building a gaming machine for $500 or less

[dkino14]

my brother and i are out to build a gaming machine for him, as i have one in shipping as we speak. i just got mine, so i have a low budget and he makes poor money. what are the best components that we can buy with this budget. we dont need case, moniter, speakers, keyboard, or mouse. we need help and all parts must be compatible, and will last long time. thanks in advance,
-dkino14
-edit : we want nvidia gtx 650 ti boost or higher, would like to stick with nvidia, but IF REQUIRED, might be swayed to ati radeon. all we need is the tower components. we have mouse keyboard moniter and OS.

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox) | $109.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga78lmtusb3) | $44.99 @ Microcenter
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) | $49.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd1002fbys) | $53.94 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43651kr) | $143.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Case** | [Antec VSK-4000 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-vsk4000) | $34.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500) | $44.99 @ Microcenter
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04) | $17.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $500.85
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-07 00:29 EST-0500 |

 

[dkino14]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gk3s/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd6300wmhkbox) | $109.99 @ Newegg
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-motherboard-ga78lmtusb3) | $44.99 @ Microcenter
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl) | $49.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/western-digital-internal-hard-drive-wd1002fbys) | $53.94 @ Amazon
**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43651kr) | $143.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Case** | [Antec VSK-4000 ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-case-vsk4000) | $34.99 @ Newegg
**Power Supply** | [Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx500) | $44.99 @ Microcenter
**Optical Drive** | [Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihas124-04) | $17.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $500.85
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-07 00:29 EST-0500 |

thanks for the build. i noticed that there was no cpu cooling fan, and i added one, as well as an upgrade to the gtx650ti boost. it prices at 600, but i think i can manage. i built this one http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkj1 , and here is the edited one http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkpV lemme know if its still quality

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkj1 Is not good, The ram is bit slow, the cpu is terrible(ive had that cpu, it is the worst cpu in the world) and also you do not need that motherboard. A budget one will do.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkpV This is good enough.

 

[dkino14]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkj1 Is not good, The ram is bit slow, the cpu is terrible(ive had that cpu, it is the worst cpu in the world) and also you do not need that motherboard. A budget one will do.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkpV This is good enough.

ok thanks i did choose asus sabertooth because we can get it with pci-e 3.0 slots according to the asus sites. i understand that the ram can be changed and will look into that https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX_R20/

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkj1 Is not good, The ram is bit slow, the cpu is terrible(ive had that cpu, it is the worst cpu in the world) and also you do not need that motherboard. A budget one will do.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkpV This is good enough.

ok thanks i did choose asus sabertooth because we can get it with pci-e 3.0 slots according to the asus sites. i understand that the ram can be changed and will look into that https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX_R20/

There isnt any huge notice performance change with pci-e 3.0 from pci-e 2.0...
I suggest you stay away from because it is not that good cpu.

 

[dkino14]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkj1 Is not good, The ram is bit slow, the cpu is terrible(ive had that cpu, it is the worst cpu in the world) and also you do not need that motherboard. A budget one will do.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2gkpV This is good enough.

ok thanks i did choose asus sabertooth because we can get it with pci-e 3.0 slots according to the asus sites. i understand that the ram can be changed and will look into that https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH_990FX_R20/

There isnt any huge notice performance change with pci-e 3.0 from pci-e 2.0...
I suggest you stay away from because it is not that good cpu.

thats exactly what i have read that pci-e 3.0 has little to no performance upgrades from pci-e 2, but i was hoping to be able to use this computer 10-15 years from now. that means the pci-e 3 would allow compatibility a little longer right? this is my point, and if you could clarify about how long compatibility for pci-e 2.0 will be produced, that may sway my decision. i will use your build though, I just was curious how long there will be support for pci-e 2

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

It will be fine. I mean it wont last 10-15 year but more like 5-10 years... But even if you buy that motherboard it will make no big difference.
Bacause the cpu socket wont last for that long. So you would want the best performance now.

 

[dkino14]

but it needs to last! it needs to last 10-15 years! we need something long term, not something that lasts a year and quits like anything HP. is there another mobo perhaps that will last longer but still be cheap?

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

Well i mean it will last that long but after a while you wont be able to play the everythign at ultra thats what im saying, in 10-15 years it will be a very basic computer.

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

And also there arent many computers that last that long.

 

[dkino14]

And also there arent many computers that last that long.

the computer we have been using was built by my dad back before 1999. and while its pretty much dead now, it was running xp. with all honesty, the old graphics card and ram were the broken components, the asus motherboard still works, along with th 1.6 GHZ processor. if you say that this computer will still be running in 10 years, maybe with a little lag here and there, thats what i was asking for. if it was going to just stop functioning altogether until a replacement part was made or whatever then that was my main concern. you mentioned the cpu slot on the mobo was going to be the aging limit on the computer? you make it sound as if the mobo is gonna quit on the processor

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

No thats not what i meant, what i meant was that you dont need that expensive mobo for a computer of this budget. You would rather want more cpu power.
Ofcourse it will be fine here and there with lag but what i meant was that it wont be able to play the games max settings for 10-15 years.

 

[dkino14]

alrighty sir you have been a great help. i will use the modified build that i made of yours, with the cpu cooler and the upgraded gpu. thanks so much for helping me with building the computer. you get best answer

 

[Amar Tsogtoo]

No problem.