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First pc build <$400 Help please.

Tamgam12
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Please help. I have never built a pc. This would be for playing games like ark, atlas, last oasis stuff like that. I don't need anything crazy. I'm not expecting much. Just want it to be playable and don't want to spend much since I've never gamed on pc. Not sure if I'll use it. I've always played ps4. Any advice would be great. 

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This is basically the minimum with new parts if you want to play less demanding games like CS:GO and StarCraft 2. You need a dedicated GPU (about 100$ USD more) if you want any real demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Adorama)
Case: HEC HX320 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $448.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:10 EDT-0400

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Posted
Just now, 5x5 said:

This is basically the minimum with new parts if you want to play less demanding games like CS:GO and StarCraft 2. You need a dedicated GPU (about 100$ USD more) if you want any real demanding games.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($149.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($79.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.99 @ Adorama)
Case: HEC HX320 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($45.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $448.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:10 EDT-0400

This is a great list, If I were you though I'd opt for the 1600 AF $85 6 cores and 12 threads. This should make it easier to get a higher end gpu.

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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($94.99 @ B&H) 
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory  ($67.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($45.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $398.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:13 EDT-0400

 

Can always add a GPU later

Quote me or @TwilightRavens if you want me to see your reply. I may go inactive for a long time from time to time because I forget how to socialize, but I will be back... eventually.

 

Main Gaming PC

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X || AsRock X570 Taichi || G.Skill TridentZ Neo DDR4 3600MHz 2 x 16GB C16 1.35v || AMD Wraith Prism || Phanteks Enthoo Pro E-ATX || Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC || Samsung 970 Evo 250GB NVME SSD & Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME & Crucial 960GB SATA III SSD || EVGA Supernova 750W Platinum PQ || Windows 10 Pro 22H2 x64 || Gigabyte M27Q 27" 170Hz 1440P & Acer 21.5” 1080p 75hz IPS || Logitech G213 Prodigy || Logitech G502 Hero

Laptop

AMD Ryzen 5 4600H with Radeon™ Graphics || ASUS TUF A15 ||  DDR4 3200MHz 2 x 8GB C22 1.2v || ASUS GeForce GTX 1650 4G GDDR6 || 512GB NVME M.2 SSD  ||  Ubuntu 22.04.1 (Jammy Jellyfish)

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I would recommend that you look on the used market, you can get a lot better value. This is a new build, no guarantee it’ll handle 1080p@60fps.

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor $63.49 @ B&H
Motherboard ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard $94.99 @ Newegg
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $44.99 @ Best Buy
Storage Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $39.99 @ Newegg
Video Card Zotac GeForce GT 730 4 GB Video Card $79.99 @ B&H
Case Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case $45.99 @ B&H
Power Supply Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply $50.98 @ Newegg
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $420.42
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:15 EDT-0400  

 

Quote me or mention me at @Shrekpad so I get notified 
pc specs:
CPU: Intel i7 8700K MOBO: ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming RAM: 16GB (2x8) DDR4 G Skill TridentZ 3000 MHz GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GAMING OC CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv STORAGE: Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB M.2 NVME SSD,
T-Force Delta RGB 250GB SSD, 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD PSU: 750 Watt EVGA SuperNova G3 MONITER: Dell S2716DGR 1440p 144hz G-Sync, BenQ PD2700U 4K 60hz CPU COOLER: Corsair H115i RGB Platinum OS: Windows 10

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2 minutes ago, Tamgam12 said:

Ty. I'm not opposed to used parts. I just don't know enough to know how not to get burned

You should try to expand your budget, you can afford something like this

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor $63.49 @ B&H
Motherboard MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard $79.99 @ B&H
Memory GeIL EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $63.99 @ Newegg
Storage Team MS30 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive $57.99 @ Newegg
Video Card ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card $119.99 @ Newegg
Case Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case $45.99 @ B&H
Power Supply Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $59.98 @ Newegg
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $491.42
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:17 EDT-0400  

 

Trash beauty:

CPU: Xeon X5550

GPU: RX 570 4GB (defective)

SSD: Fattydove Racing 240GB

HDD: WD Blue 320GB

Motherboard: HP Z400

Ram: 6x2GB DDR3 1066

PSU: Corsair TX650

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Posted
1 minute ago, Shrekpad said:

I would recommend that you look on the used market, you can get a lot better value. This is a new build, no guarantee it’ll handle 1080p@60fps.

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor $63.49 @ B&H
Motherboard ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard $94.99 @ Newegg
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $44.99 @ Best Buy
Storage Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $39.99 @ Newegg
Video Card Zotac GeForce GT 730 4 GB Video Card $79.99 @ B&H
Case Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case $45.99 @ B&H
Power Supply Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply $50.98 @ Newegg
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $420.42
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:15 EDT-0400  

 

I was gonna suggest a 3000G but tbh the Vega 8 in the 3200G Is stronger than the GT 730 I think, and 2 cores is really stretching it.

Quote me or @TwilightRavens if you want me to see your reply. I may go inactive for a long time from time to time because I forget how to socialize, but I will be back... eventually.

 

Main Gaming PC

AMD Ryzen 9 5950X || AsRock X570 Taichi || G.Skill TridentZ Neo DDR4 3600MHz 2 x 16GB C16 1.35v || AMD Wraith Prism || Phanteks Enthoo Pro E-ATX || Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC || Samsung 970 Evo 250GB NVME SSD & Samsung 980 Pro 2TB NVME & Crucial 960GB SATA III SSD || EVGA Supernova 750W Platinum PQ || Windows 10 Pro 22H2 x64 || Gigabyte M27Q 27" 170Hz 1440P & Acer 21.5” 1080p 75hz IPS || Logitech G213 Prodigy || Logitech G502 Hero

Laptop

AMD Ryzen 5 4600H with Radeon™ Graphics || ASUS TUF A15 ||  DDR4 3200MHz 2 x 8GB C22 1.2v || ASUS GeForce GTX 1650 4G GDDR6 || 512GB NVME M.2 SSD  ||  Ubuntu 22.04.1 (Jammy Jellyfish)

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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, Shrekpad said:

I would recommend that you look on the used market, you can get a lot better value. This is a new build, no guarantee it’ll handle 1080p@60fps.

...

 

GT 730 is a waste of money, it's not better than the integrated graphics. The PSU is pretty crappy and is also overpriced. The motherboard is too expensive.

 

4 minutes ago, Donut Dan said:

You should try to expand your budget, you can afford something like this

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor $63.49 @ B&H
Motherboard MSI B450M PRO-VDH MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard $79.99 @ B&H
Memory GeIL EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $63.99 @ Newegg
Storage Team MS30 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive $57.99 @ Newegg
Video Card ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card $119.99 @ Newegg
Case Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case $45.99 @ B&H
Power Supply Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply $59.98 @ Newegg
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $491.42
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:17 EDT-0400  

 

If you can spend more money, this is pretty good.

Edited by Fasauceome

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 11 and Fedora Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

PSU tier list

How many watts do I need?

PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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If you are ok with used, I would get this optiplex. At $145, you can upgrade to 16gb ram, an ssd, and a 1050ti or 1060. Then you can do 1080p gaming. Don’t have to worry about getting ripped off.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optiplex-7010-Processor-Professional/dp/B01LZLPO1H/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=Optiplex&qid=1585491401&sr=8-6

Quote me or mention me at @Shrekpad so I get notified 
pc specs:
CPU: Intel i7 8700K MOBO: ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming RAM: 16GB (2x8) DDR4 G Skill TridentZ 3000 MHz GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER GAMING OC CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv STORAGE: Sabrent Rocket Q 1TB M.2 NVME SSD,
T-Force Delta RGB 250GB SSD, 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD PSU: 750 Watt EVGA SuperNova G3 MONITER: Dell S2716DGR 1440p 144hz G-Sync, BenQ PD2700U 4K 60hz CPU COOLER: Corsair H115i RGB Platinum OS: Windows 10

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4 minutes ago, Shrekpad said:

I would recommend that you look on the used market, you can get a lot better value. This is a new build, no guarantee it’ll handle 1080p@60fps.

PCPartPicker Part List
Type Item Price
CPU AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor $63.49 @ B&H
Motherboard ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard $94.99 @ Newegg
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory $44.99 @ Best Buy
Storage Kingston A400 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $39.99 @ Newegg
Video Card Zotac GeForce GT 730 4 GB Video Card $79.99 @ B&H
Case Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case $45.99 @ B&H
Power Supply Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply $50.98 @ Newegg
  Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts  
  Total $420.42
  Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-03-29 10:15 EDT-0400  

 

this is pretty bad, even for a low-end PC.

pointless GPU when a 2200G/3200G would have been faster.

PSU is crappy, a CX450 would have been much better for $10 more.

a B450M-Pro VDH would have been just as good and cost less.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Heatsink: Gelid Phantom Black GPU: Palit RTX 3060 Ti Dual RAM: Corsair DDR4 2x8GB 3000Mhz mobo: Asus X570-P case: Fractal Design Define C PSU: Superflower Leadex Gold 650W

 

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3 minutes ago, Tamgam12 said:

I think I'm going to go used. I really appreciate all the help. Just amazing. Thank you

If you go with used/refurbished full systems pay attention to the form factor- that Optiplex is a half-height system and needs low-profile graphics cards like this:

https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-1650-OC-4GT/dp/B07ZTXYVMN/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2CW1TET9ZVII7&dchild=1&keywords=1650+low+profile&qid=1585492212&sprefix=1650%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-2

 

The power supplies can also be a little sketchy sometimes, so I wouldn't go any higher power-wise than a 1050Ti or 1650. If you can find a system with a proper ATX power supply you can upgrade it, but those are pretty rare among prebuilts.

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12 minutes ago, Tamgam12 said:

I think I'm going to go used. I really appreciate all the help. Just amazing. Thank you

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-ThinkStation-S30-Xeon-E5-1603-2-80GHz-8GB-RAM-Win-10-Pro/223943802525?hash=item3424173e9d%3Ag%3A3XcAAOSws5FcqlQt&LH_BIN=1 $131

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Intel-SR0KX-Xeon-8-Core-2-6GHz-20MB-E5-2670-LGA2011-Processor/264368871005?epid=2202303011&hash=item3d8d9cd65d%3Ag%3AUWEAAOSw1V5dCo0n%3Asc%3AFedExHomeDelivery!22821!US!-1&LH_BIN=1 $50

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GIGABYTE-NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-1070-G1-8GB-GDDR5-Item-opened-to-test-functionality/383482054407?epid=14030519147&hash=item59494fc707%3Ag%3AkWgAAOSwCnpef81Z&LH_BIN=1 $175

you can use the rest of the money for an SSD.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Heatsink: Gelid Phantom Black GPU: Palit RTX 3060 Ti Dual RAM: Corsair DDR4 2x8GB 3000Mhz mobo: Asus X570-P case: Fractal Design Define C PSU: Superflower Leadex Gold 650W

 

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