Every Price-Point Gaming Build Guidelines! | Updated Dec 20th | Questions Welcome! | Canada!

[Wtalk2]

Welcome to the "Every Price-Point Gaming Build Guidelines" Thread!

 

This thread will include build part lists for virtually every price point!

 

I will update this once a week to keep up with price changes/new products.

 

I am not perfect so if you do find a flaw in any of the builds please reply and tell me what to change. All feedback is welcome.

 

Notes:

All prices will be in Canadian Dollars and parts will be from Canadian retailers.

None of the part lists will include CD Drives since they are dying off and are rarely used.

None of the part lists will include OS's.

None of the part lists will include peripherals.

All prices are subject to change.

Read all the lists, they build off of each other.

Buying used components could save you a lot of money. Check out Craigslist or Kijiji.

 

So Let's Start!

 

$400

PCPartPicker part list

 

CPU:  AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($116.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Motherboard:  Asus F2A85-M PRO Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard  ($85.00 @ Vuugo) 

Memory:  Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.44 @ DirectCanada) 

Case:  Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Memory Express) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($38.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Total: $400.38

$400 is pretty much the least you can spend if you still want to be able to play games and have quality components. I went with a APU on this build since the APU's are surprisingly powerful in gaming. This machine will be able to play most games at low-medium settings at 720P. I tried to go as cheap as possible for this build, but there are some components (Such as the PSU) where you can't go cheap on unless you want to have a very bad experience. Overall this build would be good for someone who plays less graphically intensive games, such as Minecraft and World of Warcraft but still wants a good quality build.

 

$500

 

PCPartPicker part list

 

CPU:  AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($121.75 @ Vuugo) 

Motherboard:  Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($87.33 @ DirectCanada) 

Memory:  Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.44 @ DirectCanada) 

Video Card:  Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card  ($94.50 @ Vuugo) 

Case:  Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Memory Express) 

Power Supply:  Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($38.98 @ Newegg Canada) 

Total: $501.98

It is at the $500 that you start to enter "Real Gaming Computer" territory. With this build you have the FX 6300 which is an amazing processor for the price and will keep up with all the new games. You also have a very nice motherboard from Asus. It does not have all the bells and whistles of the more expensive motherboards but it gets the job done and it is very good quality. Lastly, you get a dedicated GPU! The 7770 is a entry-level gaming graphics card that has very good performance for such a low price point. Other than those 3 changes everything else is about the same as our $400 build. This build is great for someone on a budget who still wants to be able to play games on medium settings at 1080P.

 

$600

PCPartPicker part list

 

CPU:  AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor  ($121.75 @ Vuugo) 

Motherboard:  Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($87.33 @ DirectCanada) 

Memory:  Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.44 @ DirectCanada) 

Video Card:  Asus Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card  ($157.00 @ Vuugo) 

Case:  Zalman Z5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($34.99 @ Memory Express) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada) 

Total: $595.49

At this price point I kept many of the same parts that I had in the $500 part list. This processor/motherboard combo is very good and will be great for gaming on a budget. I upgraded the PSU from a 430W to a 600W to allow for some more headroom for upgrading. Lastly, I upgraded the graphics card to a 7850. The 7850 is a very solid card that will play most of today's games at high settings at 1080P. $600-$700 is the sweet spot for the best performance for price.

 

$700

PCPartPicker part list

 

CPU:  AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor  ($149.75 @ Vuugo) 

Motherboard:  Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard  ($87.33 @ DirectCanada) 

Memory:  Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($61.99 @ Newegg Canada) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($62.44 @ DirectCanada) 

Video Card:  MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card  ($214.99 @ Memory Express) 

Case:  Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($58.00 @ Vuugo) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada) 

Total: $704.49

Around this price is where you start getting very good performance for the amount you spend. From the last part list I upgraded the CPU to one of the highest-end AMD processors. I also added a bit of a higher end case. Most importantly I added a higher end graphics card. That card is perfect for maxing out pretty much any game's graphics at 1080P. If you are looking to really get into PC gaming but want to watch your wallet, this is the build for you.

 

That's all for now everyone, more will be added very soon!

[Ryan Leech]

Used components could also be good for lower price points

[Wtalk2]

Used components could also be good for lower price points

Very true

[Morpheus]

Very true

for the $600/$700 i'd skimp a little more on the cpu and juice up the gpu a bit more. just a suggestion . good work though!

[MrSuperb]

Oh an AMD fan with Intel avatar and CPU and NVIDIA GPU

[Wtalk2]

Oh an AMD fan with Intel avatar and CPU and NVIDIA GPU

Truly I am a huge Intel/NVIDIA fanboy but I have to give it to AMD for the lower pricepoints

[WoodenMarker]

"Oh, it's another one of these threads." 

Good luck. Prices and parts change very often so prepare to do a good amount of updates. You might also want to add (Canada) somewhere in your title. 

 

Btw, you can easily run a 7850 off of a cx430.

There's also no point getting the 270x over the cheaper 270 and it will easily run off of the cx500. A cx430 works just fine as well but people like 'headroom' and by that I mean 'lots of headroom'.

[TheSLSAMG]

The $500 one should have an Athlon II X4 750K, compatible motherboard and 7850 instead.

 

This thread amuses me because 90% of the chips are AM3+, a dead socket.

[Wtalk2]

"Oh, it's another one of these threads." 

Good luck. Prices and parts change very often so prepare to do a good amount of updates. You might also want to add (Canada) somewhere in your title. 

 

Btw, you can easily run a 7850 off of a cx430.

There's also no point getting the 270x over the cheaper 270 and it will easily run off of the cx500. A cx430 works just fine as well but people like 'headroom' and by that I mean 'lots of headroom'.

I know these threads really don't usually do too well but I have the next 2 weeks off and I always am up for giving any help I can. 

[MrSuperb]

"Oh, it's another one of these threads." 

Good luck. Prices and parts change very often so prepare to do a good amount of updates. You might also want to add (Canada) somewhere in your title. 

 

I already wanted to write something like this ...

 

"This guide will be ... is ... was already outdated"

 

prices change quite often, even for lets say R7 270Xs, so if you are on a tight budget you have to search the right components anyway ...

[Wtalk2]

I know this will get outdated very fast but I will be updating as often as I can (Hopefully every couple days)

[Wtalk2]

I know this will get outdated very fast but I will be updating as often as I can (Hopefully every couple days)

[ion4Rayn]

may i advise you to use spoilers... just saying...

[ion4Rayn]

and you should make a $1000 and $1200... just saying...