[Build Log] Sub-$500 Mini Gaming PC (Xmas Present)

[Cicada]

After building a $5000 beast for productivity, I took the opposite approach and decided to see how "budget" I could go by building a sub-$500 gaming PC as a present to my cousin for Christmas (2015).

 

Demands for this build weren't very high as he really only plays Guild Wars 2 and other MMOs which aren't as demanding as many of today's titles. Still, I wanted to build a very capable system, in case he ever wanted to run some Steam games in the future. He currently runs a Mac Mini, so nearly anything would be better for gaming, and his productivity demands aren't very high, either.

 

In wanting to keep with a relatively small form factor (hard to beat a Mac Mini), I wanted to build a Mini-ITX gaming system, but with the parts I wanted to use, it just didn't fit in the budget. Going to MicroATX freed up a lot of options while not sacrificing performance (and in many ways getting better performance).

 

I chose the Cooler Master N200 for the case for its Mini-tower size and features, including USB 3.0 in the front panel. Other choices included the Fractal Core 1000 or the Corsair Air 240. I wanted a clean looking case with a small footprint, and I found the N200 on sale for $44 + Rebate from Microcenter.

 

I chose the AMD FX6300 for its 6 cores, performance, overclockability and most importantly, price. 6 unlocked cores for under $90 is a steal, and by most accounts its the best processor in the price range.

 

Another requirement was that the build had to be fairly quiet, if not silent. For cooling, I went with the highly regarded Cooler Master Hyper212 EVO. It fits neatly in the N200, and since I won't be overclocking the processor much, it should be just fine, and the fan shouldn't spin up enough to be loud. I would have liked to go with a small AIO watercooling solution from corsair, but the budget didn't allow for it, and they don't perform any better than an efficient tower cooler.

 

The Gigabyte GA-78LMT has all the features i'd want for this build with 4 DIMM slots for expandability (up to 32GB), and on-board USB 3.0 headers for the front panel of the N200. On-board Gigabit Ethernet is nice, too. It retails for anywhere between $50-60, but with the Microcenter processor bundle discount, I got this great board for just $19.

 

For RAM I went with 8GB of Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz RAM for its price and compatibility with the GA-78LMT. 8GB of RAM is enough for most games and seems to be the best price/performance point for a gaming and light-duty rig. The RAM ran me $36 from Amazon.

 

For GPU, I scored a Zotac 2GB GTX960 on Amazon while it was out of stock, so I was able to get a $30 discount, bringing the price of the GPU to $169. The Zotac is a solid performer, and for the price of a GTX950, I couldn't pass it up. The 960 is fully capable of running many titles on high-ultra settings at 1080p, let alone less demanding titles like MMOs and MOBAs.

 

Coming from a Mac Mini, I suspected his storage needs weren't very high, or he has an external for media storage. As such, I chose to go purely SSD for storage with a 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD. This further increases performance, and the $75 price kept me just under budget. A mechanical HD is easy to add later, for not much money, and the board would easily support the extra storage.

 

For the power supply, I had an unopened Rosewill 630W Green PSU (80+ certified) that had been sitting around for a few years. I tested it and it works, so I was able to save money there. 630W __is_ a bit overkill for the build, but hey -- it didn't cost me anything. Had I needed to buy a PSU, I would have went with the Corsair CX430 or 430M (as budget allowed).

 

Finally, not knowing his connectivity situation, I chose the Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I based on its reviews, wide support for different bands of WiFi, and mostly, for its included bluetooth connectivity. This way, he loses nothing from the Mac Mini in terms of connecting his wireless/bluetooth devices. The price for this part ran me just under $30.

 

I chose not to add any optical drive, since most games are delivered digitally nowadays, and any drivers or programs can easily be either downloaded, or transferred to a USB drive. Newer 5.25"-less cases are becoming more popular as a result.

 

In total, the build ran me just $495 USD (at my purchased prices, YMMV) for what promises to be a pretty good gaming computer. This doesn't include the peripherals I purchased for him, like a Logitech G600 mouse and a G710+ keyboard, and Steelseries "Guild Wars 2 Edition" Headset. These Items add another ~$150 to the build.

 

Waiting on the RAM and video card to come in, but will have build/completed photos soon!

 

 

Parts list:

 

Case:

• Cooler Master N200

CPU:

• AMD FX-6300 Black Edition (6 core, 3.5GHz)

Motherboard:

• Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3

RAM:

• 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600

GPU:

• Zotac GTX960 2GB

PSU:

• Rosewill 630W Green (80+ Certified)

Storage

• 250GB Samsung 850 EVO

Cooling:

• Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Networking:

• Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter

[Starelementpoke]

 

After building a $5000 beast for productivity, I took the opposite approach and decided to see how "budget" I could go by building a sub-$500 gaming PC as a present to my cousin for Christmas (2015).

 

Demands for this build weren't very high as he really only plays Guild Wars 2 and other MMOs which aren't as demanding as many of today's titles. Still, I wanted to build a very capable system, in case he ever wanted to run some Steam games in the future. He currently runs a Mac Mini, so nearly anything would be better for gaming, and his productivity demands aren't very high, either.

 

In wanting to keep with a relatively small form factor (hard to beat a Mac Mini), I wanted to build a Mini-ITX gaming system, but with the parts I wanted to use, it just didn't fit in the budget. Going to MicroATX freed up a lot of options while not sacrificing performance (and in many ways getting better performance).

 

I chose the Cooler Master N200 for the case for its Mini-tower size and features, including USB 3.0 in the front panel. Other choices included the Fractal Core 1000 or the Corsair Air 240. I wanted a clean looking case with a small footprint, and I found the N200 on sale for $44 + Rebate from Microcenter.

 

I chose the AMD FX6300 for its 6 cores, performance, overclockability and most importantly, price. 6 unlocked cores for under $90 is a steal, and by most accounts its the best processor in the price range.

 

Another requirement was that the build had to be fairly quiet, if not silent. For cooling, I went with the highly regarded Cooler Master Hyper212 EVO. It fits neatly in the N200, and since I won't be overclocking the processor much, it should be just fine, and the fan shouldn't spin up enough to be loud. I would have liked to go with a small AIO watercooling solution from corsair, but the budget didn't allow for it, and they don't perform any better than an efficient tower cooler.

 

The Gigabyte GA-78LMT has all the features i'd want for this build with 4 DIMM slots for expandability (up to 32GB), and on-board USB 3.0 headers for the front panel of the N200. On-board Gigabit Ethernet is nice, too. It retails for anywhere between $50-60, but with the Microcenter processor bundle discount, I got this great board for just $19.

 

For RAM I went with 8GB of Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600MHz RAM for its price and compatibility with the GA-78LMT. 8GB of RAM is enough for most games and seems to be the best price/performance point for a gaming and light-duty rig. The RAM ran me $36 from Amazon.

 

For GPU, I scored a Zotac 2GB GTX960 on Amazon while it was out of stock, so I was able to get a $30 discount, bringing the price of the GPU to $169. The Zotac is a solid performer, and for the price of a GTX950, I couldn't pass it up. The 960 is fully capable of running many titles on high-ultra settings at 1080p, let alone less demanding titles like MMOs and MOBAs.

 

Coming from a Mac Mini, I suspected his storage needs weren't very high, or he has an external for media storage. As such, I chose to go purely SSD for storage with a 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD. This further increases performance, and the $75 price kept me just under budget. A mechanical HD is easy to add later, for not much money, and the board would easily support the extra storage.

 

For the power supply, I had an unopened Rosewill 630W Green PSU (80+ certified) that had been sitting around for a few years. I tested it and it works, so I was able to save money there. 630W __is_ a bit overkill for the build, but hey -- it didn't cost me anything. Had I needed to buy a PSU, I would have went with the Corsair CX430 or 430M (as budget allowed).

 

Finally, not knowing his connectivity situation, I chose the Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I based on its reviews, wide support for different bands of WiFi, and mostly, for its included bluetooth connectivity. This way, he loses nothing from the Mac Mini in terms of connecting his wireless/bluetooth devices. The price for this part ran me just under $30.

 

I chose not to add any optical drive, since most games are delivered digitally nowadays, and any drivers or programs can easily be either downloaded, or transferred to a USB drive. Newer 5.25"-less cases are becoming more popular as a result.

 

In total, the build ran me just $495 USD (at my purchased prices, YMMV) for what promises to be a pretty good gaming computer. This doesn't include the peripherals I purchased for him, like a Logitech G600 mouse and a G710+ keyboard, and Steelseries "Guild Wars 2 Edition" Headset. These Items add another ~$150 to the build.

 

Waiting on the RAM and video card to come in, but will have build/completed photos soon!

 

 

Parts list:

 

Case:

• Cooler Master N200

CPU:

• AMD FX-6300 Black Edition (6 core, 3.5GHz)

Motherboard:

• Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3

RAM:

• 8GB Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600

GPU:

• Zotac GTX960 2GB

PSU:

• Rosewill 630W Green (80+ Certified)

Storage

• 250GB Samsung 850 EVO

Cooling:

• Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Networking:

• Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter

 

USD? And pcpartpicker?

[don_svetlio]

R9 380 > 960 and is also cheaper than a 960
Athlon 860K is cheaper than a FX6300 or i3 and is relatively close to them
A88X boards are also cheaper
Get a decent PSU ffs

[Starelementpoke]

R9 380 > 960 and is also cheaper than a 960

Athlon 860K is cheaper than a FX6300 or i3 and is relatively close to them

A88X boards are also cheaper

Get a decent PSU ffs

Ah fuck, he already ordered the parts...

[don_svetlio]

Ah fuck, he already ordered the parts...

then this thread is pointless.....

[Cicada]

USD? And pcpartpicker?

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($77.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card  (Purchased For $169.99) 

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($43.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: Rosewill Green 630W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply 

Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($29.89 @ OutletPC) 

Other: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) (Purchased For $28.54)

Other: GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (Purchased For $19.99)

Total: $497.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-09 13:17 EST-0500

[Starelementpoke]

 

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($89.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($36.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($77.99 @ Amazon) 

Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card  (Purchased For $169.99) 

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($43.99 @ NCIX US) 

Power Supply: Rosewill Green 630W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter  ($29.89 @ OutletPC) 

Other: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2) (Purchased For $28.54)

Other: GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 (rev. 6.0) AM3+ AMD 760G + SB710 USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (Purchased For $19.99)

Total: $497.37

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-09 13:17 EST-0500

 

You already bought the parts?

[Cicada]

Ah fuck, he already ordered the parts...

 

Some are still on order/backordered/OOS, so some can still be changed or returned. The GPU is on example -- i got a discount on it because it was OOS on Amazon (and still has not shipped).

[Starelementpoke]

Some are still on order/backordered/OOS, so some can still be changed or returned. The GPU is on example -- i got a discount on it because it was OOS on Amazon (and still has not shipped).

See if you can switch it for a 380. Same with the psu, as it's not something you'd want to get if you can avoid it. Get something from xfx, antec, seasonic. What about the cpu?

[Cicada]

You already bought the parts?

Most have, but returning some things may not be much of a hassle, provided I'm still under the $500 budget.

[Cicada]

See if you can switch it for a 380. Same with the psu, as it's not something you'd want to get if you can avoid it. Get something from xfx, antec, seasonic. What about the cpu?

I should be able to, since it hasn't shipped. Any particular brand or model (around, or less than $170)? I know nothing about AMD cards.

 

As for the PSU, I already owned it -- it was brand new, and by this review that dug into the guts, it seems fine.

 

alternatively, I can use an 800W silverstone that's on its last legs (If it even works anymore, I replaced it with an AX850 in my old system at least 3 years ago)

 

I can pick up something like a CX430, but that would put me over budget.

[Starelementpoke]

I should be able to, since it hasn't shipped. Any particular brand or model? I know nothing about AMD cards.

 

As for the PSU, I already owned it -- it was brand new, and by this review that dug into the guts, it seems fine.

 

alternatively, I can use an 800W silverstone that's on its last legs (If it even works anymore, I replaced it with an AX850 in my old system at least 3 years ago)

 

I can pick up something like a CX430, but that would put me over budget.

For the brand of gpu, the powercolor should be fine. It should also be the cheapest so yeah. If the psu seems to be fine, go for it. Just try to find another site verifying it's mettle.

[Cicada]

See if you can switch it for a 380. Same with the psu, as it's not something you'd want to get if you can avoid it. Get something from xfx, antec, seasonic. What about the cpu?

RE: CPU -- Doesn't look like the local microcenter carries the 860K. I tend to grab my Processor and motherboards there for their bundles and because processor prices are often much cheaper than anywhere else -- or I end up saving overall when buying the mobo/cpu bundle compared to anywhere else.

[Cicada]

For the brand of gpu, the powercolor should be fine. It should also be the cheapest so yeah. If the psu seems to be fine, go for it. Just try to find another site verifying it's mettle.

I don't like rosewill stuff myself, but It was laying around in the garage, literally still shrink-wrapped -- If I had to guess where I got it, probably from work a few years ago. 630W seems like more than the computer will ever need, so i'm thinking it'll be fine. Most Amazon reviews, newegg reviews and other forums reviews say it's a decent PSU (ATNG OEM, single 12v Rail, 80+ Bronze)

 

RE: GPU -- XFX, Gigabyte, or Powercolor? these three seem to be about in range (or less, after rebates) to what I paid for the 960.

 

[Starelementpoke]

I don't like rosewill stuff myself, but It was laying around in the garage, literally still shrink-wrapped -- If I had to guess where I got it, probably from work a few years ago. 630W seems like more than the computer will ever need, so i'm thinking it'll be fine. Most Amazon reviews, newegg reviews and other forums reviews say it's a decent PSU (ATNG OEM, single 12v Rail, 80+ Bronze)

 

RE: GPU -- XFX, Gigabyte, or Powercolor? these three seem to be about in range (or less, after rebates) to what I paid for the 960.

 

Any 3 will work, you'll have to look in to the specific cards on your own.

 

RE: CPU -- Doesn't look like the local microcenter carries the 860K. I tend to grab my Processor and motherboards there for their bundles and because processor prices are often much cheaper than anywhere else -- or I end up saving overall when buying the mobo/cpu bundle compared to anywhere else.

Eh, then overclock that 6300. It causes stuttering in mmo's, it has laughable at best single core performance. If it's not too much more, I'd still go for the 860k.

[Cicada]

Any 3 will work, you'll have to look in to the specific cards on your own.

 

Eh, then overclock that 6300. It causes stuttering in mmo's, it has laughable at best single core performance. If it's not too much more, I'd still go for the 860k.

I'll likely overclock it, but not go too crazy -- find the stable clock and dial it back a few steps for efficiency and reliability. GW2, which he plays (and I do as well) seems really shittily optimized -- I get stuttering in large raids with a 5960X OC'ed to 4.6 GHz/980Ti/32GB

[Cicada]

Ended up cancelling the GTX960 (hadn't yet shipped from Amazon) and ordered the XFX 2GB R9 380: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZFNDRFC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

[tyson.b]

Ended up cancelling the GTX960 (hadn't yet shipped from Amazon) and ordered the XFX 2GB R9 390: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZFNDRFC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

edit your post that's a 380 lol 390 is in a totally different class

​960 performs better than it in most situations so I'm not sure why you listened to the people above.. Also you don't have to deal with AMD's drivers (I own current AMD and NVIDIA Cards, and I will pick NVIDIA's over AMD's anyday so don't go trying to call me a fanboy)

[Cicada]

edit your post that's a 380 lol 390 is in a totally different class

​960 performs better than it in most situations so I'm not sure why you listened to the people above.. Also you don't have to deal with AMD's drivers (I own current AMD and NVIDIA Cards, and I will pick NVIDIA's over AMD's anyday so don't go trying to call me a fanboy)

Looked up some reviews and checked out some videos, and benchmarks seem to favor the R9 380 -- I've only ever run Nvidia cards, at least as far back as I can remember, going back 15+ years.

 

Ive heard about some driver issues, but I don't expect it to really be a problem -- and i'm not sure what the issues with the drivers are -- what are they? Specifically, I plan to run win10.

 

Another thing I'm worried about is how loud the card might be -- I know the AMDs tend to draw more power and run hotter, and having a fairly quiet, if not silent PC is one of the most important things in this build. If I have to sacrifice a little bit of performance, I'm willing to go with the 960 after all, if it'll run cooler, meaning the fans wont spin up as often, making the system loud.

 

Again, his needs aren't even very demanding -- MMOs are about as much as he's likely to play, and maybe some random steam games, now that he has something to play on, but I don't expect him to be running any of the top titles, and I think a either card would handle top titles at at least medium settings, correct?

[tyson.b]

Looked up some reviews and checked out some videos, and benchmarks seem to favor the R9 380 -- I've only ever run Nvidia cards, at least as far back as I can remember, going back 15+ years.

 

Ive heard about some driver issues, but I don't expect it to really be a problem -- and i'm not sure what the issues with the drivers are -- what are they? Specifically, I plan to run win10.

I particularly don't like the layout of the drivers and the fact that CCC (Catalyst control center, AMD's control center for their drivers) uses a lot of ram and cpu to keep running

many will disagree but currently I'm running AMD and I've tried to like it and I cant.

 

Now looking at digital foundry's benchmarks I am leaning towards the 380 choice but I looked up 380x benchmarks but apparently the tests were done incorrectly because there was only a frames difference between the 2

[cangath]

are you still going to have it run osx?

[Cicada]

are you still going to have it run osx?

neg -- Win10.

[Cicada]

Also, and i should have realized this -- the GPU will take up both the PCIe x16 slot and the PCIe x1 slot directly underneath it, so I can't use a PCIe WiFi Card since the board has one PCIe x16, a PCIe x1, and a single PCI slot.

 

unless i use a riser card/extension and mount the WiFi card (with mounting tape or something) somewhere else all ghetto-like.

 

also, depending on the clearance I have with the GPU, it may not be possible to run a riser/extension at all. The card came in today, so I'll have to see.

 

[arnavvr]

@Cicada What about a PCI(not-Express) wifi card?