Thinking of building a computer first time

tryansc

Honorable
Jan 28, 2014
1
0
10,510
So I'm considering trying to build a cheap computer(I have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers already.) I'm not looking for super high end, but I would like to have decent fps on games like Elder Scrolls Online, Skyrim, and preferably newer PC games(I understand it wouldn't take too long to become outdated, but I could upgrade as necessary, I'm on a tight budget). Frankly I'm tired of the two laptops I've had for several years(Sony Vaio PCG-51211L - which now no longer turns on), and my backup computer which is a Dell Inspiron 1501), but I'm on an extremely tight budget of $450. If anyone could help push me in the right direction, not just necessarily with a list of hardware but maybe a few tips on the actual building part, it'd be appreciated.
 

Specops125

Distinguished
Dec 17, 2013
209
0
18,760
This is slightly over budget. Another 4GB RAM stick, and an aftermarket CPU cooler so you can effectively overclock would be great (and cheap) upgrades to this system. Also, if you have an OS already, the extra $100 would help a lot:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4130 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.94 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 240 2GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $463.83
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-28 22:59 EST-0500)