Building A Budget Gaming Rig

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Michael Hartman

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Mar 18, 2013
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I'd like to build a budget gaming rig, but I'm not exactly a gamer. I'd rather build something somewhat advanced for my needs, than to be disappointed in the long run, if I change my mind or acquire some new interests. I suppose there's always the chance I'll become interested in computer games, or something that requires additional cores or more speed, or a discrete GPU. Solitaire, perhaps. (I'm kidding!) The truth is that based on my usage thus far, I've probably be content with (gasp!) another Celeron. Netflix and email and such. Actually I think I've seen everything I want to see on Netflix, and maybe what I need is a new hobby: computer games.

The only component I've already purchased is the PSU. I got a good deal on a SeaSonic M12II 520 Bronze EVO Edition 520W.

I think I might be looking at a maximum of $600. I've heard good reviews for the Pentium G4560 (Kaby Lake) insofar as gaming on a budget. The G4600 must be pretty similar. I was wondering how these compare to, say, AMD's Ryzen 3 1200, or maybe the Athlon X4 950 Bristol Ridge. I guess the latter requires a discrete gpu.

I'd be grateful for any ideas or advice about a case, motherboard, cpu, and especially gpu, since I really have no experience with graphics cards at all. They are like unicorns or leprechauns as far as I am concerned, and there seem to be thousands of them. Thanks.
 
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vapour
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Michael ,

Welcome to Tomshardware, you made a great decision buying that seasonic psu, its great quality.
Amd ryzen is currently your best value for your money.

What do you think of :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($127.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350M-Gaming 3 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($138.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.94 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($113.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair - 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $598.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-27 09:39 EDT-0400
 
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Both Ryzen and Athlon need a discrete GPU with them because neither has a built-in graphic card inside their chip. The G4560 does, so it's able to handle video on it's own(Not demanding applications, like games I must say).

About GPUs, there are a shit ton of them, yeah. But just like every other PC part, they are constantly updated, therefore you wouldn't wish to get older tech. With that said, for a budgety approach you should look for either the GTX 1050 or GTX 1050Ti, GTX 1060 3Gb or RX 570. They are mid range(not too expensive and powerful nor too weak and cheap) and perfect for gaming @1080p(monitor resolution) with decent in-game settings(like post-processing, details, etc) varying between Medium and High in any game you throw at them.(More recent games tend to require a better GPU to work properly).

For Motherboards, they are what holds and connects everything other PC part and are mainly discerned by it's socket type(which is which CPU it will have in it), therefore you must get a MOBO that has the exact same socket the CPU you choose. Don't forget to get matching RAMs as well, newer RAMs utilize DDR4, so almost any new mobo will support them as well.

As for CPU, AMD recently released Ryzen is a beast for mid tier gaming, which i suppose is your case, not wanting something cheap that you'll regret later on nor getting too much fancy things that you won't me able to use. The Ryzen 3 CPU series are great for that purpose. Alongside that line there is Intel i3's CPUs, but i wouldn't recommend them ATM because Intel is about to realease a whole new series of CPUs named CoffeeLake, so their current KabyLake won't be the freshest out there.

I'd recommend this build for you:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.86 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.69 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair - 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $594.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-27 09:56 EDT-0400
 
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Thanks very much. That was quick work! I'll look this over. I've never spent that much on a CPU before, but then again, I've never had a quad-core, either. Or for that matter, even hyperthreading. I'm buying this stuff as I research each component and scrounge together the $$. I've been reading about the Ryzen architecture. Seems like they've finally rattled Intel a bit with this release. I'll have to study up on GPU's, I really have no clue. I'll look at all these components you suggest - really appreciate it!
 
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Ryzen 1200 pushes G4600 off the cliff :) They also love high frequency rams, with your budget I recommend 8gb ram, sufficient already and assume you don't need an OS.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.86 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350M PRO-VDH Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws 4 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($87.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - SP900 M.2 128GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.69 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB SC GAMING Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Zalman - Z11 NEO ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.49 @ Newegg)
Total: $599.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-27 10:05 EDT-0400

 
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That seems to be two votes for that corsair case, and for Ryzen. I see you list an HDD. I guess I was initially inclined to opt for just an SSD. I'm not a huge pack rat with regard to storage. I utilize the cloud quite a bit. What do you think? What about aftermarket coolers for the cpu and gpu? Am I going to need those? Or do you think the included heatsinks/coolers will suffice for that setup? I've never overclocked, but... well. Probably just because I never gave it much thought. And I suppose that goes hand-in-hand with gaming and the need for MORE of everything. (The need... for SPEED.) Isn't that when things start to heat up? You nailed my general philosophy about building this rig - not cheap, but not ridiculously overkill, either, given that I'm really not a power-user. Yeah I've been noticing the rate of releases from Intel and AMD, sort of like the moment you drive that new car off the lot, and it becomes an OLD car. It seems really hard to keep up with the rate of new releases, and new architecture and then of course new sockets on the motherboards! Sort of makes your head spin. Thanks for your help and advice!
 
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Thanks for your advice! Three votes so far for Ryzen, so I think I'm going to have to seriously consider this as my best solution for a CPU. These GPU's ain't what you would call cheap, huh? Oh well, I guess I already knew that. I'm currently without a desktop machine, and so I'm just using my Chromebook. But previously, when I was using a desktop, I had settled on a Linux distro called Peppermint which I was pretty fond of... based on Ubuntu. I had planned to load Peppermint 8 on this new machine, because I've developed a level of comfort with that distribution, over the years. I'm not sure what the gaming options are like for Linux versus Windows or Mac. I know there are options, I'm guessing probably not as vast as Windows/Mac? You list the same Western Digital HDD as Manddy123. I had thought I'd use just an SSD, but maybe I'm not thinking straight about that. I'm not sure how you do that, set the SSD as your boot drive, with HDD as... well, whatever you call it. Secondary? The Zalman case is pretty slick. My inclinations are always sort of towards sort of minimalist options, but then it does occur to me that I also sometimes change my mind, and probably should consider options for expanding the whole system. Because you never know. Thanks for the advice!

 
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1. Ryzen is best bang for the buck within that price range.
2. Linux and Mac are no good for gaming although Mac can do some. Stick with windows, and install linux as second OS
3. small ssd is not enough for usage but for booting speed and loading speed, 2nd hdd is mostly for extra storage and 1 tb is kind of standard now.
4. For cases, you can get a mid tower for now if you don't think micro atx board looks weird inside a big case. I am doing that right now, looks fine to me :)
 
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Solution


I think you're right, that dual OS would probably be my solution. The SSD as the boot drive for both Linux and Windows, right? The HDD, as you say, for storage. You and others have recommended Ryzen, and I think I'm definitely going to consider either 1200 or the 1300X. Not a huge price difference there. Mid tower, micro-ATX board, oh boy... lots of considerations and decisions. Lots to think about. But there's time... Thanks for your help!
 
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Grab at least a 250GB of SSD if you're willing to use it as your main storage device alongside your cloud, you don't want to need to uninstall ocasionally some programs just to save up space. Just note that if you ever wanna game, you won't be able to put those on the cloud and just 250GB of SSD will end-up very fast knowing that most games now tend to be bigger than 30GB each.
About coolers, you can try to squeeze up an after-market one like a Hyper EVO 212 which is cheap and efficient, but that's not necessary unless you're overclocking, and I believe until you get to that point, a gooooood while will have passed already. No reason to spend that money now. Everything will be under control with the stock cooler.

If you have any more doubts, just ask. Btw, your puns... i kekd

 
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Whoosh! kek indeed! I'd like to think I'm all down with the new lingo, a real hep cat, etc. But the truth is this middle-aged man desperately needed Urban Dictionary for that one! I'm vaguely familiar with the names of some of these games - WoW and you know. Solitaire? No, seriously, just in passing... Skyrim, that's one, right? (WoW, I need help.) So seriously, 30GB huh? Holy cow. So then when you use up that 1TB HDD you get another and plop that in your drive bay, is that it? I can see how this would lead to loss of savings and eventual glazed look and ultimate insanity, right? Hah hah. No problem, I'll just move back in with my folks!

Yeah, thanks, I actually have quite a few questions.

So, I'm really out of touch with gaming and the culture of gaming and just... everything. What are the websites/stores I should be familiar with? You generally download games directly to your hard drive, right? How much do they cost? Vapour pointed out that I'm probably going to want Windows 10 if I want to seriously get in with the whole world of computer gaming. Looks like maybe somewhere between $90-$120. Looks like Windows 10 is either downloadable or maybe you can order a USB stick or something, it didn't seem real clear on Newegg, Walmart or the Windows store. Windows doesn't still ship CDs or DVDs do they? Or do they? I haven't had a DVD-RW for years. Noisy things. Yikes. The last one I had sounded like helicopter or 737 or something. Maybe I'll do the USB stick, although I've created bootable usb sticks and loaded my Linux OS before, so this shouldn't be too far beyond my ability.

Maybe I need the 2TB HDD? Maybe I'll stick with just one - multiple drive bays and all that, right? You can always get another one, later.

Oh, what about controllers for the games? You do it all just with your keyboard and/or mouse? And I still have to get a monitor. When I looked, it seemed like there was some point, like between 27" and 32" where monitors took a massive, nay exponential, leap in price. Oh yeah, I got questions!

I'll look at all this stuff, your recommendations are actually pretty similar to the others. Seems to be general agreement about Ryzen. I'm in no rush, I'd rather do it right than do it quickly or all for the sake of "cheap." So if I'm up and running with my first actual 3-D computer game by Christmas '17 I'll be happy.

Delirious, and maniacally keking, in fact.


 
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For OS, most of them will give you a key and downloadable ISO, you can map that to a usb and boot with that usb to install. You also can use windows without buying it for now. For HDD, get 2tb if you want for 10 more bucks or so. Gaming keyboard and mouse can be considered, you may start with some lower end first, plenty $30 combo for 2. Monitor is personal preference :) For 1080p 60 Hz , not too much difference.
 
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Got a current PC & flash drive ??you can just download windows direct from ms , use the included tool to make a bootable stick & install from there.

MS are allowing you to use windows 10 unregistered for the time being (with a twice monthly nag & a couple of small caveats)

You can always wait & buy a copy later on & just register the installation key.

Re - coming into PC gaming late on ??

I did the same mate (was always a casual console gamer) - I've built up a massive collection non the cheap from humble bundle & bundlestars websites - you should take a look
 
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I'd forego the ssd mate on your budget & just whack a decent 3tb 7200 drive in from the off.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.86 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba - 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($77.34 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Phoenix Video Card ($144.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman - Z1 Neo ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.24 @ Newegg)
Total: $572.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-27 13:43 EDT-0400
 
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I'm not going to reply directly to your comment otherwise this thread will get too long, but i'll be answering it.
For games, most AAA are sold at the $60 price tag, without DLCs. Not so expensive tbh.
For controllers, most games are fine to use just keyboard/mouse but some are a pain in the arse to, so you gotta use a XBOX controller or a PS4 with DS4Windows controller.

About monitor, with that price range and GPU you should aim at 1080p 60Hz. IPS panels have the most beatiful colours while TN are slightly faster. Up to you as well.

 
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I don't have a PC in the house at present, but I don't think it'll be a problem. I've loaded operating systems before, albeit mostly just Linux. I think I just realized that most of PC computing seems to exist as it does today largely because of gaming. I don't think that's a terrible understatement. So I've decided to join in? Something like that. I'll probably take bathroom breaks and remember to eat, but I guess I figure I might as well find out what it's all about...

I don't have the dough at the moment to buy the whole setup, outright. Like I said, I bought the PSU this morning, next maybe case, or maybe a few of the peripherals. I sort of doubt I'll be ready for the OS for a little while, yet... later this year, I suppose. I didn't know that MS was letting people use the OS for free though... thanks for the info.
 
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Huh. Forgo the SSD, huh? Interesting, never occurred to me. Are the 7200 units fast enough that it wouldn't make a big difference - loading the game or whatever? I like the simplicity, wondering about the speed... Thanks!

 
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OK yeah maybe I get a little verbose. Wondered if I was violating forum etiquette.

 
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huge diff in booting and loading game
 
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^ yeah - quotes are a nightmare to scroll through on mobile (can't quote on mobile anyway)

Regarding the drives - I know where vapour is coming from but the fact is those differences in loading times are seconds not minutes nowadays.

Windows 10 fast boot will indeed boot to desktop from ssd in between 4-7 seconds
On a 7200 platter drive you're talking 20-25 seconds.

Which is exactly in line with initial game loading times, the fact that 90% of titles nowadays are freeroam & continually spool data means once that initial load is done there really isn't a great deal of difference (GTA V actually has issues running from ssd still).

& yes all my systems have ssd boot drives & they are a very nice option but not on a limited budget.

With $600 get your base system right first , an ssd is not a necessity at all.

All my games are stored on 7200rpm drives , we are not at a stage where ssd storage is practical pricewise for that kind of use.

$90 for a 250gb ssd works out at 36¢ per GB of storage
$77 for 3tb works out at less than 3¢ per GB.

That's a huge difference.

I own 7 of those 3tb Toshiba drives , they're rock solid for game & mass storage use.
 
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This thread's getting a bit lengthy and hard to follow. What do you do when that happens, should I close it out, is there a way to do that? Mark as "solved?" I don't really think it's completely "solved" but I'm pretty sure I'll opt for one of these Ryzen cpu's, and I could probably be happy with any of those three cases - I think they are all mid tower. That's a good deal on the Zalman cases with the promo and the rebate. I'm seriously considering the 3TB HDD that Madmatt suggested, could always get an SSD later. I have quite a lot of stuff to purchase for the complete system. Monitor, speakers, mouse&keyboard, etc. Anyway, I probably have more questions, but maybe it would be better to establish separate threads for specific questions. Thanks to Madmatt, vapour, Manddy123 and superninja12 for all the great advice!
 
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