Tight Budget Gaming PC Build

GumbyGreen88 · Apr 19, 2016

What's the cheapest CPU/GPU combo that's able to play the Witcher 3 on the highest settings possible at 25 fps BEFORE overclocking? I want to be able to just get by playing this game on the highest settings so I can play it on medium at a playable fps. Then I wanna overclock it and get a noticeable jump in my gaming. I was thinking the G-3258 and GTX 750 to but I dunno if someone else has a better choice.

TheMast3r · Apr 19, 2016

The G3258 is a good choice for everything but Witcher 3 since it can't run on dual-core CPUs. You would need something like an i3 or i5 to run this game. If you have a high enough budget get something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($27.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 950 2GB Video Card ($127.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $451.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-19 08:23 EDT-0400

GumbyGreen88 · Apr 19, 2016

@ TheMast3r - Isn't the i3-4150 a dual-core processor? You just stated the Witcher 3 won't play on dual-core processors.

madmatt30 · Apr 19, 2016

Amd 860k + the strongest GPU you can afford - & that's really a minimum of a r7 370 or gtx 950.

That's your cheapest combo for what your after performance wise by a fair stretch.

assassin445522 · Apr 19, 2016

DavidM012 :

You won't tend to get much increase in FPS with an overclock but the frames that you do get are better somehow. Just check out what's on sale in the amazon warehouse, bargains to be had on everything but before you buy just look at the benchmark results on tests here

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/pentium-g3258-overclocking-performance,review-32974-4.html

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/gaming-processor-frame-rate-performance,review-32628-9.html

The g3258 is currently £55 ish right? So is the fx4300 95w. I've tried overclocking the 125w fx4350 & got to just over 4.7ghz but I'm finding heat to be a big problem at vCores necessary to push up beyond that. You need a mega heat sink, mega plus in fact.

The fx 4300 might do a bit better because it is a lower wattage cpu & quad rather than merely dual core.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3032141/gtx-950-gtx-750ti-amd.html

This thread discusses the pro's and cons of amd vs nvidia.

Then go google all your prices, from the motherboard to the memory - check out the amazon warehouse first.

Also if you get the amd fx then you should also get one of the fx990 chipset overclocking boards from asus, msi, or gigabyte and check out the reviews on those.

Do not skimp on the motherboard or the HEATSINK - I would recommend something like the coolermaster v8 if you plan to overclock. You need a heat sink that is waaaaaaaay over specced. and then some if you want a stable overclock at higher clock speeds and voltages. Plus there is an element of chance in the whole bargain - the silicon lottery. You have no way of knowing how good your cpu is until you try it.

So the only way to eliminate doubt is to get a high binned cpu like the fx8370e. The low watts on that will lend it to overclocking higher at lower vCores. Meaning less problems heatwise - but still, make sure you don't skimp on the heatsink and buy a monster.

the fx 4XXX cpu's are very low end. An i3 would be much better

madmatt30 · Apr 19, 2016

An unbranded case with a generic 480w PSU is honestly asking for trouble - I'd never recommend using it in anything but an ultra low wattage build with no discrete GPU.

On the amd front at the bottom end of the budget it has to be the 860k+ a £40 a68 series board.

A bit more to spend & the 6300 is the better option although you're perilously close to an i3 skylake build then.I still personally think the 6300 is a better overall CPU albeit with no significant upgrade path.
Mid range overclocking up to 4.3ghz the 78lmt will do the job for £40

Gigabyte SKT-AM3 78LMT-USB3 Motherboard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009FC3YJ8/ref=cm_sw_r_em_awd_ugMfxb9ZCDT05

Big overclocks where the actual binning of the CPU will be the limit the ud3p at £67 - there is no better priced overclocking board on the planet, its an absolute beast for the money & matches any 990 boards under £150 easily.

Gigabyte 970A-UD3P Motherboard (AMD 970, SB950 DDR3, SATA, RAID, ATX, Gigabit Ethernet LAN, Socket AM3+) Rev. 2.0.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F5R9O46/ref=cm_sw_r_em_awd_MjMfxbWZ53HNK

Cooling wise the themis for £23 will take the 6300 as far as you would want to go.

raijintek 0P105255 - Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00E5YTGIY/ref=cm_sw_r_em_awd_7kMfxbNVWJ1SW"

Bear in mind both the 860k & 6300 at stock will push mid 40s minimum in witcher 3 /GTA v etc.

The GPU is where you cannot make sacrifices , anything less than a r7 370 or gtx 950 & you'll be dropping below 40fps a lot of the time.
R9 370 £110 great buy

XFX Radeon R7 370 Graphics Card (2 GB, GDDR5) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00ZCBEARQ/ref=cm_sw_r_em_awd_.nMfxbV65DCFA

Gtx 950 with a free 120gb ssd £130 - even better value.

http://www.ebuyer.com/743531-asus-geforce-gtx-950-oc-2gb-gddr5-dvi-hdmi-displayport-pci-e-graphics-gtx950-oc-2gd5

DavidM012 · Apr 19, 2016

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Tekheads-Gaming-Quad-Core-PC-Barebones-AMD-FX-40Ghz-CPU--8GB-DDR3-RAM--Motherboard--Gaming-Case---750W-PSU_43158.html

This barebones is £275.99

This one is £199

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Tekheads-Business-Barebones-Intel-i3-33Ghz-Dual-Core-CPU--4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-RAM--H61-Motherboard--ATX-Tower-Case-With-500W-PSU_43709.html

Look V carefully at the specs. You still need a copy of windows, a hdd/ssd/hybrid dvdrw or bluray monitor mouse kyb gpu

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Tekheads-Business-Barebones-Intel-i3-33Ghz-Dual-Core-CPU--4GB-DDR3-1333MHz-RAM--H61-Motherboard--ATX-Tower-Case-With-500W-PSU_43709.html

Theres your i3- go ahead, if you don't want no overclocking, for £199

It's your choice, your money

Branding? Don't mean Phooey! He's paying £20 for it he can get another psu later if he wants.

when the word 'budget isn't the title?

http://www.tekheads.co.uk/product/Intel-i7-Haswell-EXTREME-EDITION-5960X-@-35GHz-Tower-PC-System-With-16GB-RAM-and-4Gb-GTX970-_48393.html

Get something with 4 figures on the price label.

Plus, go search out

http://www.coolermaster.com/service/whereToBuy-R12112600031933-United%20Kingdom-All-All.html

especially the b grade stock bin on overclockers co uk for 'budget' kit.

They are only offering you the 970 fx amd chipset

Where my selection gets you the fx990. which is better designed for overclocking that you said you wanted. Already heard one other person on here with 970fx pining for a 990.

'Gtx 950 with a free 120gb ssd £130 - even better value.'

That's phooey as well. A hybrid toshiba drive from the amazon warehouse for £50 will get you 1 terabyte at ssd like speeds

plus there is some genius piece of kit around that allows you to combine an SSD with a standard HDD drive to double the SSD capacity and hybridise it with 8gb of nand cache saw one on amazon have to hunt it out.

madmatt30 · Apr 20, 2016

DavidM012 :

SERIOUSLY DUDE??

To use your favourite phrase 99% of this above is absolute phooey as you say.

all those tekheads systems are awful buys - theyre cheap because apart from the cpu everything in there is cheap.
a 750w psu with 7 sata/molex connectors & a single pciexpress- 6 pin - yup thatll be a bonafide great quality unit - NOT!
youll be replacing more than the psu if you drop a decent gpu in there becuase youll likely be looking at a house fire seriously.

an sshd will NEVER seriously compete with a seperate ssd - apart from boot times theres very little benefit at all having the 8gb of flash nand onboard.
How in gods name exactly is the gtx 950 at 129.99 (which is its standalone retail price everywher) not a truly great deal when it comes with a 120gb ssd absolutely free??
Thats completely nonsensical

there are about 6 990 series boards what are better than or equal to the ud3p & they all cost a minimum of 40 quid more - 990 boards are no netter than 970 boards for overclocking,if anything the nb on 990 boards runs much much hotter,ther is no better cheap overclocking board than the ud3p anywher enear its price - thats a straight fact.

some of your points are entirely valid - recommending 20 quid case/psu combos & cheap prebuilds though ?? no ,thats just bad advice plain & simple.

DavidM012 · Apr 20, 2016

I wasn't recommending them I was pointing out that a barebones system with inferior parts is about the same cost as the parts I recommended from the amazon warehouse.

an sshd will NEVER seriously compete with a seperate ssd - apart from boot times theres very little benefit at all having the 8gb of flash nand onboard.
How in gods name exactly is the gtx 950 at 129.99 (which is its standalone retail price everywher) not a truly great deal when it comes with a 120gb ssd absolutely free??
Thats completely nonsensical

Because these days you can just about load windows on 120gb. I have got 100 steam games in my inventory but I have only backed up the 10-15 largest ones to my 1tb storage drive taking up.... 500gb. Plus origin backups.. 200gb...

Sure a hybrid may not match an ssd. That is reflected in the 'budget'. At least it will work when inevitably he wants to do more with the pc.

Anyway nobody has mentioned the fm1 platform because we all know that will just sacrifice too much power in spite of being budget that is budget and totally waff.

madmatt30 · Apr 20, 2016

DavidM012 :

then I have read wong & apologise mate,that is a completely fair point - still think that 950 is a truly great buy though for a new builder on a budget , I bought 4 of those last week - really good card,fairly mediocre ssd but its 100% free so cant complain.

madmatt30 · Apr 20, 2016

I give in now - tried to be nice & give you the benefit of the doubt but its plainly clear you havee no idea what you're talking about.

DavidM012 · Apr 20, 2016

on 120gb you could load windows and 2 games.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-3036562/budget-build.html

& according to 'The Terminator' £124.99 sterling. is less than $130us.

madmatt30 · Apr 21, 2016

PHOOOOEEEY !

turkey3_scratch · Apr 21, 2016

Yeah David those case included PSUs are very dangerous.

DavidM012 · Apr 21, 2016

I bought a £15 unbranded PSU from amazon hearing the same anto-cheap reviews and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it & It worked perfectly until I myself shorted out the system with a bit of misplaced blu-tak on a PCI extender.

When it went phut it did not take out my entire system or peripherals it merely took out it's own fuse and the fuse in the mains.

It would be working now if I hadn't accidentally blu-far'ed it.

That's why I bought the sharkoon. I don't really have anything to boast about on that front but I'm not too proud to admit my mistakes either.

The point is that I do not particularly fear cheap PSU's. They are only cheap if the vendor wasn't ripping you off and charging £60 for it. Anyone could stick any arbitrary price sticker on anything if they wanted to after all. It does not always reflect the quality of the product.

turkey3_scratch · Apr 21, 2016

DavidM012 :

I bought a £15 unbranded PSU from amazon hearing the same anto-cheap reviews and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it & It worked perfectly until I myself shorted out the system with a bit of misplaced blu-tak on a PCI extender.

When it went phut it did not take out my entire system or peripherals it merely took out it's own fuse and the fuse in the mains.

It would be working now if I hadn't accidentally blu-far'ed it.

That's why I bought the sharkoon. I don't really have anything to boast about on that front but I'm not too proud to admit my mistakes either.

The point is that I do not particularly fear cheap PSU's. They are only cheap if the vendor wasn't ripping you off and charging £60 for it. Anyone could stick any arbitrary price sticker on anything if they wanted to after all. It does not always reflect the quality of the product.

Not sure if you're trying to argue that they are quality, but they are not. They are junk.

DavidM012 · Apr 22, 2016

The one I blew up is now junk. It worked fine before I shorted it. What are you trying to do anyway? Power the Starship Enterprise or a budget PC cobbled together out of bits swagged from the #bargain bin?

Oh are you going to put 4 nvidia geforce infinities into sli and overclock them or are you probably only going to run 1gpu at sub-hd levels?

turkey3_scratch · Apr 22, 2016

DavidM012 :

So it didn't have working short circuit protection, which is an industry standard and required protection. As I said, it's junk.

DavidM012 · Apr 22, 2016

nobody died 'cos of it.

turkey3_scratch · Apr 22, 2016

Just because a PSU works doesn't mean it's decreasing the lifespan of your hardware significantly. That's what you don't understand.

DavidM012 · Apr 22, 2016

I only had one motherboard fail years ago & I sent it back to the manufacturer for reconditioning. Anyway how many people use blu-tak on their pc's?

Just be careful. Get a surge protector on your mains. Or a ups. You will upgrade your hardware long before it kaputs, usually. I still have a working k6-2 board and a working pentium 3 under my desk and a working p4 & core 2 the only reason why I don't use them now is because XP retired.

I could easily load linux on them and I could do all sorts of stuff.. with dosboxes and direct x from about the 2003 era. But nowadays all the headline titles are on direct x 11, 12.1, etc. so you need the new hardware. & the requirements for windows will increase over time as well.

You put your special psu in the CEO's desktop so he doesn't get on the phone and say his PC is shot & you put your cheap one in the client machine that isn't being stressed to blighty and back.

turkey3_scratch · Apr 22, 2016

Most surge protectors are a joke, and a UPS is no good if your PSU sucks.

DavidM012 · Apr 22, 2016

a cheap psu will be fine most of the time unless you do something silly like leave a loose screw in there spill coffee on it or unplug things while it's on. You aren't running the FTSE 100 on it.

TheMast3r · Apr 25, 2016

Look at these Articles/Forum threads...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/309004-28-exploded-learned-lesson
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/power-supply-exploded-out-of-the-blue.200521/
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/low-cost-psu-pc-power-supply,2862-5.html

Cheap PSU often come with even cheaper capacitors(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor) that could easily blow up.

DavidM012 · Apr 25, 2016

That's just scare mongering. Maybe if you got a dodgy batch from the far east that fell off the back of a truck that you bought in a flea market.

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