$500 Gaming PC V.2

Camcognito · March 3, 2014

Ok, so I made a topic here a while back on a computer build. I want to freshen up and give a more detailed post. So basically I need a gaming PC for $500. The main purpose for this PC would be Battlefield 3 online. I plan on buying all of the parts in late April. I don't mind doing mail-in-rebates also. I do need a copy of Windows, but if a $500 PC with Windows won't play BF3 multipayer, I can load up Ubuntu and save until I get the money. Also, I would like to use the Bitfenix Shinobi Windowed case. ($50) I do not need an optical drive or peripherals. Thanks all for the part lists!

WoodenMarker · March 3, 2014

Unless you're planning to buy within ~2-3 days, I'd suggest planning later. Parts and prices change frequently and any parts list you come up with will be a bit obsolete by the time you're ready to buy.

dizmo · March 3, 2014

WoodenMarker is right, you should wait. However here's a rough idea. You'll have to OC, as the 6790 performs best that way.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: GeIL EVO VELOCE 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $553.90

$50 over budget but AMD likes the higher frequency RAM, and the PSU allows for future expansion. You could fit it in on budget with a 430w PSU, if you don't mind a non modular one and don't plan on getting a top tier card in the future. I usually recommend SSD first. If you need more space I'm sure it won't take you long to save the $50 for a 1tb drive.

ForsakenLive · March 3, 2014

The GTX 750ti is a beast on games @1080p, this is the best value GPU right now.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33tbN
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33tbN/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/33tbN/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 750K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A75M-HD2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: BitFenix Shinobi Window ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $498.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 14:16 EST-0500)