[SOLVED] looking for a $250-500 gaming pc build

Mar 5, 2019
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hey so i'm currently using a 5 year old HP laptop for my gaming, watching movies, and research and i am now needing to get a new pc that will actually be able to handle what i run... thing is if i buy from a store the pc would most likely cost over 1k for what i need (in my area{USA Illinois}). i'm not sure if saying the games i play will help or not but here are the games i play:
Rift, Old school RuneScape, RuneScape, Deadfrontier 2, Star Trek online, Lord of the rings online, Infestation NewZ, APB Reloaded, NovaRagnorak, Eve online, World of Warships, Fortnite

as you can see i play a lot of games and a 5 year old laptop that honestly is a wonder that it ever worked isn't really the best thing to use to play these games. when i play the games it takes about 15-20 minutes for one map/area to load and that is on the lowest settings and assuming it does load. i have a tv that can be used as a monitor so i don't need to get one of that and i have a mouse so i only really need a pc and a keyboard... i have a pc build that was recommended for me but i'd like some suggestions.
 
Solution
Illinois - buy CPU+Mobo @ Microcenter. Are you capable/comfortable with buying individual components and assembling them into a PC yourself, or do you need/ want that taken care of by someone else.
From Microcenter- AMD 2200G + Gigabyte B450M DS3H = $120

Your budget is quite wide. Any $500 build is going to be MUCH better than what anyone can come up with for $250. So expect most suggestions to be closer to the top of your budget.

In addition to above: (I'll add links as I get time since I'm on my phone)
2x8GB DDR4-3000 = $80
Gigabyte RX570 4GB = $130
HP EX920 512GB SSD = $75
Corsair CX450 = $20
Case = $40
Windows 10 = $10

anvoice

Honorable
Jan 12, 2018
147
11
10,615
At that price point it may make more sense to go with onboard graphics rather than discrete. A Ryzen 2200G or a 2400G is likely to be fine for running these games if the settings aren't set too high. That or you can shop around for cheaper components (e.g. a reasonable, new PSU can be had for $20-30 with a rebate) and invest the rest into something like a lightly used GTX 1070. That should put you under $500. If you do go the Ryzen route, make sure your motherboard supports a 2000 series out of the box (some with a compatible AM4 socket require an older processor to actually update the BIOS to support the 2000 series).

I'm not a gamer myself so others will likely weigh in with more substantial advice.
 
Illinois - buy CPU+Mobo @ Microcenter. Are you capable/comfortable with buying individual components and assembling them into a PC yourself, or do you need/ want that taken care of by someone else.
From Microcenter- AMD 2200G + Gigabyte B450M DS3H = $120

Your budget is quite wide. Any $500 build is going to be MUCH better than what anyone can come up with for $250. So expect most suggestions to be closer to the top of your budget.

In addition to above: (I'll add links as I get time since I'm on my phone)
2x8GB DDR4-3000 = $80
Gigabyte RX570 4GB = $130
HP EX920 512GB SSD = $75
Corsair CX450 = $20
Case = $40
Windows 10 = $10
 
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Solution
There are thousands of OEM keys that go unused/unactivated each year. It's 10 friggin bucks, there's no reason not to try. If you don't trust Bonanza, use a Visa gift card.
Or spend $100-$120, I don't care, I'm just pointing out ways to save money to maximize the budget.
The most I've ever spent on a Windows key is $30.