Budget Intel gaming PC

[Buffon07]

Hello Forum,

 

I am helping a friend get prepared for a budget gaming pc build. I typically build higher end gaming and workstation type PC's so I want to make sure on the budget side I have selected well enough for his needs. It is going to be a family computer, but he also wants to game on it. He wants to have the ability to do light photo and video editing of his family pictures/videos. He mostly plays WoW and other RPG's. He said his max budget would be around 1200 but I want to keep him in the 6-900 range so he can buy decent peripherals. I have two builds here, both intel, and was wanting to make sure I did some "future proofing" as he does not want to have a lot of bottlenecking and not have to upgrade in a couple years etc. I am open to AMD suggestions as they tend to be a little cheaper and can perform the tasks that he is looking for, so please feel free to add those. 

 

The two main differences between the builds are: Chipset, memory, and MoBo

 

PC1: $887:30

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Item #: N82E16820233280 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy		$84.99
1		ASRock H97 Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157511 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant	$83.99 $76.99
1		Intel Core i5-4460 Haswell Quad-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54460 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 Item #: N82E16819117302 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$189.99 $184.99
1		Windows 10 Home - 64-bit Item #: N82E16832416892 Return Policy: Consumable Product Return Policy		$99.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PC2: $719.31* (forgot to add windows) = $819.31

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Intel Core i3-6100 3M 3.7 GHz LGA 1151 BX80662I36100 Desktop Processor Item #: 2MN-0004-00002 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$124.99 $119.99
1		ASRock H170A-X1 LGA 1151 Intel H170 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157682 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate	$78.99 $71.99
1		G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-16GXM Item #: N82E16820231615 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$9.00  Instant	$95.99 $86.99
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

[Unexas.]

3 minutes ago, Buffon07 said:

Hello Forum,

 

I am helping a friend get prepared for a budget gaming pc build. I typically build higher end gaming and workstation type PC's so I want to make sure on the budget side I have selected well enough for his needs. It is going to be a family computer, but he also wants to game on it. He wants to have the ability to do light photo and video editing of his family pictures/videos. He mostly plays WoW and other RPG's. He said his max budget would be around 1200 but I want to keep him in the 6-900 range so he can buy decent peripherals. I have two builds here, both intel, and was wanting to make sure I did some "future proofing" as he does not want to have a lot of bottlenecking and not have to upgrade in a couple years etc. I am open to AMD suggestions as they tend to be a little cheaper and can perform the tasks that he is looking for, so please feel free to add those. 

 

The two main differences between the builds are: Chipset, memory, and MoBo

 

PC1: $887:30

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Item #: N82E16820233280 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy		$84.99
1		ASRock H97 Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157511 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant	$83.99 $76.99
1		Intel Core i5-4460 Haswell Quad-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54460 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 Item #: N82E16819117302 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$189.99 $184.99
1		Windows 10 Home - 64-bit Item #: N82E16832416892 Return Policy: Consumable Product Return Policy		$99.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PC2: $719.31* (forgot to add windows) = $819.31

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Intel Core i3-6100 3M 3.7 GHz LGA 1151 BX80662I36100 Desktop Processor Item #: 2MN-0004-00002 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$124.99 $119.99
1		ASRock H170A-X1 LGA 1151 Intel H170 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157682 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate	$78.99 $71.99
1		G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-16GXM Item #: N82E16820231615 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$9.00  Instant	$95.99 $86.99
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

Here. 

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/BtpCr7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/BtpCr7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($236.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($24.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: ASRock Z170A-X1 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($91.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($49.00 @ B&H) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($73.80 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING Video Card  ($382.64 @ Amazon) 
Case: Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.97 @ Newegg) 
Total: $944.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-02 11:40 EDT-0400

 

Add about $20ish for windows from G2A or kinguin.

[Castdeath97]

1. Scarp that 960, it's just old. Get a RX 480 4GB or something. 
2. No need for thermal paste comes included
3. I would go for the second build but get an i5 6500 instead of that i3.

[Castdeath97]

Also don't limit yourself to newegg, check the prices of other retailers on pcpartpicker.com

[Oswin]

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/4gtzZ8
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/4gtzZ8/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI B150M MORTAR Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($67.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($44.88 @ OutletPC) 
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($61.99 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.33 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 480 8GB GAMING X Video Card  ($244.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.70 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $739.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-02 11:45 EDT-0400

[Quaker]

If your friend plays WoW or other MMORPGs, he's going to want an good i5 processor, not an i3 or a bottom end i5-4460.

 

Start with an i5-6500 (not the i5-6400)**

Add a B150 or H170 motherboard**

8-16Gigs of DDR4-2133 or 2400 RAM (2x4 or 2x8)

Corsair CX550M power supply. (or similar 80+)

RX 470 or GTX-1060 graphics card. (Assuming a 1920x1080 (or less) monitor)

SSD + HDD*

Whatever case.

Stock cooler or CM Hyper 101i/TX3/103 type cooler.

 

*You may be able to get away with just a single 240-500Gig SSD. You only need the HDD if you plan to store massive amounts of (often useless) stuff. Also, I've found that many non-techie computer users never know how to properly use a "D:" drive and the HDD goes basically unused.

** It's best not to overclock a friends system. So, no "K" CPU or Z170 motherboard is needed unless your friend states he want to overclock.

[antisleep]

i7 / 1060 / 250GB SSD

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($304.99 @ Newegg) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($41.98 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($69.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: SK hynix SL308 250GB SSD  ($64.99 @ Newegg) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($52.99 @ Newegg) 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB WINDFORCE OC 6G Video Card  ($259.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Deepcool DUKASE V2 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($57.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.97 @ Newegg) 
Total: $902.88

 

Operating System: Windows 10 Pro OEM ($30 @ Kinguin.net)

[gtx1060=value]

7 hours ago, Buffon07 said:

Hello Forum,

 

I am helping a friend get prepared for a budget gaming pc build. I typically build higher end gaming and workstation type PC's so I want to make sure on the budget side I have selected well enough for his needs. It is going to be a family computer, but he also wants to game on it. He wants to have the ability to do light photo and video editing of his family pictures/videos. He mostly plays WoW and other RPG's. He said his max budget would be around 1200 but I want to keep him in the 6-900 range so he can buy decent peripherals. I have two builds here, both intel, and was wanting to make sure I did some "future proofing" as he does not want to have a lot of bottlenecking and not have to upgrade in a couple years etc. I am open to AMD suggestions as they tend to be a little cheaper and can perform the tasks that he is looking for, so please feel free to add those. 

 

The two main differences between the builds are: Chipset, memory, and MoBo

 

PC1: $887:30

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		CORSAIR Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M2A1600C10 Item #: N82E16820233280 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy		$84.99
1		ASRock H97 Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157511 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant	$83.99 $76.99
1		Intel Core i5-4460 Haswell Quad-Core 3.2 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54460 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 Item #: N82E16819117302 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$189.99 $184.99
1		Windows 10 Home - 64-bit Item #: N82E16832416892 Return Policy: Consumable Product Return Policy		$99.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PC2: $719.31* (forgot to add windows) = $819.31

Wish List:

 

Qty.	Product Description		Savings	Total Price
1		Intel Core i3-6100 3M 3.7 GHz LGA 1151 BX80662I36100 Desktop Processor Item #: 2MN-0004-00002 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Replacement-Only Return Policy	-$5.00  Instant	$124.99 $119.99
1		ASRock H170A-X1 LGA 1151 Intel H170 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard Item #: N82E16813157682 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$7.00  Instant $20.00 Mail-in Rebate	$78.99 $71.99
1		G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C9D-16GXM Item #: N82E16820231615 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$9.00  Instant	$95.99 $86.99
1		Rosewill TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case, supports up to 400 mm long VGA Card, comes with two fans pre-installed - Front 120 mm Fan x 1, Rear 120 mm Fan x1 Item #: N82E16811147253 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$20.00  Instant	$59.99 $39.99
1		GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 960 DirectX 12 GV-N960XTREME-4GD 4GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 ATX Video Card Item #: N82E16814125848the  Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$50.00  Instant	$249.99 $199.99
1		SILVERSTONE ST50F-ESG 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply Item #: N82E16817256103 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	$15.00 Mail-in Rebate	$89.99
1		Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G Weight: Silver Thermal Paste Item #: 9SIA9PV3Y38184 Sold by AmaMax (USA) Since 1993		$6.39
1		SanDisk SD8SB8U-128G-1122 X400 SATA 2.5" 128GB Internal SSD Item #: 0D9-0006-000G6 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$4.00  Instant	$54.99 $50.99
1		WD Blue 1TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 7200 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch - WD10EZEX Item #: N82E16822236339 Return Policy: Extended Holiday Return Policy	-$17.00  Instant	$69.99 $52.99

 

 

instead of the 960, perhaps get a rx 470 or something like that - also, the psu is overkill - just get a evga NEX 550 watt or the corsair CXM450

[Buffon07]

Thanks for all the help and replys. Some good suggestions, some that I overlooked and some I never considered. It is greatly appreciated.