Suggestions for a USD $500 (ish) gaming PC

[Mike_F_L]

Hi, everyone.  I want to build a gaming PC, but my budget is low...can anyone offer any suggestions?   

 

The only part of any new build I put together that I have any idea about is the case.  From all the reviews I’ve seen and read, I am interested in the Fractal Design Define R5, in black.  I haven’t looked at many other cases, so if anyone knows of a cheaper worthy rival to the R5, please let me know.

 

I also could use advice on which CPU cooler and case fans to go with.  

 

I thank you all in advance for any ideas you might have.

 

1. Budget & Location

Budget: As close to $500 USD as possible (flexible, but not very).

Location: Long Island, New York

 

2. Aim

This system will be used for internet browsing, office applications, audio & video playback, and gaming.  I would like to play games that are current and graphics intensive, but I'm not concerned with playing on the highest settings.  As long as I have a decent graphics performance, I'll be satisfied.

 

3. Monitors

I will be using one monitor: BenQ GL GL2460HM 24-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor 1920x1080 (Purchased July, 2014).  It has crossed my mind to add a second display at some point, but it’s not something I have my heart set on.  

 

4. Peripherals

I don't necessarily need peripherals, but I'm open to suggestions.  In the interest of staying in budget, I would probably purchase a mouse and keyboard that are well-reviewed but affordable.  I know virtually nothing about gaming peripherals.

 

My OS will be Windows 8.1.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

I am upgrading because I feel my current computer is out of date, and I’d like to build a rig that is more current and capable of handling the high-end games of today.  

 

I have upgraded most of the components, but the CPU, Motherboard, and Case are still going strong since 2007.

 

In case it is relevant, my current specs are:

 

Motherboard: ASUS P5K3 DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield Quad-Core 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor BX80562Q6600

 

CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-Z4 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

 

RAM: 6GB of Crucial 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) (Purchased March, 2011)

 

STORAGE: 250 GB SSD for OS and most commonly run applications, and a few 2TB HDDs for data storage.

 

GPU: EVGA 02G-P4-2758-KR GeForce GTX 750 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 (Purchase Jan., 2015)

 

Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP Black SECC / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

OS: Windows 8.1 x64

 

[Jerakl]

Mang you already got a p decent PC. Why not just use the money to upgrade it?

[tonymmm1]

Try building a system with an amd athlon processor

[tonymmm1]

But your graphics card is good, I think your system's specs are decent but you could always spend more money for more performance.

[Comessy]

Why not upgrade?

 

Put in an i3/i5, 1150 mobo, and new case

[Farrow]

Your specs are decent, I'd just use the money to upgrade for better performance.

 

Maybe upgrade the CPU to i3/i5/i7.

[rtpb5642]

Just trash the motherboard and CPU, get an 4690 and H97 motherboard and then keep the money u saved and buy a better gpu later on.

[stconquest]

$500

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card  ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $470.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-30 22:34 EDT-0400

[Mike_F_L]

Mang you already got a p decent PC. Why not just use the money to upgrade it?

Jerakl, thanks for the feedback.  But what specific upgrades would you suggest?

[Mike_F_L]

Try building a system with an amd athlon processor

Thanks tonymmm1.  I am noticing that the only way to stay near budget is to go with AMD.  I've only ever had Intel builds, though.  From specs alone, it seems that the AMD processors are just as good as Intel, but I realize there must be a reason that Intel seems to be favored over AMD by many enthusiasts.  I have no problem going AMD, but I don't want to get everything and build it only to find that I've made a huge mistake.

[Mike_F_L]

But your graphics card is good, I think your system's specs are decent but you could always spend more money for more performance.

If i put matched my current graphics card with a better CPU and motherboard, would I be able to run newer games at decent settings?

[Mike_F_L]

Why not upgrade?

 

Put in an i3/i5, 1150 mobo, and new case

So would my entire budget go to upgrading those particular components?  It seems those i3 and i5s cost a lot more money than seemingly more powerful AMDs.

[Mike_F_L]

Your specs are decent, I'd just use the money to upgrade for better performance.

 

Maybe upgrade the CPU to i3/i5/i7.

Any reason why you adivse to go with Intel over AMD?

[Mike_F_L]

Just trash the motherboard and CPU, get an 4690 and H97 motherboard and then keep the money u saved and buy a better gpu later on.

With the prices I'm seeing for the 4690, I'm not saving all that much.  And that's ok, as long as those two changes will give me a better gaming rig.  But will those changes alone be enough?  Will I need different RAM, a CPU cooler, a new PSU?

[rtpb5642]

With the prices I'm seeing for the 4690, I'm not saving all that much. And that's ok, as long as those two changes will give me a better gaming rig. But will those changes alone be enough? Will I need different RAM, a CPU cooler, a new PSU?

Current psu and RAM is fine, it comes with a cooler. Those parts should run u 330$ ish so u have $ left that u can save up for a better graphics card. The i5 will be a huge performance boost compared to the core 2. U dont need an expensive motherboard cheap ones will do fine.

[Mike_F_L]

Current psu and RAM is fine, it comes with a cooler. Those parts should run u 330$ ish so u have $ left that u can save up for a better graphics card. The i5 will be a huge performance boost compared to the core 2. U dont need an expensive motherboard cheap ones will do fine.

Ok that makes sense.  One other question:  is the integrated graphics on this CPU a waste since I will be using a dedicated GPU?  I just wonder if there is another CPU without graphics on it that might be the same price range but possible a little faster or powerful in another way.

[stconquest]

Ok that makes sense.  One other question:  is the integrated graphics on this CPU a waste since I will be using a dedicated GPU?  I just wonder if there is another CPU without graphics on it that might be the same price range but possible a little faster or powerful in another way.

 

What PSU do you have?  I did not see one listed...

 

There is the Xeon 1230/1231 ($230) that has hyper threading, like an i7.

 

The iGPU is not a waste.  You can connect a second monitor to it.  You can use it to live stream as well.

[rtpb5642]

Ok that makes sense.  One other question:  is the integrated graphics on this CPU a waste since I will be using a dedicated GPU?  I just wonder if there is another CPU without graphics on it that might be the same price range but possible a little faster or powerful in another way.

The 4690 will be able to run two GTX 970s in SLI easily, it is all the power you need. They all come with integrated.

[Mike_F_L]

What PSU do you have?  I did not see one listed...

 

There is the Xeon 1230/1231 ($230) that has hyper threading, like an i7.

 

The iGPU is not a waste.  You can connect a second monitor to it.  You can use it to live stream as well.

 

What PSU do you have?  I did not see one listed...

 

There is the Xeon 1230/1231 ($230) that has hyper threading, like an i7.

 

The iGPU is not a waste.  You can connect a second monitor to it.  You can use it to live stream as well.

My PSU is:  COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 550 RS-550-ACAA-A1 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

[TheCaptain53]

What games will you be playing?
I've not had first hand experience with the GTX 750 Ti, but it looks like an excellent card.
If they're not super demanding, upgrading your CPU and mobo might be a better call. Not to mention you'll spend way less money.

[stconquest]

My PSU is:  COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro 550 RS-550-ACAA-A1 550W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

 

$493

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($173.95 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: ASRock B85M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($59.98 @ Newegg)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card  ($229.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $463.92

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-31 11:29 EDT-0400

[Jerakl]

Jerakl, thanks for the feedback.  But what specific upgrades would you suggest?

Well your chassis seems fine to me. What I would go for first is maybe GPU or CPU/Mobo/RAM

I don't know any specific part, but with the budget you have, I think a CPU/mobo upgrade would do you well. Because depending what you buy that's 200-300$, again depending on what you buy, maybe more.

[Mike_F_L]

What games will you be playing?

I've not had first hand experience with the GTX 750 Ti, but it looks like an excellent card.

If they're not super demanding, upgrading your CPU and mobo might be a better call. Not to mention you'll spend way less money.

 

I'm not entirely sure which games I would play because I currently can't run the top tier games, but I'd like to play the Crysis games, the Far Cry games, some of the Final Fantasy titles, the eventual Star Wars game coming out later this year.  Also some less graphics intensive games like Walking Dead and Game of Thrones from Telltale. 

[TheCaptain53]

I'm not entirely sure which games I would play because I currently can't run the top tier games, but I'd like to play the Crysis games, the Far Cry games, some of the Final Fantasy titles, the eventual Star Wars game coming out later this year.  Also some less graphics intensive games like Walking Dead and Game of Thrones from Telltale. 

A new graphics card and CPU might be in order then.

The GTX 960 can handle Crysis 3 remarkably well, but a lot of other people will recommend the R9 280X instead. I've not had experience with it, so I can't say.

A locked i5 would probably be the best for what you want to play if you're budget conscious. If not, a Z97 board with an i5-4690K is a worthy investment that should last 2-3 years before a CPU upgrade is necessary.

Just a sidenote: The Crysis games look beautiful, but aren't actually that enjoyable. Just throwing it out there.