First build (Value gaming rig)

[xsrgdarknessx]

I need a rig for basic gaming.  900p@60fps

I'm not going to be running anything super-intensive, but it needs to be able to run most games at medium to high settings.

 

I don't have a strict budget, but I'd like to spend as little as possible as I'm about to quit my part-time job to focus on school work and side projects.

 

I am going to grab a sub-$20 case that doesn't look terrible, but I'm not sure which yet.  I also need a (Hopefully cheap) wireless NIC as the modem is in a different room, and I can't run ethernet throughout the house.

 

I already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

 

I am also planning on doing some light overclocking. (I've never done it before, so I want to play it safe.)

 

 

What I'm looking at right now is:

 

         Motherboard: MSI z97 PC Mate (http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-Z97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BW70) $98

        CPU: Intel g3258 (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Pentium-Processor-G3258-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ) $70

        Ram: Kingston HyperX Fury 8GB (http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-FURY-1866MHz-DDR3/dp/B00J8E91UO) $50

        Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 750 ti FTW (http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Display-Graphics-02G-P4-3757-KR/dp/B00J0ISHMQ) $150

        Storage: WD Green 1tb (http://www.amazon.com/Green-1TB-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B006GDVREI) $50

        PSU: EVGA 500 w1 80+ (http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Warranty-Power-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU) $50

        OS: Win7 Home Premium (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16) $89

 

        ~$20 case & ~$20 NIC

 

        Total: $597

 

What can I do to lower the cost without sacrificing too much power?  If at all possible I'd like to get it close to  $350.

[Dabasepc]

350w psu would be fine to run a 750ti,

 

OS is free.

[TheN00bBuilder]

I need a rig for basic gaming.  900p@60fps

I'm not going to be running anything super-intensive, but it needs to be able to run most games at medium to high settings.

 

I don't have a strict budget, but I'd like to spend as little as possible as I'm about to quit my part-time job to focus on school work and side projects.

 

I am going to grab a sub-$20 case that doesn't look terrible, but I'm not sure which yet.  I also need a (Hopefully cheap) wireless NIC as the modem is in a different room, and I can't run ethernet throughout the house.

 

I already have a monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

 

I am also planning on doing some light overclocking. (I've never done it before, so I want to play it safe.)

 

 

What I'm looking at right now is:

 

         Motherboard: MSI z97 PC Mate (http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-Z97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BW70) $98

        CPU: Intel g3258 (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Pentium-Processor-G3258-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ) $70

        Ram: Kingston HyperX Fury 8GB (http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-FURY-1866MHz-DDR3/dp/B00J8E91UO) $50

        Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 750 ti FTW (http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Display-Graphics-02G-P4-3757-KR/dp/B00J0ISHMQ) $150

        Storage: WD Green 1tb (http://www.amazon.com/Green-1TB-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B006GDVREI) $50

        PSU: EVGA 500 w1 80+ (http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Warranty-Power-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU) $50

        OS: Win7 Home Premium (http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-System-Builder-Packaging/dp/B00H09BB16) $89

 

        ~$20 case & ~$20 NIC

 

        Total: $597

 

What can I do to lower the cost without sacrificing too much power?  If at all possible I'd like to get it close to  $350.

 

I suggest a lower wattage PSU like said above, change the WD Green drive to a WD Blue, and get the OS off Reddit's Microsoft Software Swap. Then used the saved money to get the lower wattage PSU and WD drive as well as a 212 EVO.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Antec-Basiq-BP350-Power-Supply/dp/B000H9J3ZC/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435884245&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=seasonic+350w+psu

 

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Desktop-7200rpm-Internal-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435884270&sr=8-1&keywords=western+digital+blue

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B005O65JXI/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1435884316&sr=8-1&keywords=hyper+212+evo&condition=new

[Electronics Wizardy]

Get a drive other than a green. Greens are very slow and should not be used for boot.

Get an amd 270x its much faster than a 750ti.

There are cheaper boards that let you oc the g3258 like the  msi h81-p33

[Cult]

Also if you have the money now, it would be great to buy them asap because its the 4th of july tomorrow and a lot of items are on sale..

 

You can get your OS cheaper then that 

[Cult]

You can also find good cases on craiglist pretty cheap thats where i got mine:)

[Sam Z Man]

I need a rig for basic gaming.  900p@60fps

 

What can I do to lower the cost without sacrificing too much power?  If at all possible I'd like to get it close to  $350.

This will sacrifice absolutely no power.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.78 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($46.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Mwave) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($23.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $385.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:05 EDT-0400

[xsrgdarknessx]

Thanks for the help.  But the OS is still a problem.  Databasepc said the OS is free (As in pirating?).  TheN00bBuilder suggested r/softwareswap, which frankly the legality of the codes there seems highly questionable.  Is there a cheap solution for this that is perfectly legal, or does anyone know for sure about the legality of the codes on r/softwareswap?  (I am a college student, so any "student only" things would be acceptable as well.)

[kwongger]

You can't buy Windows keys in /r/Softwareswap, the sale/trade of them there has been banned.   

 

Check out Dreamspark since you're a college student, you can get windows for free!

 

Here is a MUCH MUCH MUCH better build, if you're interested. 

 

If you want NVIDIA (I know I do... nothing but issues for me w/ATI), get a GTX 960 instead of the 280x

 

You could also add a good CPU cooler, and a SSD if you wish.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: *Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: *ECS B85H3-M9 (1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: *Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($42.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($192.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $517.78

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:23 EDT-0400

[ItsGinger35]

Thanks for the help. But the OS is still a problem. Databasepc said the OS is free (As in pirating?). TheN00bBuilder suggested r/softwareswap, which frankly the legality of the codes there seems highly questionable. Is there a cheap solution for this that is perfectly legal, or does anyone know for sure about the legality of the codes on r/softwareswap? (I am a college student, so any "student only" things would be acceptable as well.)

G2A.com

[TheN00bBuilder]

 

You can't buy Windows keys in /r/Softwareswap, the sale/trade of them there has been banned.   

 

Check out Dreamspark since you're a college student, you can get windows for free!

 

Here is a MUCH MUCH MUCH better build, if you're interested. 

 

If you want NVIDIA (I know I do... nothing but issues for me w/ATI), get a GTX 960 instead of the 280x

 

You could also add a good CPU cooler, and a SSD if you wish.

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: *Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: *ECS B85H3-M9 (1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: *Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($42.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($192.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $517.78

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:23 EDT-0400

 

 

Different subreddit...

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap

[monaka25]

This should go in the planning section.. not hot deals However, I think that if you want 900p, I hope you have a 1080p monitor, because this, overclocked, can runs gams on almost max settings on 1080p...

[Sam Z Man]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: *Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($108.95 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: *ECS B85H3-M9 (1.0) Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: *Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($42.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($192.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($34.99 @ NCIX US) 

Total: $517.78

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:23 EDT-0400

 

 

 

OP said this

What can I do to lower the cost without sacrificing... power?  If at all possible I'd like to get it close to $350.

[xsrgdarknessx]

This should go in the planning section.. not hot deals However, I think that if you want 900p, I hope you have a 1080p monitor, because this, overclocked, can runs gams on almost max settings on 1080p...

Oops, I thought I did put it in the planning section (This is my first post).  Also, I already have a 900p monitor, and don't want to buy a new monitor, otherwise I would buy a 1080p monitor.

[monaka25]

Oops, I thought I did put it in the planning section (This is my first post).  Also, I already have a 900p monitor, and don't want to buy a new monitor, otherwise I would buy a 1080p monitor.

   Well, you should probs spend less money on that rig if you don't plan on upgrading monitors, I think a extra 120 bucks would be good, 1080P IS LIFE.

[Hunter259]

 

This will sacrifice absolutely no power.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.78 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($46.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Mwave) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($23.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $385.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:05 EDT-0400

 

Uh the Pentium is a good bit better...

[Pizzatime6]

I miss read the title at first and thought you wrote "first Blunt". lol

[Sam Z Man]

Uh the Pentium is a good bit better...

 

Not in new triple A titles, when it comes to that the pentium sucks ass hard.

[monaka25]

 

This will sacrifice absolutely no power.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.78 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-D3H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($46.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($50.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($109.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($32.99 @ Mwave) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  ($23.98 @ Newegg) 

Total: $385.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-02 21:05 EDT-0400

 

              Good, but not upgradable

[Hunter259]

Not in new triple A titles, when it comes to that the pentium sucks ass hard.

Where are you getting that? Cpu usage is only going to go down from here.

[Sam Z Man]

Where are you getting that? Cpu usage is only going to go down from here.

Newer games get horrendous minimum framerates on a dual core, the 860K does not have this problem and is powerful enough to run a 750ti at 100% so no "bottlenecks" will occur.

 

 

 

              Good, but not upgradable

Sadly yes, but it will perform well, I went with what I did since OP is looking to spend only 350$, so I don't think he plans on upgrading to a i5 4960K and GTX 970 anytime soon.

[kwongger]

OP said this

yeah.  And I dramatically cut the cost of the build, without sacrificing power, actually improving it in some areas.  

[kwongger]

Here is an even cheaper build than the last one I posted.  Comes in at $400 without Mailin rebates, $360 with.  

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.78 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: *G.Skill NS Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($23.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 270 2GB IceQ X² Video Card  ($151.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $435.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-03 01:00 EDT-0400

 

 

 

Edit: I see Sam Z Man already posted a near identical build.  Another browser of /r/CabaloftheBuildsmiths I see

[Sam Z Man]

Here is an even cheaper build than the last one I posted.  Comes in at $400 without Mailin rebates, $360 with.  

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($69.78 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($48.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: *G.Skill NS Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($23.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: *Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: HIS Radeon R9 270 2GB IceQ X² Video Card  ($151.98 @ Newegg) 

Case: Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($53.99 @ Amazon) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 

Total: $435.51

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-03 01:00 EDT-0400

 

 

 

Edit: I see Sam Z Man already posted a near identical build.  Another browser of /r/CabaloftheBuildsmiths I see

Bro hate to break it to you but your build is 435$ with mail in rebates, and I don't use Reddit.

[xsrgdarknessx]

I think I am going to go with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TbshwP

 

$380 with rebates ($430 without)

 

After searching around online, I found most people agree that the g3258 is better for gaming than the x4 860k when overclocked. (Probably only because many games don't use 4 cores very efficiently.)  So I think it'll be worth the extra ~$20 I will have to spend on the motherboard.

 

Thanks for the help.  My cost was cut by just over $200.

 

Now for the hard part, actually spending the money.