BestConfigs: Budget AMD-Based Gaming PC

[jpishgar]

It's that time again! Time to update the Tom's Hardware BestConfigs! Once again, we are opening the field to user recommendations to get the best consensus for the absolute best of the best in each category. Post the best configuration you can put together for the following build category and our editorial team will pick 5 of the best to be put up to a public vote right here in the Systems forum. The top-ranking build will go on to become one of Tom's Hardware BestConfigs and you'll get the credit for having put together a brilliant build with a special credit in the feature article.

Post your entries to this thread for the category of:
Budget AMD-Based Gaming PC

Stay within $1,000 (without shipping) and no need to include OS, monitor, mouse/keyboard. To keep things fair and level the playing field, we ask that you restrict your product links to Newegg or Amazon. Please be sure to format your list of components as follows:

Joe's "Barely Runs Crysis" Chug-along Rig
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price

See below for quick-copy/paste text of the BBcode.

[cpp]
Joe's "Barely Runs Crysis" Chug-along Rig
Processor: Component Name and Component Price
Motherboard: Component Name and Component Price
RAM: Component Name and Component Price
Graphics Card: Component Name and Component Price
Hard Drive: Component Name and Component Price
Case: Component Name and Component Price
Power Supply: Component Name and Component Price
Cooling: Component Name and Component Price
DVD Burner: Component Name and Component Price
[/cpp]

You can also use the Tom's Hardware System Builder to build your recommendation and use the BBCode export option at the bottom of the build. If you do, be sure to include a link in your post to your build on the app for quick viewing.

Good luck, and may the best builds win!

 

[butremor]

butremor's APU "BF3 on low" build
Processor: AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz (129.99$)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 (99.99$)
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (44.99)
Hard Drive: WD Black WD5003AZEX 500GB (69.99$)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite Black (49.99$)
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W (57.99$)
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner (20.99$)

Total: 473.93$

 

[butremor]

butremor's "Moar pew pew pew!" build
Processor: AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz (129.99$)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X Extreme6 (99.99$)
RAM: G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866 (44.99)
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6670 1GB [Crossfire With APU] (64.99$)
Hard Drive: WD Black WD5003AZEX 500GB (69.99$)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite Black (49.99$)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W (77.99$)
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner (20.99$)

Total: 554.92

 

[butremor]

butremor's "Tarmac" gaming Rig
Processor: AMD FX-6100 Zambezi 3.3GHz $119.99
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME3 AM3+ AMD 970 $84.99
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 $39.99
Graphics Card: XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB $249.99
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB $97.90
SSD: SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128D $109.99
Case: Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel $69.99
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition PRO550W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC $69.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO $34.99
DVD Burner: ASUS 24X DVD Burner $19.99

Total: $845.17

 

[kelvin08113]

INoHome's AMD Gaming G34R
Processor: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor $219.99
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO ATX AM3+ Motherboard $129.99
RAM: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $37.99
Graphics Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card $259.99
Hard Drive (SSD): Corsair Force Series GT 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk $84.99
Hard Drive (HDD): Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $63.11
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 ATX Mid Tower Case $41.98
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply $69.99
Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler $29.99
DVD Burner: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer $17.99

Total: $956.01

 

[michxymi]

Michxymi's Budget AMD Gaming Rig

Processor: AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX 179.99$

Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS 99.99$

RAM: Kingston HyperX Predator Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 Desktop Memory Model KHX21C11T2K2/8X 49.99$

Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GV-R795WF3-3GD Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card 299.99$

Hard Drive: Kingston SSDNow V+200 KR-S3020-3H 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal 7mm Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-alone Drive) 89.99$

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 49.99$

Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO USB 3.0 CCC-AE37BS-U02 Black Steel + Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 39.99$

Power Supply: XIGMATEK Tauro Series CPA-0600BDD-F51 600W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply 66.99$

Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel 2011/1366/1155 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+ 29.99$

DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model SH-224BB/RSBS 16.99$

SUM 923.90$

 

[lchrisk]

Desperate Gamer Build.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nWxm
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nWxm/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nWxm/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($81.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Gamma Classic (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 350W ATX Power Supply ($25.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $383.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-16 15:47 EST-0500)

 

[brandon402]

Brandon402's Budget AMD Gaming Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.29 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Professional ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $992.18
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-16 12:25 EST-0500)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nWIT

 

[brandon402]

Almost same as above, but this build uses a less expensive graphics card in favor of adding a liquid cooler, 64gb SSD, and Blu-Ray player.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.98 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Antec Kuhler H2O 620 Liquid CPU Cooler ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty 990FX Professional ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.00 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7770 2GB Video Card ($146.06 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.73 @ NCIX US)
Total: $994.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-16 12:38 EST-0500)

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/nWNM

 

[mjmjpfaff]

Mjmj's <1k Hopefully No Bottlenecking Rig

Processor: AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz 140$
Motherboard: ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 AM3+ 140$
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600mhz 37$
Graphics Card: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7950 3GB 300$
Hard Drive: Seagate 1tb 7200rpm 50$
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 120gb 100$
Case: Rosewill R5 80$
Power Supply: XFX PRO750W XXX Edition Semi-Modular 80Plus Silver 100$
Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo 35$
DVD Burner: LG 24X DVD Burner 17$

Total=999$

 

[zared619]

Zared619's "Red Storm"

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Callisto Deluxe 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($90.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($376.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($18.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $999.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-18 21:36 EST-0500)

EDIT: Forgot to include a CD drive.

 

[ocmusicjunkie]

OCMJ's actual HTPC- the consensus worst config as chosen by the forum!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek GAIA SD1283 56.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($152.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($100.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($229.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.22 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($83.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-206DBKS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($94.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $990.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-19 17:56 EST-0500)

 

[mydragon15]

Beginners delight
Processor: phenom ii x4 965 be ($99.99 @newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 970A-g46 am3+ *crossfire ready (74.99 @newegg)
RAM: g.skill ripjaws x series 4 gb *2x2gb (24.99 @newegg)
Graphics Card: sappire radeon hd 7770 (129.99 @newegg)
Hard Drive: seagate barracuda 1.5 tb (79.99 @newegg)
Case: rosewill challenger (49.99 @newegg)
Power Supply: rosewill stallion series 500w (39.99 @newegg)
Cooling: prolimatech panther cpu (54.99 @newegg)
DVD Burner: lg dvd burner black sata (18.99 @newegg)
Total = $673.90
(includes price and shipping)
This build is easy to upgrade in the future and with the hd 7770 will play almost every game on high/ultra with decent frame rate.

 

[sadams04]

"Budget" AMD Build
MB - ASRock 970 Extreme3 AM3+ - $70
CPU - FX-6300 (Vishera) - $140
CPU COOLER - Hyper 212 EVO - $30
MEM - G.SKILL Sniper 8GB DDR3-1866 CL9 1.5v - $30
GPU - SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB - $300
SSD - Samsung 830 128GB - $104
HD - Samsung F3 1TB - $85
DVD-RW - LG 24x - $19
PSU - SeaSonic X Series 650w - $90
CASE - Rosewill CHALLENGER-U3 USB 3.0 eSATA - $55

$923

 

[wingraptor]

Mat's Other Wife Rig

Processor: AMD FX-6300 Vishera - $140
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme E3 - $70
RAM: G.Skill Ares (2 X 4GB) 8 GB DDR3-1866 - $45
Graphics Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7870 2GB - $240
SSD: Intel 330 Maple Crest 180GB SSD - $155
Hard Drive: Western Digital Blue 1TB - $85
Case: Rosewill Blackhawk ATX Mid Tower - $90
Power Supply: Rosewill Fortress 650W - $110
Cooling: Antec Kuhler H2O 620 - $57
DVD Burner: ASUS 24x DVD Burner - $20

TOTAL $1,012

 

[xa376]

Xavier's "All Ultra" Gaming Rig

Processor: AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz ($180)
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0 AM3+ ($90)
RAM: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB Model TXD38192M1600HC9DC-D ($35)
Graphics Card: EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB ($410)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB ($80)
Case: Thermaltake Commander Series VN40006W2N ($60)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX750B ($95)
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 ($31)
DVD Burner: LG DVD Burner Model GH24NS90 ($19)

Total: $1000

 

[wolley74]

Kraken

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($126.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($312.86 @ Newegg)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DG 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $942.62
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-27 16:45 EST-0500)

 

[Guest]

AMD I'm Out of Cash
Processor: AMD A10-5800K $129.99
Motherboard: ASUS F2A85-M PRO FM2 AMD A85X $119.99
RAM: SAMSUNG 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) MV-3V4G3D/US $34.99
Graphics Card: XFX Double D FX-787A-CDFC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition $249.99
Hard Drive: SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128N/AM 2.5" 128GB SATA III $129.99
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX $39.99
Power Supply: SeaSonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W 80 Plus Gold $74.99
Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $24.99
DVD Burner: LG Black 14X BD-R Blu-ray Burner WH14NS40 $54.99

Grand Total: $851.91

 

[blazorthon]

Blazor's mid-ranged AMD gaming build
Processor: FX-6300 $129.99 (Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 $118.99+$7.87 shipping=$126.86 (Newegg)
RAM: G.Skill F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL 2x4GB DDR3-1866 9-10-9-28 1.5V $29.99 (Newegg)
Graphics Card: Gigabyte Radeon 7970 GV-R797OC-3GD $399.99 (Amazon)
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EZEX $76.98 (Amazon)
Solid State Drive: Samsung 830 128GB MZ-7PC128B/WW $103.99+$2.99 shipping=$106.98 (Newegg)
Case: Xigmatek ASGARD PRO CCC-AE37BS-U02 $39.99 (Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill HIVE 550W 80+BRONZE $64.99 (Amazon)
Cooling: XIGMATEK Gaia SD1283 $19.99 (Newegg)
DVD Burner: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer $15.99 (Newegg)

Total: $998.03 (Newegg combo deal with Xigmatek Gaia CPU cooler and MSI 990FX-GD65V2 motherboard gives $15 discount; total price also includes shipping)

 

[Ultimategamerzguide]

Processor: AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX 179.99$
Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS 99.99$
HARD DRIVE: Western Digital WD RE4 WD1003FBYX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Enterprise Hard Drive -Bare Drive 199.00$
RAM: G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBSR 49.00$
GRAPHICS CARD: SAPPHIRE 100355OCL Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card OC Version 209.00$
POWER SUPPLY: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply 89.99$
CASE: AZZA Orion 202 EVO Black / Red SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 49.99$
DVD BURNER: ASUS DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS 24.99$


TOTAL-900$

 

[rouids]

Rouids "I hope it works :S" rig
Processor: AMD FX-8150 Zambezi w/ liquid cooling $249.99
Motherboard: ASUS M5A99FX PRO $159.99
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB $37.99
Graphics Card: ASUS HD7770-2GD5 Radeon HD $159.99
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB $109.99
Case: AZZA Solano 1000 $129.99
Power Supply: AZZA Dynamo 850W $104.99
Cooling: N/A (case comes with 4 fans and processor comes with liquid cooling)
DVD Burner: ASUS DRW-24X $19.99

All prices are non-sale/savings prices

$934.93

With sales/savings prices as of 11/30/2012

$854.93

 

[EdTheTech]

Ed's Playing With Trinity
Processor: AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz for $119.99 at Newegg
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-F2A85X-UP4 FM2 AMD A85X for 136.97 at Newegg
CPU+Mobo Combo Discount: -$30.00 at Newegg
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) for $24.99 at Newegg
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" for $69.99 at Newegg
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Mid Tower for $29.99 at Newegg
Power Supply: CORSAIR Builder Series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified for $39.99 at Newegg
DVD Burner: SAMSUNG DVD Burner for $15.99 at Newegg

Total: $407.91

 

[nix327]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qToY

Processor: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.00 Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($61.97 Newegg)
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 Newegg)
Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($231.97 Newegg)
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($59.99 Amazon)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z11 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.98)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 Amazon)
Cooling: Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler (54.99 Newegg)
DVD Burner: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($22.98)

Total: $845.85

 

[lucidrainbow]

Basically Awesome Gaming Build
CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-D3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot G2 Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.87 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.27 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($181.97 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred Two ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-98 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $656.05

 

[blane2]

Recent Budget Build

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($117.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($112.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($60.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $587.85