Budget Gaming PC with ability to grow.

jhmarts

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Oct 23, 2014
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I would like to build this computer as a DIY project. My budget for this monster is $600. I want to be able to play games like WoW, Dota2 etc. with high graphics and smooth gameplay. I have been looking at some of Neweggs combo's, but want some opinions or ideas from some people who have done it. Thanks Guys!
 
Solution
Once you buy that Pentium CPU and a cooler to overclock it, you're in the $100 range already, in which case you might as well go with a processor that's better without overclocking. That i3-4150 is three tiers up from the G3258, which is significant.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2359237/budget-gaming-ability-grow.html

Personally, in that range I'd rather have the FX6350, or better yet the FX8320, which is actually less expensive right now. The performance difference between that and the i3 is not huge, but I have been let down by dual-cores often enough that I'd rather not.
If you need windows then do this, it will play those games at 1080p on high, others on medium. You are built to support upgrades so throw in a better gpu and better cpu and you would be good to go:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($68.87 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $612.29 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-03 17:01 EST-0500

If you dont need windows then bump the psu to a 600w and get a GTX 770.
The pentium will bottleneck the 770 but the 770 + bottlneck will still be better then the 270x.
 


This is good, but I would go for:

Radeon r9 280 for less money:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202099

AMD FX6300 - $99
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox

(and corresponding motherboard)

If you really are going to upgrade the CPU soon, then the Pentium build is OK, I guess ... I do not think it's a very good processor, though, and would look to get onto something better ASAP.

 

frag06

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Mar 17, 2013
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The Pentium will be faster in most games.

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I would go for the Pentium. It will give you a much better upgrade path.

That said, if you can spend a bit more, go for an i3. It should only increase the cost by about ~$40 dollars and will give you better performance.
 

jhmarts

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Oct 23, 2014
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Thank you guys! I don't really want to upgrade soon. Maybe in a year or so. I do believe I can get my OS though my school so ill put the extra funds into the motherboard and CPU.

Is 16GB RAM worth looking into or is 8 pretty substantial for today's games?
 
8GB is plenty for today's games, more than that is a waste.

As much as the Pentium or i3 processors are "better" than their AMD equivalents, my experience is that dual-core CPUs are good on paper but disappointing in real life. For a super-budget machine it might be worth considering; for a high-end machine there is no real choice but an i5; but for a mid-range budget gaming machine, I think the FX6300 and especially the 6350 really have their niche there.
 

jhmarts

Reputable
Oct 23, 2014
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4,510
CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill AEGIS 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xion XON-560 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.99 @ Amazon)

What do you guys think of this? I havent totally checked out compatibility but looks pretty powerful.
 
The GTX 750 is OK, but it's a good three steps down from the r9 280 or even the 270X. In that price range, you can do better; the major appeal of the 750 is that it doesn't use much power.

That would be a pretty well-balanced mid-range machine, if you ask me, though.
 
Once you buy that Pentium CPU and a cooler to overclock it, you're in the $100 range already, in which case you might as well go with a processor that's better without overclocking. That i3-4150 is three tiers up from the G3258, which is significant.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2359237/budget-gaming-ability-grow.html

Personally, in that range I'd rather have the FX6350, or better yet the FX8320, which is actually less expensive right now. The performance difference between that and the i3 is not huge, but I have been let down by dual-cores often enough that I'd rather not.
 
Solution


Do not forget, the H97/Z97 boards have the ability to go for 5th generation intel cores, so he is future proofed.