$400 Budget Gaming PC

[TomR]

Hey all, just want to share with you a budget gaming PC I just finished putting together for my friend. The SSD was purchased as an open box item from our local Fry's Electronics. The RAM and case were purchased off of Craigslist. The rest of the parts are brand new utilizing mail in rebates to stay within budget. The case artwork was done by my friend who this computer is built for.

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CJhGtJ
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CJhGtJ/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  (Purchased For $88.00) 
Motherboard: MSI B250M GAMING PRO Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  (Purchased For $75.00) 
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  (Purchased For $15.00) 
Storage: PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (Purchased For $40.00) 
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 470 4GB STRIX Video Card  (Purchased For $155.00) 
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case  (Purchased For $10.00) 
Power Supply: Corsair VS 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $29.99) 
Total: $412.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-19 10:12 EST-0500

 

Final thoughts:

At $88 brand new utilizing a rebate code I think the i3 6100 was a great price as well as the RX 470 for $155. Originally I had planned to use a $45 H110 ASRock motherboard as opposed to the $85 MSI B250. However our local Fry's Electronics was out of the H110 so we settled for the more expensive B250 instead. Although more than we had planned to spend, I'm very happy with the overall quality and ease of installation of the MSI B250 Gaming Pro. However I did not enjoy building with a non modular power supply and a budget case. It made cable management a pain. If I were to do this build again I'd try to get at least a semi modular power supply.

[Firecheetah13]

Why would you cheap out on the most important part of your build? Your PSU is the heart and soul of your PC. The VS series is a low tier PSU, tier 6/7 to be exact on the LTT tier list. That's pretty much the bottom of the bell for PSUs. You could have found an H110 on Newegg, OutletPC, etc. Then, using that extra $20-$25, buy a CXM or related Tier 3/7 PSU of the same or slightly better wattage.

[VVoltor]

Nice job. I wouldn't give a rat's ass about cable management in a case with no windows though, I think you made the right choice going with the cheaper PSU from a reliable brand for this build.

 

Thumbs up for the artwork though! Not my style but that looks pretty professional.

[TomR]

1 minute ago, Firecheetah13 said:

Why would you cheap out on the most important part of your build? Your PSU is the heart and soul of your PC. The VS series is a low tier PSU, tier 6/7 to be exact on the LTT tier list. That's pretty much the bottom of the bell for PSUs. You could have found an H110 on Newegg, OutletPC, etc. Then, using that extra $20-$25, buy a CXM or related Tier 3/7 PSU of the same or slightly better wattage.

This post wasn't made to be a "I make the best computers on the internet" post. Simply sharing a build.