Gaming PC Under $650

[pcuser1045]

Hey guys, I'm looking into getting a new system and was interested in the best possible price to performance products on the market right now but with gaming in mind. That said, I don't really want to skimp on the CPU too much and I definitely want a system upgradable in the future so 2 pci slots would be a nice bonus. Thanks in advance!

 

[Alpha3031]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

 

[serge44]

Tom already did the work for you, here's the current best Budget Gaming PC, for $619. Cheers!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc,3854.html

 

[pcuser1045]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Yeah I saw a video on that but the number of cores sort of scared me away. If you can find a good build with that CPU I'd be interested to check it out.

 

[Iron124]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

 

[Alpha3031]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

 

[Iron124]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

 

[Wisecracker]

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

Yeah. It ran great for Toms ...

On a $190 motherboard.

 

[Alpha3031]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($75.60 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $636.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[Alpha3031]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

Overclocking is now possible on Bxx and Hxx boards, oh yeah, so expencive

CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler, 35 dollars, wow, such expence

 

[Iron124]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

Overclocking is now possible on Bxx and Hxx boards, oh yeah, so expencive

CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler, 35 dollars, wow, such expence

No, it isn't. I thought the same exact thing. ASUS recently released a "breaker" to get past Intel's lock, but it's only a matter of time before they re-patch it. Always nice when you run a windows update, you lose your overclock and might as well be running a Celeron. FUN.

Your little Hyper 212 Evo is not going to get that Pentium up to i series levels, you need a better cooler or liquid cooling for that. Your system is great in theory but would not stack up against a hyper-threaded CPU.

Have a look at this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4360 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $638.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Notice how I got a better video card, an optical drive, and a better quality PSU? Those motherboards are not cheap, will never be cheap, and that;'s exactly how Intel wants it. If you want proper overclocking, go AMD.

 

[Alpha3031]

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

Overclocking is now possible on Bxx and Hxx boards, oh yeah, so expencive

CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler, 35 dollars, wow, such expence

No, it isn't. I thought the same exact thing. ASUS recently released a "breaker" to get past Intel's lock, but it's only a matter of time before they re-patch it. Always nice when you run a windows update, you lose your overclock and might as well be running a Celeron. FUN.

Your little Hyper 212 Evo is not going to get that Pentium up to i series levels, you need a better cooler or liquid cooling for that. Your system is great in theory but would not stack up against a hyper-threaded CPU.

Have a look at this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4360 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $638.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Notice how I got a better video card, an optical drive, and a better quality PSU? Those motherboards are not cheap, will never be cheap, and that;'s exactly how Intel wants it. If you want proper overclocking, go AMD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $617.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[pcuser1045]

Tom already did the work for you, here's the current best Budget Gaming PC, for $619. Cheers!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc,3854.html

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

Overclocking is now possible on Bxx and Hxx boards, oh yeah, so expencive

CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler, 35 dollars, wow, such expence

No, it isn't. I thought the same exact thing. ASUS recently released a "breaker" to get past Intel's lock, but it's only a matter of time before they re-patch it. Always nice when you run a windows update, you lose your overclock and might as well be running a Celeron. FUN.

Your little Hyper 212 Evo is not going to get that Pentium up to i series levels, you need a better cooler or liquid cooling for that. Your system is great in theory but would not stack up against a hyper-threaded CPU.

Have a look at this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4360 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $638.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Notice how I got a better video card, an optical drive, and a better quality PSU? Those motherboards are not cheap, will never be cheap, and that;'s exactly how Intel wants it. If you want proper overclocking, go AMD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $617.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Wow this thread blew up while I was gone. How is an I3 and pentium at overclocking. Will it handle photoshop and other basic programs well. If not can I see a build with a processor with a larger number of cores. Thanks!

 

[Wisecracker]

AMD FX-6350 Vishera / Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P AM3+: $190 before $10 rebate

PS is big on fast RAMs and disk I/O -- an SSD would help yah there.

 

[Iron124]

Tom already did the work for you, here's the current best Budget Gaming PC, for $619. Cheers!

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/budget-gaming-pc,3854.html

Will you be overclocking? If so I would definatly suggest the G3258 (before you say "but it's a pentium" look at some reviews) Pretty sweet at the price.

Could probably get a better i3 or i5 for $650, or a better AMD rig even, the Pentium is geared towards builds $500 and lower.

An i3 is NOT better than this Pentium (I did ask for you to look up some reviews)

I have looked up reviews, I even read the entire article Tom's Hardware put out on it. The problem with the pentium is that it is not going to outclass any i series CPU without overclocking, which, unfortunately as I just had a hell of a time discovering, requires a Z97 or better motherboard. Expensive. Also gonna need an aftermarket cooler. Expensive. By the time you're done, you might as well have bough an i3 or low-end i5 and not worry about fiddling with the overclock and run the chip the way it's supposed to.

Overclocking is now possible on Bxx and Hxx boards, oh yeah, so expencive

CM Hyper 212 EVO is a great cooler, 35 dollars, wow, such expence

No, it isn't. I thought the same exact thing. ASUS recently released a "breaker" to get past Intel's lock, but it's only a matter of time before they re-patch it. Always nice when you run a windows update, you lose your overclock and might as well be running a Celeron. FUN.

Your little Hyper 212 Evo is not going to get that Pentium up to i series levels, you need a better cooler or liquid cooling for that. Your system is great in theory but would not stack up against a hyper-threaded CPU.

Have a look at this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4360 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($154.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $638.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Notice how I got a better video card, an optical drive, and a better quality PSU? Those motherboards are not cheap, will never be cheap, and that;'s exactly how Intel wants it. If you want proper overclocking, go AMD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $617.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Wow this thread blew up while I was gone. How is an I3 and pentium at overclocking. Will it handle photoshop and other basic programs well. If not can I see a build with a processor with a larger number of cores. Thanks!

If you're looking for basic usage and photoshop, you WILL benefit from the hyperthreading that the i3 offers. A core i5 could be doable in your budget at the sacrifice of lower quality or less powerful other components, or maybe you want to go the AMD route? (A quad or Hexa core AMD CPU can be had for about the price of an i3.)

 

[Iron124]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81 Pro BTC ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($83.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case ($37.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $617.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I'm basically feeding you at this point, but how does putting that Pentium in an H81 MOBO actually help anything? Even if it does have overclocking, it supposedly doesn't work or Intel is trying at every point to patch/block it. Is that really something that's worth being in the middle of?

 

[ingtar33]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($77.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $653.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

the hybrid seagate hard drive is my compromise to your budget... normally i don't suggest builds without a SSD... but i guess a hybrid is better then nothing.

Otherwise, this build will overclock well, has a lot of good features, a strong overclocking and feature rich motherboard (one I've owned before, take a look at the validation in my sig... and check out the motherboard), respectable psu... the case is a bit cheap but i had to make compromises where i could to get under your budget number.

 

[Iron124]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($77.24 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID ATX Mid Tower Case ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $653.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

An excellent alternative to the i3.