[SOLVED] Best budget gaming PC under 1050$ USD

[UserTom]

Hi,

A friend I know wants to buy a prebuilt PC because he doesn't know anything about PC components.
I'm trying to reach out for any one that can come out with the ''best'' custom build gaming PC that will be under 1050$ USD. That is the price the person is willing to pay for the pre-build but I'm trying to see if I can sway him into custom build.

PC use: strictly gaming with light background apps like discord and chrome tabs.
Buy date: 2 1/2 months from now
No overclock will be done. No rgbs needed if that can make it cheaper.
Games will likely be played in 1080p on a 120hz monitor or lower I'm not sure what he already has.
The person is open to upgrade some components in the future. Nothing crazy.
I have OS for him.
AMD vs Intel? I know there is a shortage on GPUs but what would be ideal GPU for this build also?
I'm thinking maybe only SSD for OS, 2TB HDD, maybe a motherboard that can support a m.2 gen3 idk if that's in the price range.


Thing is I'm not familiar with how to get the most bang for bucks on every components.


I'd appreciate any help and/or any parts picking list and maybe a why to the parts

Thanks

 

[Why_Me]

You want to start these threads no earlier than a week before you plan to purchase due to constant changes in price. This at least gives you an idea.

https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p300a-mesh-edition-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854097
Phanteks Eclipse P300A $59.99

Amazon.com: EVGA SuperNOVA 550 Ga, 80 Plus Gold 550W, Fully Modular, ECO Mode with Dbb Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Compact 150mm Size, Power Supply 220-GA-0550-X1 : Everything Else

Buy EVGA SuperNOVA 550 Ga, 80 Plus Gold 550W, Fully Modular, ECO Mode with Dbb Fan, 10 Year Warranty, Compact 150mm Size, Power Supply 220-GA-0550-X1: Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

EVGA SuperNOVA 550 GM, 80 Plus Gold 550W, Fully Modular PSU $61.99

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119385
ASUS PRIME B560M-A $109.99

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/intel-...ked-desktop-processor/6411498.p?skuId=6411498
Intel Core i5-10400 $149.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/254134258990
Antec A40 PRO CPU Cooler $24.90

https://www.newegg.com/team-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820331354
Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 3200 CL16 Intel XMP 2.0 Desktop Memory $82.99

https://www.newegg.com/crucial-bx500-1tb/p/N82E16820156231
Crucial BX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5-Inch Internal SSD $84.99

https://www.aztekcomputers.com/GTX1660SUPERGAMINGX-MSI-1ZX3HQY52KA.html
MSI GTX 1660 SUPER GAMING X $325.86

Total: $900

Green highlight on those benchmarks in the link is that cpu w/3200Mhz RAM.

Intel Core i5-10400F Review - Six Cores with HT for Under $200

Intel's new Core i5-10400F offers a large performance jump over the previous generation Core i5-9400F because of its six-core/twelve-thread design. In this Core i5-10400F review we also test the feasibility of overclocking through BCLK, or by relaxing the PL1 and PL2 Turbo Limits.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Why_Me]

For $25 more your friend can have this cpu.

Amazon.com: Intel Core i5-11400F Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.4 GHz LGA1200 (Intel 500 Series & Select 400 Series Chipset) 65W: Computers & Accessories

Buy Intel Core i5-11400F Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.4 GHz LGA1200 (Intel 500 Series & Select 400 Series Chipset) 65W: CPU Processors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Intel Core i5-11400F $174.99

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i5-11400-review
Intel Core i5-11400 Review

https://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/intel_core_i5_11400f_processor_review,1.html
Intel Core i5-11400F Review

https://www.techspot.com/review/2232-intel-core-i5-11400f/
Intel Core i5-11400F Review

https://www.profesionalreview.com/2021/04/26/intel-core-i5-11400f-review/
Intel Core i5-11400F Review

 

[UserTom]

The i5 11400f looks like a solid CPU for the price. I'll keep these saved and propose it to my friend.

Should someone disable the iGPU on a CPU like the i5 11400 or it doesn't affect performance/heat ?

You didn't include a M.2, is it because you don't think it's worth it or because it would potentially go up the price range?
I was thinking maybe a 250gb m.2 gen3 for OS and game launchers (but download the games on another drive) /discord etc.
You chose a 550w power supply going with CPU and 1660super GPU. I'm not familiar with wattage and stuff; how strong can the GPU upgrade be with a 550w PSU ?

Overall this looks like a great build especially the CPU,
Thank you!

 

[Why_Me]

The i5 11400f looks like a solid CPU for the price. I'll keep these saved and propose it to my friend.

Should someone disable the iGPU on a CPU like the i5 11400 or it doesn't affect performance/heat ?

You didn't include a M.2, is it because you don't think it's worth it or because it would potentially go up the price range?
I was thinking maybe a 250gb m.2 gen3 for OS and game launchers (but download the games on another drive) /discord etc.
You chose a 550w power supply going with CPU and 1660super GPU. I'm not familiar with wattage and stuff; how strong can the GPU upgrade be with a 550w PSU ?

Overall this looks like a great build especially the CPU,
Thank you!

The IGPU is disabled seeing how your board will detect the gpu .. if not it takes less than a minute to disable it. That 550w will push an RTX 3060, if you want more headroom for a 3060 Ti / 3070 then look at a 650w psu. Some people prefer two HD's (SSD's) but me personally am all for making it simple and going with a single SSD.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-SN550-1TB-NVMe-Internal/dp/B07YFFX5MD
WD 1TB WD Blue SN550 NVMe Internal SSD $109.99

 

[UserTom]

Okay I'll keep that in mind if he wants to upgrade in the future.
Benchmarks look like what he needs for now and I'm confident he'll prefer that over prebuilt , I'll also propose a bigger M2 drive, I love those, pops right in and goodnight no cords.

Thank you for the build and your time.