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Building a budget PC for light gaming

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Dakker

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Feb 12, 2015
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4,510
Hi All,

I'm wanting to build a budget PC for the like's of Supreme Commander and League of Legends, this sort of gaming. I don't so much have a budget but cheaper is better.

I originally was going to run with a AMD A8 5500 CPU (Not the black edition as I've had no overclocking experience) using just the onboard GPU.

That being said I've started reading about the G3258 Pentium Anniversary with the Asrock Z97M Anniversary Motherboard which apparently is fantastic overclocked and is very newbie friendly when it comes to overclocking. Even though the games I want to play aren't graphically heavy I still don't think I would use the Pentiums on board graphics so I would get a cheap external graphics card.

Any thoughts or suggestions on what you guys think would be much appreciated.
 
Solution
Saif Uv
Pentium G3258 is quite a nice cpu . just pair it up with good R7 260x/R7 270x or GTX 960/GTX 750ti/GTX 750 add a good aftermarket Cooler And overclock it to 4.0+ . You can overclock it on stock cooler too.
And also if you have good budget you can go with Haswell`s i3 . They have 2 cores with 4 threads. They can Run any game even those which require quad core e.g GTA V . But they are locked processors.

I hope this helped. Cheers.
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Pentium G3258 is quite a nice cpu . just pair it up with good R7 260x/R7 270x or GTX 960/GTX 750ti/GTX 750 add a good aftermarket Cooler And overclock it to 4.0+ . You can overclock it on stock cooler too.
And also if you have good budget you can go with Haswell`s i3 . They have 2 cores with 4 threads. They can Run any game even those which require quad core e.g GTA V . But they are locked processors.

I hope this helped. Cheers.
 
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Solution
Okay cool... Just btw I have ran League on a 3570K with the onboard graphics and it was the sadness!!
That cpu is a great budget overclocking gaming cpu and that board is also fine! I would look to the Gigabyte stable myself but as long as it`s Z97 it`s fine!

As for the GPU, to run those games you really don`t need much, I would say an old GTX 650 Ti will be fine! If you need to go cheaper the 750 is fine also!
 
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It'd be easier if you gave us a budget but. [PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WYjsxr) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WYjsxr/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $233.75 @ OutletPC
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | $25.98 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK2 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-sabertoothz97mark2) | $159.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2x1600c7r) | $109.06 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx001) | $78.98 @ OutletPC
**Video Card** | [MSI Radeon R9 280 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9280gaming3g) | $183.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Thermaltake Core V41 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-ca1c700m1wn00) | $89.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-power-supply-pstpd0750mpcgus1) | $64.99 @ Newegg
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24f1st) | $14.98 @ OutletPC
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $1129.68
| Mail-in rebates | -$78.00
| **Total** | **$1051.68**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-12 07:10 EST-0500 |



This is a bit high as a budget but it'll look pretty matched the parts to be black and red, though black and blue looks pretty damn cool too.
 
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Thanks for the replies, I think I will run with the Pentium anniversary edition, is there any z97 motherboard people would recommend. Around the 100 mark
 
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Thanks for the reply, apologies I didn't set a budget but cheaper is better, as good as the above build is it might be overkill for what I need
 
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Thanks for the reply, as I've said to other people I will go with the pentium anniversary edition I think, I've asked other people on the feed could you recommend any good z97 motherboards for around the 100 mark
 
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[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hRcVgs) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hRcVgs/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54570) | $188.89 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97manniversary) | $68.98 @ OutletPC
**Memory** | [Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx316c9sr8) | $66.74 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/hitachi-internal-hard-drive-hds721010cla332) | $48.00 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [HIS Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h775fn1g) | $81.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-ca1b200m1nn00) | $32.29 @ Directron
**Power Supply** | [Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs550pcarn1us) | $29.99 @ Micro Center
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24f1st) | $14.98 @ OutletPC
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $671.83
| Mail-in rebates | -$50.00
| **Total** | **$621.83**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-12 08:04 EST-0500 |


I dropped the after market fan and changed for cheaper parts still a decent rig though.
 
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[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/66JqQ7) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/66JqQ7/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34150) | $99.75 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97manniversary) | $68.98 @ OutletPC
**Memory** | [Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx316c9sr8) | $66.74 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/hitachi-internal-hard-drive-hds721010cla332) | $48.00 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [HIS Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/his-video-card-h775fn1g) | $81.98 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-ca1b200m1nn00) | $32.29 @ Directron
**Power Supply** | [Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs550pcarn1us) | $29.99 @ Micro Center
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24f1st) | $14.98 @ OutletPC
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $592.69
| Mail-in rebates | -$60.00
| **Total** | **$532.69**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-12 08:11 EST-0500 |


Here's an even cheaper one.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7nxkmG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7nxkmG/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i34150) | $99.75 @ OutletPC
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97manniversary) | $68.98 @ OutletPC
**Memory** | [Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx316c9sr8) | $66.74 @ Amazon
**Storage** | [Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/hitachi-internal-hard-drive-hds721010cla332) | $48.00 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9270xdc2t2gd5) | $154.80 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-ca1b200m1nn00) | $32.29 @ Directron
**Power Supply** | [Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs550pcarn1us) | $29.99 @ Micro Center
**Optical Drive** | [Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-optical-drive-drw24f1st) | $14.98 @ OutletPC
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-885370635690) | $89.98 @ OutletPC
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $675.51
| Mail-in rebates | -$70.00
| **Total** | **$605.51**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-12 08:14 EST-0500 |

Finally here's one with the same cpu as the last one just a much better gpu.
 
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Hey, wow thanks for all the different solutions and a much better price, just a quick question around the cpu

Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor - can you overclock this processor and if so would you recommend overclocking? apologies some what new to the concept of overclocking.

Update -

Just an update from what I posted I've took out the OS, CD Drive and the Harddrive because I have all those things from another PC so down to 379 :)
 
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[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CsdtRB) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/CsdtRB/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258) | $68.98 @ OutletPC
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr910htx3g1) | $17.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97manniversary) | $68.98 @ OutletPC
**Memory** | [Kingston Savage 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx316c9sr8) | $66.74 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9270xdc2t2gd5) | $154.80 @ Newegg
**Case** | [Thermaltake Versa H21 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/thermaltake-case-ca1b200m1nn00) | $32.29 @ Directron
**Power Supply** | [Cooler Master Elite V2 550W ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-power-supply-rs550pcarn1us) | $29.99 @ Micro Center
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $479.77
| Mail-in rebates | -$40.00
| **Total** | **$439.77**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2015-02-12 08:46 EST-0500 |

The i3 isn't over clockable, but the pentium aniversary is. You also need an aftermarket cooler if you wanna oc. This is a good one to get decent temps. If you wanna get better temps/clocks. You're gonna have to go into more expensive air flow or closed loop solutions. You can go open loop but i don't advise as it can get messy and expensive fast.
 
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Dude getting a 100$ Z97 is not easy, just spend that little bit more and go for something like a MSI Z97 Gaming, NCIXUS and NewEgg has promos in it...
 
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Would you say it's worth overclocking the pentium or just running with the i3 you suggested?
 
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it depends if you overclock the pentium it'll be better then the i3 if you overclock other wise i'd go with the i3. Overclocking isn't that hard. Just be incredibly careful of the voltage and don't over volt your cpu. Look up a couple tutorials beforehand. Make sure you run some stress tests and keep an eye on the cpu temps via hwmonitor/real temp software or if your mobo comes with some temp software use that. It's not as daunting as most people make it out to be. It just takes some time and effort is all. I say go Pentium and oc.
 
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I think I'm going to go with the pentium then, do you still think the annniversary motherboard is suitable or should i go with a msi etc
 
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