Budget Electronic Arts build for $350-$450?

Hey there...
I'm looking to put together a gaming rig for about $833, though if things are looking a bit tight, I could probably stretch to $3,000. I don't need a monitor, mouse, or keyboard—honestly, I wouldn't mind just using an old case from a buddy if it gets the job done. I'm basically looking for the cheapest way to get up and running. I mostly play stuff like Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; nothing crazy. I don't need everything cranked up to Ultra settings, I just want the games to run at least decent or slightly above average. Thanks, I'm out in Chicago...

Justin Johnson8 said:Hey there...
I'm looking to put together a gaming rig for about $833, though if things are looking a bit tight, I could probably stretch to $3,000. I don't need a monitor, mouse, or keyboard—honestly, I wouldn't mind just using an old case from a buddy if it gets the job done. I'm basically looking for the cheapest way to get up and running. I mostly play stuff like Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare; nothing crazy. I don't need everything cranked up to Ultra settings, I just want the games to run at least decent or slightly above average. Thanks, I'm out in Chicago...

1 x MSI H110M PRO-VD (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, VGA, Audio, LAN) mATX
1 x Intel Core i3-6100 Processor, Coffee Lake, S.1151
1 x Patriot Signature DDR4, 2400Mhz, 4GB, CL15
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+
1 x MS PHANTOM midi tower case
1 x Seagate BarraCuda 1TB 3.5"
1 x XFX RX 560 2GB
Total: $1028

futura
Don't bother looking any lower than this.

Throw 8 GB of RAM into this build and you’ve got a seriously solid setup. Honestly, 4 GB just doesn't really make any sense with a GPU and CPU like this... I mean, unless you're just playing Tetris, I guess.

You're overthinking Tetris. Unless you're incredibly young and think anything older than a year or two is "ancient," you're reaching. Games only started eating up more than 2GB of RAM—not to mention the extra gig needed just to run the OS—around the era of Watch Dogs 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, or COD Ghosts. If $1000 is his ceiling, then that's all he's getting for a new
.
He might be able to scrape by with 8GB of RAM if he picks up a used graphics card. Let's face it, for modern Call of Duty titles or Grand Theft Auto V, having more than 4GB would actually be a huge help.

Adding cookies is the easiest part; you can just do that whenever you feel like it, and it's a DIY job. By the way, what’s the deal with these EVGA RTX cards? Are they going to be loud as hell like the previous series? For instance, you can find them for under $267 specifically

Adam Moore3 said:Adding cookies is the easiest part; you can just do that whenever you feel like it, and it's a DIY job. By the way, what’s the deal with these EVGA RTX cards? Are they going to be loud as hell like the previous series? For instance, you can find them for under $267 specifically

Man, I dealt with a noisy ASUS Radeon once.
Looking at the photo, this RX 560 seems to have a larger fan and lower power draw, so it should be fine, but a solid review would definitely help.

I've got an ASUS Radeon, and honestly, it’s dead silent even when my Zalman case fan is idling at 800 rpm. So, I guess those single-fan coolers should be totally fine. Mine works like a charm. It might not be absolute top-tier performance, but it should definitely get the job done.

A single fan isn't usually an issue. Specifically, the trouble was with those older XFX single-fan models from the R series. I haven't had the misfortune of owning an XFX myself, but based on what other users have shared above 😁 and various reviews, they were pretty unbearable if you're even slightly sensitive to noise.
I'm not sure how this specific model turned out, as I couldn't find many reviews

Hm. I know a bit about that 260 generation. Though, if I recall correctly, one specific model was a total disaster while another one was actually pretty decent. I can't quite remember the exact model names off the top of my head, so you guys probably know better than I do. And I could swear that one time I was browsing for deals online, the PowerColor card was somehow the cheapest option among all the 560s out there.

I might toss some Grand Theft Auto V on my machine here and there when I have a spare moment, but honestly, I’ve always been more into shooters. That said, I can't stand this new "realistic" nonsense they push nowadays. I miss the days of Call of Duty 2 or Medal of Honor: Allied Assault—just pure, old-school vibes. I used to be a total hardware geek back in the day when an i3 was considered a high-end build for a $1,200 budget, but I haven't really kept up with the latest components or releases. I know enough to get by, but I'm definitely out of the loop, so I figured I'd ask the pros. Anyway, thanks for the help... Also, I saw some pre-built gaming PC setups on Future Tech for about $400, but I have no idea if those are actually worth the money or if I should just save myself the headache and build one myself from scratch?

So, I don't really need anything fancy for today's high-end Electronic Arts sessions. I just want something that can handle my older titles smoothly while still being able to muscle through newer, more demanding games—even if I have to settle for the low settings on those.

Justin Johnson8 said:I might toss some Grand Theft Auto V on my machine here and there when I have a spare moment, but honestly, I’ve always been more into shooters. That said, I can't stand this new "realistic" nonsense they push nowadays. I miss the days of Call of Duty 2 or Medal of Honor: Allied Assault—just pure, old-school vibes. I used to be a total hardware geek back in the day when an i3 was considered a high-end build for a $1,200 budget, but I haven't really kept up with the latest components or releases. I know enough to get by, but I'm definitely out of the loop, so I figured I'd ask the pros. Anyway, thanks for the help... Also, I saw some pre-built gaming PC setups on Future Tech for about $400, but I have no idea if those are actually worth the money or if I should just save myself the headache and build one myself from scratch?

No problem at all. What Robert Rodriguez2 put together for you is absolutely top-tier for that price point. An Intel Core i3-6100 processor paired with an RX 560 graphics card is basically the floor for what you need; don't go any lower than that.
The main thing people told you is that you're still short on RAM, especially for titles like Grand Theft Auto V, which can easily pull more than 4GB once you factor in the OS. If you don't fix that, it doesn't matter how good the GPU is because the stuttering will be unbearable, regardless of your settings. Speaking from experience... 🙂
So, grab what was suggested. If you can scrape together another fifty bucks for some extra RAM, that would be ideal. If not, this setup will do the job until you can find the extra cash for that upgrade. 😉

If you're on a tight budget, you could put together a build using an AMD A8-9600 which goes for about $167. Pair that with 2x4GB of DDR4 RAM for just over $167 and a motherboard around $133.... even a cheap 400W power supply will work since the actual draw won't top 100W. Toss in a $100 hard drive and any basic case, old or new, for a few bucks
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The integrated graphics on this chip are comparable to an HD 7750, so the CPU and GPU combined only pull 65W, which is great...

You’d be looking at a total cost of roughly $667 or maybe a little more
.
It'll handle gaming just fine—you can see clearly from
.




It runs newer titles, and older games will fly on this thing... classic Call of Duty 2 would absolutely soar
.
Check Best Buy for pricing

Bryan Taylor6, looking at that link you posted, that build can barely run Grand Theft Auto V at 768p. He wouldn't even be getting anything he was actually missing from that first setup.

Besides, that first rig with the Pentium and the RX 560 would absolutely crush that APU for breakfast. Plus, it’s way easier to upgrade later on.

Adam Moore3 said:Adding cookies is the easiest part; you can just do that whenever you feel like it, and it's a DIY job. By the way, what’s the deal with these EVGA RTX cards? Are they going to be loud as hell like the previous series? For instance, you can find them for under $267 specifically

Those are the 560D models; they should have the same core as an RX 560

Thanks, everyone. I think I’ll go with the setup my contractor put together, plus some extra hardware. One quick question though—do they handle the wiring for the high-speed connection right away, or am I going to be stuck doing all the heavy lifting myself?

They’re practically giving these away for less than $667, and shipping is free too—you can even pay cash on delivery at the door.

If you decide to go with the 8GB version, you might as well grab one of those 8GB kits click

For instance, check this out: click (It's $460, which makes sense since there isn't much footage to work with on the 560D)

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Those are the 560D models; they should have the same core as an RX 560

What kind of idiots are these? I can't believe it. They have the exact same cookie-cutter specs as the 460 then. Honestly, you're better off hunting down some 460 versions with a custom BIOS you can unlock—if you can even find them at a decent price—rather than wasting money on these rebranded pieces of junk.☕

RX 560 = 1024SP
RX 460/560D = 896SP

The RX 560D feels like a weird invention from overseas... I mean, there's an RX 470D that actually has fewer cores, so the naming convention makes sense there to differentiate them, but this is just an RX 460 rebranded, which seems kind of pointless. At least it's a bit cheaper than $33.