[Build Log] Gaming PC [Cheap][For Fun][Solved]

[jeffmeyer5295]

Hello all,

 

I have decided to start a project, and wanted to document it somewhere, so where better than the Linus Forums? I have done some basic research and I think it is possible to hit my budget and do some light gaming on the machine.

 

A little back story on the build; I play games on my gaming pc and my xbox one quite often, and my gf would like something that she can play on occasionally too and doesn't want to spend crazy money on something that only gets used when we both want to play at the same time. I've already got a monitor and decent peripherals for her. Just need the tower. 

 

This build is currently in the research stage and I've got a deal that I can take on a EVGA GTX 960 SCC 4GB for $150(bit pricey for that card for me, but its through a  friend so I don't want to haggle too much) and I think that might be a front runner but would consume a vast amount of my budget and I feel like it would just get bottle necked by the rest of the build anyway. I have been thinking about following in the steps of a recent build Linus has done about using server hardware to get cheap CPU's and stuff for under $150. What are your thoughts on that?

 

The most hardware intense game I think she will be running is Rust(Maybe) and mostly simple games that require little to know hardware to run. Thanks for reading and I'll keep you updated  Any advise or recommendations aside from SPEND MOAR MONEY is welcome   

 

Budget: $~300 USD

[LOUOS]

@jeffmeyer5295This should be perfect for a budget build

http://www.misco.co.uk/productinfo/productinfo?productCode=2591767&affiliate=GOOGLEPLA&cm_mmc=google-_-Product_PlusBox-__-2591767&catargetid=530001250000670637&cadevice=c&gclid=CjwKEAjwtNbABRCsqO7J0_uJxWYSJAAiVo5L6BI2BurK9dRNKlemc1bkZVDTJrMML-H27t2OB1p3lhoCEkLw_wcB

 

 ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 

[LOUOS]

but seriously what budget?Currency?Peripherals?

[jeffmeyer5295]

 

2 minutes ago, LOUOS said:

but seriously what budget?Currency?Peripherals?

Lmao I'll have to jump on that card, cant beat that price. ;D My apologies, my budget sits at about $300 USD, as for peripherals we have my old Logitech keyboard, mouse, and headset from before I upgraded and a 23 inch LG led monitor. She doesn't need much and most, if not all, of my parts will be used. I will update my post with the asnwers to these Q's Thanks

[LOUOS]

@jeffmeyer5295300 for all (case,storage,CPU etc) or 300 for "essentials" like GPU,CPU mobo and you all ready have the rest.(sorry to nag)

[jeffmeyer5295]

1 minute ago, LOUOS said:

@jeffmeyer5295300 for all (case,storage,CPU etc) or 300 for "essentials" like GPU,CPU mobo and you all ready have the rest.(sorry to nag)

$300 for Case, Ram, CPU, mobo and possibly GPU, I already have a few spare Samsung Evo's I'll be putting int it. I know it's a terribly low budget for a 'gaming' PC. But I think as an experimental project mostly for fun it will be okay. I dont need to run Crysis 3 at 4k/60 fps  and no don't worry about seeming to be naggy, I appreciate any replies/advice I can get!  

[LOUOS]

@jeffmeyer5295I would get other opinions but this is what I got for roughly 300.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/n4crcc

 

[jeffmeyer5295]

Just now, LOUOS said:

@jeffmeyer5295I would get other opinions but this is what I got for roughly 300.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/n4crcc

 

Wow that is a really good setup for the cost and brand new parts. What are your thoughts on it? What kind of things is it able to run at what fps and what not? Thanks in advance I appreciate any info!

[LOUOS]

Some guy recommended this to me. http://www.game-debate.com/can-I-run/?Microsoft

[TheDankKoosh]

4 hours ago, jeffmeyer5295 said:

Hello all,

 

I have decided to start a project, and wanted to document it somewhere, so where better than the Linus Forums? I have done some basic research and I think it is possible to hit my budget and do some light gaming on the machine.

 

A little back story on the build; I play games on my gaming pc and my xbox one quite often, and my gf would like something that she can play on occasionally too and doesn't want to spend crazy money on something that only gets used when we both want to play at the same time. I've already got a monitor and decent peripherals for her. Just need the tower. 

 

This build is currently in the research stage and I've got a deal that I can take on a EVGA GTX 960 SCC 4GB for $150(bit pricey for that card for me, but its through a  friend so I don't want to haggle too much) and I think that might be a front runner but would consume a vast amount of my budget and I feel like it would just get bottle necked by the rest of the build anyway. I have been thinking about following in the steps of a recent build Linus has done about using server hardware to get cheap CPU's and stuff for under $150. What are your thoughts on that?

 

The most hardware intense game I think she will be running is Rust(Maybe) and mostly simple games that require little to know hardware to run. Thanks for reading and I'll keep you updated  Any advise or recommendations aside from SPEND MOAR MONEY is welcome   

 

Budget: $~300 USD

This was the cheapest I could get for something that would still be reasonable for gaming, but I think if you can then you should pull the trigger on this list. http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LJq8HN

[jeffmeyer5295]

17 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

This was the cheapest I could get for something that would still be reasonable for gaming, but I think if you can then you should pull the trigger on this list. http://pcpartpicker.com/list/LJq8HN

I appreciate the reply! Just out of curiosity what are your thoughts about that AMD cpu vs the Intel Pentium G4400, similar priced CPU but able to run DDR4 and more up to date chip-sets on mobo's, especially since the quad core aspect of it doesn't really benefit gaming THAT much with games my GF will be playing. I am by no means an Intel fanboy, but at this time IMO at this time Intel cpu's are a bit better if they can be afforded. Also the Pentium cpu build comes out to about $250 for what I need instead of the $250 for a similar spec build(mind I don't need a gpu nor storage included in the order, simply because I already have a few SSD's and will be sourcing a used GPU because of cost effectiveness). Just want your 2 cents on that  Thanks in advance!

 

Link to intel spec build:

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/JYmp3F

 

EDIT: I noticed a large chunk of the AMD build was due to manually adding the cost of my sourced GPU, I appreciate that and adjusted the cost in my banter accordingly  thanks!

[TheDankKoosh]

13 minutes ago, jeffmeyer5295 said:

I appreciate the reply! Just out of curiosity what are your thoughts about that AMD cpu vs the Intel Pentium G4400, similar priced CPU but able to run DDR4 and more up to date chip-sets on mobo's, especially since the quad core aspect of it doesn't really benefit gaming THAT much with games my GF will be playing. I am by no means an Intel fanboy, but at this time IMO at this time Intel cpu's are a bit better if they can be afforded. Also the Pentium cpu build comes out to about $250 for what I need instead of the $400 for a similar spec build(mind I don't need a gpu nor storage included in the order, simply because I already have a few SSD's and will be sourcing a used GPU because of cost effectiveness). Just want your 2 cents on that  Thanks in advance!

I only added the gpu because of the SSC that you were thinking of buying from your friend for $150, also if you're not planning on upgrading then I would go for the athlon build especially since I found the cheap A88x mobo and you could OC the 880k to 4.6 ghz without any problem. If you're planning on upgrading the cpu within the near future then the intel would be the better option (although I would stay away from true dual core cpus imo). Here is an updated list that gets closer to your budget  http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Rnrs8K     and as for the rx 460 4gb, it just cannot push games well enough for that 4 gigs of vram to be used, and since the 1050 is more powerful and cheaper than this I would suggest it over the 460 

[TheDankKoosh]

26 minutes ago, jeffmeyer5295 said:

I appreciate the reply! Just out of curiosity what are your thoughts about that AMD cpu vs the Intel Pentium G4400, similar priced CPU but able to run DDR4 and more up to date chip-sets on mobo's, especially since the quad core aspect of it doesn't really benefit gaming THAT much with games my GF will be playing. I am by no means an Intel fanboy, but at this time IMO at this time Intel cpu's are a bit better if they can be afforded. Also the Pentium cpu build comes out to about $250 for what I need instead of the $400 for a similar spec build(mind I don't need a gpu nor storage included in the order, simply because I already have a few SSD's and will be sourcing a used GPU because of cost effectiveness). Just want your 2 cents on that  Thanks in advance!

Something else I would highly suggest is getting a used cpu and mobo such as a xeon x5647 and a Supermicro X8STi mobo off of ebay with a combined cost of $75, this will give you headroom to overclock the xeon and get better performance than both the G4400 and the 880k while keep costs down even more.

[jeffmeyer5295]

6 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

I only added the gpu because of the SSC that you were thinking of buying from your friend for $150, also if you're not planning on upgrading then I would go for the athlon build especially since I found the cheap A88x mobo and you could OC the 880k to 4.6 ghz without any problem. If you're planning on upgrading the cpu within the near future then the intel would be the better option (although I would stay away from true dual core cpus imo). Here is an updated list that gets closer to your budget http://pcpartpicker.com/list/CftyxY      and as for the rx 460 4gb, it just cannot push games well enough for that 4 gigs of vram to be used, and since the 1050 is more powerful and cheaper than this I would suggest it over the 460 http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Rnrs8K

Those are some good points, The intel cannot be overclocked with the board that is in the build, so I will definetly take that into account. I am not worried about choosing the pentium over the amd due to upgradability because if I do upgrade to say, an I5, I'd replace that board as well. My biggest concern is ddr4(mostly just a personal thing, buying a new pc may as well use newer tech if I am buying new, not used hardware, if that makes sense)

 

And buying a used Xeon CPU is a strong front runner as well, I am willing to do the extra work/research to get it all compatible and running(this is mostly for fun afterall and where is the fun and buying all preset stuff;))

 

I am seriously debating on buying a 1050 over my friends 960 tho

[TheDankKoosh]

1 minute ago, jeffmeyer5295 said:

Those are some good points, The intel cannot be overclocked with the board that is in the build, so I will definetly take that into account. I am not worried about choosing the pentium over the amd due to upgradability because if I do upgrade to say, an I5, I'd replace that board as well. My biggest concern is ddr4(mostly just a personal thing, buying a new pc may as well use newer tech if I am buying new, not used hardware, if that makes sense)

 

And buying a used Xeon CPU is a strong front runner as well, I am willing to do the extra work/research to get it all compatible and running(this is mostly for fun afterall and where is the fun and buying all preset stuff;))

 

I am seriously debating on buying a 1050 over my friends 960 tho

Get the 1050 ti over the 960, it has better color compression so it can utilize the 4gb of vram more effectively, as for ddr4 there is next to no difference in it other than higher available speeds and that has no effect on the gaming experience of the rig. I think you have enough information here though to pull the trigger on whatever you want to try (intel new, amd, or intel used) for your price range. Happy Building

[jeffmeyer5295]

5 minutes ago, TheDankKoosh said:

Get the 1050 ti over the 960, it has better color compression so it can utilize the 4gb of vram more effectively, as for ddr4 there is next to no difference in it other than higher available speeds and that has no effect on the gaming experience of the rig. I think you have enough information here though to pull the trigger on whatever you want to try (intel new, amd, or intel used) for your price range. Happy Building

Thanks a lot for your input man I really appreciate it!

[TheDankKoosh]

Just now, jeffmeyer5295 said:

Thanks a lot for your input man I really appreciate it!

I'm always happy to help, if you have anymore questions then feel free to ask and I'll get back ASAP.

[jeffmeyer5295]

Update;

 

This is what I think I've decided on.

 

I decided to buy a new 10 series card to upgrade mine in my machine, then just give her the one out of mine, if that makes sense. My card that I currently have is a 960 scc 4 gb just like the one I was gonna buy off my friend so she ended up with one of those anyway haha, heres the breakdown.

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G4400.

I decided on the intel 1151 because of ddr4 ram and I just all around trust intel more from my intel builds and amd builds. 

 

Storage: 3x samsung evo pro 120 gb. Going to be setting this up in raid 5 for a total of 240 gbs of storage and a 2 tb platter for media

I decided on this because I already had them and ssd is life

 

RAM: DDr4 Corsair vengeance 4gb x2

I went with this so she will have the newest tech, it is 2400 mhz and I chose 2 4gb sticks to take advantage of dual channel.

 

Graphics: She is going to be getting my gtx 960 4gb

I bought a 1060 6gb referance card for my system

 

Power supply: She is getting a semi modular 550 watt

I went with this because cable management in the case I chose is going to be a big fat B word and I need as few cables in there as possible.

Also I bought a 750 watt for my machine and the 550 is coming out of mine.

 

Case: I went with a cooler master 110 mini ITX case

I went with this for size, we dont have tons of space in our house so this will fit us well, plus I love building these tiny pc's. more of a challenge

 

Mobo: MSI Skylake h110 lga 1151 mini ITX with pro AC

I chose this one because of the overall asthetics, its a good looking board, it also has WIFI witch will come in handy. My plan for placement of this pc will be difficult to get a hardline to. 

 

I will also do a build log of this with my thoughts and impressions during and after the build if permitted.

 

Thanks for the help guys