Entry Revised:
~$500 Budget Gaming PC - Kursah's Edition - 2.0
CPU:
$58.99 - Intel Pentium G3220 54W Dual Core 3.0GHz (surprisingly good chip/performer, cool running with stock cooler) -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EF1G9DW/?tag=tec06d-20
MB:
$49.99 - MSI H81M-E33 -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F42W70A/?tag=tec06d-20
RAM:
$35.99 - 4GB TEAM DDR3-http://
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313265&cm_re=4GB_DDR3-_-20-313-265-_-Product
GPU:
$229.99 - GB GTX 760 -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JXPP9RW/?tag=tec06d-20
PSU:
$30.48 - Antec Basiq BP350 350W PSU -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H9J3ZC/?tag=tec06d-20
HDD:
$52.92 - Seagate 1TB HDD -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005T3GRNW/?tag=tec06d-20
CASE:
$25.99 - Antec VSK-4000E -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009LDNTOG/?tag=tec06d-20
COOLING:
$0.00 - OE/STOCK
KB:
$6.81 - V7 Standard USB Keyboard -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005Y0G9ME/?tag=tec06d-20
MOUSE:
$9.99 - SHARKK Optical, 3-DPI Gaming Mouse Corded -
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G5TDGK6/?tag=tec06d-20
TOTAL: $501.15
I swapped a few parts, but left the CPU intact, seeing as it's a very solid contender for budget gaming. I found a better deal on an H81M from MSI that will be more than sufficient for this build.
I left the 4GB DDR3 intact as well. Again, should this build increase its budget to $550, that would be the first to change to 8GB.
I also changed the GPU to a Gigabyte part, as was pointed out my last find had an MiR, which I greatly despise. I still believe this is where my build is its strongest and would be one of the best contenders here with the GPU power. Games need some decent processing power and some free RAM yes, and the basics are more than covered above...but when gaming at higher resolutions and with more settings cranked up...the GPU really needs to be potent...I think going with less than a 760 here will be disappointing in the long run...going with a 760 now will show that a budget gaming computer will DOMINATE modern consoles. Especially as SteamOS and Ubuntu continue to take a piece of the PC gaming pie.
I left the 1TB HDD, but I fixed the link to the deal I found for it...otherwise its over $70.
I left the case stock, and had to remove the extra cooling fan to compensate for trying to fit a keyboard and mouse in this package. Even with one exhaust fan, and the PSU acting as exhuast this system should have no issues and be pretty damn quiet overall. The CPU is powerful enough and low wattage. 760's are pretty good GPU's and the Windforce 2X cooling should do plenty even with overclocking to keep it well under control. The 3X on my 770 is kickass to say the least.
On that note, I also changed the PSU begrudgingly...the EVGA has a 430W option too for around $35 but that just didn't get me down in the ballpark I needed to be. Enter the Antec Basic BP350. A solid little PSU that has plenty of juice for this build in stock form and enough overhead to allow for overclocking that GTX 760 to eek out even more performance. I've used quite a few of these in SoHo machines and then some of those turned into budget CAD or gaming rigs and run plenty strong...the impressive part is that the PSU keeps it's temps down pretty well..I've seen Antec PSU's blow out hoooooot air before...but this unit even when loaded to the hilt, never seems to go over luke-warm exhaust. That impressed me and makes me wonder if this unit might be underrated. If so that's better for the consumer! I feel confident that it would hold up to the task here. But should the budget increase to $550, whatever was left from doubling the RAM, would go into a slightly better PSU, like the EVGA 430W unit for less than $10 more.
The KB and Mouse combo I created is better than the cheaper combos that would bring me right in under the $500 mark. I'm sorry, I'm $1.15 over, but it's totally worth every extra penny. The V7 keyboard is very standard affair but reviews well and is built good enough for a cheap budget standard USB keyboard. No frills, no multimedia controls...but it gets the job done in a tight spot. But the real treat here is the SHARKK mouse.
For it's price of $9.99 right now, you can't beat it. I used to refer to a Gigabyte $15 gaming mouse, but this trumps it, hands down. 3 DPI settings, good shape, side buttons, reviews really well and would be the perfect touch to show that this system is for gaming when you take the helm after unboxing this gaming PC. Really, I could have gone with a cheaper Amazon KB + Mouse combo with a standard 3-button 1000DPI mouse...but meh. For an extra $1.15 this mouse offers so much more that one would be stupid not to seriously consider it. If I were quoting this unit for a budget build at this price-point I wouldn't allow any lesser components be used. I started an AMD build, but came up with units that couldn't beat the G3220 + H81M combo clock-for-clock. I'd rather have overall performance and efficiency than clock speeds. I am still thinking of posting an AMD build, as this is where AMD should shine...but that damn 3220 is just such a little gem of a CPU. Maybe with extra cooling and overclocking, but then a better PSU would be required...increasing costs.
If my going just over this price by .0023% disqualifies me, so be it. As a system builder in this arena, I often get many folks that come in with a small budget and I end up ensuring they spend a little more to get a lot more in return. These builds are fun to do and change monthly...and definitely per-application. But if I were going to drop $500 on a gaming PC build with KB + Mouse today and have full confidence in its gaming abilities at 1080 resolutions and the newest games, this would be it without question....now if we could go for used parts then it would be on big-time...but that's a whole different can of worms. For a new, warrantied PC, this is my current offering from Intel/NV. Thanks for taking the time to read this.
