Budget gaming rig for son. . .open request for general thoughts/recommendations

raven1970 · Jul 21, 2015

QUESTION
What is a good CPU, MB, Video card combo for under $500 for a budget gaming PC?

BACKGROUND
In January 2012, I built my son (10 at the time) a budget PC (~$400 total) so he could play Minecraft, Roblox, Pirates of the Caribbean, and other low requirement games. It was an AMD A4-3400 using onboard graphics, 4GB of RAM and a half gig hard drive. It was perfect and has had zero issues. However, after the first year or so of use, I loaded Steam, Skyrim, Fallout, Gary's Mod, Just Cause 2, and long story short, this rig does not cut it any longer. Even Roblox is bad.

I have already pre-ordered him the Pip boy edition of Fallout 4 for his birthday at the end of December. Between now and then probably pickup Just Cause 3 or maybe Star Wars Battlefront. I have a PC copy of Witcher 3 as well, but I am not sure he would like that. That should give you idea of gaming requirements, but he seems to have no issue turning down graphics in order to have decent gameplay.

I've already gotten a new XBox 360 controller for Windows, and I have a spare, unused 24" 1080p Acer monitor from 2014 BF sale.

I'm budgeting $800 total for CPU, memory, HDD, Case, PSU, graphics and OS.

I'm thinking 8GB Ram to start but maybe 16, 1TB HDD, $50-100 case, $100 PSU or less, and $100 OS Win 10 when available. Although I know an SSD would bump speed, I really don't care and see as place to save money. So, possibly $400-500 left for CPU, MB, and Video card.

I have built numerous PCs over the years, and I know the "sweet spot" for any one of those tends to move around (bang for your buck). I also know you get what you pay for. I'm not an enthusiast though, so I only research ever 3-5 years to update my rigs (going back about 15 years now on homebuilt PCs). I have not been on in years and will start reviewing threads now as well. TIA

*****
EDIT: I will mention that I am not in a hurry. Instead of single component recommendation, what might help me is a low/high recommendation for each item so I can price shop between now and December. I see bargains once in a while, like Staples having MSI GTX 960 Gaming 2G 2GB Video Card for $145 AR a couple of days ago. I assumed Windows 10 as coming out soon. All of my systems now are Windows 7 and have not touched 8 or 8.1. I just figured 7 was getting old. Again, been out of touch with what is in these days.

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

Ok, you can build an awesome machine with $800. I will put together something on PC Part Picker right now. And BTW you sound like an awesome Dad lol.

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

And do you want Windows 8.1 or 7 Premium?

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/RtvwvK Here is one with Windows 7 Premium.

KKAW · Jul 21, 2015

raven1970 :

QUESTION
What is a good CPU, MB, Video card combo for under $500 for a budget gaming PC?

BACKGROUND
In January 2012, I built my son (10 at the time) a budget PC (~$400 total) so he could play Minecraft, Roblox, Pirates of the Caribbean, and other low requirement games. It was an AMD A4-3400 using onboard graphics, 4GB of RAM and a half gig hard drive. It was perfect and has had zero issues. However, after the first year or so of use, I loaded Steam, Skyrim, Fallout, Gary's Mod, Just Cause 2, and long story short, this rig does not cut it any longer. Even Roblox is bad.

I have already pre-ordered him the Pip boy edition of Fallout 4 for his birthday at the end of December. Between now and then probably pickup Just Cause 3 or maybe Star Wars Battlefront. I have a PC copy of Witcher 3 as well, but I am not sure he would like that. That should give you idea of gaming requirements, but he seems to have no issue turning down graphics in order to have decent gameplay.

I've already gotten a new XBox 360 controller for Windows, and I have a spare, unused 24" 1080p Acer monitor from 2014 BF sale.

I'm budgeting $800 total for CPU, memory, HDD, Case, PSU, graphics and OS.

I'm thinking 8GB Ram to start but maybe 16, 1TB HDD, $50-100 case, $100 PSU or less, and $100 OS Win 10 when available. Although I know an SSD would bump speed, I really don't care and see as place to save money. So, possibly $400-500 left for CPU, MB, and Video card.

I have built numerous PCs over the years, and I know the "sweet spot" for any one of those tends to move around (bang for your buck). I also know you get what you pay for. I'm not an enthusiast though, so I only research ever 3-5 years to update my rigs (going back about 15 years now on homebuilt PCs). I have not been on in years and will start reviewing threads now as well. TIA

Very solid build right here for that price range: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KNshXL

This should give you exactly what you need an great for students your child's age. Solid performance and no need to upgrade for a while because they can simply lower the graphics a bit.

I'm not hitting on the reply above but this build is a much better price : performance build.

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/g2ymZL And here is Windows 8.1.

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

I know this is a little over your budget, I can try to find some places to cut back, but the GPU in this build is a really good GPU, especially for the money. It is about the same price as a GTX 970 but perfroms better on 9/10 games, and should last you a while. This card at 1080p will be able to max any if not almost any game out right now at 60fps with anti ailiasing.

Bossyfins · Jul 21, 2015

@op,

Try

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec ASK4000E-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $512.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-21 12:29 EDT-0400

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

http://gpuboss.com/gpus/Radeon-R9-390-vs-Radeon-R9-280X This is a comparison between the GPU in my build and in KKAW's build. His build is cheaper but mine has a better GPU. And either one you decide on, they are both very solid builds. And should last you a while.

Bossyfins · Jul 21, 2015

GPU Boss is NOT reliable. And it is kinda self explanatory that a GPU that costs more is going to perform better. Atleast on AMD side...

KKAW · Jul 21, 2015

stl522013 :

I can understand you are very excited to help someone out, however you seem to be quiet an amateur when coming to these areas. GPU Boss is not a source any person who has a good knowledge on these areas would use. However the GPU that you have stated is obviously a better GPU, if you can see the price point. However because of the expensive GPU you are using a worse CPU, and you can't even overclock that CPU because you can't even add a cpu cooler to it.

If the OP has a bit of extra cash, i would recommend getting a GTX 960 or GTX 970 because he is using a 1080P monitor. GTX 960 & 970 overclocked has a much better price : performance on 1080P compared to your R9 390.

stl522013 · Jul 21, 2015

KKAW :

stl522013 :

I can understand you are very excited to help someone out, however you seem to be quiet an amateur when coming to these areas. GPU Boss is not a source any person who has a good knowledge on these areas would use. However the GPU that you have stated is obviously a better GPU, if you can see the price point. However because of the expensive GPU you are using a worse CPU, and you can't even overclock that CPU because you can't even add a cpu cooler to it.

If the OP has a bit of extra cash, i would recommend getting a GTX 960 or GTX 970 because he is using a 1080P monitor. GTX 960 & 970 overclocked has a much better price : performance on 1080P compared to your R9 390.

I was only using GPUBoss for the raw specs. Not the benchmarks.

smorizio · Jul 21, 2015

if you reuse as much of the old parts as you can. you can then use the build funds for a better cpu/mb and gpu/.
if you have windows 7 retail on the pc now..you should be able to use it on the new pc and get the free windows 10 update saving you 100.00. if not see if his school is part of the microsoft edu program where you can get a discount on windows and word. if your near a micro center they do have discounts on cpu and mb combos. one thing to look out for is intel is switching from haswell cpu that are 1150 pins to the newer skylake 1151 pins. if your thinking of having the pc for a while you may want to spend more for the newer skylake. give you at lest one cpu upgrade (18 months or so from now).

raven1970 · Jul 21, 2015

stl522013 :

Was thinking 10, but have 7 on other rigs but getting dated. Not until Dec to do final build, so I can determine OS at the end.

smorizio :

It is a gift so can't scrap old PC, and most I would go with in it is case.

Bossyfins · Jul 21, 2015

If you are waiting till december to build. no point in asking now. New tech will come by then...

raven1970 · Jul 21, 2015

Bossyfins :

If you asked me 10 years ago, I would agree. I don't feel that way anymore, but I realize there is opportunity for something better and cheaper to come along of course. I would like to pickup parts over next 3-4 months as I find deals, but I should be able to get an idea of what is appropriate for price point.

raven1970 · Jul 21, 2015

Bossyfins :

@op,

Try

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Antec ASK4000E-U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $512.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-21 12:29 EDT-0400

This is closest to what I have been looking at.

Bossyfins · Jul 21, 2015

raven1970 :

Bossyfins :

This is closest to what I have been looking at.

That is a very budget build.. A easy upgrade is an XFX 550 watt PSU and a 280/380.

logainofhades · Jul 21, 2015

raven1970 :

Intel's next gen chips come out in August. Anything currently available will no longer be relevant, come December.

raven1970 · Jul 21, 2015

logainofhades :

How many times in the last 20 years have I see someone say, "But in 3 months this is coming out and will make that completely obsolete. . ."

To say anything [CPU] that is currently available will not be relevant come December is not only hyperbole, it is completely false. I run a 3 year old i5-3570k in my current rig. There are faster processors, but my 3 yo CPU is not a bottleneck today (for gaming) and would see performance most impacted by GPU and RAM choices in my case. I agree 100% with you if you look at say a 1998 CPU vs a 2001 CPU, but today I just don't see that at all. As an example, a i5-3570k is still at top of Gaming CPU hierarchy grouping.

Bossyfins · Jul 21, 2015

Yes. But that specific i3 will become discontinued. So you have to REDO the build. Plus if the gains are bigger than we thought, you could score yourself a good deal.

I would wait out though. Again, your not buying till december,

logainofhades · Jul 22, 2015

raven1970 :

With regards to availability, anything we suggest now will not be relevant. The current lineup of CPU's, will not be what is available, in the retail channel. My comment had nothing to do with performance. You do also realize that August is only a couple weeks from now right?

raven1970 · Jul 22, 2015

logainofhades :

Still completely disagree. Ivy Bridge was succeeded by Haswell and had little immediate impact on pricing or availability. Sandy to Ivy was similar. I do not expect big changes in price or availability. It just hasn't occurred in the past in the retail channel as you describe.

Looking at the CPU hierarchies on this site, it looks like maybe an i5-4590 may be the sweet spot in terms of price/performance. If someone says I can get away with a chip that is $50-75 cheaper and same gaming performance overall with the right GPU, that advise really helps me out here.

I am also most interested in stability and historically have not jumped on immediate new architectures due to price and issues with mobo firmware updates, etc. in the early days of product adoption.

Looking back over last few months, prices are not as volatile as they were 10 years ago. I want a good, solid system, and I will shop for best prices over next 3 months to obtain.

Bossyfins · Jul 22, 2015

Yes but think of it like this.

i3 4130 now. August launches Skylake

Within 1-2 weeks, most of the haswell CPUs will be gone because of clearance sales. Retailers will want to sell out their inventories so they have new products. So by then, you will probably see very little haswell CPUs around.

logainofhades · Jul 22, 2015

Intel rarely changes their prices, if ever. PCpartpicker isn't showing the 3570k, but the 2500k is selling for roughly the same price it was, at release. The gen 1, i7 990x are still selling for over $900. The 4960x sells for nearly the same cost as the superior 5960x. DDR4 prices have steadily dropped, and are quite competitive with DDR3. A 2133 kit of DDR3 vs 2133 DDR4 are nearly the same, now. DDR3 availability will start to dwindle soon, too. AMD is switching to DDR4, once AM4 comes out early next year.

Budget gaming rig for son. . .open request for general thoughts/recommendations

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