Budget gaming PC build for the kids

Regarding GPUs, the RX 580, GTX 1070, and GTX 1070 Ti are all solid picks. You get what you pay for.

But for 1080p? I think the RX 580 is plenty. It’ll push most stuff to around 100 FPS and should hold up for a few more years.

I’d definitely opt for a 500GB SSD if it isn't already part of the Conferencier. SSD prices are decent right now. A 500GB drive gives you just enough room to keep most games on the SSD instead of an HDD, which is pretty much mandatory these days.
If budget is the main concern, 8GB of RAM will do the job.

Adam Williams2 said:Wait, can that GTX work with the Conferencier setup the mod put together, or is it just for this specific version you're running? 🤷

Also, one more thing—I'm planning to run this rig on WiFi, so I'm assuming I'll need some kind of card for that, right? 😁

And seriously, one last thing... 😬

Can I actually score any deals on these parts at a big convention like PAX in Seattle, or will those discounts only apply to brand-new gear? Do the shops there set up booths and run promos like that? I've never been, so I'm totally clueless. 🤷

You can. That Conferencier build he put together is solid, but you're definitely gonna have to dig a little deeper into your pockets if you want the 1070Ti.
For the WiFi, honestly, just grab a USB WiFi adapter. It'll run you about $33 bucks.

As for the convention, I'm not sure, but there's always a chance they'll have some Black Friday type sales going on. We'll know more in a week or so.

If you're picking up a WiFi adapter, pay attention to how far away you actually are.

And for heaven's sake, stay away from those tiny little things where the antenna is just tucked inside the USB stick itself. No external antenna, no hope.

wiredotter14 said:If you're going with a WiFi adapter, just keep an eye on how far away you are from the router.

I'd definitely avoid those tiny little ones where the antenna is just tucked inside the USB stick itself.

Yeah, honestly, the signal in my room is kind of weak anyway, so feel free to throw out suggestions for both options. I'll probably just grab whatever you recommend right away rather than stressing over it later. 😁

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-Wireless-USB-Adapter/dp/B00S9OQYV6

Honestly, something like this should be more than enough. You won't have to stress about it or pull your hair out trying to figure things out. Just plug it into a USB port on your PC and honestly, you can pretty much forget it even exists. You can find basically the exact same thing for a similar price at any Best Buy or Micro Center you happen to pass by.

If your signal is even slightly weak, honestly, just go with a Powerline setup instead of fighting with WiFi.

It’s a massive deal if you're playing games online.



One unit plugs into an outlet near your router, and the others go wherever you actually need the connection.

For example:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=TP-LINK+AV600

Yeah, it costs a bit more, but it gives you Ethernet anywhere in the house. You can even toss in a Wireless Access Point if a specific room needs better WiFi.

Speaking from experience, it's worth every penny. Dealing with crappy WiFi is just a fast track to a nervous breakdown.

Man, please don't go with that TP-Link model mentioned above, I'm begging you. The signal was absolute garbage—at least in my house. I was barely pulling 20mbps. I ended up grabbing a much more powerful model for basically the exact same price, which was a total no-brainer.

https://www.bestbuy.com/tp-link-router-example

And honestly, since I made the switch, I haven't had a single issue. I'm getting my full max speed even through two brick walls with about 15 or 20 feet of distance between us.

Here’s another slightly sketchy, wild card option featuring an RTX 2070 for $2800 😁
Though, honestly, I’m not even sure why anyone would bother grabbing a card that beefy just for
FHD gaming. Might be smarter to just beef up some of the other components instead.

No need. A GTX 1070 is plenty.

Besides, it looks like those RTX cards are dying out there. I don't know if the 2070 is part of the issue, but why take the risk when it isn't even needed for this Conferencier? And let's be real, Raytracing RTX 2070 is barely used anyway.

Peter Green, man, that motherboard again. Seriously? It makes zero sense when you look at these other options—they're actually cheaper too.

They’ve got 4 RAM slots, decent coolers, and the VRMs are definitely higher quality based on solid user feedback.

In my opinion, if you're building a Conferencier like this, you should be aiming for at least something like this setup (assuming you're using a GTX 1070, of course).

You’re totally right. I just realized what you were getting at. I’ve been linking the wrong board this whole time. I read a ton of glowing reviews for it, so I was genuinely baffled as to why it wasn't working out. 😁 Basically, I kept sending links for the Prime B350-E when I actually had the Prime B350 Plus stuck in my head.

https://www.amazon.com/motherboards-amd-prime-b350

The reason I thought it was a solid pick for the price is because it's basically foolproof for beginners. It features one-click overclocking, and there's even a BIOS reset button right on the back I/O panel. That way, if things go sideways, you can clear the CMOS without having to crack open the case. I was just trying to make life as easy as possible for the guy.

So, if I just grab the best parts from this thread

https://prnt.sc/ljibwe

I'd end up with $2933, and that’s excluding the network card and the monitor 😁

I wonder how much of a beast this setup would be? Like, is this actually the absolute top tier? 🤷 😬

Jonathan Barrett said:Man, please don't get that TP-Link one mentioned above. The signal was pretty weak—at least for me. I was barely getting 20mbps. I ended up grabbing a more powerful model for basically the same price.

https://www.bestbuy.com/tp...m_medium=click

And ever since then, I've been getting my max speeds even through two brick walls and about 15-20 feet of distance.

Wait, what is that connecting to the case via USB?

Yeah, you just plug it into one of those USB ports that comes with the kit. It’s got two antennas, and honestly, I'm getting my full speeds now—I can play online with a way lower ping than I used to, and I'm pulling down 50mbit/s without any issues, which is basically the theoretical max on my cable plan anyway.

Adam Williams2 said:So if I just grab the best parts mentioned in this thread

https://prnt.sc/ljibwe

once I get to $2933, and excluding the network card and monitor 😁

how much of a beast would this build be? Is this actually top-tier stuff? 🤷 😬

Solid build.

I'd definitely squeeze in a 500GB SSD, though. No point settling for 240GB at these prices.

This one comes with a 5-year warranty.

https://www.bestbuy.com/product...sd1&code=88298

If you need to save cash, drop the RAM to 8GB.

Also, the GTX1070Ti is a decent pick for the money, but honestly, the whole setup works fine even with a weaker card.

Sacrificing 8GB of RAM just to squeeze out a larger SSD? Honestly, I don't see the logic there at all. It feels like a total losing battle to me.

Jonathan Barrett said:Sacrificing 8GB of RAM just to get a larger SSD makes zero sense, IMO.

Actually, it makes total sense. In 95% of cases, an extra 8GB of RAM won't change a thing, and you can always just pop in another stick five minutes later if you really need it. For that price, you're getting double the storage capacity—once you commit to it, there's no more upgrading that specific drive.😵

I mean, there’s just no point in building a rig with $3000, that’s what I was getting at. It’s honestly pretty ridiculous that a build featuring $3000 is still trying to squeeze by on 8GB of RAM when we were already staring down the barrel of 2019 back in 2018. Personally, I’d much rather see someone shell out an extra $50 right now to grab a bigger SSD paired with 16GB of RAM, instead of dealing with the headache later when they realize their RAM sticks aren't compatible

You guys are forgetting that we're talking about kids who don't need anything more than an RX 580 and a Ryzen 5 1600/2600 to run stuff at 1080p...

Everything they actually need can be had for less than the original budget. I’d honestly just grab an RX 580 now, then swap it for something similar in that same tier in three years once the warranty runs out.

So, what if I kept everything else the same, but ditched this expensive graphics card for a bigger SSD and just used the GPU from crimsonstag84's build instead? Would that still be okay?

Then, once I have more cash on hand and actually need the extra power, I could just swap in a beefier card later on.🤷

My current laptop only has 8GB of RAM, and I’ll probably be stuck with it for another two years, so I guess it makes more sense to go with double that amount in the desktop. As for the SSD, I just know it's faster than a standard hard drive, but I don't really know much else about them.😁

Adam Williams2 said:What if I ditch this expensive GPU, grab a bigger SSD instead, and just take the graphics card from crimsonstag84's build? Would that still work?

Then once I actually have some cash and need the power, I'll just swap in a better card. 🤷

My current laptop only has 8GB of RAM and I'm stuck with it for two years, so I figure doubling up on the desktop is the smarter move. As for the SSD, I just know it's faster than an old-school hard drive; I don't really know anything else about them.😁

Adam Williams2, just take crimsonstag84's setup but swap that 240GB SSD for a 500GB one. That’s it. Anything more is overkill for kids. Down the road when they grow up and want to play something heavy, you can just pop in a new CPU or GPU without touching the rest of the rig.