Best gaming PC under$200

[Jebrone]

I've been looking for a small (possibly portable) pre-built gaming pc for under $200. It doesn't need to be strong, but run a game pretty smoothly, possibly with freesync. 

 

Context, I want to have a dedicated machine to run a program called Stepmania. It has no other purpose. I want to reduce the input lag, I have an LG freesync 2 gaming monitor. I also want to reduce lag on the screen, stuttering, and arrow motion blur. 

 

What would you guys recommend? 

[Slottr]

Depends what's on your used market. You won't be able to get anything worthwhile new 

[aisle9]

An Intel Compute Stick could handle Stepmania's system requirements. So could a Raspberry Pi if you wanted to go that way. If you want to get an actual PC, find a Dell Optiplex 755, 760 or 780 small form factor system with at least a Core 2 Duo (ideally a Core 2 Quad), talk the seller down to $30 if it includes 4GB of RAM and a hard drive (160GB or more), $20 if it's missing either of those, $10 if it's missing both. Buy a small form factor GT 730, R7 240, GT 710 or HD 7570 for $10. You're good.

[Jebrone]

On 7/7/2019 at 8:31 PM, aisle9 said:

An Intel Compute Stick could handle Stepmania's system requirements. So could a Raspberry Pi if you wanted to go that way. If you want to get an actual PC, find a Dell Optiplex 755, 760 or 780 small form factor system with at least a Core 2 Duo (ideally a Core 2 Quad), talk the seller down to $30 if it includes 4GB of RAM and a hard drive (160GB or more), $20 if it's missing either of those, $10 if it's missing both. Buy a small form factor GT 730, R7 240, GT 710 or HD 7570 for $10. You're good.

Are there any pre-built? 

[Jebrone]

On 7/7/2019 at 8:15 PM, Slottr said:

Depends what's on your used market. You won't be able to get anything worthwhile new 

New isn't really needed. Just something that can run this on an HD monitor smoothly with low input lag

[insmek]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/I3-3220-R7-260x-GPU-8gb-Gaming-PC-Dell-Optiplex-3010/372699492267?hash=item56c69eefab:g:pCoAAOSwffBdF28n

 

With shipping you're a bit over $200, but it seems like this would be ready to go as soon as you get it. You could definitely get better performance by finding an Optiplex or similar prebuilt then buying your own GPU, but this would definitely work.

[aisle9]

16 minutes ago, Jebrone said:

Are there any pre-built? 

eBay is littered with Optiplex 755s, 760s and 780s. The GPU would cost you around $20-30 and be as easy to install as removing the cover and snapping it in. Not even any screws to worry about. Optis are not custom builds.

[Jebrone]

On 7/9/2019 at 12:25 PM, insmek said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/I3-3220-R7-260x-GPU-8gb-Gaming-PC-Dell-Optiplex-3010/372699492267?hash=item56c69eefab:g:pCoAAOSwffBdF28n

 

With shipping you're a bit over $200, but it seems like this would be ready to go as soon as you get it. You could definitely get better performance by finding an Optiplex or similar prebuilt then buying your own GPU, but this would definitely work.

so I should get this?

DELL OPTIPLEX 3010 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KVVKKDT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fVTjDb326J338

They have one on Amazon and I would be able to skip the shipping. What's the difference? Would it make a difference if I bought a graphics card? 

[Jebrone]

On 7/9/2019 at 12:36 PM, aisle9 said:

eBay is littered with Optiplex 755s, 760s and 780s. The GPU would cost you around $20-30 and be as easy to install as removing the cover and snapping it in. Not even any screws to worry about. Optis are not custom builds.

I was thinking of that I might have to buy a system then buy a graphics card. This may actually be a good option. But, I'm not that savvy with graphics card and I definitely don't need a high end one here. So an optiplex could be swapped out easily in most pre-built? 

[insmek]

On 7/11/2019 at 12:01 AM, Jebrone said:

so I should get this?

DELL OPTIPLEX 3010 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KVVKKDT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_fVTjDb326J338

They have one on Amazon and I would be able to skip the shipping. What's the difference? Would it make a difference if I bought a graphics card? 

The one you linked on Amazon doesn't have a discrete GPU, so it's usability for gaming would be limited. You'd need to factor in another $80-120 at least to buy a usable graphics card.