Vote Now! $500 Budget Category

[sadams04]

Are you thinking what I am thinking?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($115.09 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B250M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 320GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($21.25 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $506.28
Shipping: -$7.99
Base Total: $498.29

 

[itsmedatguy]

Pre-Built Shenanigans (Toms Isn't Ballsy Enough to Pick This)

HP 8300 Elite Small Form Factor Desktop Computer ($193.99 @ Amazon)
CPU: i5-3470 @ 3.2 GHz - 3.6 GHz
RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600
HDD: 500GB 7200 RPM
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 LGA 1150 ($43.99 @ NewEgg)
Graphics Card: GTX 1060 - ASUS PH-GTX1060-3G ($214.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SCM-01 ATX Mini Tower Case ($23.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 400 N1, 400W, 2 Year Warranty ($24.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $501.95

Gut the pre-built, throw it all onto the MSI board in the new case. $500 i5 + GTX 1060 build

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Pre-Built Shenanigans (Toms Isn't Ballsy Enough to Pick This)

HP 8300 Elite Small Form Factor Desktop Computer ($193.99 @ Amazon)
CPU: i5-3470 @ 3.2 GHz
RAM: 8GB DDR3
HDD: 500GB
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 LGA 1150 ($43.99 @ NewEgg)
Graphics Card: GTX 1060 - ASUS PH-GTX1060-3G ($214.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SCM-01 ATX Mini Tower Case ($23.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: APEVIA ATX-VS450W ($20.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $497.95

Gut the pre-built, throw it all onto the MSI board in the new case. <$500 i5 + GTX 1060 build

i5-3470 - $63
8GB DDR3 $40
500GB HDD $25
Total: $128

Put the savings toward a better PSU mainly and a CPU cooler.

 

[blankcr8]

Hmm

Upgradeable build with fast ram, extra ram slots, a high wattage and semi modular psu to deal with cable management and a gpu upgrade
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - RE4 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill - Capstone 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $499.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-11 20:13 EDT-0400

 

[itsmedatguy]

Pre-Built Shenanigans (Toms Isn't Ballsy Enough to Pick This)

HP 8300 Elite Small Form Factor Desktop Computer ($193.99 @ Amazon)
CPU: i5-3470 @ 3.2 GHz
RAM: 8GB DDR3
HDD: 500GB
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 LGA 1150 ($43.99 @ NewEgg)
Graphics Card: GTX 1060 - ASUS PH-GTX1060-3G ($214.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SCM-01 ATX Mini Tower Case ($23.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: APEVIA ATX-VS450W ($20.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $497.95

Gut the pre-built, throw it all onto the MSI board in the new case. <$500 i5 + GTX 1060 build

i5-3470 - $63
8GB DDR3 $40
500GB HDD $25
Total: $128

Put the savings toward a better PSU mainly and a CPU cooler.

Yeah but it looks like you're quoting ebay/used prices, the competition rules say it has to be sold by Amazon or NewEgg

 

[g-unit1111]

Yeah but it looks like you're quoting ebay/used prices, the competition rules say it has to be sold by Amazon or NewEgg

Yes this is correct. I will ask the contest admins about this one.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Yeah but it looks like you're quoting ebay/used prices, the competition rules say it has to be sold by Amazon or NewEgg

Yes this is correct. I will ask the contest admins about this one.[/quotemsg]

Yes I was, I forgot the rules. That wasn't supposed to be a submission, just a suggestion.

 

[andrew.pugh1986]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($45.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.45 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($153.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.75 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill - 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $501.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-08 18:04 EDT-0400

 

[TheTeo]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B350M GAMING PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB ACX 2.0 Video Card ($113.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design - Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $469.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-12 17:43 EDT-0400

Base Total: $494.93
Mail-in Rebates: -$35.00
Shipping: $9.98
Total: $469.91

 

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-11 23:02 EDT-0400

 

[Droidius]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Green 500GB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - BT 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $497.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-12 09:46 EDT-0400

 

[bluemaster97]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Amazon)
A quad core processor which is good for cpu intensive programs and applications, performing closely to a locked Intel i5. It will also pair nicely with the GPU listed below.

• 
  GamersNexus review
  Guru3D review
  Anandtech review
  Techspot review

Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Despite the fact that it doesn't have all the best features, doesn't have proper VRM cooling for overclocking, it is still a B350 chipset and allows you to overclock. For a few bucks more than A320 chipset which offers no OC, this is definitely a good choice if you want to increase your processor's potential more than what it is capable at stock.

Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)

Ryzen processors in general are known to favor higher speed RAM. For only around $10 more than other RAMs while offering up to 10-20% more performance increase compared to slower speed.

• 
  Techpowerup Review
  Legit review
  Hardware Unboxed review

Not to mention that during recent test of the new AGESA update (which improved memory compatibility), the difference makes it bigger

Single stick of RAM so you can upgrade to 16GB in the future.

Storage: Western Digital - RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($41.35 @ Amazon)
Cheapest 1TB drive available that has somewhat decent user review (despite user reviews might not be the most reliable source of information). Second cheapest drive is however a Hitachi and scored an awful review on both Amazon site and the pcpartpicker site.
Anything below 1TB is just awful value as if you pay a little bit more you'd get much more storage capacity. SSD will improve Windows boot time but taking into account that Windows 10 (since it's the only OS that has full support with Ryzen processors) has Fast Boot option that makes PC boot pretty fast, more storage would be better in the long term and adding an SSD later down the road if needed won't be a problem.

Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Amazon)
1050 Ti is a good value card. It can play most games at average of 40 fps and higher at 1080p with maxed out settings, reducing settings a bit will allow the card to run smooth 60fps all time in gaming.

Case: Rosewill - Galaxy-01 ATX Mid Tower Case ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Not the best case out there quality wise, but for only $27 you get lots of 3.5" bay, a single 2.5" bay for SSD, couple more external bays for optical drive (and an external 3.5") and a front panel with single USB 3.0 and couple of USB 2 and mic/audio jacks. It also fits a full size ATX board in case of upgrade in the future.

Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
There aren't any reputable reviews of the said unit yet (despite having been out for about a month). We know it is based of a higher quality CWT platform. The older green CX was group regulated and didn't go really well.There is a Russian review of the unit but it is a 650w model (in short the unit is pretty good, but need more reviews of it from other sites like JohnnyGuru to truly confirm it). Not to mention that the whole unit costs only $40.
As for wattage wise, at load a GTX 1050 Ti would consume around 70w max and same goes to R3 1200 (60-70w). Other devices connecting to it will consume power but not of a significance importance.

Total: $497.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-12 14:21 EDT-0400

All of this comes to just $3 under budget, not to mention Amazon and Newegg offers free shipping to all the items listed above.

 

[njoyner]

Cheapus Maximus

Low cost systems for 1080p gaming with some basic processing and graphics power are cool. This one tries to maximize performance, cheap. Not much storage for pics of you and your significant other, but you already have too many photos of you smooching. Amazing that at such a low price point you can have a quad core clock cpu capable of overclocking, and a serviceable low power graphics card. You won't be able to store your game library on this, but you can play a few at a time, and the platform will rock for the price. When you save up a couple more bones, you can get a bigger drive and put a real OS on the thing and run some software that might actually do something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot - Viper Elite 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: SK hynix - SL308 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($67.55 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 2GB Low Profile Video Card ($113.93 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-X1 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - BT 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $486.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-12 16:59 EDT-0400

 

[bluemaster97]

What happens if I make the list and at that time the price was lower but at the time the build was evaluated the price rises?

 

[Barty1884]

What happens if I make the list and at that time the price was lower but at the time the build was evaluated the price rises?

As this post.

Prices at time of posting are still considered valid, if they go up before contest end, as long as the price wasn't promotional.

 

[joe.birish]

$ 115.09 Intel i3-7100 @ amazon
$ 49.99 MSI - H110M Pro-VD @ amazon
$ 69.99 G.SKILL NT Series 8GB 288-Pin DDR4 2133 @ newegg
$ 56.68 ADATA SU800 128GB (ASU800SS-128GT-C) @ amazon
$144.99 ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini, 4GB GDDR5 (ZT-P10510A-10L) @ amazon
$ 26.99 ROSEWILL Micro ATX Mini Tower Computer Case FBM-X1 @ amazon
$ 20.99 APEVIA ATX-VS450W Venus 450W ATX Power Supply @ amazon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$ 484.72 @ 8:26 pm est, 9/12/17

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-7100-Desktop-Processor-BX80677I37100/dp/B01NCESRJX/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1505262271&sr=1-1&keywords=BX80677I37100
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017NIDYH2/?tag=pcpapi-20
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231959&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=Model F4-2133C15S-8GNT
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01K8A29BE/?tag=pcpapi-20&th=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MCU1ERO/?tag=pcpapi-20
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072F29JP4/?tag=pcpapi-20
https://www.amazon.com/ATX-VS450W-Auto-Thermally-Controlled-Components-Protections/dp/B01GUENTKC/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1505259887&sr=1-1&keywords=power+supply

 

[ddswanson31]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($115.09 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($65.18 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card ($144.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($18.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $489.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-12 23:46 EDT-0400

 

[Jagnoor]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4600 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M-HDV Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($61.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - NT Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($70.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0 Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.75 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $500.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-13 21:58 EDT-0400

Base Total: $498.69
Shipping: $1.99
Total: $500.68

 

[docswag]

Budget Beast

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4600 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($53.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi - Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill - SCM-01 ATX Mini Tower Case ($23.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - BT 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-13 22:57 EDT-0400

I picked a pentium over Ryzen because Ryzen won't perform much better in games but the extra cost will require sacrifices that would've made a bigger impact (no ssd, 1050 instead). The rest were pretty much the cheapest of each component I could find. I wanted to go with a better psu but that would've put it over budget, unfortunately.

 

[Jsimenhoff]

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We will accept votes on the Best PC Build until September 20th. Thanks for participating!