Best Gaming PC Specs on Low Budget

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

People, I know a bit about computers but it would always be wise to ask the experts. So, what computer specs can you recommend for that best gaming experience basing from a tight budget, like around $500-600?

Processor
Motherboard
Graphics
RAM
PSU
Heat Sink/Cooling System

Hope you could help me out. And yeah, what if I am so rich, what specs would it be and how much? (for comparison)

esco_sid · May 22, 2014

I would probably save at least $800 but here is what you can do

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus A55M-A Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($50.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $572.23
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-22 04:56 EDT-0400)

sourodip · May 22, 2014

Here's the build: ( I have excluded monitor,OS,keyboard and mice as you have not mentioned)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3OJlc

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

sourodip :

+1 to this, although maybe switch the 750 ti for an R7 265 or R9 270 if you're budget will stretch to it (the PSU should handle it)...?

esco_sid · May 22, 2014

Meh in my build i forgot he does not need operating system so sourdips build is better only flaw i see is the memory i would get 2x4GB that way it will run in dual channel mode and have 8GB (4Gb is borderline pushing it these days)

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

People, is the FX better than the A10?

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

Yes! It has lvl 3 cache and double the cores. It doesn't have integrated graphics but that doesn't matter as you're going to buy a much faster discreet card anyway.

Rationale · May 22, 2014

Yes, the FX-6300 is faster, but only if you also buy a video card. Which it looks like you are.

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

So for short, A10 is preferable if I am not buying any Video Card but since I am, FX would be a better choice.

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

Yes

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

Just wondering. In picking a Processor, what should I be looking for? Hope this doesn't bother you people. A little bit too dumb with this stuff.

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

Well you don't really have that many choices available to you at the moment given you're budget.

Ideally you want as good a CPU as you can afford. Upgradability is also a concern- which is why I'd reccomend avoiding AMD's 'FM2+' platform (i.e. the A10) as you wouldn't really have any option to upgrade later.

Things to look for- number of threads / cores- you need *at least* 4 so a Core i3 4xxx part or an FX 4300 are your minimum options (yes the A10 is as well but as above you'd be stuck with it). Cache memory is good for cpu performance, again the FX and Core i chips come with a good amount. Clock speed is important as well (higher speed of the same type of cpu = faster) just remember that AMD and Intel cpu's aren't equal. Intel tends to get more work done at lower speed so a 4 core i3 is usually about as fast as the 6 core AMD FX chip.

My recommendation for good value cpu's at the moment: The FX6300 is great value and on the AM3+ platform you have the option to upgrade to an FX8000 or FX9000 cpu later if you need to (those both have 8 cores). The FX 8320 is also very good value and would probably last you a while (although there wouldn't be much benefit to upgrading to anything better than the 8320 for AMD as it can simply be over clocked).

On the Intel side of things the i3 4130 is good value (it only has 2 cores but thanks to hyper-threading it has 4 'threads' so windows will treat it as a quad core and it performs well). The AMD chips above (particularly the 8320) are probably faster than the 4130, however the advantage of the i3 is that it fits into Intels 1150 socket and there are lots of better cpu's to upgrade to that are faster than anything AMD currently sells, and also Intel have confirmed that the next generation of CPU's are going to fit the same socket whereas the AM3+ platform isn't going to get anything new.

That's basically you're choice- the most you can get for you're money now- or slightly less performance but more options for the future. I don't think you can go far wrong either way.

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

I see. There are many thing to consider... Nevertheless, you did mention the pros and cons. How about the FX8350, is that a good buy?

How about the GPU, what could you recommend assuming I`ll be having the FX 8320/8350?

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

The FX6300 is probably better value than the 8320 as most games don't use 8 threads, however for the ones that do I think the 8320 is worth it (and it doesn't cost much more) so that's the one I'd buy.

As for graphics card, the R9 270 is a nice option if you can get you're budget up to it. If not then the R7 265 or GTX 750ti (as sugested by Sourodip) or R7 260X are good options (listed in order of performance the 265 being the fastest). All are capable of good settings at 1080p in modern games.

Edit: This review shows all the above cards in different games and settings to give you an idea:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-750-ti-review,3750.html

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

How about the FX8350, would that also be a great deal for my money if only I had the budget?

About the R7 265 and GTX 750Ti, is the R7 265 better considering the Frame Rate in BF4 is higher than the GTX 750Ti?

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

The R7 265 is more powerful than the 750Ti yes. The main difference is that the R7 265 has a much wider memory bus- which is important for higher resolutions.

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

I searched fr the R9 270. One says it and the other has a "X" at the end. What's the difference?
And are there versions of it like sapphire and toxic?

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

The R9 270 and the R9 270X are essentially the same card- the difference is the 'X' version runs at higher speed so it is a bit faster.

If you can find the 'X' version cheap enough then go for it- however the 'non X' is usually cheaper and there isn't much difference so it tends to be better value.

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

Okay. Sir, before anything else, I would really like to thank you for giving your time with this matter.

So assuming I get the FX8350 and the R9 270, what mother board would suit them best together?

logainofhades · May 22, 2014

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270X 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $599.28
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-22 10:09 EDT-0400)

cdrkf · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

This would be a reasonable board without costing too much:
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-980de3u3s3

logainofhades · May 22, 2014

Kritzk :

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga970aud3p

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

Next, how about the RAM? I want 8GB, so which is better? Single 8GB or 2 4GBs? And what is the best RAM for this build?
For the PSU, what component of it should I be worried about?

logainofhades · May 22, 2014

You will want 2x4gb kit for ram. PSU should be a quality brand like XFX/Seasonic/Corsair. The bronze rated Evga units are decent budget PSU's as well.

Kritzk · May 22, 2014

Why a kit? And what brand is the best when it comes to RAMs?

Should I be concerned with the Volts and Watts with the PSU?

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