Best way to build a 400 dollar gaming computer?

[Dubesta11]

So my friend has a budget of about 400 - 450 dollars for me to build him a good gaming computer. I already own a GTX 660ti that I can provide for free. Would there be a cost savings of 50 dollars or more by visiting a Microcenter?

[c0d0ps]

So my friend has a budget of about 400 - 450 dollars for me to build him a good gaming computer. I already own a GTX 660ti that I can provide for free. Would there be a cost savings of 50 dollars or more by visiting a Microcenter?

If you could then save up until you have 500 bucks.

That you already have a gpu saves some money but I still

[Nena Trinity]

Get him a Athlon X4 860K? =)

 

Also use some cheap case made of wood or something ya find? =D

[SkywardKkalox]

Brb to see what I can do.

[Dubesta11]

Its not for me, it's for a friend. And his budget is 400 dollars, but I would be willing to spend 50 dollars for him as a birthday present.

[Dubesta11]

Get him a Athlon X4 860K? =)

Also use some cheap case made of wood or something ya find? =D

Over an i5? And I'm just going to get an n200 or something.

[King.]

With or without Windows?
 

[Nena Trinity]

Over an i5? And I'm just going to get an n200 or something.

Ya got the i5? Also its to save up money. The i5 here is costly! D=

[Dubesta11]

Ya got the i5? Also its to save up money. The i5 here is costly! D=

I would buy one, and since this needs to last about 4 years I want to get something powerful.

[SkywardKkalox]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($79.20 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($44.40 @ SuperBiiz) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory  ($52.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($30.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $320.77

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-22 13:31 EDT-0400

 

 

Looks pretty good if you ask me.

[Nena Trinity]

I would buy one, and since this needs to last about 4 years I want to get something powerful.

I am not sure what the i5 cost where ya live but if its same price as here its gonna be hard to keep to the price limit. =S

[SkywardKkalox]

If you want an i5 then:

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($163.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($42.99 @ Directron) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($49.32 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($34.20 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $404.04

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-22 13:34 EDT-0400

[Dubesta11]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.20 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($44.40 @ SuperBiiz)

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($30.60 @ SuperBiiz)

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.98 @ Newegg)

Total: $320.77

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-22 13:31 EDT-0400

Looks pretty good if you ask me.

Why would I get an a10 if I have a 660ti?

[King.]

 

If you want an i5 then:

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($163.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($42.99 @ Directron) 

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($49.32 @ SuperBiiz) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.60 @ SuperBiiz) 

Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($34.20 @ SuperBiiz) 

Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA GS 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $404.04

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-22 13:34 EDT-0400

 

Why such an expensive PSU?

[SkywardKkalox]

Why such an expensive PSU?

It's reliable and not expensive at all.

[King.]

It's reliable and not expensive at all.

A $65 PSU is kind of unnecessary for a $400 build when you can get a Corsair unit for half the price.

[SkywardKkalox]

A $65 PSU is kind of unnecessary for a $400 build when you can get a Corsair unit for half the price.

Corsairs low end units are crap.

Low build quality. Wouldn't be surprised if it blew up at some point.

I like a PSU to be reliable and well built. Not for fanboism.

[King.]

Corsairs low end units are crap.

Low build quality. Wouldn't be surprised if it blew up at some point.

I like a PSU to be reliable and well built. Not for fanboism.

I've built three computers with them, all performing without a hitch.

[SkywardKkalox]

I've built three computers with them, all performing without a hitch.

Efficiency is not something that can be calculated overnight.

[Starelementpoke]

At this price point you ain't going to get anything really that good with an I5. While it itself might last that long, the other parts not so much. To try and cut a bit more off the price, try shopping on craigslist, you can find really good deals on there. If not, the 860k is probably going to be your best bet with this price point. It's not a terrible cpu for the price anyway.

[VenkiPhy6]

The main question here is - Do you have to buy peripherals or you already have 'em?? 

 

If you already have 'em, 

 

I really feel you should go for an APU based build. Since this is a gaming rig CPU doesn't matter 'that' much. Just make sure you have 4 CPU cores in your APU. Also for the time being you might get an R7 240 or 250 and go for Dual Graphics(Hybrid crossfire). Of course, it is not a really good solution as of now(if only AMD push their asses and optimize their drivers, jesus!!) but for the money it is good. Later you can upgrade to a discrete graphic card. 

 

If you have to buy peripherals,

 

For this budget craigslist is the place or else your friend must learn to be happy with a 720p medium settings gaming machine. You can always upgrade a year after. If you are fine with that then get an older i3, an R7 250, 4GB RAM and something like that. Just focus on a proper case and PSU so as to give you room for future upgrades.

 

IF ALL OF THESE FAIL, BE PATIENT AND SAVE UP....YOUR TIME WILL COME.

 

TL;DR:- (Lets try something interesting. Hmmm... I am really starting to forget C. Lets brush up shall we?)

 

#include<stdio.h>

int peripherals;

char answer[100];

void main()

{

 printf("What about peripherals?\nOptions:\n1. Already Have\n2.Don't have\n"); 

 scanf("%d", &peripherals);

 if(peripherals==1)

        { 

           answer="Go for an APU based build";

           printf("\n%s", answer);

         }

 else if(peripherals==2)

         {

            answer="Go to Craigslist or build a low end PC while having room for future upgrades";

            printf("\n%s", answer);

          }

} *I am tryin' to relearn C you see :-p*

[Rampiks]

The main question here is - Do you have to buy peripherals or you already have 'em?? 

 

If you already have 'em, 

 

I really feel you should go for an APU based build. Since this is a gaming rig CPU doesn't matter 'that' much. Just make sure you have 4 CPU cores in your APU. Also for the time being you might get an R7 240 or 250 and go for Dual Graphics(Hybrid crossfire). Of course, it is not a really good solution as of now(if only AMD push their asses and optimize their drivers, jesus!!) but for the money it is good. Later you can upgrade to a discrete graphic card. 

 

If you have to buy peripherals,

 

For this budget craigslist is the place or else your friend must learn to be happy with a 720p medium settings gaming machine. You can always upgrade a year after. If you are fine with that then get an older i3, an R7 250, 4GB RAM and something like that. Just focus on a proper case and PSU so as to give you room for future upgrades.

 

IF ALL OF THESE FAIL, BE PATIENT AND SAVE UP....YOUR TIME WILL COME.

 

TL;DR:- (Lets try something interesting. Hmmm... I am really starting to forget C. Lets brush up shall we?)

 

#include<stdio.h>

int peripherals;

char answer[100];

void main()

{

 printf("What about peripherals?\nOptions:\n1. Already Have\n2.Don't have\n"); 

 scanf("%d", &peripherals);

 if(peripherals==1)

        { 

           answer="Go for an APU based build";

           printf("\n%s", answer);

         }

 else if(peripherals==2)

         {

            answer="Go to Craigslist or build a low end PC while having room for future upgrades";

            printf("\n%s", answer);

          }

} *I am tryin' to relearn C you see :-p*

OP said he had a gtx 660ti that does not count in the budget

[VenkiPhy6]

OP said he had a gtx 660ti that does not count in the budget

Right...then an old i3 based build with a humble mobo and 8GB RAM would probably do right? (again, focusing on Case and PSU for future upgradability)...