Cheap Elite Dangerous Gaming PC Build

[lmgs37]

So I'm very new to the gaming pc world, I've been running L4D2 and TF2 on my laptops for a few years now but I recently picked up Cities Skylines and I'm looking to pick up Elite Dangerous as well. However, I need a better computer so I was thinking of building my own. I'd like it to meet the recommended hardware specifications for Elite Dangerous, (https://store.elitedangerous.com/elite-dangerous-cat/elite-dangerous.html), while also being as cheap as possible. I started a build on PCPartPicker but I don't know enough about motherboards and cpu coolers so I figured I could ask here instead. Thanks!

 

[Phil923]

For starters, a locked i5 is your best bet for best gaming performance on a budget. The 4460 is a good choice as it can run basically any game without any worry of bottlenecking for the next few years.

Since this is a locked i5, there is no reason to go with an expensive motherboard, so the ASRock H97 Pro4 is a great choice, good features for a great price.

Memory is pretty easy, 2x4gb ram for a total of 8gb is the preferred choice of most gaming systems out there.

Having an SSD can improve boot time, general computer responsiveness, and loading times in games, but in a budget build it is unnecessary because it gives no actual fps increase in games, I just went with a nice 1tb HDD. However in the future going for an SSD is a good idea.

The recommended GPU is an R9 280X, but the R9 280 costs quite a bit less and only about 5% slower in gaming, so I opted for that, it will be able to run the game maxed out at around 40fps from some benchmarks I've seen, but those were using an FX-6300 which is a far inferior CPU to the 4460. Anyways, you should be able to run the game at high settings over 60fps. If you want to max it out and don't mind stretching your budget by a little bit, the R9 290 is also a great choice, but whether the $100 extra for a 25% boost is worth it is up to you.

For the case I chose a fairly well built and well recieved mid end case, the 200R. It should be easy enough to built in and is generally good case.

The Power supply I chose was the XFX P1 550W, it is a great unit for about ~$50 and will allow you some room to overclock the GPU if you decide you want to squeeze some extra performance out of it. Another choice if you don't mind doing a mail in rebate is the EVGA B2 750W for the same price.

Anyways, here is the list I recommend for you.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($73.80 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 280 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $581.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-20 15:08 EDT-0400

 

[NA_xGG]

Great advice, Phil.