First budget-friendly Gaming PC

[Jeff Zeejay]

Hi everyone, I am building my first Gaming PC with a max budget of $700. I want a build that can be upgraded minimally like a memory upgrade, ssd storage upgrade and maybe a GPU upgrade. I mainly use it for school related stuff and minimal gaming (pubg, overwatch, shadow of mordor). Aesthetics is important to me :-D but I would go for budget build if I can't achieve the aesthetics I want

 

My initial draft was as following:

Motherboard: MSI B250M Gaming Pro/MSI B250M Mortar

Processor: Core i5 7400

Memory: Kingston HyperX 1x8gb Stick 2400Mhz ( i'll upgrade this in the future)

Storage: (I have a spare 1 tb HDD)

Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti Windforce 4GB OC

PSU: Corsair VS650

Case: (A generic case that costs $23 dollars)

Cost: $668

 

Then when I got to the city and begin canvassing for the components, I realized all except the GPU and Processor is out of stock and the stores did not know when will the supplier supply them. A particularly known Techshop in our city suggested to me this build instead (based on my budget and with what are available stocks in their store with discount if I let them build the PC and it have aesthetics too):

Motherboard: MSI B250M Mortar Arctic

Processor: Core i5 7400

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2666MHz 1x 8gb stick ( i'll upgrade this in the future)

Storage: (I have a spare 1 tb HDD)

Graphics: MSI GTX 1050Ti  4GB OC

PSU: Rave 600W (Don't know if all you are familiar with this brand but it is common in our country: 'Philippines')

Case: Tecware Edge V2 Black/White Full Tempered Glass panel side

Cost: $643

 

 i like the aesthetics of it because one of their computer have similar motherboard and case. But I pmed the owner of the store today. He suggested me this build with a discount

Motherboard: MSI/Gigabyte H110 (He did not specify)

Processor: Core i5 7400

Memory: 8gb stick ( i'll upgrade this in the future also he didn't specify it again)

Storage: Intel 250gb SSD

Graphics: GTX 1050Ti (He didn't specified again)

PSU: DeepCool DE500 500 watts

Case: Tecware Full Acrylic Case (Don't know what specific Tecware case)

Cost: $686

Note: Memory and GPU I think are the ones on the 2nd build draft suggested to me, Corsair and MSI

 

He said the build he suggested is affordable considering my budget and it have an ssd but the aesthetics is sacrificed.

Now what I decided is this build:

Motherboard: MSI B250M Mortar Arctic

Processor: Core i5 7400

Memory: Corsair Vengeance 2666MHz 1x 8gb stick ( i'll upgrade this in the future)

Storage: Intel 250gb SSD

Graphics: MSI GTX 1050Ti  4GB OC

PSU: DeepCool DE500 500 watts

Case: Tecware Edge Black/White Full Tempered Glass side panel

Cost: note sure but around $670-$700 or maybe more. I'll ask the store.

 

What do you think of my final thoughts of my build? Please feel free to suggest a build or replace a component on my build. I am on a tight budget honestly but If i get the scholarship that i am trying to apply, my budget would increase not extremely but a little bit like $25 to $75. I accept criticism and suggestion.

 

PS. I admit I am a noob. All i know are basics only. 

 

Thank you everyone.

 

 

[limegorilla]

Ok, so far so good. However, try this site here: pcpartpicker.com (or the UK variant) uk.pcpartpicker.com - even if you dont live in the US.

[limegorilla]

They also do other countries.

[FuzzyLogic]

Looks like a solid build; do you know if they have AMD Ryzen cpus in stock where you live? They might be a better value.

[Conza]

Hey Jeff, it will work, but I took the challenge to build something under $700 with US pricing, and I came close.

 

The biggest thing I suggest is going for a 1060, yes a 1050ti will do 1080p well for the moment, but I feel a 1060 (6gb) should last quite a bit longer and is a significant step up.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/r9yBBP

 

Total build cost - $703.55 (based on current prices at time of writing at the cheapest retailers listed on PC Part Picker US).

CPU: Intel i3 7350k - $146.74, if you're willing to learn about overclocking and couple this to a reasonable cooler, you should be able to get higher than 4.5GHz with stability, single core GHz speed is the number 1 item for gaming when it comes to CPUs.

CPU Cooler: Cryorig H7 - $35, I've read /watched some reviews on this cooler and it performs well, has nice aesthetics if you ask me, should be able to cope with OCing a 7350k

MB: MSI - Z270 GAMING PLUS - $105, if you do plan on getting a K processor, make sure you match to a Z270/Z170 board, yes it will work with other LGA-1151 slot MBs but the chipset won't allow you to modify the clock values (overclock). 4.2GHz is still a respectable value though, so if the MB is significantly cheaper and you will not overclock, substitute accordingly (verify with a PC builder if it's compatible before doing this though)

RAM: PNY - Anarchy 2 x 8GB DDR4-2133 - $85, yes it's not a single 8GB chip, yes it's expensive, and yes 2666MHz today is the sweet spot others have found, however, single 8GB chips at that speed are only $20-$25 cheaper, and this is a budget system, so sacrificing a bit on RAM speed now for more total memory would be my recommendation, 8GB might be enough to scrape through though, your choice here.

GPU: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB - $260, this is where the money should go, and in my build for you it has at 37% of the budget. Have a quick look at some comparisons between this and 1050tis, some reviewers praise the 1050ti as a great budget card, and it sort of is, but the 1060 is such a step up, and since you can afford it if you price your other components accordingly, I say go for it, this is the cheapest 1060 6GB I could find, personally I think it also looks great.

Case: Deepcool - D-Shield - $35, I haven't researched the case at all, but it's only $35, has a PSU basement for cable management, a window, some interesting looking top IO, couple of 5 1/2 inch drive bays if that's your thing, front ventilation, ect, it should do the job.

PSU: EVGA - 450W 80+ Bronze - $35, it isn't modular at all, but does include 2 x 6+2 PCI which is all you really need in addition to standard ATX plugs, is well rated (80+ Bronze) from a reputable manufacturer, so should not be a problem.

 

Anyway, building with a budget is fun, hopefully some of this will be useful or at least interesting, please update us with what you end up going with and Good Gaming.

Edited August 6, 2017 by Conza
Updating CPU pricing

[Jeff Zeejay]

2 hours ago, thegreengamers said:

Looks like a solid build; do you know if they have AMD Ryzen cpus in stock where you live? They might be a better value.

Hello sir, they indeed have Ryzen CPUs i think as far as i remember they have as of now the Ryzen 3 Processors. I don't know about future stocks of the other variants. 

[Jeff Zeejay]

2 hours ago, limegorilla said:

They also do other countries.

The only thing that hinders me sir is the tax and shipping cost. I lived here in the Philippines, even ordering $50 worth of item from Amazon, I pay for another $50 for the shipping plus taxes. But I found a work around, shippingcart but I am still in talks with them. I wanna make sure that I ca trust them and how their shipping rates are so low. Anyways, Thanks, i look into your suggested website.

[Jeff Zeejay]

1 hour ago, Conza said:

Hey Jeff, it will work, but I took the challenge to build something under $700 with US pricing, and I came close.

 

The biggest thing I suggest is going for a 1060, yes a 1050ti will do 1080p well for the moment, but I feel a 1060 (6gb) should last quite a bit longer and is a significant step up.

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/r9yBBP

 

Total build cost - $703.55 (based on current prices at time of writing at the cheapest retailers listed on PC Part Picker US).

CPU: Intel i3 7350k - $146.74, if you're willing to learn about overclocking and couple this to a reasonable cooler, you should be able to get higher than 4.5GHz with stability, single core GHz speed is the number 1 item for gaming when it comes to CPUs.

CPU Cooler: Cryorig H7 - $35, I've read /watched some reviews on this cooler and it performs well, has nice aesthetics if you ask me, should be able to cope with OCing a 7350k

MB: MSI - Z270 GAMING PLUS - $105, if you do plan on getting a K processor, make sure you match to a Z270/Z170 board, yes it will work with other LGA-1151 slot MBs but the chipset won't allow you to modify the clock values (overclock). 4.2GHz is still a respectable value though, so if the MB is significantly cheaper and you will not overclock, substitute accordingly (verify with a PC builder if it's compatible before doing this though)

RAM: PNY - Anarchy 2 x 8GB DDR4-2133 - $85, yes it's not a single 8GB chip, yes it's expensive, and yes 2666MHz today is the sweet spot others have found, however, single 8GB chips at that speed are only $20-$25 cheaper, and this is a budget system, so sacrificing a bit on RAM speed now for more total memory would be my recommendation, 8GB might be enough to scrape through though, your choice here.

GPU: Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB - $260, this is where the money should go, and in my build for you it has at 37% of the budget. Have a quick look at some comparisons between this and 1050tis, some reviewers praise the 1050ti as a great budget card, and it sort of is, but the 1060 is such a step up, and since you can afford it if you price your other components accordingly, I say go for it, this is the cheapest 1060 6GB I could find, personally I think it also looks great.

Case: Deepcool - D-Shield - $35, I haven't researched the case at all, but it's only $35, has a PSU basement for cable management, a window, some interesting looking top IO, couple of 5 1/2 inch drive bays if that's your thing, front ventilation, ect, it should do the job.

PSU: EVGA - 450W 80+ Bronze - $35, it isn't modular at all, but does include 2 x 6+2 PCI which is all you really need in addition to standard ATX plugs, is well rated (80+ Bronze) from a reputable manufacturer, so should not be a problem.

 

Anyway, building with a budget is fun, hopefully some of this will be useful or at least interesting, please update us with what you end up going with and Good Gaming.

Hi sir, thank you for the build you suggested. It is indeed good and the case is okay and has a great cable management compartment. However, i lived here in the Philippines and the pricing may vary. The core i3 7350K here is $198.81 dollars which is much pricier than the ones in your country. Also the availability of some components is a pain in the butt for me here. Last time I checked, the only Z270 MSI motherboard available here is the MSI Z270 Gaming M5, MSI Z270 Gaming M3 and MSI Z270 gaming pro Carbon which is twice the price of the Z270 Gaming Pro Plus, but i'll check other store if they have 1. The deepcool d-shield here is $39.74. The PSU is i can't verify yet if tech stores here have that. I'll begin my 2nd cavanssing tomorrow and updating this thread. 

 

Main point is it is okay if i lived on US because from the $700 budget, i can build a much greater Gaming PC than building here in the Philippines, the price of components here is expesive I tell you, that is why it is really a challenge for budget gamers like me. But anyways, cool suggestion, too bad the pricing and availability varies.

[JoostinOnline]

29 minutes ago, Jeff Zeejay said:

Hello sir, they indeed have Ryzen CPUs i think as far as i remember they have as of now the Ryzen 3 Processors. I don't know about future stocks of the other variants. 

That seems odd.  Ryzen 3 JUST came out.  Ryzen 5 and 7 have been out for several months.

[Jeff Zeejay]

14 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

That seems odd.  Ryzen 3 JUST came out.  Ryzen 5 and 7 have been out for several months.

Oh, I must have been confused, i think it is Ryzen 5 and 7 because I remember they have Ryzen 1600 and 1700. Sorry

[JoostinOnline]

1 minute ago, Jeff Zeejay said:

Oh, I must have been confused, i think it is Ryzen 5 and 7 because I remember they have Ryzen 1600 and 1700. Sorry

A 1600 is better than an i5-7400, but you'll want 3000MHz+ RAM.  Or at least keep it open as an upgrade choice.  See what those cost in your country.

[Jeff Zeejay]

1 minute ago, JoostinOnline said:

A 1600 is better than an i5-7400, but you'll want 3000MHz+ RAM.  Or at least keep it open as an upgrade choice.  See what those cost in your country.

I already looked up to that yes it is better but considering the price and budget, i5 7400 is $188.87 here and the Ryzen 5 1600 is $266.38, i haven't gone to the store yet so i looked up local online store of the Ryzen 5 1600 price, local online store and physical store prices also vary. I try to make a Ryzen Build draft and here include it in my canvass tomorrow. Thank you for your suggestion

[JoostinOnline]

8 minutes ago, Jeff Zeejay said:

I already looked up to that yes it is better but considering the price and budget, i5 7400 is $188.87 here and the Ryzen 5 1600 is $266.38, i haven't gone to the store yet so i looked up local online store of the Ryzen 5 1600 price, local online store and physical store prices also vary. I try to make a Ryzen Build draft and here include it in my canvass tomorrow. Thank you for your suggestion

Unless a 1400 or 1500 (which both have 8 threads, compared to the i5's 4) is cheaper than $189, then get the i5.

[Jeff Zeejay]

Here is my build (different case, power supply but have a cpu cooler):

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zqcrbj

 

Same price but I have a cpu cooler aside from the stock cooler which very nice.

[Jeff Zeejay]

2 minutes ago, JoostinOnline said:

Unless a 1400 or 1500 (which both have 8 threads, compared to the i5's 4) is cheaper than $189, then get the i5.

I looked up again on local online stores. i did find 1400 but not the 1500, instead I found the 1500X but in terms of price, i5 is cheaper all the way. Ryzen 1400 = $210.72 and Ryzen 1500X = $234.57. I'll look this cpus tomorrow on physical stores, maybe they're a little cheaper.

[Jeff Zeejay]

I hate this country man haha it so difficult to build for us still students because components are pricey than the SRP on the US. 

[JoostinOnline]

11 minutes ago, Jeff Zeejay said:

I looked up again on local online stores. i did find 1400 but not the 1500, instead I found the 1500X but in terms of price, i5 is cheaper all the way. Ryzen 1400 = $210.72 and Ryzen 1500X = $234.57. I'll look this cpus tomorrow on physical stores, maybe they're a little cheaper.

Then get the i5.  It's still a great CPU, and you won't have to bother with fast RAM to get good performance.

[Jeff Zeejay]

1 hour ago, aljw515 said:

hi there, i have no qualms with the build as it is akin to most budget gaming builds out there.

 

Comments:

1) for the mobo, stick with the b250 if you are not overclocking, if you are, then go for the z270. a b250 mobo is preferred as there are more ram slots available and it is generally more aesthetically pleasing as compared to h110 mobo. 

 

2) for the gpu, if it is just esports title, a gtx 1050 is sufficient, if you are looking at more intensive games, go for a gtx 1060. just compare the price difference and make a call if the increase in performance is worth the upgrade. the the difference between the gpu models are the aftermarket coolers and their clock spds, which imo, have differing values of insignificance.

 

 

Tips to save abit more money:

1) i am from a southeast asia country as well and a fan of cases sold by Tecware.

the Tecware edge is a nice case but you can save abit more if you go for the Tecware f3 elite, which is a beautiful case less the presence of a psu shroud.

 

2) another tip will be to just go for the cheapest mobo/gpu variant that you can find.

i think that in the philippines, MSI mobos and Zotac gpus are quite popular and high in quantity, so just pick any b250/gtx 1050/ gtx 1060

 

Tips for more aesthetics:

1) for cpu coolers/case fans, you can go for id cooling. their products are based from the corsair series and are aesthetically appealing

2) an rgb led strip

3) custom diy acrylic gpu/psu shroud by yourself (you can learn from JPmodified on youtube) or approach shops like Strategic Technologies (???)

 

and yeah, i do agree that prices in south east asia countries are generally expensive as compared to the states as i think that its not just the local distributors that are trying to earn a profit, but the local pc stores as well.

thats why sometimes i order from Amazon  i usually get storage/rams/psu(love the brand EVGA), other than that, i will go for parts with local warranty!

Hi there, its lovely to hear from an asian like me. Yes I am fixed to the mobo (im not going to overclock my system). For the gpu, I agree on what you are suggesting but i'll look into it, usually gtx 1060 are pricy here even a Zotac GTX 1060 3gb that is why i chose the 1050ti OC edition because i need higher clock speeds for a budget-frinedly price. Maybe i'll switch the MSI 1050ti OC to Zotac 1050ti OC 4gb because it has a higher clock speed. And for the cooler, the problem is ID Cooling is only available on Luzon Manila whereas here in Mindanao (I'm from mindanao btw) we only have limited tech stores that have international brands as suppliers like Tecware, in manila they have many tech store partners whereas here the nearest tech store that supplies tecware cases is AdTech which is a renowned Tech Store here. The last time I came there, the only available Tecware case is the Edge v1 which is the windowed version, but they will have a restock of the newer version which is the Edge v2 Full TG side panel but I'll as them if Tecware supply them with the F3 Elite. As for sa cpu cooler (back again), I have limited choice and i am confused, not much cpu cooler are sold here in our place, I am thinking of buying from amazon but the shipping fee is too much. At the local online store, there are only 2 model series are available from ID Cooling but i'll ask AdTech about the coolers they have (mainly they sell corsair water cooling kit which is very expensive). Anyways, i'll look forward for many contributors to my first gaming pc, ill probably build at the end of this year just want to give more time on planning because i don't want to be screwed up and regret. 

[Conza]

On 06/08/2017 at 3:23 PM, Jeff Zeejay said:

Here is my build (different case, power supply but have a cpu cooler):

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zqcrbj

 

Same price but I have a cpu cooler aside from the stock cooler which very nice.

Wow it's cool you considered some of my suggestions in the build, hope it works out.

 

Just regarding your post above, as others have said, if you're skipping overclocking, going for the cheaper chipset on the MB is probably ok, you'll probably get more band for buck, consider its other features though.

 

I've never built an AMD system, I think it's something to consider, but I wonder if sticking Intel might be easier for beginners (or is it the same because they'll just be new to both? Not totally sure).

 

Get what you mean RE: processor, gpu, ect higher pricing in the Philippines, I'm in Australia so we also have higher pricing, I didn't built a local one but perhaps here I'd also go 1050ti. I'm sure it'll be a great card and in a few years if you build another system anyway.

[Jeff Zeejay]

23 hours ago, Conza said:

Wow it's cool you considered some of my suggestions in the build, hope it works out.

 

Just regarding your post above, as others have said, if you're skipping overclocking, going for the cheaper chipset on the MB is probably ok, you'll probably get more band for buck, consider its other features though.

 

I've never built an AMD system, I think it's something to consider, but I wonder if sticking Intel might be easier for beginners (or is it the same because they'll just be new to both? Not totally sure).

 

Get what you mean RE: processor, gpu, ect higher pricing in the Philippines, I'm in Australia so we also have higher pricing, I didn't built a local one but perhaps here I'd also go 1050ti. I'm sure it'll be a great card and in a few years if you build another system anyway.

For now I am not considering an overclockable system because i am no expert. In the future maybe when I learn what are the essentials an overclockable system. For now, I just want a PC with nice Aesthetics and decent specs for a $700 budget. Btw, thank you for your suggestion, I hooked up our local techstore they do offer the CryoRig H7 but the price is higher though but I'll consider buying it or consider it for an upgrade alongside with a 1 tera HDD. 

[Jeff Zeejay]

Update: I have canvassed a Ryzen Build:

 

Motherboard: MSI B350M PRO-VDH

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.2 - 3.4 GHz 4-core

Memory: Gskill Aegis 8GB Single DDR4 2400 CL15 (F4-2400C15S-8GIS)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EZEX

Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W 80PLUS Bronze

Case: No Case yet

Cost: $594.96

 

But the aesthetics I want to enhance for the future is absent. Is this better? than my other drafts?

[Jeff Zeejay]

22 hours ago, aljw515 said:

ahahaha imo i think ryzen 3 (if it comes out in your area) is a much better option if you are on a budget as it already has 4 cores and 4 threads clocked at decent base speeds. f

or any more excessive cores & threads, you are probably looking at a workstation build.

unless your school work requires you to do stuffs like video editing, then go for more cores and ram

 

for the case, i think endstate, just pick any available case that captures your attention and has an affordable price tag on it as well.

other than that, i think you are all set for gaming on a budget! good luck and savour the taste of accompishment when finish building it

 

great choice for your psu too btw (i am using one as well)

Well, I am using it for minimal gaming and more on content creation. I'll consider the Ryzen 3 if it is already available. Looks like i need to do more research and canvassing in this case.

[Jeff Zeejay]

Update on this thread, I built this with a cheap case.

 

On 8/8/2017 at 5:46 PM, Jeff Zeejay said:

Update: I have canvassed a Ryzen Build:

 

Motherboard: MSI B350M PRO-VDH

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.2 - 3.4 GHz 4-core

Memory: Gskill Aegis 8GB Single DDR4 2400 CL15 (F4-2400C15S-8GIS)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EZEX

Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 1050Ti 4GB OC

PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W 80PLUS Bronze

Case: No Case yet

Cost: $594.96

 

But the aesthetics I want to enhance for the future is absent. Is this better? than my other drafts?

 

[Jeff Zeejay]

But I have since upgraded to a much more powerful build.

 

Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WiFi

Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X

Memory: TeamGroup T-Force Delta 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL30 x 2 (so 64 GB)

Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 1 TB SSD + WD Green 480 GB SSD + 1 TB Seagate HDD

Graphics: MSI Geforce RTX 3070 TI 8GB Suprim X (This is due for an upgrade soon)

PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-850 White Edition 850W 80+ Gold Full Modular

Case: Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO

AIO: NZXT Kraken Elite 360
Case Fans: Lian Li SL Infinity V2 x 10

Looking back at my younger self asking for budget PC builds. Thank you everyone for helping a kid out back in the days!

I have come so far now and the upgrades are never ending hahaha.