? also I probally wont be playing bf4 to be honest but I would love to play games like arma 3 dayz and some fps games so you consider the 6 core for these games. I didnt realize that this build may get good graphical performance

Transmaniacon · Jan 6, 2014

I wouldn't say its very weak, probably on par with a 7790. And the OP has a $400 budget, and the HDD is a maybe. For light gaming I think it would be fine. This APU can still get you 30 FPS in modern games, albeit at low/medium settings, and there is an option to crossfire down the road. Just throwing out another option.

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

Transmaniacon :

i confirmed i have an hardrive and also my budget flexuates so i have between a 400-500 budget and i dont think the graphics in the apu is up to par with the 7790 I dont even think its up to par with 7750

ssddx · Jan 6, 2014

well... my build was actually $88 over so if you subtract the $50 from the hard drive the total comes down to $438 which is still over by a little bit.

the benefits though are a 6core, usb capable 970 chipset mobo, fast 8gb ram and a decent 2gb gpu so i think its worthwhile.

if you did not need an operating system you could boost the parts even more however i think you would have told us that.

honestly for most games and applications a fx-4130 should be sufficient. its not quite as good at multitasking but keeping that in mind i dont think it would be a problem. with the money you save you could get a good cooler and maybe overclock just a little bit.

you would want an aftermarket cooler anyways... since the stock one isnt too great. so dropping down and spending the extra cash saved on a cooler would probably put you at the $400 or just a bit over it (basically my build with just a cooler like the 212+ added and a 4130 or 4300 substituted.)

i'd still probably go with a 6300 if i was buying for myself and just dealing with the extra cost but that is your choice and not mine. keep in mind i actually do things other than game though. the fx-4130 or 4300 isnt a terrible choice for the rig and is a good cpu for the price.

skyhawk65 · Jan 6, 2014

i will be doing more than just gaming so i think the 6 core is the way to go and I think im going to buy 1 500watt psu and the 212 cooler instead but thank you ssddx I will probably be buying these components within this month so thanks a lot for the suggestions idk bout graphics card yet to be honest though

ssddx · Jan 6, 2014

you will need to buy the ram by wednesday if you want the sale.

going 500w is a good idea too. its going to cost quite a bit more though. the cx430m (one step up from what i used) is $30 for a little bit more reliabliity but the cx500m is $60-70. just something to keep in mind. while a good idea it will cost you. right now the build i listed is about 294w so you did have a little bit of headroom. not a huge amount but some (with the 430w)

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