$500 gaming build

[Agonylord52]

Hey everyone! I was just wondering how likely/possible it would be for me to build a small pc for $500, that's capable of playing games on the lowest graphical settings? Not super graphics intensive on es, either. Games like Age of empires 2 HD, other strategy games, etc.

Willing to go for secondhand parts, and definitely for the monitor.

Thoughts?

[LukeLinusFanFic]

3 minutes ago, Agonylord52 said:

Hey everyone! I was just wondering how likely/possible it would be for me to build a small pc for $500, that's capable of playing games on the lowest graphical settings? Not super graphics intensive on es, either. Games like Age of empires 2 HD, other strategy games, etc.

Willing to go for secondhand parts, and definitely for the monitor.

Thoughts?

Are you including the cost of peripherals (display, mouse, keyboard) and windows in those 500$? Where are you from?

[Fasauceome]

9 minutes ago, Agonylord52 said:

capable of playing games on the lowest graphical settings?

you can do better than that

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor	$129.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard	MSI - B350M PRO-VD PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$64.99 @ B&H
Memory	Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory	$49.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Team - L5 LITE 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$19.89 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Asus - Radeon RX 570 4 GB Expedition Video Card	$134.99 @ Newegg Business
Case	Cougar - MX330-G ATX Mid Tower Case	$49.85 @ B&H
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$34.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$499.68
	Mail-in rebates	-$15.00
	Total	$484.68
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-02 00:19 EDT-0400

 

Used GPU from eBay makes the build far more affordable. RX 470/570 is what you want.

5 minutes ago, LukeLinusFanFic said:

the cost of ... windows

Ha, I scoff at thee

[Spotty]

3 minutes ago, Agonylord52 said:

Hey everyone! I was just wondering how likely/possible it would be for me to build a small pc for $500, that's capable of playing games on the lowest graphical settings? Not super graphics intensive on es, either. Games like Age of empires 2 HD, other strategy games, etc.

$500 USD including monitor? It's doable.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD - Ryzen 3 2200G 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$94.89 @ OutletPC
Motherboard	ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$79.89 @ OutletPC
Memory	Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$83.69 @ Amazon
Storage	Kingston - A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$28.99 @ Amazon
Case	Cougar - MX330-X ATX Mid Tower Case	$39.56 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply	$34.98 @ Newegg
Monitor	Sceptre - E225W-1920 22.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor	$79.00 @ Amazon
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$476.00
	Mail-in rebates	-$35.00
	Total	$441.00
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-02 00:18 EDT-0400

 

You should also check the used market and see what you can find. How good of a deal you can find will really depend on what is available.

[Streetguru]

33 minutes ago, Agonylord52 said:

 

Assuming you're in the US get an R3 2200G without a GPU, and maybe get a motherboard with a VGA output, so you can easily connect your PC to a CRT for the authentic experience.

[Streetguru]

27 minutes ago, Spotty said:

 

Would go for the 2017 model of that PSU

 

and a 1080p 60hz IPS monitor is the minimum for sure. unless it's a 75hz free-sync TN display

also not sure on that brand in general.

[Spotty]

14 minutes ago, Streetguru said:

and a 1080p 60hz IPS monitor is the minimum for sure. unless it's a 75hz free-sync TN display

also not sure on that brand in general.

Honestly... I just picked the cheapest 1080p monitor on PCPP I've never heard of "Sceptre".

This Acer monitor looks a bit better, 1920x1080, IPS, 75Hz. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/GLm323/acer-sb220q-bi-215-1920x1080-75-hz-monitor-sb220q-bi

 

The 2017 model is the CX450. CX450 is better, but for OPs use case the benefits of the CX450 (2017) (LLC resonant topology, rifle bearing fan) aren't going to make a huge difference, and the CX450M has two PCIe connectors if OP wants to later add on a cheap 2nd hand GPU like a GTX 970 that requires two connectors. Really though either the CX450M or the CX450 would be fine though, I really just picked the CX450M since it was showing the $15 rebate available on it and I couldn't see the rebate listed on the CX450 units. On a budget build like this, for $15 cheaper (after rebate**) then the CX450M would be the one I'd choose. If you're not the sort that bothers with mail in rebates, and aren't planning on added a GPU that requires 2x PCIe connectors, then the CX450 (2017) would be the better choice.

[MisguidedChoices]

Make sure you keep enough in your budget for peripherals, if you don't already have them, or a decent monitor they will definitely eat away at your budget as well. Try looking at your local online listings on craigslist, or facebook market. I've gotten great deals on used hardware there, and you can find great deals that you won't find on online retailers.

[Herman Mcpootis]

a bit over but:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($84.81 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ Walmart) 
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($43.98 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($38.69 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 570 4 GB RED DRAGON Video Card  ($137.98 @ Newegg) 
Case: Rosewill - RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($34.98 @ Newegg) 
Monitor: Sceptre - E225W-1920 22.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor  ($79.00 @ Amazon) 
Total: $519.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-02 01:28 EDT-0400

 

used parts:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T3600-Xeon-E5-2658-2-10Ghz-24GB-Memory-2TB-Hard-Drive-Windows-7/163604209863?hash=item26179220c7%3Ag%3A3MsAAOSwcwdckFTq&LH_BIN=1 $209

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XFX-Radeon-RX-580-GTS-XXX-Edition-8GB-GDDR5-Graphics-Card/173832334278?hash=item287936ebc6%3Ag%3AHWsAAOSwjNdb~Wi4&LH_BIN=1&frcectupt=true $130

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Acer-gn246hl-144hz-refresh-rate-with-DVI-dual-link-1ms-response-time/183757215149?hash=item2ac8c895ad%3Ag%3AqYMAAOSwYENcoUmK&LH_BIN=1&frcectupt=true $140

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Crucial - BX500 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($21.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $21.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-02 01:44 EDT-0400

 

[Agonylord52]

Wow! Thanks for so many replies!

I'll try and address everyone.

LukeLinusFanFic:
First off, yes, this $500 would include the cost of peripherals; mouse, keyboard, mouspad, speakers, monitor, etc. And I live in Canada, so that's $500 CAD.
 

Fasauceome:

I'd completely forgotten about Pcpartpicker.com! I'll try and manage my build through there, then, when I choose the parts.

Spotty:
I'll browse through my local craigslist postings and ebay, thanks!

Streetguru:
Lol, it'd definitely be cheaper XD

Misguidedchoices:
Yeah, I'll make sure to budget everything out before I start purchasing. I might even post the build on here to see if anyone can pick up any issues I miss before I buy.

Herman Mcpootis:
That's a nice build, too! So many choices.

Thanks so much for the suggestions, guys! I had no idea you could make such a respectable gaming pc for so little! My main one was like 3 grand total.