$400 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($49.89 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Logisys CS369BK ATX Mid Tower Case w/480W Power Supply  ($40.49 @ NCIX US)
Total: $409.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-27 04:20 EDT-0400

The 6-core FX 6300 offers great price to performance ratio. Combined with the 2GB AMD R7 260X and 4GB of RAM, you can expect to play most PC games at a mix of medium/high settings on a single monitor. The built in power supply and the case isn't the greatest, but for a $400 system some concessions and corners have to be cut to fit within budget.

$500 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($51.78 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card  ($129.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Line-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $501.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-27 03:15 EDT-0400

Its about the price of the Xbone with the Kinect, except that its 8 core processor is twice as fast and it has a dedicated GPU instead of an APU setup (where the CPU handles video as well) like the Xbone. This setup should be able to play most games at high settings, with some more demanding games at a mix of medium/high settings with anti-aliasing turned down.

$600 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($80.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $594.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-27 03:30 EDT-0400

This one comes in at a little over $600 before rebates; instead of the AMD FX CPU it has an Intel quad core i5; the intel CPU's are better energy efficient and have better single core performance, so even though the AMD has more cores and power on paper in reality the Intel chip will beat it in most gaming applications. The video card is also better than the last build's, all in all this PC should be able to play the majority of games out there on high settings on a single monitor.

$700 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI H97M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($88.99 @ Mac Mall)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $708.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-27 04:00 EDT-0400

This build follows the same theme as the others - it sacrifices expandability and uses the lowered cost of the mATX form factor to pinch on the budget to put it into the latest 4690 CPU from intel; the R9 280 is a great card for the budget, performing better in most benchmarks than the GTX 760 for less. On a single monitor, this $700 should be able to play most games at the highest settings smoothly at 1920x1080.

*These builds purposefully lack an optical drive; since most gaming is now purchased via the internet and OS can be installed via USB, they are omitted to stay in budget. The builds also all use the stock heat sinks that come free with the processors -- as most of the boards or CPU's on this list do not allow for overclocks, stock heat sinks should be able to manage the heat produced by the processor. The prices may be further reduced with mail in rebates.

Lets see what you guys have for your budget builds.

[$500 overclocking build]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Raidmax ATX-402WB ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $519.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 07:16 EDT-0400


According to Passmark, the AMD FX8320 is the best value when it comes to price/performance of any high-end CPU. It is also unclocked, which means that users can change the clock speed/frequency to increase performance; the Gigabyte motherboard has an 8+2 power phase as well as VRM cooling allowing it to support overclocking -- an after-market Coolermaster heat sink manages heat better than the stock one provided by AMD. 8GB of RAM is more than enough for any gaming application, and 1TB of HDD space should be sufficient for most Steam Libraries. The R7 260X provides nearly the same FPS in games as the more expensive GTX 750ti. The Raidmax ATX-402WB is roomy, has channels for cable management to increase air flow, several fan mounting options, and a nice window to see inside your build. A Bronze 80+ Corsair Builder series 500W provides enough power for modest overclocking.

$600 overclocking build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($149.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Raidmax 635W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $594.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 09:51 EDT-0400

At its heart, the $600 build is very similar to the $500, with the exception of an improved graphics card, which is several steps above the $500 build's R7 260X. The R9 270X is a very capable GPU and can play most games at high settings with respectable frame rates. The Merc Alpha case has a lot of room to work inside, nice channeling options for cable management, and several mounts for case fans.


$700 overclocking build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor  ($174.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99FX PRO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Alpha (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Raidmax 635W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $704.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 09:42 EDT-0400

FX 8350 build for overclockers; for those who want an easily unlockable CPU to tweak around with, the FX8350 is one of the highest OC'able chips out there with an incredible price-to-performance ratio. The Asus 990FX board is a solid foundation for the system and is well suited for overclocking the 8350 -- to keep the CPU cool and OC's stable, the CoolerMaster 212 heat sink is considered the best for the money. The M5A99FX PRO R2.0 also supports crossfire or SLI configurations, but the single R9 280 is a well-performing graphics card in its own right; at $199, like the 8350 it has an amazing cost-to-performance ratio. The Bitfenix Merc case is one of my favorite budget cases. It isn't gaudy like many other lower price cases, the build quality is solid, and there are plenty of mounting points for addition case fans, and the semi-modular Raidmax PSU makes cable management easier and provides sufficient wattage to OC the CPU/GPU.

*the prices for these overclocked builds take in account mail in rebates -- prices before rebates will be higher than the price point goals

I essentially have this build, with a few brand exceptions.  CPU, Mobo and Fan the same.  I have my O/S on an SSD and a Asus DirectCU II GTX770.  Power supply is also upgraded to 750W.  Upgraded case fans as well.  I have not OC'ed it yet, however.  Performance is great, running everything max settings on 1080p.  Was about $1,000 when it was all said and done, not taking into account rebates, etc.  Will probably add another video card if/when I feel like it or decide to go multiscreen.

Thank you, I'm about to build a new PC and this is a big help.  

$500 Intel Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($22.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $495.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 21:10 EDT-0400

Quad-core Intel i5 processor -- though not super powerful or unlocked for OC'ing, has better single core performance than the FX 8350. Though some games rely on heavy multi-threading, most are handled by a single core, meaning the 4460 will get better performance that the eight core AMD chip. The motherboard is bare bones and doesn't have many features, the RAM is only 4GB (which is still more than most games can use) -- the combination of the i5 chip with the 750ti will get decent frames in most games at medium/high settings, for under $500.

This is relevant to my interests.

Unfortunately, prices are for US vendors... not sure exactly how much they would cost in pounds. Also, power is a bit cheaper here in the US from what I hear, so an intel build being more heat efficient may be better suited for Europeans.

$400 Intel Pentium build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.40 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($27.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($22.50 @ Newegg)
Total: $411.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-28 21:18 EDT-0400

With the Devil's Canyon release, intel put out a brand new 20th anniversary edition Pentium chip. These chips are a steal -- they have better per core performance than some of the I3 processors that cost more than twice as much, and are unlocked for overclocking, which i3 processors are not - some people report getting clocks of 4.5ghz with the standard cooler. 8GB of RAM is pretty much as much as you will need for gaming, no sacrifices made there. The Barracuda is the best price to size HDD for a 1TB hard drive, and the superclocked 750ti can get you at least 30fps on ultra settings for most games, higher of course if you tailor the settings here and there. The Thermaltake case is nothing flashy, but does the job with decent ventilation and of course, the price point we are looking for. The Rosewill 450 PSU is 80+ bronze rated and semi-modular, meaning un-used cables won't be cluttering your case and impeding air flow.

Edit -- while looking up FPS for the pentium + 750ti, I found a guy on youtube who pretty much made this exact PC;

Another good resource is


Logical Increments

 

Some of those builds are pretty balanced, but a lot of them could be done for way less money - you can essentially make their $700-$800 more if you use different cases/PSU's that are on sale for hundreds of dollars less.

$700 R9 280X Build
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $716.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 17:46 EDT-0400

The 4590 single core performance and current price serves as the basis for this build; since it is a locked CPU, the stock heat sink is sufficient. A Gigabyte H97 chipset board lets you use the new Haswell refresh without a BIOS update out the box, though it will be spartan for features like rear USB ports. Team Vulcan RAM is still the best deal going currently, for just under $70 for our golden standard of 8GB -- same goes with the Barracuda 1TB HDD from Seagate. However, the R9 280X is an incredible card for the price -- it is the successor of the 7970 from last year, which was the flagship card of the Tahiti series GPU's. There is serious power in this card, and you should be able to easily max settings on a single monitor on all but the most demanding games. The Fractal Design case is a smaller case that only comes with one case fan, so a rear exhaust fan (not included) is recommended as the GPU is pretty powerful -- but the case itself has incredible value for the price including front USB 3.0 ports. Because we are not going to be overclocking, the 600W PSU is more than enough to power our build with headroom to spare, and it is semi modular to make cable management a lot easier, especially in a smaller sized mATX case.

$500 Pentium R9 280 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-E33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($75.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card  ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($22.50 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer  ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $494.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-07-30 23:50 EDT-0400

This one is sort of a fun concept -- it uses the incredible value of the 20th anniversary Pentium chip and combines it with the massive power of the R9 280 GPU. In games that are more GPU intensive, this will easily play on max frames -- its very similar to the previous $400 pentium build, but the extra $500 dollars towards the GPU will make it much more able to play higher frames at higher details.

Nice write up. I decided to try the $400 build. With Windows, shipping, and tax, it cost me about $550. All the parts should be here tomorrow/Wednedsay.

Awesome, let us know how it works... Did you do the pentium or fx build.

Went with the AMD FX build. I did however get a different case/PSU combo because I read some less than stellar things about the one in the OP. Also got 8GB RAM instead of 4gb. My total was closer to $500 + a new Windows 7 license at $100.

I got the RaidMax Aeolus case, 500W PSU and 4 fans.

Just an update - got everything running yesterday. Quite happy with it! Averaged 60 FPS on BF3 using ultra settings and Source engine games like DOD:S and CS:GO average anywhere from 250 to 300fps.

not too shabby for $400! Also, AMD just announced the FX8300 - which will be a 95W 8 core CPU cheaper than the 8320, meaning we might be able to see ~$400 8 core CPU builds soon.

Not bad at all since before I was lucky to get 25fps playing DOD:S on my laptop

Then again, I remember playing Counter Strike when it was still a Half Life mod on a dial up connection. Those were some pretty... awful days

Welll, looks like I was wrong about the Source engine games. I downloaded Insurgency last night and while for the most part, it runs at 50-60, up to 90 indoors, it drops to 30-35 fps and stutters quite a bit :(

I bought a tower from a school last month for $25.  Hopefully I can upgrade it a little bit from your $400 list.  Don't want to play games I can play on PS4 but just some of the cheaper ones I've accumulated on Steam over the last few years.

See if you can figure out the components, maybe take some pics of the inside -- some builders like dell will use proprietary parts that make it hard to upgrade.

This is all I have for now other than taking it apart

 




 

Well, I ended up ordering an R9 270 to replace the R7. I'm returning it to Amazon. The HDMI out would not play audio, so I guess it was meant to be. The R9 was only $20 more after the rebate - it will be a big upgrade as well.

When I start something I can't leave it alone

I am just getting into building a PC after coming from gaming laptops, Is this a good budget build?
Intel i5 4690K 3.5 LGA
Asus P8177-v lk Z77 chipset  mother board
Kingston hyper x 8 GB  ram
Cooler master Hyper N520 ( I plan on overclocking the CPU)
Corsair CX 750 wat pwer supply
Samsung 120GB SSD
seagate barracuda 1TB
Rosewill Challenger case
MSI R9 270 2GB ( I plan on overclocking it)

Anything I am missing? this build ends up being 900 on amazon.  Also what Monitor, keyboard, and OS should I get?

We can do better on a $900 budget; first off the z77 chipset is for Ivy Bridge and won't be compatible with the 1150 socket. Z97 is the current motherboard for the Devil Canyon chips like the 4690K.

Thats the processor I have on the list. What would you suggest for a 900$ build

I ended up spending a little more and went with almost the same as what GeorgeInNePa did here: http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_119/1631848_Gaming_Computer__Birthday_Build_for_Son__Complete_.html



I bought a Sapphire Tri-X R9 290 instead of the XFX because it was on sale at the time.

I also bought a basic HDD instead of the hybrid drive.

Is $900 your limit before rebates? If so;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($238.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($60.27 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($209.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: BitFenix Comrade ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $905.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 17:34 EDT-0400

The Z97 motherboard is ready for the Haswell refresh CPU's, the motherboard is decently suited for OC'ing. The 212 is the best heat sink for the money, and the PNY SSD has read/write speeds comparable to the Samsung for a bit less allowing us to go for the R9 280. The Roswill Challenger case is kind of old and does not have USB3.0 support, so I chose a case that I've used in budget builds before that I think is a good compromise between price and features. The Bitfenix Comrade has a lot of room to work with, a lot of options for fan mountingm and lets us come in under your price point. If $900 after rebates is acceptable we can get a little bit more for your money;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($60.27 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R9 280X 3GB royalQueen Video Card  ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $911.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-07 17:57 EDT-0400

We can increase the GPU to a 280X, which is a rebadge of the 7970 - AMD's flagship card from last year, still very powerful and capable of maxing most games. The case is switched out with a Rosewill Line Glow case, which is the full size of the Line M which I am fond of - it has a lot of room to play with, and comes with three fans from the go; most budget cases come with one.

Thanks! I have one question, the cooler master hyper N520 seems like a upgrade to the 212, or is it not?

520 uses 92mm fans -- the 212 uses larger 120mm fans. They aren't a direct upgrade of each other.

Alright, thanks again. I always wanted to go water cooled on a rig, but It seems like air cooled technology has pretty much the same efficiency now.

$500 8320 R9 270 Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card  ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake VL80001W2Z ATX Mid Tower Case  ($22.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Rosewill 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $503.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 04:28 EDT-0400

Right now there are some good deals available on the FX 8320 -- with a sale price of $139, it is the best performance to cost chip on the market currently. A little bit of penny pinching in other areas lets us add an AMD R9 270 GPU. The motherboard is a pretty basic and barebones Asus model; since the budget Thermaltake case doesn't have front USB ports, we save $10 by getting the non-USB version of the motherboard (though you will have a couple USB 3.0 ports in the rear of the machine). The Rosewill PSU is semi-modular aiding in cable management, and the 450w is sufficient to power ths system.

Very helpful thread for me. I'm in the 700-1,000 range in the terms of how much I can spend on a computer. But this has been helpful. Thanks.
I am looking at the i5 or i7.

If you don't plan on overclocking, something like this will be overkill for most games;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($295.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 280 3GB IceQ OC Video Card  ($205.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $825.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 16:47 EDT-0400

I tried to keep it below your maximum budget but provide you with the high end, multi-threaded i7; more CPU intensive games like Arma/Civilization/etc like having more cores to use, and even at stock speeds and locked clock (no overclocking to save money on cooling/higher end motherboard/more expensive CPU). The motherboard doesn't have many features -- but since we aren't able to overclock anyways, you should have more than enough ports for USB/etc and we save some cash towards the CPU/GPU. 8GB is the standard for most gaming computers, 1TB is a decent size HDD and you have many bays to expand if you need more secondary storage. The R9 280 is one of the best deals for price/performance in GPU's. Again, I'm a big fan of the Rosewill Line-M, the Line Glow being the larger brother of it -- it has channels behind the HDD bays to route wires and it comes with three case fans to help with cooling to save us from an expensive CPU cooler - we'll just keep the stock one that comes with the 4790. The 650W modular PSU will also help in cable management, and provides more than enough power than the estimated 423w required. About $785 after rebates, $825 before.

If your budget turns out to be on the lower end of your estimate, we can make the build happen still by dropping the i7 to the i5 4690 -- this would still play most games flawlessly at very high settings as well as the i7 build;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($87.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 280 3GB IceQ OC Video Card  ($185.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $699.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 17:04 EDT-0400

if you end up with the $1000 budget we can expand the GPU to a 280X, and probably also swing a better motherboard and an unlocked CPU for overclocking. This is starting to get into overkill for a single monitor territory.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($338.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($122.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($73.95 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 280X 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill Line Glow ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1007.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-10 17:06 EDT-0400

One more question for these budget builds, what OS would be the best for games coming out right now?

To me, all of the current windows are more or less just reskins - I would go with whatever was cheapest at the moment, which according to PC part picker is:

Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit

Thanks again, Im guessing this will not work for a new build http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A6TPHZS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1FIY87P6MTO3J

When I did some (brief) research into which version of Windows to get for gaming, I read that games run slightly better on Windows 8.1.  I don't recall if it is because of memory optimization/usage or DirectX compatibility.

Since Win 8 is only a couple of dollars more than 7, I went with 8.

If you install the upgrade, then install it again over the previously installed OS you can use the key to validate it. So you do a fresh install with the upgrade disc, then "upgrade" the fresh install by installing it over again, then put in the validation key.

$400 overclocking Intel/Nvidia build http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wFYXVn

G3258 is only dual core, but it can hang with the big boys at 4.5+Ghz

You could save some cash by going with the Logisys case/psu combo, but I thought the reviews were a bit sketchy to rely on it for an overclock.

Could also go with the Cooler Master TX3 instead of the 212 EVO if you don't mind a bit higher temps.

in '05 I bought two Nvidia 7900GTX OC video cards.  I could trade them now for two of your top systems nearly.  errr, I mean yeah...fuuuuuuu

So I went with the 280x build, bought and paid for just waiting for parts. I did change the memory to 2 kingston hyperx blu 4gb 1600 and I had to change the case to a nzxt h440 because from what I have read the hyper 212 EVO will not fit in the Line-Glo. Thanks again for your help!

I got pretty carried away on my last build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($174.77 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($237.99 @ NCIX US)  SSD's in Raid 0
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($237.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($80.98 @ OutletPC) HDD's in Raid 1
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($80.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($449.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 350D Window MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($97.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-P12025KK-RP 70.5 CFM 120mm  Fan  ($12.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-P14025KK-RP 122.2 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($15.19 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-P14025KK-RP 122.2 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($15.19 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-P14025KK-RP 122.2 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($15.19 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-P14025KK-RP 122.2 CFM 140mm  Fan  ($15.19 @ Amazon)
Total: $2249.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-15 09:48 EDT-0400

I am looking forward to upgrading to an 880 when they come out.

I'd say $2250 is a bit over our budget, but for reference, this is my main gaming PC;

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H110 94.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus SABERTOOTH Z97 MARK 1 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($238.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($439.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($176.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial M550 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($145.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($83.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card (2-Way SLI)  ($499.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair C70 Military Green (Green) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($169.99 @ TigerDirect)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer  ($19.94 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($27.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2842.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-15 10:02 EDT-0400

Yeah, it kinda spiraled out of control... I got a lot of it in store at microcenter so I really dont have $2250 into it, probably a shade under $2k

Very nice machine you have there

Only thing different i am doing to that build is the white case about 15 Bucks more but other than that everything stays the same i am going to save the Memory money from that build i already have 8 gigs of it.

Go for the EVGA superclocked 750ti. It's cheaper on newegg right now, and a bit faster.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Merc Beta (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($39.98 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $586.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-20 05:04 EDT-0400

$600 AMD 8320 build - newegg has the FX 8320 on sale for $129, making it the best price to performance CPU at the moment; decent motherboard and GPU, and I'm a big fan of the Merc cases on sale at NCIX right now (though I like the merc alpha better as it has more ventilation and fan mounts up top).

Updated the budget intel/nvidia build

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TBYBzy

If you don't care about temps as much and want more ram http://pcpartpicker.com/p/wgmjRB

$500 better gpu http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Gzgxxr

Swapped the mobo. The Gigabyte board caps vcore at 1.2v. Can be quite limiting for the G3258. Best cases show 4.3ghz at 1.2, worst are 4-4.1.

Switched to the 750Ti Superclocked for a few dollars more.

G3258 owners megathread here. Lot's of overclocking and performance information with gameplay videos

Which one of these systems would you suggest for someone that just wants to play games at a nice frame rate, surf the internet, and doesn't want to over clock to get the performance to stay up to date?

Basically I want one to be ready to play for a couple of years at least and not have to constantly mess with settings and hardware, plug in and play.
Budget could be anywere from $700-$1k

I've been thinking about upgrading parts on my current PC, so this is VERY relevant to my interests.



I vote for a sticky on this thread.