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BestConfigs Poll: Budget Intel-Based Gaming PC

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  • Intel
  • Systems
Last response: in Systems
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Which build do you like best?

Total: 79 votes

  • AMD Radeon's Black-Red R9 290 Budget Build
  • 41 %
  • shortstuff_mt's $1000 Intel-based gaming beast
  • 13 %
  • Michael Perkins's Build
  • 2 %
  • damric's Sub-$600 Low Power HD Gamer
  • 42 %
  • wolverine96's Green is for Envy
  • 4 %
July 8, 2014 8:29:46 PM

AMD Radeon's Black-Red R9 290 Budget Build

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($94.02 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $978.39
=====================================

shortstuff_mt's $1000 Intel-based gaming beast

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 770 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $974.17
========================================

Michael Perkins's Build

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($32.69 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($299.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $978.06
==========================

damric's Sub-$600 Low Power HD Gamer

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: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ 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: SeaSonic 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $574.91
================================

wolverine96's Green is for Envy

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.67 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.92 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($331.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Green) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($60.74 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.35 @ Amazon)
Total: $999.63

More about : bestconfigs poll budget intel based gaming

a b å Intel
July 9, 2014 1:18:10 PM

I went for Damric's build, as being closest to what I'd build for my own less-demanding games, and for a similar view on the concept of "budget."
July 9, 2014 6:41:24 PM

Damric's build is the only one that reasonably could be considered "budget." $1,000 doesn't exactly scream "budget," at least to me anyways.
Related resources
July 9, 2014 7:39:50 PM

Thanks guys. I built my wife almost the exact rig a couple weeks ago. She loves it. The case, despite being inexpensive, has most excellent cable management and airflow.
July 9, 2014 8:39:16 PM

Illogical that these budget builds and the 'high end gaming' builds are largely using the same cpu. Darmic wins as the only SSD'er.
July 10, 2014 9:53:23 AM

First of all, congrats to those who has been picked!
I went with the R9-290 because in terms of GPU performance, it's the fastest out of the rest. Darmic's build with the SSD is its strongest point, but it's GPU and CPU are also its weakest.
If you were to just play light games, then Darmin's build is the best, but for games that are more demanding, you will need a better CPU and video card. Unless you're very rich and have a build just for light games and another build just for heavy games.

My builds wasn't picked, but this is what I had configured

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $988.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-23 18:07 EDT-0400)

A unlock CPU, large size SSD, and motherboard even has SATA Express as well as a M.2 connector to install SATA or PCIe based SSDs.


2nd, Intel budget build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($112.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($74.70 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY Optima 240GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.44 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card ($338.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax ECA3253-BL ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $996.05
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-24 12:22 EDT-0400)

The first one has a unlock CPU for easier overclocking and because it caused more, I had to pick a R9-280x.
Then second one, I went with least expensive Core i5, changing the brand of SSD also shave off some, and
that went towards a better video card, R9-290. Both of these have a 240GB SSD







a b å Intel
July 10, 2014 9:59:55 AM

I suspect your otherwise decent builds were not selected because of the Corsair PSU with its Samxon capacitors. That may seem a minor point, but with a number of good builds submitted, it was a readily-available objective criterion to help decide among them.
July 10, 2014 12:02:11 PM

My 11 year old daughter did most of the work putting that build together. Here's a couple pics from build day:







Notice the exact models are slightly different because I ordered what was on sale that day :) 
a b å Intel
July 10, 2014 12:08:26 PM

That's an excellent daddy-daughter project. My wife and I have no kids (just two and a half cats), but it is something I'd enjoy doing with a niece or nephew.
a b å Intel
July 10, 2014 12:44:31 PM

I can't view those sites at work, but Half a Kitty (6 lbs fully grown) does tend to want to supervise when I am working on a machine.
July 21, 2014 11:01:07 AM

Could I get away with following Damric's build more or less entirely and end up getting good bang for my buck? I read that these builds were submitted a while ago and am therefore unsure if they've already become outdated.
July 21, 2014 2:13:32 PM

blatantlyobvious said:
Could I get away with following Damric's build more or less entirely and end up getting good bang for my buck? I read that these builds were submitted a while ago and am therefore unsure if they've already become outdated.


You will need to tweak the build as far as what specific models and brands because the price reflected shows what was on sale the day the builds were put together. If you are interested, start a new thread. I, and probably 20 others will join and throw various configs up and you basically pick what you like. Everyone loves a build config thread.
July 21, 2014 3:33:28 PM

Thank you for the reply Damric. I've recently started a thread in this forum showcasing a theoretical-ish build I assembled based heavily on what you put together in this thread. Naturally I'd be glad to hear your say on it :) 
July 22, 2014 2:19:55 AM

blatantlyobvious said:
Thank you for the reply Damric. I've recently started a thread in this forum showcasing a theoretical-ish build I assembled based heavily on what you put together in this thread. Naturally I'd be glad to hear your say on it :) 


Got a link to the thread?

July 22, 2014 1:04:49 PM

blatantlyobvious said:
Under $600 PC Build


Everything looked fine except the CX PSU. They usually can't put out 12v on the 12v rail and this causes all kinds of problems for graphics cards and CPUs. There are countless problems on this forum due to them, despite getting some good reviews. The reviews where they went out and bought one off the shelf were way worse than the ones where Corsair sent a review sample.

Notice, in my build I put it on a 300W Seasonic. This is because the combined TDP of the whole rig is less than 150W. The Seasonic is a quality unit with tight regulation and ripple filtering, built with quality capacitors with dielectric insulation that won't degrade nearly as fast as the cheap ones in the CX which only have a 2 year estimated lifespan.
July 22, 2014 1:48:32 PM

I really do appreciate you looking it over. I submitted a build later in the thread upgraded with advice from those who have offered their opinion. I've changed the PSU to the XFX 550W 80+ Bronze and I feel that the ability to upgrade GPU/CPU in the future without potentially having to upgrade the PSU as well is worth a slightly greater initial investment.

As I've said, I appreciate your time and consideration.
July 22, 2014 2:53:54 PM

blatantlyobvious said:
I really do appreciate you looking it over. I submitted a build later in the thread upgraded with advice from those who have offered their opinion. I've changed the PSU to the XFX 550W 80+ Bronze and I feel that the ability to upgrade GPU/CPU in the future without potentially having to upgrade the PSU as well is worth a slightly greater initial investment.

As I've said, I appreciate your time and consideration.


The XFX's are great PSUs. That's going to be a good build.
July 23, 2014 4:09:04 PM

Hey guys, really helpful post. I had a question about 'Damric's Sub-$600 Low Power HD Gamer' build. I'm willing to spend a bit more on a GPU and CPU, for instance GeForce 760 and a Intel i5 or i7 processor. Would these options still work with the rest of the components, or would I have to buy a more powerful PSU?
a b å Intel
July 23, 2014 4:30:31 PM

You would need a more powerful PSU. Something good (e.g. Seasonic-built) around 550W would be a comfortable size.
July 23, 2014 11:13:56 PM

amonkey said:
Hey guys, really helpful post. I had a question about 'Damric's Sub-$600 Low Power HD Gamer' build. I'm willing to spend a bit more on a GPU and CPU, for instance GeForce 760 and a Intel i5 or i7 processor. Would these options still work with the rest of the components, or would I have to buy a more powerful PSU?


+1 for what Onus said.

The build is intended for low power, with the i3 (50W TDP) and 750 Ti (75W TDP) barely making 125W TDP, and works great as such.

But the shortfall to the build is when upgrading, if you were to upgrade to something more powerful very soon you would need a bigger PSU. But, if you 2 years out of the GTX 750 Ti, there should be a new GPU easily twice as fast with the same power draw by then.

The cool thing is that you could also put in an i5 (77W TDP) on the 300W PSU, as long as you aren't overclocking.

August 8, 2014 11:12:15 PM

So would damric's build be able to run games like Crysis 3, Watch dogs, Battlefield 4 and CoD Ghosts? I am really looking forward to invest like 700$ on a gaming PC with an aim to play those games,
August 8, 2014 11:38:47 PM

Syed Kumail said:
So would damric's build be able to run games like Crysis 3, Watch dogs, Battlefield 4 and CoD Ghosts? I am really looking forward to invest like 700$ on a gaming PC with an aim to play those games,


From looking at benchmark data for those games in the techpowerup review database, it looks like Ultra with no AA will be like 30FPS in Watch Dogs and 30FPS with 4xAA Ultra in BF4. I'd probably play on mixed high/medium to get the FPS closer to 50-60FPS at 1080p or add a few hundred more dollars and build one of the other more powerful builds.
August 11, 2014 10:09:12 AM
October 9, 2014 11:07:24 PM

So would damric's build be able to run games like Crysis 3, Watch dogs, Battlefield 4 and CoD Ghosts? I am really looking forward to invest like 700$ on a gaming PC with an aim to play those games,
October 9, 2014 11:10:35 PM

So would damric's build be able to run games like Crysis 3, Watch dogs, Battlefield 4 and CoD Ghosts? I am really looking forward to invest like 700$ on a gaming PC with an aim to play those games,
October 10, 2014 1:02:49 AM

zcfbhsfh said:
So would damric's build be able to run games like Crysis 3, Watch dogs, Battlefield 4 and CoD Ghosts? I am really looking forward to invest like 700$ on a gaming PC with an aim to play those games,


At medium settings with AA turned down it will be fine.

To really crank the detail settings you will need to raise your budget up a bit and go for more GPU and an i5. Right now you can get GTX 770 or r9 280X for about $250. Keep in mind that you would also need a bigger PSU. November is the best month to buy, especially on newegg. Watch prices everyday and look for promo codes/coupons.
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