News How to Build a $350 Gaming PC That Can Play AAA Games

[NightHawkRMX]

The PSU issue is legitimate. It could very well fail due to you using it to power dedicated graphics, something it is not designed for at all.

A pc does not just explode once it gets 10 years old. I have owned tons of systems of this vintage. Motherboards don't just explode and kill your system, or at the very least, it is uncommon. This isn't the 1980s, capacitors are pretty much exclusively solid so they cannot leak, and they do not fail that often.

The i7 2600 is fine. I have owned more sandy bridge systems than I have any other generation of hardware. I have never once had a negative experience. An i7 2600 will still handle itself very well in games, even today.

A console is not a better solution, merely an alternative if you do absolutely nothing but game.

Consoles do not serve the same purpose as a computer. No matter what you say, they do not. Have fun doing even the most basic tasks like typing a word document or using most websites easily on your PS5, let alone something like video editing or live streaming. The age of the processor in this computer does not negate the fact that it is still a PC and can do far more tasks than a console can.

You will probably end up having to spend more and buy a PC anyhow to do most tasks, which negates a lot of the reason to get a console in the first place.
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$399 seems like a steal, and that's what Sony and Microsoft want people to think. If you spend even a little bit of time looking into it, you will understand why they can price them so cheaply. The manufacturers know they will lock you into their ecosystem and make it so the only way you can buy games is through them, so they can charge whatever they want and you have no choice but to pay the high prices. They will also force you to pay for online gameplay that is free on a PC. With an all-digital console, you cant even buy secondhand disks if you want a reasonable price.

Also, take the resolution and refresh rates claimed with a grain of salt. They will almost certainly likely do the same thing as last-gen, constantly switch between resolutions to maintain a playable framerate in many games, and not care much about high refresh rate. Don't expect 120hz. Both a PC and console can get "up to" 120hz, but neither will actually achieve it often.

TLDR, if something seems too good to be true, it is.

 

[nofanneeded]

The PSU issue is legitimate. It could very well fail due to you using it to power dedicated graphics, something it is not designed for at all.

A pc does not just explode once it gets 10 years old. I have owned tons of systems of this vintage. Motherboards don't just explode and kill your system, or at the very least, it is uncommon. This isn't the 1980s, capacitors are pretty much exclusively solid so they cannot leak, and they do not fail that often.

The i7 2600 is fine. I have owned more sandy bridge systems than I have any other generation of hardware. I have never once had a negative experience. An i7 2600 will still handle itself very well in games, even today.

A console is not a better solution, merely an alternative if you do absolutely nothing but game.

Consoles do not serve the same purpose as a computer. No matter what you say, they do not. Have fun doing even the most basic tasks like typing a word document or using most websites easily on your PS5, let alone something like video editing or live streaming. The age of the processor in this computer does not negate the fact that it is still a PC and can do far more tasks than a console can.

You will probably end up having to spend more and buy a PC anyhow to do most tasks, which negates a lot of the reason to get a console in the first place.
-----
$399 seems like a steal, and that's what Sony and Microsoft want people to think. If you spend even a little bit of time looking into it, you will understand why they can price them so cheaply. The manufacturers know they will lock you into their ecosystem and make it so the only way you can buy games is through them, so they can charge whatever they want and you have no choice but to pay the high prices. They will also force you to pay for online gameplay that is free on a PC. With an all-digital console, you cant even buy secondhand disks if you want a reasonable price.

Also, take the resolution and refresh rates claimed with a grain of salt. They will almost certainly likely do the same thing as last-gen, constantly switch between resolutions to maintain a playable framerate in many games, and not care much about high refresh rate. Don't expect 120hz. Both a PC and console can get "up to" 120hz, but neither will actually achieve it often.

TLDR, if something seems too good to be true, it is.

no one said they will explode , failed capacitors will appear and the system wont run. thasts it.

Power supply also will start having issues after 10 years. and these powersupplies on Dell and HP are not 10 years warranty ones , they are just 3 years warranty PSU grade .

and you are wrong , digital serial numbers are very cheap , you can find them starting from $5 ... you dont need to buy direct from them , you can get cheap keys from outsiders.

and this article is wrong ! because it does not use brand new cheap $350 gaming PC , but 10 years old one on ebay .

and EVEN if it compare a brand new $350 gaming PC against $400 PS5 it fails miserably for a gaming machine. not even worth looking at.

 

[MoxNix]

That's a high price for an 8200 Elite. For $150 US you can get a newer, better EliteDesk 800 G1 with i7 4770, faster RAM and USB 3.0 instead.

 

[Teeroy32]

To all those saying to get a console over this, I'd still buy this, as I get to play with the controls I want and not what the console manufacturer or game dev deems I should use. I still haven't played Halo 5 for the fact I have to play it on console and use a controller. In saying that, saving an extra $100 or so to step up to a low end Ryzen would be a better choice with future expendability.

 

[COLGeek]

Personally, I would recommend saving the money for a much more capable and modern system. If such an approach came up in the forums, that would be my advice.

 

[Vefucis]

Hopefully this years ps5 will be worth the buch, eirther way im getting this one

love oldschool look ❤️

 

[neojack]

Good tip : it's possible to find used Ryzen 1700 for 100USD at aliexpress

makes for a good starting point.

another solution : find used worstations (dell / Hp / etc). usually they have better PSUs and xeon CPUs, lots of ram, etc
exemple Z420 worstation on ebay, around to 150-200$
i can see the 6 pin power connector on the picture , 24 pin power to the Mobo + 8 pin on top (so likely the PCIe ports should get more power than on regular OEM desktops), beefier cooling : CPU heatsink with heatpipes, even a fan on the VRMs, and space to creatively install a fan on the front.

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/HP-Z420-Wor...038080?hash=item3dab6cc800:g:cu0AAOSww5lfY9t2

 

[Zamundo]

Using similar thing, but with new 600W PSU, i5 3550 instead of i7 and cheap Powercolor rx580 4gb instead of 1650. Works good enough for the money invested. How to play RTS, moba or shooter on a console?

 

[Darkbreeze]

Personally, I would recommend saving the money for a much more capable and modern system. If such an approach came up in the forums, that would be my advice.

I agree. The recommendation to spend 350 dollars, which isn't actually going to end up BEING 350 dollars anyhow, on 9 year old hardware, when for another 100-120 bucks you could have a fairly decent NEW build, with parts that will have a warranty, and worlds better performance, is just terrible IMO and I'm frankly both surprised and disappointed that anybody from our collective would make such a recommendation in the first place. Certainly there are some circumstances where upgrading an OEM machine, when it's even possible, is the only alternative, but to suggest BUYING INTO THAT SITUATION intentionally, is irrational and illogical, at best.

 

[King_V]

$350 ? what about the OS. there was no mention of that.

If it was one from a single owner, it's probably got a Windows license that's tied to the motherboard. That was the case for me when I put together Old Ironsides (see sig) - the previous owner had Windows 10 OEM on it.

If it's an office computer, I don't know. They typically have volume licensing, but I would assume those licenses stay with the company. Don't hold me to that, though.

 

[BlueCat57]

Dont do it guys and get a console ... $399 digital PS5 is three times faster and better

We needed a Blu-Ray player so we bought an Xbox One because Blu-Ray optical drives (plus software) or a stand-alone player would be a couple of hundred dollars. For an extra $100 we got a gaming console to boot.

 

[BlueCat57]

My advice? Wait for Black Friday and buy whichever RTX card is available for $350.

An RTX card is essential. A ray-tracing capable graphics card will last you several years longer than a new GTX.

Wrap it up in Christmas paper and put it under the tree.

Then use your Christmas money to buy a new 650W plus power supply that has a 5 to 7-year warranty.

Spend New Year's Day building a $350 out of pocket AAA gaming system. If you don't have enough space on the SSD, delete whatever you don't need. Back it up using the floppy drive that came in that antique used PC you are upgrading.

Then start saving up another $300 to buy a new AMD motherboard, Ryzen CPU, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM to build a PC that will last you another 5 or 6 years.

PS - Or just start with a $500 PC Build from Tom's. If you use an AMD APU (Isn't that what they call a CPU with integrated graphics?) you can probably put off buying a graphics card for a bit until prices start to drop.

PPS - I've been upgrading my systems using this strategy for decades. My power supplies are 10-years old and as luck would have it, even at 400W they now have enough watts for a modern 65W CPU and low-end RTX graphics card. I will replace them soon, but for now this strategy is working. One of my systems will easily handle AAA games with an RTX card which I'll buy this Black Friday.

 

[jsanchezhapsari]

I would never spend $350 for a pc like this, the price doesn't even include peripherals. Office pc's are a good route if you're on a budget and don't need a lot of power, I myself built one with monitor, keyboard, and mouse for $120 (i5 2400, rx 560, 12gb ram), but going above $200 is starting to sound expensive. Like many said here for a little bit more you can build a way more capable new system.

 

[jsanchezhapsari]

My advice? Wait for Black Friday and buy whichever RTX card is available for $350.

An RTX card is essential. A ray-tracing capable graphics card will last you several years longer than a new GTX.

Wrap it up in Christmas paper and put it under the tree.

Then use your Christmas money to buy a new 650W plus power supply that has a 5 to 7-year warranty.

Spend New Year's Day building a $350 out of pocket AAA gaming system. If you don't have enough space on the SSD, delete whatever you don't need. Back it up using the floppy drive that came in that antique used PC you are upgrading.

Then start saving up another $300 to buy a new AMD motherboard, Ryzen CPU, and 16GB of DDR4 RAM to build a PC that will last you another 5 or 6 years.

PS - Or just start with a $500 PC Build from Tom's. If you use an AMD APU (Isn't that what they call a CPU with integrated graphics?) you can probably put off buying a graphics card for a bit until prices start to drop.

PPS - I've been upgrading my systems using this strategy for decades. My power supplies are 10-years old and as luck would have it, even at 400W they now have enough watts for a modern 65W CPU and low-end RTX graphics card. I will replace them soon, but for now this strategy is working. One of my systems will easily handle AAA games with an RTX card which I'll buy this Black Friday.

I don't think raytracing is essential though.

 

[King_V]

My advice? Wait for Black Friday and buy whichever RTX card is available for $350.

An RTX card is essential. A ray-tracing capable graphics card will last you several years longer than a new GTX.

I don't think raytracing is essential though.

An RTX card is NOT essential. First, ray-tracing is not essential. Second, Big Navi is going to have ray-tracing, so, even if you buy into the idea that ray-tracing is essential, why the insistence on an RTX card specifically? Particularly since Big Navi is very likely to give better bang for the buck compared to Nvidia.

 

[Stardude82]

I've had good luck with PC setups like this. I wouldn't push the PSU that hard, however. Those PSUs are pretty rock solid otherwise. I've never had one die and generally replacement PSU are cheap. Some models do have standard ATX PSUs.

 

[qckslvrguyinkc]

I hate these "YoU cAn UsE aN oLd OfFiCe Pc FoR gAmInG" videos and stories.

Yes, you can, but unless you don't have a budget at all, why would you? You can build the beginning of an epic Ryzen system for about the same price if you don't mind living with integrated Vega 11 graphics.

Also, what Oz doesn't take in account is the socket 1150 and later office systems (at least the HPs and Dells) use 12VO power supplies and the drives are fed through power being passed through/converted on the motherboard. Last thing I want to see is some kid get a Dell Optiplex 3020 or HP EliteDesk 800G1 and think "Oh yeah, I'm putting a 2070 in this!" only to find out that the standard ATX PSU adapters for these systems don't work that well. Also, some HP systems use proprietary CPU coolers - some with heat pipes and a finite age.

Sure, they're a cheap option for a beater PC, but that's about it. Throw a 75 watt card into it and live with 1080p/medium settings.

 

[qckslvrguyinkc]

That's a high price for an 8200 Elite. For $150 US you can get a newer, better EliteDesk 800 G1 with i7 4770, faster RAM and USB 3.0 instead.

Yeah, but being that I own 3 different EliteDesk 800G1 systems (two DTs and a tower), I wouldn't wish that upon anyone that wants to use it as a semi-serious gaming system. 12VO PSUs with 6-pin power connectors will lead to a nightmare when you decide to add a card that needs PCIe power, since the SATA connectors get their power from the motherboard, not the PSU. While it's good that you can find replacement boards for these computers cheap (as low as $8 and generally around $15 on Ebay), they'll blow if you try to draw too much power through the hard drive circuit.

Cheap living room or bedroom PC that runs quietly, usually gets used for media purposes, and might play some moderate games from time to time with a card like a RX550 or a GT1030? Perfectly fine. But not a gaming PC, even with an i7 or a Xeon e3-1286 v3.

 

[Olle P]

$350 ? what about the OS. there was no mention of that.

If you buy a pre-build the OS comes with the computer.

That said, it's completely possible to build an all new $350 computer to play the latest games!
A Ryzen 3 3200G with 16GB dual rank 3,200 MHz RAM is sufficient, using the IGP. With that as the core you can pick cheap parts to go around it and stay below $350.
Can take some tweaking of the games to make them really playable though, but even FlightSim 2020 which is seen as a real performance hog is doable!

 

[NightHawkRMX]

This pc will cream any new pc you can buy for the same price, but this has less upgrade path.

The 1650 super is probably at least 3-4 times the performance of a vega 8, maybe more.

I can see the appeal of both approaches.

 

[BlueCat57]

An RTX card is NOT essential. First, ray-tracing is not essential. Second, Big Navi is going to have ray-tracing, so, even if you buy into the idea that ray-tracing is essential, why the insistence on an RTX card specifically? Particularly since Big Navi is very likely to give better bang for the buck compared to Nvidia.

It looks like anything from AMD won't arrive until next year.

I just offering my impression of what is available now or soon. I'm planning on buying an RTX 3070 as my next card. Hopefully it will be under $500 by the time I'm ready to hit the order button.