Project 700$ [580$ UPDATED]

[tropicano]

Hello, everyone!
I'm 19 years old, I've just finished school and I'm
going to university. I'm going to study software
development, but I'm interested in hardware too, maybe more.
So I've made an entry-level Gaming PC build, and I will be glad
if you guys give me your opinion and advice to make
it better. The goal is: budget gaming build 
(High - Very High settings), at a decent frame rate.
All prices are for new hardware. (7/5/2017)

 

I present you my project  "700$ Gaming".

(At the end you will find Frame Rate tests on some of the popular titles.)

 

Processor - i3-7100
Graphics Card - GTX 1050 Ti SSC
Ram - Corsair vengeance 8gb ddr4 2400mhz black
Motherboard - ASUS Prime H270 PLUS 
Power Supply - EVGA 500 W1
Solid State Drive - Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 240GB 
Hard Drive - WD Blue 1TB
Case - be quiet! PURE BASE 600 WINDOW Black/Orange
2 Fans - White 2 Pack LED Case Fan  120mm

 

700$ (7/5/2017)

 

CPU 115$ - At the price of 115$, I've chosen the Intel i3-7100
for our CPU. This CPU was released in January this year - 2017.
The i3-7100 offers 3.9MHz, and it's not overclockable.
Number of cores: 2, and 4 threads. The blue team processor is from the new Kaby Lake family. 
With a 3MB Level 3 Cache, 512KB Level 2 cache, and 128KB Level 1 cache.
One of the most important benefits of this processor is the DDR4 support, we will
use DDR4-2400 ram, one of the fastest RAM memories on the market. The maximum operating temperature is 100 degrees.
Due to its new architecture, there is a support of DX12 so as our GTX 1050Ti that we will use. This
combination offers great gaming experience!
First I've chosen the i3-6100 CPU, but I found that for few dollars more (2$ on Amazon) we can grab this bad boy, with a higher
 ram support (2400mhz, and 1866mhz for the i3-6100) and 0.200mhz more power.
Compared with the AMD FX6300, the i3-7100 offers from 5 to 12 fps more, in most games.
https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-7100-Desktop-Processor-BX80677I37100/dp/B01NCESRJX

Motherboard 100$ - ASUS motherboard with a support for i7
processors (1151 LGA), which is great for future upgreades.
4 x DIMM, Max. 64GB, DDR4 2400/2133 MHz Non-ECC, Un-buffered Memory 
Dual Channel Memory Architecture.
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 mode) 
1 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (max at x4 mode) 
4 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)
8 x USB 3.0 port(s) (4 at back panel, blue, 4 at mid-board)
6 x USB 2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, , Type-A, 4 at mid-board)
OS :
Windows® 10 64-bit
Windows® 8.1 64-bit 
Windows® 7 32-bit 
Windows® 7 64-bit 
Great budget motherboard for gamers.
An ATX motherboard.https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-PRIME-H270-PLUS-LGA1151-Motherboard/dp/B01N2RNQKE

 

GPU 140$ - The most important part of a gaming build -
the Graphics Card (GPU). I've chosen a Nvidia product - 
the GeForce GTX 1050 TI SSC GAMING from EVGA. This model of the 1050 Ti
offers 2 fans for extra cooling, and I think it's worth the extra 10$ from the 1 fan model, for better cooling. It's a GDDR5,
128bit GPU with a base clock of 1366MHz (which can be overclocked to 1480MHz). 
The maximum resolution is 7680x4320@60Hz, which means
it supports 4k. With a rated board TDP of 75W, it relies entirely on the PCI Slot for power, meaning no extra connectors are required.
In my opinion, this is the best budget solution, for
good gaming experience, on the marker for now.
First I've chosen the RX 460 4GB, but with some research, I found that the GTX 1050 Ti 
offers bigger frame rates in most games, with a higher MHz power.
I will post FPS test results on some games at the end!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF7EQJZ

 

RAM 60$ - Thanks to our CPU and motherboard, we can use
one of the fastest RAM memory on the market - DDR4 2400MHz. 
Ought to you can get more than 8GB, it's not necessary and rarely games need more than 8GB of RAM. But in future, you can add another 8GB stick.
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-2400MHz-Memory-Black/dp/B01ARHBBPS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1494148857&sr=8-6&keywords=DDR4+2400

 

PSU 36$ - And last but not least - power supply, the heart of every computer.
The EVGA company offers stable and reliable products. For our needs 500W
of power is enough to give life to everything.
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-WHITE-Warranty-Supply-100-W1-0500-KR/dp/B00H33SFJU/ref=sr_1_10?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1493921699&sr=1-10&keywords=PSU&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_two_browse-bin%3A6906984011 

 

HDD 50$ - For the hard drive, I've chosen a standard WD Blue 1TB SATA 6 Gb/s 7200 RPM.
Enough space for most gamers nowadays.
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Cache-Desktop-Drive-WD10EZEX/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1493921843&sr=1-1&keywords=hard+drive&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_four_browse-bin%3A8067150011

 

SSD 80$ - Solid State Drives (SSD) are a lot faster than
the old HDDs. Here is a standard 240GB disk, from Kingston, for a bit of extra speed in gaming.
Why use SSD: A hard drive is essentially a metal platter with a magnetic coating that stores your data,
whether weather reports from the last century, a high-definition copy of the Star Wars trilogy, or your digital music collection.
A read/write head on an arm accesses the data while the platters are spinning.
An SSD does functionally everything a hard drive does, but data is instead stored on interconnected flash memory chips that retain the data even when there's no power present. 
The Solid State Drives are a lot faster, but cost extra.
https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Digital-HyperX-SHFS37A-240G/dp/B00KW3MT7W/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1494149006&sr=1-8&keywords=SSD&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A14027458011

 

Case 100$ - For the case, I've chosen the Be Quiet Pure Base 600 Windows case.
For 100$ PC case, this product offers classy vision with side glass panel.
The orange color adds a great look to our build. The best side of this case is the cable management opportunities.
It offers very easy and compactable mounting for our parts. There is one back panel fan for extra cooling, and we will add 2 fans more.
It's an ATX motherboard with, Water cooling ready for radiators up to 360mm on the front, top, and rear if you wish to upgrade.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=2AM-0037-00027

 

Fans 13$ - For extra cooling, we will use 2 standard 12mm
led fans. They add cooling to your system and a little bit of style with the led lights.
https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Reinforced-Hydraulic-Illuminating-Performance/dp/B06XXGNHQJ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493932192&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=pc+fan+120mm&psc=1

 

Here are some tests of popular games, using our build :

 

Grand Theft Auto V (build-in benchamark) - 90FPS average
CS:GO (High graphics 1080p) - 180FPS average
The Witcher 3 (Ultra graphics 1080p) - 30FPS stable (40 fps High graphics)
Fifa 17 (Ultra graphics 1080p) - 120FPS stable 
Battlefield 1 (Ultra graphics 1080p) - 50FPS stable
DOOM 2016 (Ultra graphics 1080p) - 80FPS stable
League of Legends (Ultra graphics 1080p) - 150FPS stable
 

[Herman Mcpootis]

Just now, tropicano said:

 

 

Processor - i3-7100
Graphics Card - GTX 1050 Ti SSC
Ram - Corsair vengeance 8gb ddr4 2400mhz black
Motherboard - ASUS Prime H270 PLUS 
Power Supply - EVGA 500 W1
Solid State Drive - Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 240GB 
Hard Drive - WD Blue 1TB
Case - be quiet! PURE BASE 600 WINDOW Black/Orange
2 Fans - White 2 Pack LED Case Fan  120mm

 

the i3 7100 doesn't make sense when the G4560 is half the price and only a few fps worse. the motherboard is overkill for an i3, psu is mediocre, and case is way too expensive for a $700 build.

[DocSwag]

This will literally run laps around the build you made. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fit an ssd in there but if you're willing to go $30 over budget then you could fit this one in. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D28H99/sk-hynix-sl308-120gb-25-solid-state-drive-hfs120g32tnd-n1a2a

 

Anyhow, here's the build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($218.55 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill - Flare X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.88 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.45 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 570 4GB PULSE Video Card  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: BitFenix - Nova ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $684.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 08:56 EDT-0400

[genexis_x]

4 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

the i3 7100 doesn't make sense when the G4560 is half the price and only a few fps worse. the motherboard is overkill for an i3, psu is mediocre, and case is way too expensive for a $700 build.

PSU isn't mediocre, it's really bad

 

OP, you can get a much better build for $700.

[tropicano]

4 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

the i3 7100 doesn't make sense when the G4560 is half the price and only a few fps worse. the motherboard is overkill for an i3, psu is mediocre, and case is way too expensive for a $700 build.

I see your point. Thank you for the reply!

I've went with this motherboard dup to the support of 2400mhz ram. For tge case,  I think a little bit of style wont hurt, and its good for future upgrades.

Thanks for you reply! Regards.

[Herman Mcpootis]

Just now, tropicano said:

I see your point. Thank you for the reply!

I've went with this motherboard dup to the support of 2400mhz ram. For tge case,  I think a little bit of style wont hurt, and its good for future upgrades.

Thanks for you reply! Regards.

a b250 board would have supported it just as well as a h270 board, and cost far less. style doesn't mean anything when you have to sacrifice SO much performance to get it. 

[tropicano]

3 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

This will literally run laps around the build you made. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fit an ssd in there but if you're willing to go $30 over budget then you could fit this one in. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D28H99/sk-hynix-sl308-120gb-25-solid-state-drive-hfs120g32tnd-n1a2a

 

Anyhow, here's the build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($218.55 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill - Flare X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.88 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.45 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 570 4GB PULSE Video Card  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: BitFenix - Nova ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $684.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 08:56 EDT-0400

Nice!

[genexis_x]

Just now, tropicano said:

I see your point. Thank you for the reply!

I've went with this motherboard dup to the support of 2400mhz ram. For tge case,  I think a little bit of style wont hurt, and its good for future upgrades.

Thanks for you reply! Regards.

I think B250 also supports 2400MHz?

Please consider changing the PSU. It's bad.

[Herman Mcpootis]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7400 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($176.59 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - H110M PRO-VD PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: Mushkin - Essentials 16GB (1 x 16GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($97.99 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($82.67 @ NCIX US) 
Storage: Seagate - BarraCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($46.88 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 4GB Gaming 4G Video Card  ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Rosewill - SRM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($19.99 @ Jet) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $693.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 09:00 EDT-0400

[genexis_x]

Just now, tropicano said:

Nice!

@DocSwag's build is MUCH BETTER. OP, you should have done a lot of research or ask for suggestions from other ppl before planning your new build.

[tropicano]

1 minute ago, ZM Fong said:

I think B250 also supports 2400MHz?

Please consider changing the PSU. It's bad.

What PSU will be better in your opinion?

[genexis_x]

6 minutes ago, tropicano said:

What PSU will be better in your opinion?

Bare minimum, Corsair CX-M grey or Seasonic S12II. You can refer to the PSU tier list:

Get at least tier 3 and you're good.

 

Edit: Tier 4 is still OK as long as the system consumes not much power

[Schakal_No1]

1 minute ago, tropicano said:

What PSU will be better in your opinion?

 

[FloRolf]

Honestly, up to a budget of 500-700€/$ i'd only get used parts. You can get SO MUCH more for your money that way.

[kelvinhall05]

22 minutes ago, tropicano said:

3.9MHz

No....

Get a Pentium G4560 instead, MUCH better deal for nearly identical performance.

[tropicano]

3 hours ago, kelvinhall05 said:

No....

Get a Pentium G4560 instead, MUCH better deal for nearly identical performance.

 

 

 

You are rite! The price is great for few frames less. I will upgrade the build by changing the CPU to G4560, which will save me 35$. I will put a better PSU.

 

Well thank you guys for the help, still learning.

[Zando_]

Something like this?

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/g7Lpnn
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/g7Lpnn/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($164.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill - Flare X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.88 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.39 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8GB NITRO+ Video Card  ($254.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Corsair - SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($51.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $761.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 09:16 EDT-0400

 

It's $80 over budget, but it's got one of the best RX580s out there, the Sapphire 8GB Nitro+. You could maybe squeeze in an SSD if you got a RX580/480 4GB, and didn't get G.Skill's Ryzen optimized RAM. 

[tropicano]

I have to ask something, will the G4560 keep up with gtx 1050 ti?

 

3 hours ago, Zando Bob said:

Something like this?

 

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/g7Lpnn
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/g7Lpnn/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($164.88 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill - Flare X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.88 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($48.39 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 580 8GB NITRO+ Video Card  ($254.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: Corsair - SPEC-02 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($51.98 @ Newegg) 
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Total: $761.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 09:16 EDT-0400

 

It's $80 over budget, but it's got one of the best RX580s out there, the Sapphire 8GB Nitro+. You could maybe squeeze in an SSD if you got a RX580/480 4GB, and didn't get G.Skill's Ryzen optimized RAM. 

Interesting, I see the ryzen in so many builds.

[Zando_]

Just now, tropicano said:

Interesting, I see the ryzen in so many builds.

Right now, it's the best option for a build at this price point. You're getting an overclockable 4 core, 8 thread CPU for the price of some locked ones. Intel currently has the ultra budget builds with the new Pentiums, but Ryzen is the best choice for mid budget build like this. And here is the build with a cheap 8GB stick of RAM, SSD, and a 4GB RX580: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8Q4PD8. It's about $720.

[tropicano]

2 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Right now, it's the best option for a build at this price point. You're getting an overclockable 4 core, 8 thread CPU for the price of some locked ones. Intel currently has the ultra budget builds with the new Pentiums, but Ryzen is the best choice for mid budget build like this. And here is the build with a cheap 8GB stick of RAM, SSD, and a 4GB RX580: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8Q4PD8. It's about $720.

I see. Thank you

[BritishTechGuy]

34 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

the i3 7100 doesn't make sense when the G4560 is half the price and only a few fps worse. the motherboard is overkill for an i3, psu is mediocre, and case is way too expensive for a $700 build.

May as well upgrade to an i5. Motherboard wont seem so overkill as well.

[genexis_x]

8 minutes ago, tropicano said:

I have to ask something, will the G4560 keep up with gtx 1050 ti?

Of course. It may struggle in CPU intensive games but that's OK.

[Snooli]

There's not going to be anything much better than that R5 1600 + RX570 build @DocSwag suggested.

It's not as if you had any chance at getting an i5 to 4Ghz at this price point, the Ryzen however...

[tropicano]

-UPDATE-

Processor - Intel Pentium G4560                                          80$
Graphics Card - GTX 1050 Ti SSC  4GB                             130$
Ram - Corsair vengeance 8gb ddr4 2400mhz black               60$
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-B250M-DS3H                       70$
Power Supply - CORSAIR CXM series CX750M 750W         70$
Solid State Drive - Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 240GB    80$
Hard Drive - WD Blue 1TB                                                     50$
Case - DeepCool TX Mid Tower TESSERACT SW                40$

 

580$ 

 

I think this is better than the first build, and 120$ cheaper!

[Snooli]

1 hour ago, tropicano said:

-UPDATE-

Processor - Intel Pentium G4560                                          80$
Graphics Card - GTX 1050 Ti SSC  4GB                             130$
Ram - Corsair vengeance 8gb ddr4 2400mhz black               60$
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-B250M-DS3H                       70$
Power Supply - CORSAIR CXM series CX750M 750W         70$
Solid State Drive - Kingston Digital HyperX FURY 240GB    80$
Hard Drive - WD Blue 1TB                                                     50$
Case - DeepCool TX Mid Tower TESSERACT SW                40$

 

580$ 

 

I think this is better than the first build, and 120$ cheaper!

Much better, But this build is still way more effective. The CPU is 3 times more cores, and is faster per core, while the GPU is whole tier higher. Sure, it might be 100$ more expensive, but it is a better value.

 

3 hours ago, DocSwag said:

This will literally run laps around the build you made. Unfortunately I wasn't able to fit an ssd in there but if you're willing to go $30 over budget then you could fit this one in. https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D28H99/sk-hynix-sl308-120gb-25-solid-state-drive-hfs120g32tnd-n1a2a

 

Anyhow, here's the build.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor  ($218.55 @ OutletPC) 
Motherboard: MSI - B350 PC MATE ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: G.Skill - Flare X 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($98.88 @ Newegg) 
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($47.45 @ OutletPC) 
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 570 4GB PULSE Video Card  ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Case: BitFenix - Nova ATX Mid Tower Case  ($24.99 @ NCIX US) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($29.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $684.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-07 08:56 EDT-0400