Is it possible to build a gaming PC under $500?

[MarceyPooh]

Hi! I wanted to know if it's possible to build a PC for under $500 specifically for gaming? I mainly want to be able to play Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. I don't really have any preferences as to what parts are used. I just want one that will be good enough for that game. I don't have an OS yet, so I need suggestions as to what OS is good to use. This would be my first PC build, so any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[logainofhades]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Enthusiast Edition Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.03 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $598.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-18 20:55 EDT-0400

Hmm whats the point of the cooler and the overclock able Pentium if it doesn't have a Z97 motherboard?

That board has been given the ability to overclock. 😉

 

[Zircoben]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Avexir Core series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Enthusiast Edition Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($33.03 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $598.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-18 20:55 EDT-0400

Hmm whats the point of the cooler and the overclock able Pentium if it doesn't have a Z97 motherboard?

That board has been given the ability to overclock. 😉

Oh wow, interesting! I keep that in mind for future builds. It can overclock an i7-4790K too?

 

[logainofhades]

It is a compatible CPU, but I wouldn't push my luck with it. H97 pro4 has this feature as well. You can find inexpensive Z97 boards for just a bit more, though.

 

[Curtis Lush]

For less than $700, I'd go with Zircoben's build. Personally I'd go with Intel for new builds and would not go down AMD's route; they've been focusing more on APU's as of late, therefore upgrading is limited. In addition the i5-4440 is somewhat better than the FX-6300.

If you want the build which is a shy less than $600 at $599.71, here it is. It features an i3 and 4GB RAM. You're free to change the case if you desire, or any other component. It should still run Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn towards the high graphical setting IMO.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($112.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($139.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $599.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-18 20:54 EDT-0400

UPDATE: Revised with Windows 8.1 as the OS.

All the best.

Sorry to jump on this thread but just had a quick question about this build. I am sold on everything and the price is right. Here are the small changes and I wanted to ensure that it will not be an issue (total noob here). I upgraded the cideo card to the r9 270x because I just so happen to have a friend who used one for mining for about a week and said he would sell it cheap. Secondly, I made a change to the motherboard solely for having HDMI. I took off the windows since I already have a spare copy at home. Also, since I am saving $100+ on the video card and $90 on windows, is it worth upgrading anything? I had set aside $500 for this build and want to get the best system I can.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q64fFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q64fFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Mwave)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.73 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $508.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available



Thanks a lot and I hope I'm not breaking any rules of this forum by doing this :/

**Update: Spelling

 

[logainofhades]

I would stick with the newer ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0. It has features like non Z overclocking and multicore enhancement, which would be useful if you upgrade to a better CPU later. The HDMI on the motherboard is useless, since you are using a dedicated GPU anyway. Everything else is fine, given your budget. I would try for at least 8gb of memory though.

 

[Curtis Lush]

I would stick with the newer ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0. It has features like non Z overclocking and multicore enhancement, which would be useful if you upgrade to a better CPU later. The HDMI on the motherboard is useless, since you are using a dedicated GPU anyway. Everything else is fine, given your budget. I would try for at least 8gb of memory though.

Thank you for the quick feeback, it really helps. Should I do 2 x 4gb or 1 x 8gb?

 

[logainofhades]

2x4gb is the preferred way to go, unless you really think you will want 16gb at some point.

 

[Curtis Lush]

2x4gb is the preferred way to go, unless you really think you will want 16gb at some point.

Any changes you would make? I have approx $100 to play with. If not, thanks for everything. I stumbled onto this forum and it seems like everyone here is a utopia of knowledge

 

[logainofhades]

If you have an extra $100 still after all you have listed, I would just swap that i3 for an i5 4460.

 

[Curtis Lush]

If you have an extra $100 still after all you have listed, I would just swap that i3 for an i5 4460.

This is the build were at including the video card which honestly I will most likely get given to me but let's say I pay $50 for it. That means I'm sitting at a cost right now of ~$400.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7PK9t6
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7PK9t6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.59 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX US) *getting cheap from friend*
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.73 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $540.43 *before subtraction from video card*
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

And this would be the new one. Build would come in the just under $500 which is perfect. Just want to make sure this looks good before I hit buy

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q44fFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Q44fFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.59 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.59 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.73 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $618.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Thanks again for everything!

 

[a44arana]

Toms just did an article on this. READ HERE

http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-2186261/building-gaming-budget-500-520-peripherals.html

 

[logainofhades]

I changed the ram to a dual channel kit. It would be just a little bit cheaper that way. Keep in mind, I don't factor in mail in rebates on my builds.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair SPEC-01 RED ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.73 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.91 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Mwave)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($7.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $642.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[Curtis Lush]

a44arana thanks for the link, helpful stuff there. From the research I have done, I wanted to stick on the intel path just from an upgrade ability standpoint.

logainofhades - Thanks for all your time and help with this. That last one looks like it's going to be my first build