Console replacement PC Build suggestions

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abcdlaptop

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Nov 14, 2017
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Hello everyone,

This is my first post and I am new at at building pc's so need some basic advice. I am looking to build a small form factor PC to replace my PS4. My budget is around $400 (ideally lower) and I am looking to buy most of the hardware on black Friday. I have done a bit of research about the hardware but I am not sure if this budget is good enough for a light gaming pc. Also I already have an 1080p lcd and windows 10 so those are not included in the budget.

Firstly, I dont know much about mini/micro atx cases and parts compatible with them so would appreciate any input on whether it is a good idea to try a micro/mini atx build in this budget or not? I am looking at a gtx1050ti, 8gb RAM, 1TB hard disk and intel g4560. Havent decided the mother board yet because I assume that would depend on the case size I choose? Also since I dont need a lot of hard disk space do you think it would be a good idea to replace the 1TB hardrive with a 500GB SSD?

Would appreciate any comments or suggestions on a good build. Also I am looking for a 'light' gaming pc for the living room so only want to play games at medium settings at 1080p and budget is the main priority.

Thanks
 
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madmatt30
I would not entertain a Pentium skylake build now at all.

You're buying into essentially a dead platform & no matter what your told the pentium (& HT I3's) are starting to show their weaknesses on some newly released titles

I would wait until you can afford a ryzen 1600 or i5 8400 & a 1060 3gb minimum

Otherwise you're going to end up disappointed coming from a ps4.
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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On the lower end of the price-scale, something like a PS4 is pretty tough to beat.

Medium, 1080p - you're right, a G4560 or Ryzen3 1200 + 8GB + 1050TI would be the ideal route.
The problem is, that's not really doable for <$400. More like $450-$500.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($77.77 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SRM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $455.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 11:06 EST-0500

OR

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.77 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($96.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.77 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SRM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $494.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 11:05 EST-0500

MicroATX is where you'll find the cheapest, compatible boards so in that sense, yes - mATX would be a good idea.

You'd be surprised how much HDD space you'd use, most people grossly under-estimate their needs.
Considering the price of a 500GB HDD vs a 1TB, it's about a $15 swing for a 7200rpm drive, so I wouldn't sacrafice the disk space. As for a 500GB SSD, those are a minimum of ~$130, so not a great use of funds in a 'budget' build.
 
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Hellfire13

Hellfire13

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Apr 20, 2016
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Intel...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4600 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($86.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($80.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($34.10 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $460.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 11:27 EST-0500


AMD...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.77 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($96.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($34.10 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($23.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $490.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-11-14 11:28 EST-0500
 
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abcdlaptop

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Nov 14, 2017
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Thanks guys! That looks great. If I find some good deals on Black Friday, I can probably get this under $400. However, if I don't which part should I compromise on? The gpu and processor are the most expensive parts so any lower price options worth using if the budget is tight? Also I see some cheaper 8gb RAM options for $60 but I am not sure if the quality difference is significant?
 
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Hellfire13

Hellfire13

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These are the lowest you can go without sacrificing quality. If you go any lower, you will pay significantly more for significantly lesser performance. Try to find deals around these components.
You can still sacrifice the GPU part and go for a 1050 instead of 1050ti, but do not compromise on the processor.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Black Friday deals don't really exist on "modern", in-demand components. BF is generally used to ship older components (FX AMD chips.... potentially Skylake Intel chips, older SSDs etc).

As for compromising on components - as Hellfire mentioned, you don't really want to go lower on anything but the GPU.
The RAM differences are likely due to speed, timings or because you're looking at a single module (1x 8GB).

For Intel chips, dual-channel (2x4GB) should be a 'must', with speeds of 2133 or 2400MHz.... beyond that would be wasted with the chip(s) being considered.

AMD's Ryzen though, while dual-channel still be a 'must' (2x4GB), you should aim for faster speeds (ideally 3000MHz). Ryzen processors benefit substantially from faster speeds.

The only 8GB DDR4 I can find in the ~$60 range is a 1x8GB, 2133MHz from Kingston. Not ideal for either platform.
 
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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I would not entertain a Pentium skylake build now at all.

You're buying into essentially a dead platform & no matter what your told the pentium (& HT I3's) are starting to show their weaknesses on some newly released titles

I would wait until you can afford a ryzen 1600 or i5 8400 & a 1060 3gb minimum

Otherwise you're going to end up disappointed coming from a ps4.
 
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