[Guide] How to BUILD a cheap desktop that can max out most games! [Pics]

[Dom1992]

Ok so I've seen a lot of threads lately saying "I have $1000 to spend on a gaming pc and I don't know what to get, please help!". Typical recommendations are i7s, water cooling, Gtx 560 ti's and as much ram as possible. This thread is meant to clear some things up for people considering what to buy and I will draw on my own pc building experiences based on my most recent 550 euro computer that can play BF3 at ulta settings/1080p with 50fps.

Please note: all recommendations here are made based on a mix of euro/dollar prices, you decide what info is suitable for you.

Budget Ranges (stated in $ but can also be euros/pounds):

1) Low-budget gamer: $400-600
2) Med-budget gamer: $600-1000
3) High-end gamer: $1000+

I will focus on low-budget builds because these are the most interesting and challenging to do. If you're a limited budget, it is inevitably going to require a trade-off between: price, speed and "aesthetics" (looks, noise, temperature, features).

Now I will break down the list of components I used to put together my machine and suggest some alternatives:

Processor:

For my build, I chose an AMD Phenom X4 965 BE @ 3.4ghz. I knew I was building this machine to primarily play BF3, a game that requires 4 cores for smooth online game play. The main alternative to this would be an Intel i3-2100 which is faster in many applications, but for BF3 the AMD wins. On this note let me clarify that it is never required to drop more than $150 on a cpu to max out games. Any 4 core Sandy/Ivy bridge or an AMD 965/FX 4170 can max out any game given the right graphics card. At the 100 dollar/euro price range you will have the choice between 4 core AMDs or 2 core Intels, both are good and will get the job done. I personally prefer AMD in this price segment as they are easily overclock-able (= more speed for free) and work well in BF3 multiplayer games.

My AMD 965 cost me 92 euros .

Graphics Card:

I chose a Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB OC Edition. It gets the job done for little money, no complaints. Alternatives for similar money would be a Nvidia GTX 480 (if you don't mind heat/noise/increased power draw), a Gtx 560 Ti (slightly slower + more expensive, not recommended unless its a good deal) or a Radeon HD 7850 (a bit faster but also a bit more pricey). All of these will manage to max or almost max out any game at 1080p with 40+ fps.

My Radeon 6950 cost me 176 euros .

Mainboard:

This depends on whether you chose an AMD or Intel cpu. I have an AsRock Extrem3 870 Rev 2.0 with Usb 3 ports, sata 6gb/s connectors, 4 memory dim slots and 2 pci 16.0 connectors for cross fire. For this part I suggest you get an ATX sized mainboard with the features I mentioned above for a minimum amount of comfort. Also make sure that the mb supports the socket/wattage of your cpu. Since this is a budget build, I didn't worry about the upgrade path of my components. This is section is where I can give you the least advice so you will have to do some research for yourself.

My AsRock cost me 73 euros.

Ram:

4 gb of the cheapest 1333mhz ram you can find. Paying more for better performing ram (higher clock speed or lower latency) is not worth the minuscule difference in performance. If you have the extra $20 lying around, you might want to upgrade to 8 gb later on. I chose a 4gb 240 pin ddr3 Corsair value select stick.

My Ram cost me 19.5 euros.

HDD:

Since this is a budget build it doesn't really matter. Use whatever will hold your games. I had a spare 250gb hard drive lying around so I only bought a Samsung 830 64gb ssd to use as a boot drive.

My SSD cost me 61 euros.

Case:

I chose a Cooler Master Elite 430 mid-tower case. Its roomy enough for big gpu's, it has a side window and a 120mm fan with blue leds installed in front. I recommend using this case as its very cheap, looks good but has no cable management features.

My Elite 430 cost me 35 euros.

Power Supply:

Any good, 80+ certified, 500 watt PSU will do. Make sure it has at least 2 6-pin connectors for the gpu. I got lucky and found a 750w Bronze+ Adata psu for sale.

It cost me 50 euros.

Extras:

-> Cheap Dvd burner ~ 15-20 euros
-> additional case fans ~ However much you want to spend. I bought 2 120 blue led Cooler master sickle flows and 2 generic 80mm fans for 20 euros altogether
-> CPU cooler ~ all boxed cpus come with an oem cooler. If this isn't good enough you can always upgrade to something cooler/quieter. $30 will get you a nice Cooler Master Hyper 212
-> Led stripes/manual fan control/other ****gy stuff ~ no space for this in a budget build
->Windows 7 License ~ can cost you $100 if you don't have a spare one/are too dumb to get one for free

So in summary, my system cost me 546.5 euros and it can max out about any game out right now.

Here is a pic of it during construction:



I will upload more pics tomorrow.

Idea for $400 gaming PC:

CPU: Intel Pentium G620 ~ $60
GPU: Nvidia Gtx 460 ~ $100
Mainboard: Generic H61 mini-atx ~ $40
Ram: Generic 4gb ~ $20
Case: Same as above ~ $40
HDD: Any will do ~ $50
PSU: A good 400w will do ~ $40
Dvd Burner: Any will do ~ $20

This comes out to $370 before shipping/tax for a computer than can play most games on high-max settings. Something like this + a cheap $400 laptop will serve you much better than buying a $1000+ gaming laptop.

Idea for $300gaming PC:

CPU: Intel Celeron G530 ~ $50
GPU: Radeon HD 6770 ~ $80
Mainboard: Generic H61 mini-atx ~ $40
Ram: Generic 4gb ~ $20
PSU + Case: LOGISYS Computer CS305BK ~ $30
HDD: Any will do ~ $50
Dvd Burner: Any will do ~ $20

This comes out to $290 before shipping/tax for a computer than can play most games on medium-high settings. This is the minimum you could get away with if you want to do some gaming.

I hope my build and the advice will help some of you choose parts for your next build. If you just want to game, there is no need to spend more than 600 euros/dollars/pounds.

I will check this thread frequently to answer any questions you might have.

[JCDub]

nice thread brah, raped.


would you happen to know about a gaming laptop that can max lets say.. Skyrim (w/mods) GTA IV or V when it comes out, BF3, Arma II w/ DayZ, nba 2k12, etc that i can also use for college ? i'm trying to decide whether or not i should get a macbook or use that money to get a better spec'd PC laptop.

[Ataglance1234]

you should do a cable management guide, cause im mirin yours

[Fivefootkillerz]

Hey thanks for the info this will definitely help me when i decide to build my own gaming desktop, just got to wait for that money to roll in.

[LiftingNoobs]

you should do a cable management guide, cause im mirin yours

^this, my wires always get dust attracted into my PC, how do I make it gaming friendly like the op?

[Jattfusion]

^this, my wires always get dust attracted into my PC, how do I make it gaming friendly like the op?

lol not sure if srs.. do u know why that brah posted " you should do a cable management guide, cause m miring urs lol.

[Dom1992]

nice thread brah, raped.


would you happen to know about a gaming laptop that can max lets say.. Skyrim (w/mods) GTA IV or V when it comes out, BF3, Arma II w/ DayZ, nba 2k12, etc that i can also use for college ? i'm trying to decide whether or not i should get a macbook or use that money to get a better spec'd PC laptop.

LENOVO IDEAPAD Y580 M772DGE is your best bet. GTX 660m and Ivy Bridge I7 for a decent price. Whats your budget anyways?

you should do a cable management guide, cause im mirin yours

lol not sure if srs.. do u know why that brah posted " you should do a cable management guide, cause m miring urs lol.

As I said in my post, this case offers no cable management features + my psu was only semi-modular. Once it was all done I managed to tuck most of the cables into the hdd bays so I will upload some pics later today.

Edit: Added a configuration for a $400 gaming pc.

[miniking96]

Hey man I am now seriously considering building my own can the one you listed seriously max out games like skyrim and bf3, also if you were to upgrade anything in this guide to something else so that the computer is still pretty decent next year, what would it be? Proccesor? And I would also need to get a keyboard and mouse anything you could recommend? By the way is there anyway when building a desktop to put hdmi ports in it so I can use my hdtv as a monitor?

[Dom1992]

Hey man I am now seriously considering building my own can the one you listed seriously max out games like skyrim and bf3, also if you were to upgrade anything in this guide to something else so that the computer is still pretty decent next year, what would it be? Proccesor? And I would also need to get a keyboard and mouse anything you could recommend? By the way is there anyway when building a desktop to put hdmi ports in it so I can use my hdtv as a monitor?

Most new graphic cards have hdmi outputs (mine has two) so thats no issue.

I wouldn't upgrade the cpu yet because it sits on an AM3+ socket and new amd piledriver cpus are going to come out next year that might make for a very nice upgrade.

If you really wanted to upgrade, get 8 gb ram, a nice cpu cooler to overclock, maybe a larger case with cable management and a stronger graphics card? For 100-150$ more you could get a Radeon 7950 or Gtx 670 that would maybe add 10ish FPS to your games.

My keyboard is a logitech g110 and my mouse is a razer thron edition with matching mousepad. Paid 100 euros combined, very happy with it.

[miniking96]

Most new graphic cards have hdmi outputs (mine has two) so thats no issue.

I wouldn't upgrade the cpu yet because it sits on an AM3+ socket and new amd piledriver cpus are going to come out next year that might make for a very nice upgrade.

If you really wanted to upgrade, get 8 gb ram, a nice cpu cooler to overclock, maybe a larger case with cable management and a stronger graphics card? For 100-150$ more you could get a Radeon 7950 or Gtx 670 that would maybe add 10ish FPS to your games.

My keyboard is a logitech g110 and my mouse is a razer thron edition with matching mousepad. Paid 100 euros combined, very happy with it.

So its not worth it to go for a i7/ crazy processor? If I were to upgrade to a gtx 670 or a 7950 would I need a more powerful psu and what kind of voltage should I go for on the psu? Also, does the graphics cards brand matter ie. sapphire vs asus vs msi etc. ?

edit: one more thing on a scale of 1-10 for a person who is not very good with computers how difficult is it too put the computer together is it worth it to pay someone to do it for me or should I give it a shot myself, like is there alot of wiring or is it mostly just putting parts into place?

[Dom1992]

So its not worth it to go for a i7/ crazy processor? If I were to upgrade to a gtx 670 or a 7950 would I need a more powerful psu and what kind of voltage should I go for on the psu? Also, does the graphics cards brand matter ie. sapphire vs asus vs msi etc. ?

edit: one more thing on a scale of 1-10 for a person who is not very good with computers how difficult is it too put the computer together is it worth it to pay someone to do it for me or should I give it a shot myself, like is there alot of wiring or is it mostly just putting parts into place?

5. Do it yourself. It took me 3 hours for my first build and it was decently fun.

For a budget build the AMD 965 is the most suitable cpu. If you have some more money to spend get an i5 -3450 or an i5-2500k (if u want to overclock). Unless you use photoshop/video editing software there is no reason to pay extra for an i7 as it doesn't improve gaming performance.

A high quality 500w-600w psu is more than enough for any single graphic card setup. Graphic card manufacturers differ with regard to price, cooling systems and some people say quality. I don't know much about this and just chose the cheapest available card regardless of who made it.

[Dom1992]

bump!

[wereireland]

Where did you get your parts that it only added up to 550? What country are you in? Im in ireland so this is relevant to my intrests.

[Dom1992]

Where did you get your parts that it only added up to 550? What country are you in? Im in ireland so this is relevant to my intrests.

Netherlands. This country is pretty expensive for tech so you should be looking at roughly the same prices.

[wereireland]

Netherlands. This country is pretty expensive for tech so you should be looking at roughly the same prices.

An online shop or local shop? I cant find any cheap places. Was looking at tiger direct but im not sure if they deliver here.

[Dom1992]

An online shop or local shop? I cant find any cheap places. Was looking at tiger direct but im not sure if they deliver here.

online shop. don't try to order from the us as tax + shipping + customs charges will inflate price too much.

[wereireland]

online shop. don't try to order from the us as tax + shipping + customs charges will inflate price too much.

Website name? Lol yeah im after tryinng tiger direct. 300 dollar shipping and it totaled 1400 euro lulz

[Dom1992]

Website name? Lol yeah im after tryinng tiger direct. 300 dollar shipping and it totaled 1400 euro lulz

http://www.dabs.ie/
http://www.elara.ie/
http://www.komplett.ie/Komplett/site/KomplettHome.aspx

Edit:

Added a potential build for a sub $300 gaming pc

[wereireland]

What do you think of this?


Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid-Tower Gaming Chassis, Black

Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black 3.5" SATA6GB/S 7200rpm 64MB

Sony 24x DVD-RW/RAM SATA Black LightScribe Drive

Asus P8Z77-V LX,

Intel Core i5-3570

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600mhz

Sapphire Technology ATI Radeon 7850 920MHz 2GB PCI-Express 3.0 HDMI OC

Corsair 750W Enthusiast Series TX750 Modular Power Supply

All for €962. Also thanks for that website. The first one seems pretty cheap. All this stuff is from it. Am i missing any parts? I have 750 watt becuase i think i might add a second 7850 in a few years when one cant max games anymore. Also i think the 7850 overclocks very well. I seen someone here get 40%more to rival the power of a gtx 580

[TastyYoghurt]

What do you think of this?


Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid-Tower Gaming Chassis, Black

Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black 3.5" SATA6GB/S 7200rpm 64MB

Sony 24x DVD-RW/RAM SATA Black LightScribe Drive

Asus P8Z77-V LX,

Intel Core i5-3570

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600mhz

Sapphire Technology ATI Radeon 7850 920MHz 2GB PCI-Express 3.0 HDMI OC

Corsair 750W Enthusiast Series TX750 Modular Power Supply

All for €962. Also thanks for that website. The first one seems pretty cheap. All this stuff is from it. Am i missing any parts? I have 750 watt becuase i think i might add a second 7850 in a few years when one cant max games anymore. Also i think the 7850 overclocks very well. I seen someone here get 40%more to rival the power of a gtx 580

Get an SSD for your boot drive, you won't regret it. I recommend the Corsair M4 or the Samsung 830.

[Dom1992]

What do you think of this?


Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid-Tower Gaming Chassis, Black

Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black 3.5" SATA6GB/S 7200rpm 64MB

Sony 24x DVD-RW/RAM SATA Black LightScribe Drive

Asus P8Z77-V LX,

Intel Core i5-3570

Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600mhz

Sapphire Technology ATI Radeon 7850 920MHz 2GB PCI-Express 3.0 HDMI OC

Corsair 750W Enthusiast Series TX750 Modular Power Supply

All for €962. Also thanks for that website. The first one seems pretty cheap. All this stuff is from it. Am i missing any parts? I have 750 watt becuase i think i might add a second 7850 in a few years when one cant max games anymore. Also i think the 7850 overclocks very well. I seen someone here get 40%more to rival the power of a gtx 580

Why did you choose a i5-3570? If you want to oc get a i5-200k and if you don't want to oc get the i5 -3450.

Also, a 7850 is underpowered for a 960 euro build.

To game, an i5-3450 and a Gtx 670 would blow your config away for the same price. The money u save from downgrading the cpu (3570 - 3450), the ram (1600mhz - 1333mhz) and the hdd (black - blue edition) will get you much better gaming performance.

In general, your 962 euro combination would only offer 5-10% more fps than my 540 euro build.

[Durendal]

To the brah asking if he should pay someone else to build the rig for him, no. Building a computer is no harder than building a lego set when you were a kid, follow the instructions and everything is plug and play.

[devil_s haircut]

Unless you use photoshop/video editing software there is no reason to pay extra for an i7 as it doesn't improve gaming performance

I really feel like this bears repeating. For a gaming rig, the best bang for your buck is in the video card, hands down. SSD's would be a close second, IMO.

[ChrisHansonHere]

someone should make a cable management guide for OP

[JCDub]

LENOVO IDEAPAD Y580 M772DGE is your best bet. GTX 660m and Ivy Bridge I7 for a decent price. Whats your budget anyways?

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...4F5F5622D1AC7A

which one brah? and if anything my budget is under 1000$

[Dom1992]

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...4F5F5622D1AC7A

which one brah? and if anything my budget is under 1000$

Y580 Laptop - 209945U or IdeaPad Y580 Laptop - 209943U . It depends on how much the upgrade from hd-ready to full hd is worth to you. Its $150 more + you get 500gb less hdd space. Thats a pretty heft trade-off..

Edit: since your budget is below $1000 get the $949 one. The screen isn't nice but feature wise its amazing for the price.

[JCDub]

Y580 Laptop - 209945U or IdeaPad Y580 Laptop - 209943U . It depends on how much the upgrade from hd-ready to full hd is worth to you. Its $150 more + you get 500gb less hdd space. Thats a pretty heft trade-off..

Edit: since your budget is below $1000 get the $949 one. The screen isn't nice but feature wise its amazing for the price.

well i talked it over with my dad and we're getting the Y580 Laptop - 20994BU for 1079$ w/ student discount

System Components
Processor
3rd generation Intel Core i7-3610QM Processor( 2.30GHz 6MB)

Operating system
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64

Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX660M 2GB

Memory
8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600 MHz

Display
15.6" FHD LED Glare Wedge 1920x1080

Pointing device
Industry Standard Multi-touch 2 button touchpad

Hard Drive
1TB 5400 rpm

Optical Drive
Blu-ray/DVD-RW

Battery
6 Cell Li-Polymer

Network Card
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2200BGN

Bluetooth
Bluetooth

Warranty
One year

Form Factor
Notebook

Camera
HD Camera

HDMI
HDMI (Out)

good price brah?

[Dom1992]

well i talked it over with my dad and we're getting the Y580 Laptop - 20994BU for 1079$ w/ student discount



good price brah?

Quad i7, Gtx 660m, 1tb hdd, blue ray, full hd display. You wont find anything these specs cheaper anywhere else unless its used. I'd say its a good deal.

[JCDub]

Quad i7, Gtx 660m, 1tb hdd, blue ray, full hd display. You wont find anything these specs cheaper anywhere else unless its used. I'd say its a good deal.

Alright thanks brah, ultimately i decided to go with the best model for only 1139$ with Quad i7, GTX 660m, 1tb hdd + 32gb SSD, bluray, FHD, etc.

[Dom1992]

Alright thanks brah, ultimately i decided to go with the best model for only 1139$ with Quad i7, GTX 660m, 1tb hdd + 32gb SSD, bluray, FHD, etc.

Sounds very nice. What games you gonna play on it?