Best & Cheapest Gaming PC Build

SASD GHOST · Feb 20, 2017

Hi guys, my name is Chase and I'm here because I read that this was the place to go to find honest and reliable help on entering the PC gaming scene.

A little backstory: Up until 2011 I was a console gamer and not a hardcore one at that. I was still in school at the time and needed an office computer. 2012 rolled around, I heard of Star Wars: The Old Republic, I lost my mind, decided to buy a cheap computer. Lol unaware of the fact that running a game would require better than what I had bought... A Hewlett Packard p2-1343w. I played SWTOR and other games like this for 3-4 years or so, completely oblivious to the fact that not all computers are born equally.

So, FFW to now, I really want to enjoy my favorite games and having turned my in-game gfx settings up to their higher standards before I really want to experience what I'm always missing out on so I need knowledge of the topic at hand and hopefully a solid answer to my question which is: How and where can I find the best Gaming PC parts for the cheapest price that will also help me enjoy my favorite games at a high gfx setting? For reference: I live in San Diego, California and would like to spend no more than $400-$500 dollars on the initial build if possible. If there's anything I can elaborate on or clarify please be sure to ask and I would be happy to try and answer.

Side Note -- Anything more compatible with WiFi would be really nice but I can make either work. Maybe details/suggestions on both?

Aeacus · Feb 20, 2017

You can use PCpartpicker.com to compose your build.

Here's one solid build with wi-fi adapter within your budget range.
There's nothing fancy about it but it will get the job done.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($108.37 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI H110M PRO-VD PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($55.81 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($55.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $491.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-20 05:36 EST-0500

Few words.

This build is considered as entry-level/ low-end build according to the today's standards.
With this PC, you can play today's games on low to medium settings @ 1080p with solid 60+ FPS.

For better gaming performance (high to ultra settings @ 1080p with solid 60+ FPS), you need better CPU and GPU. For CPU, an i5-6500 and for GPU, a GTX 1060 3GB will do just fine.
You can upgrade your PC with said components just fine without needing to replace other components (e.g MoBo or PSU).

2nd build too to give you idea about upgrades.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI H110M PRO-VD PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($55.81 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($99.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB ARMOR OCV1 Video Card ($214.00 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $802.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-20 05:44 EST-0500

Changes made
CPU: i3-6100 -> i5-6500
RAM: 2x 4GB (8GB) - 2x 8GB (16GB)
SSD: none -> SK Hynix SL308 (250GB)
GPU: GTX 1050 -> GTX 1060 3GB

Few words
This build above is considered as medium-end gaming PC according to the today's standards. As i said above, with this build you can play today's games on highest settings @ 1080p with good frame rates. I also added a SSD for OS drive to reduce boot up and loading times. Double the RAM isn't as vital as better GPU is but it helps to smooth the gameplay when you play the latest AAA titles.

DRagor · Feb 20, 2017

Nothing really to add here, Aeacus delivers fast and professional as usually

The Paladin · Feb 20, 2017

I would suggest a touch higher on the 500 mark, but have a B250 board with Wi-Fi on it, just to make the jump from dual processor to I5-i7 later to be possible to a 7xxx series CPU. while retaining the system has is. yes a base system , the G4650 will compete in strength and processing power with the I3-7100 without a doubt. the RX 4700 seems to overall be a better buy for speed than a 1050/1050ti card in many tests. why I chose it over the 1050 card.
so a few dollar more than 500, but ready to be upgraded with fresh powerful cpu of 7th Gen when your ready, and an SSD.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($61.99 @ Jet)
Motherboard: MSI B250I GAMING PRO AC Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($104.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($55.19 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 470 4GB Video Card ($173.18 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Jet)
Total: $536.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-20 07:32 EST-0500

FD2Raptor · Feb 20, 2017

<MOD EDIT> He also needs a windows license

$500 with Windows:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 460 2GB Dual OC Video Card ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC DIY-F2-W ATX Mini Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.89 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $495.81
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-20 07:48 EST-0500

It may take sometime for the G4560 to be back in stock again, but the G4560+B250 is a much better value proposition compare to the 6100+H110.

$600 with Windows:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 480 4GB ARMOR OC Video Card ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC DIY-F2-W ATX Mini Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.89 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $605.80
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-22 13:27 EST-0500

MSI Radeon RX 480 4GB ARMOR OC Video Card at 15% off @ Jet with the code for first 3 purchases ($190.66-15% = $162.061).

$600 w/o Windows:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($196.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($139.98 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC DIY-F2-W ATX Mini Tower Case ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $600.15
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-22 13:38 EST-0500

You can get the MSI GTX 1050 Ti 4GB at 15% off @ Jet ($139.99-15%=$118.9915) with the code for first 3 purchases. OR $10 rebate @ B&H; or @ Newegg $149.99 +$4.99Shipping-$15rebate.
Amazon may take a few more days, but will deliver the GA-B250M-DS3H for free.

madmatt30 · Feb 20, 2017

You can use win 10 unregistered with barely any restrictions .

Fair that reason I agree with the Pentium but not the RX 460.

Use windows free , get a 480 in there.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB NITRO D5 OC Video Card ($169.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman R1 ATX Mid Tower Case ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.89 @ Newegg)
Total: $505.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-20 08:35 EST-0500

SASD GHOST · Feb 20, 2017

Lol ok this is good, exactly the response I was hoping for. I know I said I wanted to stay within $400-$500, and I do, but if I raised the bar to a max of maybe $600, would more options become available and if so is it worth raising the budget that high? Thanks to everyone who responded, especially Aeacus for the quick reply at 3am. Also if you guys wouldn't mind could you maybe give me some insight as to what all these parts are and kinda just some basics regarding the whole issue? Like I said initially, I'm.. hardly evev an amateur when it comes to computers so some knowledge would be nice. Thanks again, guys!

FD2Raptor · Feb 20, 2017

SASD GHOST :

The biggest difference between my $500 vs matt $500build is that matt chose to forgo activating Windows, and with those money he was able to upgrade the graphic card to a RX 480.

This is very important, as it means the difference between ~60fps @1080p Ultra vs 40-50fps@ Medium (this is for GPU bound games).
Some games are CPU bound, and in that regard, a Kabylake Pentium or an i3 with 2 cores 4 threads might be not enough for those titles and you could see fps drop to ~30-40 avg, even with the RX480.

Now, why these B250 motherboards instead of a H110? Because it's the latest generation with support for 4 DIMM slots which means you can actually add more RAM when you need to, instead of having to replace the one you already bought as the H110 board mATX form or B250 board ITX form only has 2 DIMM slots. A combination of Kabylake CPU with a motherboard that have the B250 chipset also allow the use of faster 2400Mhz DDR4 as oppose to 2133Mhz ones (although for this budget range, and these specifics builds, you'll run into bottleneck by the GPU or CPU long before you're bottlenecked by RAM bandwidth).

These B250 motherboards will also support the latest tech, like M.2 NVMe SSD, or USB 3.0 Type-C port. But the most important aspect is that it will support the Kabylake CPU from the get-go. 100 Series Motherboard would have required a BIOS update before they can even boot up with the Kabylake CPU.

What's the difference between Pentium G4560 and the i3 6100? 200Mhz of clock speed (7-8% cpu performance, ~1-3fps), and the AVX instruction set (which is meaningless for gaming).

Why no Wifi? Because the best one are PCIe x1 based, USB ones are more likely to overheat and cause lag (not even counting the fact that some cheap Chinese one you may find on Amazon might carry 3rd rate drivers that will introduce memory leak into your Windows installation); but mATX MB tend to have its PCIe x1 slot far too close to the main PCIe x16 which is the slot for your graphic card and you have almost 100% chance of the graphic card cooler will cover that slot up (as in case of the Pro4). Wired Gigabit Ethernet is your best option.

The Paladin · Feb 20, 2017

for the record, and though agreeing with my friend above, the B250 board I mentioned in my system has integrated wifi in it

thus bypassing the need to get one additional

madmatt30 · Feb 21, 2017

@The Paladin - only issue I have is the board is mitx with very little expansion room, a lone PCI express x 16 slot & 2 ram slots.
Also expensive & mitx boards are generally terrible value , I find it wrong that we have to pay a lot
more for a cut down product but the manufacturers know that if someone wants a mini build they will pay over the odds.

@ SASD GHOST - $600 really won't get you much more for your money , it still doesn't put a proper i5 4 core into the picture without vastly compromising other components.
Under $600 the pentium 4560 & a decent card like a 1060 3gb or 480 4gb is where you are at IMO.
You could spend the extra on a genuine win 10 license (although as I said you can use it unregistered with a small nag popup & a couple of restrictions) .

If 60fps 1080p high/very high settings is what you're after the pentium & a 480 will get you that 99% of the time.

Aeacus · Feb 21, 2017

SASD GHOST :

Since FD2Raptor already explained about the differences between components (CPU, GPU, MoBo), there's not much to add. <MOD EDIT>

It is true that my initially selected H110 chipset MoBo has only 2 RAM slots, doesn't have M.2 SSD slot and doesn't have USB Type-C port that are present on his selected B250 chipset MoBo. <MOD EDIT> However there are plenty of 100 series MoBos that also carry all those features. You just need to use correct MoBo that has those features. M.2 SSD slot is even older than Skylake supported MoBos are and can even be found on Haswell supported MoBos (e.g on my Z97 chipset MoBo that i have in my Haswell build).

That being said, i refined my initial $500 budget build while taking into consideration the $600 budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus B150M-A/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($55.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.33 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $584.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-21 02:11 EST-0500

Changes made compared to the $500 build
CPU: i3-6100 -> i5-6500
MoBo: H110 chipset -> B150 chipset

Reasons why
CPU: For gaming, you'll do much better with 4 cores and 4 threads CPU than 2 cores and 4 threads CPU.
comparison: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-6100-vs-Intel-Core-i5-6500/3511vs3513

MoBo: Replaced H110 chipset MoBo with B150 chipset MoBo to gain several features. That include: 4 RAM slots, 1x M.2 SSD slot, 1x USB Type-C port.

As far as dedicated wi-fi card goes, Asus MoBo has 2x PCI-E x1 slots where you can install it. 1st PCI-E x1 slot is quite close to the PCI-E x16 slot where your GPU goes but the 2nd PCI-E x1 slot is far enough from PCI-E x16 slot that it won't interfere with the operations of the GPU.

You can go with similar build as suggested by madmatt30 and down the line, replace the CPU for i5-7500. Or you can go with similar build as i suggested with $600 budget in mind and down the line, replace the GPU for RX 480 or GTX 1060.
Do note that replacing CPU is far harder thing to do than replacing GPU.

Rogue Leader · Feb 22, 2017

Gentlemen, as you can tell I have heavily edited this thread. Next calling out or personal attack is going to end in someone taking a break for a day to re-evaluate what kind of contributor they want to be here. No personal attacks, no name calling, PERIOD.

I have also deleted the reference to Kinguin Windows licenses, our users continually have had issues with purchasing them. @Paladin we have already discussed this in the past, please stop recommending them. We are not in the business of getting our users ripped off.

The Paladin · Feb 22, 2017

understood

superninja12 · Feb 22, 2017

Gentlemen, amd has released their ryzen specifications. it looks competive and will be released on 2nd march.
It would be stupid to not wait for their benchmarks.

Lets wait 2 weeks and see what to get

SASD GHOST · Oct 5, 2017

Hey guys, I'm back! I absolutely had to come back because since early 2017 I went through a rough patch and suddenly everything is looking up; I have gotten a new job that is much better paying and my budget has almost doubled. Last I checked, you guys were the best community to consult. I'd like to keep it between $900 - $1000 or lower for all components so I've set up a build of my own and I wanted to run it past you guys to see what y'all thought.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hd2VxY

Following this I have two main questions.
1: Can I get audio through the headphone jack in the tower without having to add a sound card to the list? Because I currently don't have one and the monitor I've selected doesn't have an integrated sound system.

and 2: Upon looking at this, is there anything that I am missing for a gaming PC? (Not in terms of what would be nice to have, I mean 'Is this all I need?') I want to be able to put together a list of parts that once I get them in the mail I can assemble everything and get it running and such.

I welcome any questions, criticism, suggestions, and advice.

Edit: I have no Software chosen as this is a Gaming PC and I reckon I'll just use Steam.
Edit Cont.: How long will I get outta this before I have to upgrade?

Rogue Leader · Oct 6, 2017

Since this is an old thread and you've already picked a solution, I would suggest starting a new thread, get some fresh eyes on it.

SASD GHOST · Oct 6, 2017

Rogue Leader :

Hadn't even thought about that tbh. Lol copy that, Rogue Leader.

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