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Building A Balanced Intel-Based MicroATX Gaming PC On A Budget

Tags:
  • Intel
  • DeepCool
  • Crucial
  • Build Your Own
  • MSI
  • Western Digital
Last response: in Reviews comments
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September 5, 2014 1:24:03 PM

Today we put a Pentium G3258 in a cheap H97 motherboard, overclocked it to 4.4 GHz, added a GTX 750 Ti, then tossed in tons of new Deepcool gear.

Building A Balanced Intel-Based MicroATX Gaming PC On A Budget : Read more

More about : building balanced intel based microatx gaming budget

September 5, 2014 1:45:42 PM

What i can say. Ugly. Prefer the bitfenix cage... all that cheap plastic...
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September 5, 2014 1:50:34 PM

Promoted by DeepCool. and MSI.
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September 5, 2014 2:22:45 PM

Anyone in their right might is not going to spend $100 on the case in a budget build, let alone one as ugly as that one.
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September 5, 2014 2:25:52 PM

It's not ugly, it's "steampunk"
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September 5, 2014 2:27:02 PM

AIO watercooler, $100 case, $150 SSD in a budget build? Nice joke.
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September 5, 2014 2:34:54 PM

And this is why i would not buy a G3258 if i have to get a Z97 Board. I know H81 Boards can now overclock this CPU, but there is a lot of chances that this board would not have a bios recent enough for this CPU. and since you buy a G3258, there is little chance you have another LGA 1150 CPU in your sleeve to flash the bios.

I would get a X4 760K with a better GPU instead of a G3258 with a more expensive motherboard...
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September 5, 2014 2:35:03 PM

The only problem I have with this is that you're trying to describe a budget system with a water cooler. When one is building a budget system, there's no reason to have a water cooler when the stock cooler would function well enough.
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September 5, 2014 2:43:36 PM

Noob question: Isnt a stock, on air i5 for 200 usd aprox. a better option than a cheap processor + fancy cooler for 200+ usd?
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September 5, 2014 2:46:17 PM

Nestor Turizo said:
Noob question: Isnt a stock, on air i5 for 200 usd aprox. a better option than a cheap processor + fancy cooler for 200+ usd?


Yeah a I5 would totally be better, but as for gaming, it would not push a 750 TI much more than a G3258 would. But you are right to think that a water cooling is not a good idea budget-wise
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September 5, 2014 3:42:46 PM

Why isn't the total mentioned for this budget build? Also the price for the ram, aio cooler, optical drive are missing. I had to add those in by guessing the most acceptable price for those missing parts and total with what was price listed came out to almost $840. At that price, it's not a budget build. Budget build is suppose to be around $500 or less. $600 is consider a huge headroom.
AIO $ 80, ODD $16 , RAM 8GB (2x4GB) $73
Most of these budget build makes no sense when there is no strict budget cap. Next time when there is another budget build and there is something that just got to have it, but cost like $100 more, let's up the price cap and still call it a budget build!
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September 5, 2014 3:48:46 PM

the 750ti is a joke of a graphics card unless you need to add a graphics card to somones dell or acer and they dont want to spend the extra money or hassle for a better power supply. if you are building a pc from the ground up you can get a r7 265 for the same money and it will be nearly twice as fast or even spend a couple more bucks for a 270 or 270x even better. you only need a 500 watt power supply for that which most people buying a new system will have at least that much power. i just find it really odd that toms would pick this graphics card when it only receives "honerable mention" on their graphics card for the money segment.
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September 5, 2014 3:52:14 PM

I'd have to call that build "Nebuchadnezzar" .... reminds me of Morpheus' ship in the Matrix movies
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September 5, 2014 4:08:08 PM

Could have said that it was a balanced intel build instead of a budget build. Kinda not very balanced either.... not sure how to feel other than wat.
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September 5, 2014 4:17:48 PM

Would have been better off forgoing the watercooling and ssd in favour of a haswell i3 and a better gpu.
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September 5, 2014 7:09:50 PM

Quote:
AIO watercooler, $100 case, $150 SSD in a budget build? Nice joke.

exactly my first thoughts. I'd go with a Fractal Design Core 1000, an EKL Alpenfohn Sella, and just get a MX100 256GB instead of the HDD. If you really need more space, you can always get a big HDD later, or just buy an external USB 3.0 one, or use an NAS or cloud. Also a good 300W PSU should be more than enough for this system, even if you overclock to 4.5 GHz.
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September 5, 2014 7:14:36 PM

I would never buy a computer case that looks like a cheap electric razor. Could just be me though...
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September 5, 2014 9:03:38 PM

for a budget build, i won't use a $100USD case...
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September 5, 2014 9:05:27 PM

Riemenschneider said:

exactly my first thoughts. I'd go with a Fractal Design Core 1000, an EKL Alpenfohn Sella, and just get a MX100 256GB instead of the HDD. If you really need more space, you can always get a big HDD later, or just buy an external USB 3.0 one, or use an NAS or cloud. Also a good 300W PSU should be more than enough for this system, even if you overclock to 4.5 GHz.


Yeah, but in a budget build I would use a HDD only. Games these days are about 20-40gigs. That's a lot. SSD's will only increase the loading times, nothing else, no graphical improvements. I would just go with a WB black and spend the saved money on a better CPU/GPU.

And a 400-500W PSU would be the better way, since good 300W PSU's are hard to find everywhere. Plus if the graphics card gets pumped up, the power will too. The Seasonic S520II is the best budget PSU right now.
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September 6, 2014 12:30:33 AM

for $801 dollars (aus) I got an
G3258 $79
MSI Z87M GAMING motherboard $179
Kingston hyper x fury black $99
western digital caviar blue $69
2nd hand 500W psu $15
2nd hand GTX 660 $140
3 coolermaster sickleflow x green fans x3 $12 ($36)
1 bitfenix spectre pro 200mm green $27
gigabyte k7 force keyboard $59
razer naga hex green $79
and a generic cd rom $19

this is a nice looking budget build and performs really well

and if you where to buy a new GTX 660 it would be $199
and a new 500 w psu it would be $49 so it would be $895

and the G3250 can be overclocked to 4.5 on the stock cooler for me.

I play watchdogs a lot high textures and ultra graphics setting and I get between 25-50 fps average is around 40fps

this is a high performance budget build and stays really cool
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September 6, 2014 12:34:45 AM

and this case is also a ripoff of the aerocool ds cube same internals just different panels and different exterior
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September 6, 2014 3:56:23 AM

That's not a budget build. This is a budget build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 280 3GB DirectCU II Video Card ($189.25 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone PS09B MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.25 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $494.44 (After rebates)
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-06 06:52 EDT-0400
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September 6, 2014 9:42:47 AM

with the motherboard at that orientation and available space, I would have taken the largest possible air cooler I could get for a reasonable price.
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September 6, 2014 10:28:34 AM

what No benchmarks. Did you build this to just sit on the shelf for show? Run benchmarks to see if there is a stuttering issue.
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September 6, 2014 11:52:24 AM

Looking at this, I was thinking that I liked the internals of the case, but not so sure about the outside. Thanks Baumy15 for pointing out it is the same as the aerocool ds cube. I looked that up - about the same price, but I am not convinced of having the USB ports and other connectors on the top of the case.
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September 6, 2014 1:34:35 PM

Quote:
It's not ugly, it's "steampunk"

It's not steampunk, it's an electric shaver.
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September 6, 2014 1:43:07 PM

coolest best motherboard place of all time!
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September 6, 2014 1:44:21 PM

budget case for billgates?! water cooling and sdd:|
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September 6, 2014 2:33:37 PM

That case sure leaves a lot to be desired in terms of appearance. If it cools well, that's great... but it wouldn't be for me. Cheap doesn't have to equate to hideous.
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September 6, 2014 2:44:37 PM

Here's how I would do a budget build based around Cooler Master's excellent N200 case:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.87 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $669.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-06 17:44 EDT-0400
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September 6, 2014 5:56:37 PM

w/ that money i think i could build two rigs :D 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($16.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($107.50 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case ($24.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($13.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $431.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-06 20:59 EDT-0400
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September 6, 2014 6:06:16 PM

g-unit1111 said:
Here's how I would do a budget build based around Cooler Master's excellent N200 case:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($67.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($31.87 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($15.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $669.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-06 17:44 EDT-0400


I second that case, amazing for the price.
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September 6, 2014 10:09:04 PM

Quote:
Since the two 16x PCIe slots are amply spaced, a CrossFire setup seems possible.

Unless MSI has done something tricky, I don't believe the H97 chipset can split the PCIe for real-world multi-GPU setups. That bottom slot is only PCIe 2.0 x8. Yes, technically Crossfire is supported, but that's only because AMD certifies a x16/x4 split acceptable. SLI requires at least x8/x8. Even if the bottom headers weren't an issue, you're not going to get decent XFire working on anything but a Z board.
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September 6, 2014 10:53:57 PM

that case looks like some kind of a steam engine
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September 7, 2014 4:03:07 AM

Quote:
Quote:
Since the two 16x PCIe slots are amply spaced, a CrossFire setup seems possible.

Unless MSI has done something tricky, I don't believe the H97 chipset can split the PCIe for real-world multi-GPU setups. That bottom slot is only PCIe 2.0 x8. Yes, technically Crossfire is supported, but that's only because AMD certifies a x16/x4 split acceptable. SLI requires at least x8/x8. Even if the bottom headers weren't an issue, you're not going to get decent XFire working on anything but a Z board.

The other catch is that with the card that they put in there, (the gtx 750ti) it doesn't support SLI anyway
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September 7, 2014 4:56:09 AM

This guy is worrying about the case and cooling too much. Spend more on best bang-for-buck and less on crap you don't need.
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September 7, 2014 8:02:05 AM

Quote:
AIO watercooler, $100 case, $150 SSD in a budget build? Nice joke.

Not a joke. A budget build for most people is under 400 dollars. You can get the motherboard, graphics card, etc. for 150 dollars in a package if you are savvy enough.
A better thing to call this might be a budget enthusiast case.
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September 7, 2014 8:27:28 AM

I would go with i3 + stock cooler for a budget pc lose the ssd and replace the 750ti with 270 or 270x.But that's just me
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September 7, 2014 9:49:54 AM

honestly I have helped friends build some more then fast enough cheap pc's and you can save a ton using about half used parts. like I have seen CPU last decades one PC from a year or so ago ended up under $400 with a WIE over 7 not that is the only thing but he just swapped to a new 770 he found with rebates for under 250 and now he plays any game on the tv at 1080p with everything max he is happy as heck and even his wife was proud of him being that is not the most technical.
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September 7, 2014 12:40:03 PM

worst idea ever make it a cheap case and i5 or cheaper case and fx 8320 but i5 would be better than that weak cpu
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September 7, 2014 1:20:42 PM

the guy who wrote this, Igor, needs to get fired. if he wasn't paid to do this, hire him then IMMEDIATELY fire him and bad him from this website.

you have to be completely BRAIN DEAD and just totally retarded to stick a water cooling unit on a intel pentium CPU. i have intel's latest 5930K CPU, overcloked to 4.2GHZ and air cooled just fine.

and $100 on a budget build case? you can get a good enough microATX case for $30-$40.
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September 7, 2014 2:37:01 PM

Ok, I can let the case slide; I personally don't like it, but whatever, it's such a subjective, personal-preference item.

I will not, however, consider a G3258 until/unless stuttering turns out not to be a problem; I've heard that it is, so please convince me that it isn't, before recommending this CPU for games.
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September 7, 2014 4:09:16 PM

Christopher1 said:
Quote:
AIO watercooler, $100 case, $150 SSD in a budget build? Nice joke.

Not a joke. A budget build for most people is under 400 dollars. You can get the motherboard, graphics card, etc. for 150 dollars in a package if you are savvy enough.
A better thing to call this might be a budget enthusiast case.


The title says "well balanced". This clearly isn't. I know the case can be a personal choice, but not in an article like this.
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September 7, 2014 5:48:46 PM

TheMentalist said:

I second that case, amazing for the price.


I have one that I built around a bunch of spare parts that I had and I'm planning to turn it into a server. It really is an excellent case for the $40 I paid for it. SSD support, plenty of drive bays, and can house a full size PSU. Not too shabby.
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September 7, 2014 7:34:45 PM

Budget? Whats your definition of budget? This build has so much wasted money all over it.
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September 7, 2014 9:40:19 PM

The moment I saw a $100 case and water cooling on a "budget" micro-ATX with a $75 CPU... that is just plain (&$(*#@&$)(@#. I'm glad the author isn't handling my finances. Like holy &*($#)@)($&
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September 7, 2014 10:34:37 PM

If someone would waste 100$ on a PC build, he should rather get the Fractal Design Define R4 or Corsair R400, not this POS.
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September 8, 2014 6:24:06 AM

Ok, let me see if I understand this correctly. This article is supposed to be about a budget gaming build but there aren't any grand totals or price breakdowns for the entire build like there should be. There are also no charts whatsoever of gaming performance, again, like there should be. It seems to me that Tom's Hardware has done this kind of article before. It's called an "infomercial" article and is really advertising space bought and paid for by Intel, nVidia, MSi and Deepcool. I refuse to believe that Tom's would hire such incopentent writers which is what they would have to be in order for this farce to be called an honest article. It makes me sick how they think that we're so stupid that we'd fall for this BS. It's a shame, I used to take Tom's Hardware's articles seriously. Tom's Hardware was king. Now it's just another Motor Trend or Car&Driver-type magazine. He who offers the most advertising dollars gets the most praise. End of line.
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September 8, 2014 6:34:56 AM

Tomshardware Just deleting my post! :)  because i say that is promoted by Deepcool and msi. LOL!
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September 8, 2014 10:20:02 AM

g-unit1111 said:

I have one that I built around a bunch of spare parts that I had and I'm planning to turn it into a server. It really is an excellent case for the $40 I paid for it. SSD support, plenty of drive bays, and can house a full size PSU. Not too shabby.


Nice, is it possible to do a push/pull with a 240mm rad in front? I haven't tested that (yet)?
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