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Baseline builds ($250, $350, $450, $550, $650, $750, $850, $950, $1050)

Jack.EXE
By Jack.EXE
in New Builds and Planning
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Hello, before we begin, Many have come to me to find them an ideal build for the price. Now, for the purposes of this thread, we will be talking strictly gaming @ 1080p. Our builds will range from $250 to $1050, in $100 increments.

 

 

Build 1:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD 3850 1.3GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($33.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar AM1ML Micro ATX AM1 Motherboard  ($31.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card  ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC MA08-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $255.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 17:23 EDT-0400

 

Our first build is a $250 target, this is the bare minimum, but still usable for gaming. I'd consider this for source games & light indie games, as well as some lower end AAA games like CoD.

 

 

Build 2:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($33.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB FTW ACX Video Card  ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC MA08-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $345.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 17:29 EDT-0400

 

Our next build is at a $350 target, with a more powerful CPU & GPU, which the $100 extra affords us.

This should handle any game on low settings, and most on medium, and a few on high.

 

Build 3

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($55.18 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier Pro SP600 64GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Club 3D Radeon R7 265 2GB royalQueen Video Card  ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: DIYPC MA08-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $464.11
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 19:33 EDT-0400

 

Things get interesting in build 3, targeted at $450, we see the addition of an SSD, and 8 gigs of ram, as well as an upgrade to an R7 265, and a quad core CPU. This could pretty much handle anything out there at medium settings, and some things at high. I know I went $15 over budget, but it's worth it.

 

Build 4:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($96.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar TA970 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($141.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($24.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $548.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 19:27 EDT-0400

 

Remember in build 3 when I said it gets interesting? I lied. Build 4 is the real meat, seeing some major upgrades, such as a doubling of SSD storage, and the move to the R9 series of GPUs, as well as a CPU cooler and a 6 core. This should run almost anything on the market at high, and can max out some games.

 

Build 5:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor  ($114.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($104.87 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($141.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($51.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $644.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-24 12:30 EDT-0400

 

Not much has improved over the $550 build, but we introduce water cooling, a more feature rich motherboard, and a higher binned version of the same CPU. expect to reach 5 Ghz with this build.

 

Build 6:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($139.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($104.87 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card  ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $745.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 19:45 EDT-0400

 

This will likely be the last AMD cpu in this list, and we bid a handsome farewell with Build 6, slotting in at $750, I have built "faster" builds at this price range before, but they lacked features I deem vital. at this price, storage is one of the major upgrades one should consider, and a GTX760 is pretty close to perfect for 1080p. I threw in a better motherboard and a watercooler, so we can overclock this puppy hard. With this build, you should be able to max out any current title at 1080p.

 

Build 7:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($89.94 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($41.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 285 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($202.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $843.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 19:53 EDT-0400

 

For $850, you would expect the best, and you get the best. An upgrade to an i5 K series ate up much of the budget, while the rest was soaked up by the more powerful GPU. This should have no issue playing any modern game, and should last for quite a while before needing an upgrade. Personally, here is where I would stop when looking for a gaming PC, as beyond it only gets crazier.

 

Build 8:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($89.94 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba  3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($265.91 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $949.77
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 19:58 EDT-0400

 

Here is where we begin to lose most of our value, as the price gaps between parts gets bigger, and the performance delta gets smaller.

Like the last, this should be able to handle any game at 1080p, but unlike it, should also be able to run any game at 1440p on medium-high.

 

Build 9:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($229.98 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120M 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($89.94 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Corsair Force LS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba  3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card  ($329.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Window ATX Mid Tower Case  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1068.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-23 20:26 EDT-0400

 

In build 9, we begin to accept the cruel embrace of insanity. Can you get the same performance for cheaper? Yep. But can you get the same features? No, not really. In terms of games, this build is near identical to the last one, so what exactly is the difference? Simply, you add $100 to the price tag for 4 more gigs of ram, and physX.

 

 

Tell me, should I do more? Should I attempt a $150 build? Should I embrace insanity and continue climbing the price ladder?

Give your thoughts Below!

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Posted

Cant wait

giphy.gif

Grant us the joy of song and dance and ever watch over us in the lonely places in which we must walk - Pray to Bastet

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Well, the rest of the builds are up. We kinda lost all sense of value after $850, as the price gap of parts began to widen, and the performance delta dropped in favour of features, such as a larger SSD, more ram, and PhysX.

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Posted

Are you actually doing this?

"If it has tits or tires, at some point you will have problems with it." -@vinyldash303

this is probably the only place i'll hang out anymore: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/274320-the-long-awaited-car-thread/

 

Current Rig: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Abit IN9-32MAX nForce 680i board, Galaxy GT610 1GB DDR3 gpu, Cooler Master Mystique 632S Full ATX case, 1 2TB Seagate Barracuda SATA and 1x200gb Maxtor SATA drives, 1 LG SATA DVD drive, Windows 10. All currently runs like shit :D 

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nice thread tbh. very good for guidance in terms of finding out where to start with budgets :P should put it in your sig.

4690K // 212 EVO // Z97-PRO // Vengeance 16GB // GTX 770 GTX 970 // MX100 128GB // Toshiba 1TB // Air 540 // HX650

Logitech G502 RGB // Corsair K65 RGB (MX Red)

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It has been brought to my attention, that I completely derped and forgot a $650 build.

 

I shall add it tomorrow.

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added a $650 build, though not much value over the $550 build, except for some more features.

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added a $650 build, though not much value over the $550 build, except for some more features.

this website would have saved you tons of time.  http://www.logicalincrements.com/

 

On this website he shows you builds without going cheap at each pricepoint, so you not sacrficing to have one good piece and another piece in the build being sub par.  Of course you have free reign to modify them. Also on the top if you red selecting gpu/ram and all the other parts if gives you an idea of what to look for when selecting your own parts

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this website would have saved you tons of time.  http://www.logicalincrements.com/

 

On this website he shows you builds without going cheap at each pricepoint, so you not sacrficing to have one good piece and another piece in the build being sub par.  Of course you have free reign to modify them. Also on the top if you red selecting gpu/ram and all the other parts if gives you an idea of what to look for when selecting your own parts

 

This is my recommended starting point for builds at these prices. I leave it to the user of the thread to modify to his or her wishes.

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Are you gonna update these after a long time and when big changes have occured in the market?

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Are you gonna update these after a long time and when big changes have occured in the market?

 

Of course, I'll update these when a new release makes sense

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