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Buyers Guide: Budget Intel-Based Gaming PC Configuration

At $500, this quarter's budget-oriented Intel gaming build is just that, budget. With just a dual-core Sandy Bridge-based Pentium G860, old-school hard disk drive, small PSU, and cheap case, there is plenty of cash leftover for graphics. A Radeon HD 7850 from XFX takes up the lion's share of this build's budget. The motherboard, however, was clearly chosen for its very open upgrade path. The LGA1155-based full-ATX ASRock Z77 Pro3 has SATA III, USB 3.0, and support for multiple graphics cards. This build makes a fantastic little starter system. Congratulations to forum member Lunyone for having his recommended build picked by the Tom's Hardware community this quarter!

Updates
  • March 14, 2013 : Updated to reflect the Q1 2013 BestConfigs Poll - Congratulations Lunyone!
  • August 18, 2011 : Updated to reflect the Q3 2011 BestConfigs Poll - Congratulations techo!