Budget Gaming Build for Daughter (under $500 USD)

[mep916]

Sup TPU

So, I'm a bit out of the loop with regard to the PC hardware scene right now. My 14 y/o daughter's birthday is coming up, and I want to build her a new budget gaming rig.

I need advice on the following:

CPU
Mobo
GPU
Memory

I have the PSU and SSD covered. Honestly, her favorite game is Roblox, which shouldn't be *too* graphic intensive, but she doesn't have the ability to use shaders or play on the highest settings. There's other Steam games she plays as well.

I have no preference over Intel/AMD -- I'm just looking for best price/performance for these components < $500. I'm willing to buy used too if anyone has components FS.

Thanks

 

[Why_Me]

The gpu is going to break your budget. This is the worst time in history to purchase a graphics card due to the extreme shortage which has driven prices to an insane level.

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Intel Core i5-10400F $150.99

https://www.newegg.com/ballistix-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820164176
Crucial Ballistix 3200MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL16 $88.99

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Even budget gpu are like $2-300 right now so that is most your budget..... Maybe an 11500 with it's igpu might be enough slower than a 1030 but those are going for over 150 atm.

Maybe someone on the forums has a RX 570 or similar they could sell you.

 

[mep916]

yeah, I'm totally open to integrated graphics and buying used. I've been looking around at the classifieds a bit on diff forums.

can we run roblox on the highest settings with integrated graphics right now?

 

[oxrufiioxo]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9shGgt

This is sorta the value king right now regardless and its the cheapest cpu with an ok igpu even if you dropped down to a 11400F it would save less than 50 bucks.... and you would be required to buy some sort of gpu.

Other than some of the budget intel chips prices are pretty out of whack ATM you could go 10400 but the igpu on that is like 50% slower.

 

[64K]

yeah, I'm totally open to integrated graphics and buying used. I've been looking around at the classifieds a bit on diff forums.

can we run roblox on the highest settings with integrated graphics right now?

The System Requirements for Roblox are extremely small:

System hardware requirements​

• Graphics Card: Roblox requires DirectX 9 minimum and Shader Model 2.0. For the best performance we recommend either a computer less than 5 years old with a dedicated video card, or a laptop less than 3 years old with an integrated video card.
• Processor: Roblox recommends you have a recent processor (2005+) with a clock speed of 1.6 Ghz or better. There have been some issues with older AMD processors.
• RAM or Memory: Roblox recommends you have at least 1 GB of memory on Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10
• Storage Space: Roblox recommends you have at least 20 Mb of system storage space to install Roblox.

What are the other games she plays or wants to be able to play?

 

[Solid State Soul ( SSS )]

A budget build would be a console right now, if you want a pc look up prebuilt pcs they are often sold at MSRP.

 

[zilla]

Get a prebuilt on the cheap with something like an 10400/11400 (non F model) GTX 1660 super it's more than enough for 1080p high settings and you'll also have the iGPU for backup.

 

[ebivan]

Why not get a CPU with a built in iGPU and upgrade to a dedicated GPU when prices return to whatever normality will be after this shitshow?
Ryzen 4x00G and 5x00G are pretty solid, Intel (without the F are too, I would guess).
I don't know about Intel, but the Vega GPU in the AMD APUs should be enough for 720p 30fps in most games. Then you could upgrade to some nVidia 16xx or AMD 6x00 as soon as these are more affordable again...?

 

[Gungar]

AMD APU wouldn't it be better though?

 

[Shou Miko]

AMD APU wouldn't it be better though?

The good APU's are locked to OEM's if you don't get them from China so what would it help?

I doubt going to "chinatown" would help

 

[ebivan]

The good APU's are locked to OEM's if you don't get them from China so what would it help?

I doubt going to "chinatown" would help

Yeah, but you can buy them in APU+MoBo+Memory Bundles (at least over here in Germany) so, getting one should not be to hard.
For example here you get a 4650G+16 GB+B550 Mobo for 389€:

Aufrüstkit AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G (6x 3,7GHz) + 16GB RAM + ASUS Prime B550M-A Mainboard | ARLT Computer

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www.arlt.com

 

[Shou Miko]

Yeah, but you can buy them in APU+MoBo+Memory Bundles (at least over here in Germany) so, getting one should not be to hard.
For example here you get a 4650G+16 GB+B550 Mobo for 389€:

Aufrüstkit AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G (6x 3,7GHz) + 16GB RAM + ASUS Prime B550M-A Mainboard | ARLT Computer

Aufrüstkit AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G (6x 3,7GHz) + 16GB RAM + ASUS Prime B550M-A Mainboard - Beachten Sie bitte Das Hardwarebundle, bestehend aus seinen einzelnen Komponenten wird in Einzelteilen geliefer

www.arlt.com

The bundle is great actually and I was looking at this at one point but decided to ship this idea it was for a little media center system with Blu-ray/4K UHD Blu-ray drive but the industrial hollywood guys locked all this for Intel so that was a no go.

Now I am waiting for unlocked stand-alone player to get in stock.

 

[mep916]

What are the other games she plays or wants to be able to play?

right now she's playing little nightmares 2 and similar games like that on Steam.

Later, I'll post her current system specs and see if we should just upgrade her GPU to something used from the forums. I'm beginning to have second thoughts on spending 400-500 on a roblox rig.

Literally 90% of her gaming is on that platform. Thanks for the feedback so far guys!

 

[QuietBob]

can we run roblox on the highest settings with integrated graphics right now? . . . Literally 90% of her gaming is on that platform

I've tested Adopt Me and Brookhaven now, supposed to be the most popular games on Roblox. Just goofing around, checking out the busier and more graphically demanding areas. In terms of CPU power, the Roblox engine doesn't seem to utilize more than four threads. In fact, it's perfectly playable with only two threads, but there will be some hitching and microstuttering at times. Roblox is also happy with just 1 GB of RAM for itself.

Running at near-constant 60 fps, 1080p with the highest quality preset (set manually in the options), and neither of the games could max out my oc'd HD6850 (1 GB VRAM). Performance wise, this 11-year-old card is roughly equivalent to these modern integrated GPUs:
- Vega RX 11 (found in Ryzen 5 3350G, 3400GE APUs)
- Vega 7 (found in Ryzen 5 4600G/GE, 4650G/GE APUs)
- Radeon Graphics 7 (found in Ryzen 5 5600G/GE APUs)

The above solutions are also more powerful than any of the integrated graphics found in the current Intel Core i3/i5 lineup.

If you can find a half-decent graphics card at a reasonable price, I'd suggest you only upgrade that. Otherwise, one of those AMD APUs will make an excellent choice for playing Roblox.

 

[Colddecked]

Look into getting a laptop instead. Maybe something with a MX350 or 1650...

 

[mep916]

Well, it looks like she wants something that can run Little Nightmares 2. She actually hit me up tonight and asked me if I'm gonna upgrade because we've talked about it.

Here's the recommended specs:

1. Operating system: Windows 10 64-bits
2. Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 3.4 GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.0 GHz
3. RAM: 4 GB
4. Video Card: GeForce GTX 760 / Radeon HD 7870
5. Disk space: 10 GB
6. Graphics card memory: 2 GB

I think I want to build around that but don't think I can stay on budget.

 

[Selaya]

Yeah you'll need a 1050Ti for that.
Tall order to still hit your $500 budget these days with that requirement, unfortunately.

 

[Atomic77]

Hey There, I'm not a PC builder but I have to say technology is expensive. I am afraid to say that you probably won't find much in computer parts for a under $500 USD budget.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Video Card

if youre in the US, i suggest you check this link every day or two.
the seller is legitimate, its the company store. they sell everything from 710's, 1030's, to 2080ti's, all for msrp with little inflation mark-up.
inventory is subject to varying factors, so its a crap shoot, but an easier one than newegg or other retailers.

good luck

 

[Final_Fighter]

you should try craigslist or facebook market place. prebuilts are not to bad in price and you can get something with modest specs for under 500. you can usually find something with an i5-4590 and 8-16gbs ram fairly cheap. make sure it has an ssd for the os and a decent size storage drive. that would be the minimum specs and i would not pay over 200 for those. now you have some money to get a gpu. sometimes you can fine a pc with everything listed above and a modest gpu to boot. just be sure the gpu is above gtx770 specs and you can game all day on it at 1080p.

 

[VeqIR]

Are you in the US, and if so what part? I’ve recently listed a system better than what you’re planning on, but obviously local only (East Coast). I think Craigslist might be your best bet, and maybe premades.