$500 Console Killer - Best PC Builds 2018

[schuan]

"Ryzen For The Masses"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Tactical 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($38.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Silicon Power - 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($23.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - BR 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $497.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-19 14:52 EDT-0400

 

[serfeldon]

"Micro Portable AMD APU StoreMi Budget Gamer"
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M PRO-M2 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - BP5e Slim 7 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - SBX 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Raidmax - Scorpio 535W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.89
Minus Shipping: $0.99
Base Total: $497.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-19 18:06 EDT-0400

 

[syedmoinhussain]

“Console Killer 499”

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU650 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB CERBERUS Video Card ($169.99 @ Amazon)
Case: DIYPC - DIY-F2-O MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - BR 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-19 19:48 EDT-0400

 

[acabhay30]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($149.00 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design - Focus G (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $496.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-20 02:35 EDT-0400

 

[suau]

The Master Race's Blessing

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Patriot - Burst 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($36.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Belkin - F9L1002 USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($6.99 @ Amazon)
Base Total: $497.50
Promo Discounts: -$5.00
Shipping: $5.98
Total: $498.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-20 16:51 EDT-0400

PRO

• 
  ■AMD Ryzen 3 2200G: Powerful Quad core CPU includes a good stock cooler
  ■2x4GB DDR4-3000: total of 8GB overclocking dual channel RAM boosts Ryzen 3 performance
  ■Radeon RX570-4GB: offers lots of GPU power for 1080p gaming
  ■Radeon RX570-4GB: supports FreeSync, which improves fluidity greatly (no tearing, no frame locking through V-sync)
  - FreeSync monitors are ~150$ cheaper than Nvidia G-sync monitors
  - FreeSync is coming to affordable TVs in the living room, the natural environment of consoles (Nvidia G-sync is not)
  ■Radeon RX570-4GB comes with a 3-game bundle, including Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, start gaming immediately
  ■240GB SDD allows quick system boot and loading times in games and enough space for some time and can serve as a boot-drive when expanding storage later on
  ■Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze is efficient and leaves enough headroom for future upgrades, Corsair is a reputable brand.
  ■ MicroATX form factor: this compact machine can be easily moved around from the desk for competitive mouse-and-keyboard games to the living room to kick back while playing games on a TV with a controller and friends, just like you would with a console! With the small size it can be easily tucked away and blends into the living room.
  ■USB Wifi adapter included in the budget, no ethernet cable necessary, who would want to run a cable through the living room ?
  ■All critical components are reputable brands

 

[tejayd]

No more ps4

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-A320M-S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($50.01 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($60.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($40.99 @ Newegg Business)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($36.42 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - VS 450W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $487.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-23 02:12 EDT-0400

 

[dogzilla07]

Gaming Mk.1

[PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - T-Force Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland - 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC - MA08-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - VS 450W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $445.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-21 17:09 EDT-0400

$445.50 -$5.98(shipping) + $2(PSU sale) = $441.52 +

MSI A320M PRO-M2 (@Newegg) $55.99 - $3.99 = $52

bringing the total to $493.52

This A320 motherboard is one of newest 320 to have come out, it has out of factory 2200g support.
Then we have RAM with fastest speed supported - 3200MHz and not huge CL timings.
And last but not least, the cheapest case not on sale that is not closed in the front, that has a mesh, making sure components have less chance to throttle inside due to heat.

 

[PuperHacker]

I decided to call this build "Dovakhignn" as a Skyrim addict. Great builds by everyone!
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($98.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($169.99 @ B&H)
Case: Raidmax - Ninja II ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.98 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $503.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-22 10:17 EDT-0400

 

[whimsicalimusic]

Future Destroyer. Built with future in mind, this build is a foundation for upgrades.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Newegg Business)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.97 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($60.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Walmart)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax - Ninja II ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.98 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $480.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Base Total: $494.91
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-22 15:44 EDT-0400

 

[sagematt]

Build name: RavenX 570

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H - Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($40.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $503.46
Minus shipping: -$4.99
Base Total: 498.47
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-23 00:01 EDT-0400

Short summary: With the mining craze having died down we have budget and midrage cards back at their original retail prices. This allows us to add a much better video card to a low-cost build while keeping under budget.

Breakdown:

• 
  ■Radeon RX 570 is my choice for this: At 159.99 USD at list price it handily beats the likes of Geforce GTX 1050 and 1050 Ti that became so popular during its absence. The card easily handles games at 1080p at medium to high settings (high to ultra settings even, if you are playing older titles). Going higher than RX 570 would require a Radeon RX 480/580 or a Geforce 1060 3 GB/6 GB, which can easily make us go overbudget by as much as 100 USD.
  ■My CPU of choice is the fan-favorite AMD Ryzen 3 2200G. While usually picked for its integrated graphics, we are going to ignore that and instead choose to leverage its 4 physical cores at a high clock (3.5 GHz). A Core i3-8100 would also be a great budget choice with the same physical and logical cores but at a slightly higher clock (3.6 GHz) and IPC. However, I have prepared an ace to help us go toe to toe against it.
  ■One of the weakest links in a Raven Ridge bridge is compatibility between the CPU and the motherboard, since some A320/B350 boards do not support these APUs unless the BIOS is upgraded. However, we completely do away with that problem by choosing a Gigabyte B450M-DS3H, which at 69.99 list price is the cheapest B450 board you can buy. The board is guaranteed to work with Raven Ridge out of the box, and furthermore by using the B450 chipset it opens the possibility of a mild OC that will allows us to better compete against the i3-8100 choice, even with the stock cooler (but temps will be high unless you add an aftermarket cooler). The board even gives us an upgrade path should we choose to step up to a 6-core or 8-core CPU.
  ■RAM is still at high prices, so the sweet spot is currently DDR4-2400. You could go with DDR4-2666 or DDR4-2933/3000 if you stretch the budget a bit, but that will make you go overbudget.
  ■I have chosen to go with a mechanical HDD since the capacity of a SSD alone at our budget won't hold a big enough library (Windows 10 + DOOM alone can cut a 256 GB SSD in half). Sure, you'll have to deal with long boot times and long loading times for the games, but once your game has loaded into memory any in-game difference between HDD and SSD should be imperceptible.
  ■PSU choice still gives us plenty headroom at a very good price.
  ■Case is kind of an afterthought, however it's functional enough and it does fit the graphics card I have chosen for the build. There could be cheaper cases than this or even at the same price, but none cheaper than this one at list price.

 

[Herman Mcpootis]

"Tiny but mighty"
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD - BP5e Slim 7 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4GB RED DRAGON Video Card ($164.98 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC - DIY-F2-O MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-23 08:35 EDT-0400

 

[Umeed]

these are some great builds for matching or out doing console performance. Will share with others who are looking to enter PC market at a budget.

Too bad buying a processor alone in Canada is about half the cost of these builds lol which is what makes buying a console so much more appealing. Unfortunate that ppl don't realize upfront cost of a pc is still less than the long term cost of owning a console (constant sales on steam, greenmangaming, cdkeys vs locked console market setting games at $80).

anyways, thanks!

 

[The Paladin]

Name: "They Call me Mini, Mini ITX."
concept: if competing against a console, the pc should be realistically as small, compact, and wireless capable as possible.
---
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($158.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($108.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot - Signature Line 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($55.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake - Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($44.69 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $493.63

(no shipping or rebates in this price)

 

[MrQwiq]

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JdsbdX
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/JdsbdX/by_merchant/

"Kukamonga Konsole Killer"

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - Spinpoint F1 DT 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($43.99 @ Newegg Business)
Total: $501.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-23 20:25 EDT-0400

Total price is including my $3.99 shipping for some reason although I have it disabled. The base price is actually $497.53.

 

[beavisbg]

"Monster 500"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($99.57 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: ADATA - XPG GAMMIX D10 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($83.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba - Product Series: DT01ACA 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($22.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($154.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax - Ninja II ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.98 @ Newegg Business)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($18.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $494.48
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-10-24 03:12 EDT-0400