Looking to Build a Budget Gaming Rig

[Wreks]

Hey guys! I've had a lot of luck using these forums for my new build and it's been a great experience. I have a friend who's looking to possibly do the same, he's just on a bit of a tighter budget than I am, so I'm not sure what to suggest for him in terms of parts. We'll be gaming together and I know he'll be playing things like Guild Wars 2 with me, but I could see him doing some online shooters like CoD or Battlefield as well. I'd like him to be able to "futureproof" as much as possible, but on a budget. I think he'd probably go for around the $600 dollar range, so any suggestions on a rig for that much would be greatly appreciated! He has an old computer that's not worth upgrading or putting work into, but he may be able to scrap some stuff from it like the case, PSU, Hard Drive and Optical Drive. I have to get him to open it all up and see first, unfortunately, he's on the other side of the country, so I can't just do it for him, I'll have to walk him through it to see if anything will be salvageable, so assume he would have to buy everything and go from there I guess? Also, he's in Canada for purposes of Newegg.ca vs. Newegg.com and such. Thanks in advance! You all rock!

Cheers,
Cory

 

[lp231]

What are his old specs and exactly what is his budget?

 

[Wreks]

Unfortunately, I don't know his old specs, and he probably wouldn't be too sure himself as it was just a store bought. That's why I'd like to go in assuming he has nothing and then if we can figure out that he can use some parts from him computer, it's savings for him. But I would say about $600 budget.

 

[Wreks]

Oh, and he would have peripherals like mouse, keyboard and monitor.

 

[lp231]

There is no way a decent gaming system with monitor, keyboard, and mouse can go for $600. Also he will need the OS and that is $100 more. Your friend is looking at about $1,000 if he wants a decent gaming system.

 

[Wreks]

Sorry, that was poorly worded, I meant that he already has a mouse, keyboard and monitor. Also, I can get him Windows, so that wouldn't be part of the equation as well.

 

[lp231]

This is the best I can do with all the parts including the OS

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.27 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($64.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.22 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.55 @ DirectCanada)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit) ($93.88 @ DirectCanada)
Monitor: BenQ GW2250 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Memory Express)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-101 Wired Standard Keyboard ($5.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Mouse: Logitech G300 Wired Optical Mouse ($39.99 @ Memory Express)
Total: $861.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 18:06 EST-0500)

Without the extra parts

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.27 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Asus A55BM-E Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($64.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.22 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.55 @ DirectCanada)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $622.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 18:08 EST-0500)

with AMD FX
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($116.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($48.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.22 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Green 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.55 @ DirectCanada)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $631.36
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 18:11 EST-0500)

 

[Wreks]

Wow! That was fast! That looks awesome! One question though, if it says the total wattage is 369, wouldn't a 650W PSU be a little overkill? Is it something he could potentially save some money on? I only ask because my build has similar wattage and I have a 500W PSU and it seems to be fine.

 

[lp231]

I like to give system a huge head room, just in case if they want to upgrade or add anything more powerful (a higher-end video card) in the future.

configured with 500w

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($116.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($48.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.79 @ DirectCanada)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card ($214.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Antec NSK4100 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.22 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Memory Express)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($17.82 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $596.80
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-10 18:44 EST-0500)

 

[Wreks]

I sincerely appreciate the help! Thanks for taking the time. I'll get him the list and hopefully he'll be up and gaming in no time!