Budget gaming build for a family member

[steelo]

Hi everyone,

 

While visiting family, I was asked to build a 'gaming' computer for a 21 year old niece who is mainly into Wow and esports titles, like 'overwatch' I'm trying to keep the cost around $350-$375, if possible and would rather not buy used components. She did specify that she'd like a SSD with at least 1 TB of storage and a case with blue LED's (blue is her favorite color), she also mentioned that she doesn't want any type of lag while playing but she doesn't care if the graphics aren't able to be maxed out...I'd really like to use a RX 570 for the GPU but that puts me over the price limit.

 

I mentioned to her that it's not going to have top of the line specs but it will easily be upgradable in the future. Thanks!

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$60.12 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$32.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Team L5 LITE 3D 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$80.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	XFX Radeon RX 560 - 896 2 GB Video Card	$89.99 @ Amazon
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$379.05
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$369.05
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 12:01 EST-0500

 

[Bombastinator]

Does the case have a PSU in it?

[muito_gostoso]

get ryzen 1600 or 1600x they cost 70-80, get gtx 580 worth it. 

[Sir0Tek]

Wow and Overwatch? She may have some sort of system already, doesn't she? Isn't there a upgrade-path which can be followed but to buy her a whole new system that just doesn't cut it? Anything that can be taken over to the new one?

You shouldn't buy a new rx 570 anyway at the actual price, but you may look for a good one 2nd hand. Same for a few other things you did put in the basket.

 

The problem is that you did cheap out where it hurts (actually: everywhere), while you could go for a used but reasonable PC at $250-$350 that should have better value in any respect.

[steelo]

1 minute ago, Bombastinator said:

Does the case have a PSU in it?

Excellent point...LOL...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$60.12 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$32.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Team L5 LITE 3D 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$80.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card	$113.98 @ Newegg
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 550 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$33.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$457.02
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$427.02
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 12:19 EST-0500

 

[Sir0Tek]

3 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Does the case have a PSU in it?

Doubt it, and if it were it would be crap.

[steelo]

1 minute ago, Sir0Tek said:

Wow and Overwatch? She may have some sort of system already, doesn't she? Isn't there a upgrade-path which can be followed but to buy her a whole new system that just doesn't cut it? Anything that can be taken over to the new one?

You shouldn't buy a new rx 570 anyway at the actual price, but you may look for a good one 2nd hand. Same for a few other things you did put in the basket.

 

The problem is that you did cheap out where it hurts (actually: everywhere), while you could go for a used but reasonable PC at $250-$350 that should have better value in any respect.

She does have an xbo, don't ask about her current PC...it's an athlon from 2008.

[Shahnewaz]

14 minutes ago, steelo said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$60.12 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$32.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Team L5 LITE 3D 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$80.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	XFX Radeon RX 560 - 896 2 GB Video Card	$89.99 @ Amazon
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$379.05
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$369.05
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 12:01 EST-0500

With a build like this you're better off buying used. Fair to say this won't last long and paying full price for all of this would be a terrible rip-off.

 

[Sir0Tek]

1 minute ago, steelo said:

She does have an xbo, don't ask about her current PC...it's an athlon from 2008.

Ah, an Xbox. The Xbox-Xbox or the other one... (sorry, couldn't resist)

 

2008, that's old... Hard to upgrade without nearing the budget. But anyway: A used PC with i5 6700 or something like that should be available in your area, sometimes even with a reasonable graphics card rx 470 or better) and ssd/hdd combo already inside.

[Lorant]

How would the 3400G perform compared to the above builds?

[Constantin]

18 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Does the case have a PSU in it?

Joke?

[Constantin]

There is no way on earth to set up a pc at $350-$375 for playing those tittles.

At best, Word, Excel, ect...

[Lorant]

 

 

[Lorant]

3 minutes ago, Constantin said:

There is no way on earth to set up a pc at $350-$375 for playing those tittles.

At best, Word, Excel, ect...

3400g is only $140-$150.  Then can power a dedicated GPU later.

[Constantin]

7 minutes ago, Lorant said:

3400g is only $140-$150.  

375-150=225$

You think you can buy decent all the other parts for 225$??? I don't think so....

BTW, the  RX 560 2 GB is a total garbage for today's tittles 

[steelo]

8 minutes ago, Lorant said:

3400g is only $140-$150.  Then can power a dedicated GPU later.

I am seriously considering the 2400/3400g...I used it prior to adding a dedicated GPU and it's pretty impressive. Also, it has 4 more threads than a 1200/2200g.

 

What about a Ryzen 5 1600 paired with a RX 570?

[Lorant]

29 minutes ago, steelo said:

Excellent point...LOL...

 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$60.12 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$32.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Team L5 LITE 3D 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$80.99 @ Newegg
Video Card	ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card	$113.98 @ Newegg
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 550 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$33.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$457.02
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$427.02
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 12:19 EST-0500

 

Lose the CPU and GPU. Go with Ryzen 3400g.  Lose the 1TB SSD since you can't afford it in the budget you have.

 

Can hit $375.

[Sir0Tek]

3400g would be an option, but you may want 16gb of ram then.

 

I wouldn't drop the ssd, I'd change the size.

[boggy77]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 1500X 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$69.00 @ Amazon
Motherboard	ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$69.99 @ Newegg
Memory	Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$32.99 @ Newegg
Storage	TCSunBow X3 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$27.99 @ Amazon
Video Card	XFX Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card	$99.99 @ Newegg
Case	Deepcool MATREXX 30 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$33.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply	$47.97 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$421.91
	Mail-in rebates	-$40.00
	Total	$381.91
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 13:11 EST-0500

 

 

This should work quite well for a couple of years

[Bombastinator]

16 minutes ago, Constantin said:

Joke?

TLDNR:No.  A lack of surety phrased as a question.  

mostly because I felt compelled to write it:

It’s not listed but the PSU has a picture of it filled with a full system.  I try not to assume that others haven’t already thought of things around here.  Especially about new hardware.  Modern computer hardware and newer behavior of OSes I’m quite weak on.  There is stuff I’m more sure of and when I’m sure I tend to take that stance.  It’s turned out a couple of times I’ve been wrong so in those instances I try to back off.  I started here with a really strong opinion about core count over MHz for long term viability of hardware.  I still think it may be true.  It also may not be though.  So I back off.  I was more worried about the potential power of the new consoles than I am now since the Xbox series one was last teased.  All questions are not answered yet though apu doubts remain. The thing is still 8/16.  I am not 100% convinced fast 6/12 is going to be able to keep up.  If people want a 3700x instead of a 3600 I don’t say no.  I don’t say yes either though.  A 3600 is just as fast now and will be for the next 6-months to a year.  I suspect that may change after that though.  I think fast 4/4 core may be in even worse shape.  I back off though.  Sound deadening I did a pile of research on it once though, I did it fairly recently, and sound tech hasn’t changed.  That I will continue to be straight up about until evidence is presented to the contrary.  I don’t think it will be.

There was no PSU in the build, and the spec sheet didn’t say PSU or no PSU.  I could be wrong but I thought it might want a look.  Turns out it had been forgotten.

[steelo]

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$134.99 @ Walmart
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$52.99 @ Newegg
Storage	PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$49.99 @ Best Buy
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 550 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$33.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$406.91
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$376.91
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 13:18 EST-0500

 

[Constantin]

5 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

TLDNR:No.  A lack of surety phrased as a question.  

mostly because I felt compelled to write it:

It’s not listed but the PSU has a picture of it filled with a full system.  I try not to assume that others haven’t already thought of things around here.  Especially about new hardware.  Modern computer hardware and newer behavior of OSes I’m quite weak on.  There is stuff I’m more sure of and when I’m sure I tend to take that stance.  It’s turned out a couple of times I’ve been wrong so in those instances I try to back off.  I started here with a really strong opinion about core count over MHz for long term viability of hardware.  I still think it may be true.  It also may not be though.  So I back off.  I was more worried about the potential power of the new consoles than I am now since the Xbox series one was last teased.  All questions are not answered yet though apu doubts remain. The thing is still 8/16.  I am not 100% convinced fast 6/12 is going to be able to keep up.  If people want a 3700x instead of a 3600 I don’t say no.  I don’t say yes either though.  A 3600 is just as fast now and will be for the next 6-months to a year.  I suspect that may change after that though.  I think fast 4/4 core may be in even worse shape.  I back off though.  Sound deadening I did a pile of research on it once though, I did it fairly recently, and sound tech hasn’t changed.  That I will continue to be straight up about until evidence is presented to the contrary.  I don’t think it will be.

There was no PSU in the build, and the spec sheet didn’t say PSU or no PSU.  I could be wrong but I thought it might want a look.  Turns out it had been forgotten.

As for the PSU!

Do you really believe that a 40$ case has a PSU included?

And if so, for what kind of hardware are we talking about......?

[boggy77]

2 minutes ago, steelo said:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$134.99 @ Walmart
Motherboard	ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$63.98 @ Newegg
Memory	GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory	$52.99 @ Newegg
Storage	PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$49.99 @ Best Buy
Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$40.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply	Corsair VS 550 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$33.98 @ Newegg
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$406.91
	Mail-in rebates	-$30.00
	Total	$376.91
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-27 13:18 EST-0500

 

My build with the rx570 will give much better performance

[steelo]

1 minute ago, boggy77 said:

My build with the rx570 will give much better performance

Okay, that looks like a good build. Only thing I would change is adding a 500gb ssd...she really stressed storage but I understand this is a budget build.

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, Constantin said:

As for the PSU!

Do you really believe that a 40$ case has a PSU included?

And if so, for what kind of hardware are we talking about......?

Still mad I wasn’t authoritative enough?

I’m not a manufacturer.   I don’t buy cases with included PSUs.  I do know the OP is trying like mad to get as much power out of as little money as possible, and meeting budget is cutting deep.  That’s about all I know.  

additional pontification:

I laid off commenting on the AMD apu option, as I laid off commenting on most of the first build.  OP did research.  I didn’t.  I might have an opinion but it’s not an informed one.  His might very well be better.

 

what little information I have on Vega apus says that while they’re faster than intel iGPUs they’re still not very good.  OP just posted a new build with a 3400g 4/8, Vega 11 apu.  I think the earlier one might be better because there might be (I don’t know one way or the other) more power in the pcie GPU than the Vega.  The CPU will probably perform better than the 1200, but the GPU is stuck to the CPU now, and the GPU may or may not be able to handle things.  LTT did a Christmas special which I wish i knew how to link. The $300 one made some interesting choices. They had a 2/4 vega11 apu they overclocked with a big cooler.  I don’t remember much about it other than that.  The 3400 has more cores at the same speed with the same gpu for 3 times the price.  I don’t know though.  I’m wary, but I don’t have enough info, so I’m laying off.  You go ahead though.