First Budget Gaming PC Build (~300-400 Dollars)

tmurman123 · Mar 2, 2014

Im looking for a good first PC build. I feel confident in my ability to assemble it but I don't know a thing about what parts to get. Another big part is the budget, I'm young and don't have a cash source. if anyone out there would be able to put together a cheap build (perhaps here: http://pcpartpicker.com/) that could run games it would be greatly appreciated. I'm not looking for a great build, just something that could run fairly simple games smoothly, and I know I will have to upgrade eventually but for now I want the most bang for my buck. P.S. I have a monitor and the OS will be bought separately. Thanks in advance!

lunyone · Mar 2, 2014

Here is what I came up with. You can drop the RAM down to 4 gb's if you need to meet the $400 budget, but this build should be pretty solid until you want/need to upgrade it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus A85XM-A Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $416.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 22:31 EST-0500)

* CPU is a quad core w/NO integrated GPU (hence the lower price). That means that you will be using the dedicated GPU (which is better for gaming) for all of your video needs.
* RAM is good and plenty for your needs. You can go down to 4 gb's, like stated before to meet your budget needs.
* HD is plenty for now and will serve you well until you need more space or can afford something faster (SSD anyone).
* GPU is one of the best in this price range and only requires 1 x 6 pin PCI-e power connectors, which the PSU listed has.
* The case supports 1 x USB 3.0 port and 1 x USB 2.0 ports, so you can have a bit faster file transfer time on the USB 3.0 port, if you like.
* The PSU will limit your GPU upgrades, but for the $ it is hard to beat and it is built pretty good too.

CTurbo · Mar 2, 2014

$399.92

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33auW
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33auW/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33auW/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $399.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 22:49 EST-0500)

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

Thanks Lunyone (and CTurbo)! Lunyone's build seems the best for what I'll get with what I have. I may mess around with that video card, but I'm very excited to get this thing going and appreciate this a lot!

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

G3220 vs 750k - http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Pentium-G3220-vs-AMD-Athlon-X4-750k

GTX750ti vs HD7770 - http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-HD-7770-vs-GeForce-GTX-750-Ti

The g3220 has two very strong cores, the 750k has four relatively weak cores. The g3220 will be faster most of the time, but the 750k will be better in some circumstances. Getting the g3220 now gives you a GREAT upgrade path as you could upgrade to an i3, i5, i7, or even a Xeon later. The 750k is already almost the best cpu on it's socket. You would have a terrible upgrade path.

The GTX 750ti is significantly faster than the HD 7770. I'm not sure it's worth twice as much however, as that's a pretty good sale price on that particular HD7770. You could get TWO HD7770s for that price. Something to ponder... haha anyway, You could save some money by getting a HD7790 instead of the GTX750ti. The 7790 is a good bit better than the 7770 but not as good as the 750ti. Note, you would need a better more powerful psu to have two 7770s.

My build is stronger, cheaper, and offers a FAR better upgrade path.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

Thanks for bringing this up Turbo, I have no idea what I'm talking about mostly. So if I switched to the G3220 and the gtx750ti would it completely change the build? It is cheaper which obviously nudges me towards it but statistically would this improve a gaming experience? Also that motherboard does have usb 3.0 but the case doesn't have the slots. Can I easily swap out the case?

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

Yes it's easy to swap out the case. Did you have one in mind? You can click on that link, click "edit", remove that case, select "case" and then you can see all of them. You can sort by price, or brand, or size...

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

Yes I believe the g3220 + 750ti build would be better in most games. The 750ti is no doubt better than the hd7770. The g3220 and x4 750k are roughly equal overall(neither are great for gaming, but it's the best you can do under your budget), but the g3220 provides a much much much much much better upgrade path as stated above. You could upgrade later easily by just getting a better cpu. Everything else will be in place.

lunyone · Mar 3, 2014

CTurbo :

The only bonus I see with the x4 750k is that it has 4 cores and that can come in handy for other tasks too. The Pentium is pretty good in single threaded applications (most games) in general. I like the flexibility of more cores, but that is just me. Either CPU will be fine for most things. I don't put much value in "CPU Boss" comparisons, but that is just me. All I want to do is make sure that you make an informed decision and go with it. Also the GTX 750 Ti is a pretty good card, but like CTurbo said, it's not worth 2x the price of the 7770 GPU.

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

Also the GTX 750 Ti is a pretty good card, but like CTurbo said, it's not worth 2x the price of the 7770 GPU.

Which is why I think I would go with a HD7790 in this case. Or grab two of those HD7770s.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

lunyone :

CTurbo :

The only bonus I see with the x4 750k is that it has 4 cores and that can come in handy for other tasks too. The Pentium is pretty good in single threaded applications (most games) in general. I like the flexibility of more cores, but that is just me. Either CPU will be fine for most things. I don't put much value in "CPU Boss" comparisons, but that is just me. All I want to do is make sure that you make an informed decision and go with it. Also the GTX 750 Ti is a pretty good card, but like CTurbo said, it's not worth 2x the price of the 7770 GPU.

So will any of the "other tasks" be advantages in gaming? Or are you both agreeing that the intel will be better in gaming ( which is basically the entire point of this build).

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

Ok ok ok ok ok..... Since that particular 7770 is a pretty good deal, I think I just solved the problem.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33GiT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33GiT/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33GiT/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($116.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $392.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 20:22 EST-0500)

That i3 stomps the 750k and g3220, and I upgraded to 8GB RAM.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

Ive got the 7790 and the g3320
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/tmurman123/saved/3Wyz

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

Oh, I didn't see that you reposted the new build

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

You bought the 7790 and g3220 already? That specific 7790 is not a very good deal. You can get a HD7850 for that price.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

No I didn't buy it, I put them together on part picker just to see the price, but It is much more expensive.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

But the i3 and 7770 seems like a good combination

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

There are 3 7790s in the $130 range on there. Hmm.... the other day there was one for $115. Oh well. Yeah I would go with the i3 + HD 7770 as long as that 7770 is on sale for $75. They are usually $100 or more.

tmurman123 · Mar 3, 2014

Sounds good! Also sorry if I was confusing or difficult, I don't know much at all about this sort of thing.

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

No prob we are here to help

lunyone · Mar 3, 2014

CTurbo :

I'm missing the HD price in the build. I think that HD went OOS or is no longer available, so here is the same build with a similar 1 TB HD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $483.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 22:09 EST-0500)

Sure pushes past the $400 budget.

Here is the build that is closer to the budget (not sure if $400 is max budget or not):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3420 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $428.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 22:13 EST-0500)

CTurbo · Mar 3, 2014

Ah nice catch about the hard drive. They must have sold out.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33KrM
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33KrM/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33KrM/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($116.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar B85MG Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.94 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $402.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 22:18 EST-0500)

tmurman123 · Mar 4, 2014

Awesome guys/gals! Got it all set up and I even threw a little more ram.

First Budget Gaming PC Build (~300-400 Dollars)

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