Budget gaming PC build for the kids

Adam Williams2 said:Barely kept up with all of you here, let alone had the energy to agree or play nice. 😁

I have to hand it to you guys—your explanations are solid. Nobody’s tried to steer me wrong yet, though I might end up pestering you with questions down the road. 😁 👍

Haha, no big deal. We're just here because we love the hobby and like helping out.

Samuel Castillo49 said:Motherboards are incredibly fragile. Honestly, buying used is just asking for trouble—especially when you're picking up some ancient, worn-out piece of junk with zero warranty. It could die on you at any second. If you're just gaming, a cheap CPU like a Ryzen 5 1600X paired with 8GB of budget RAM is plenty for most people. That lets you dump almost your entire budget into a solid GPU and a decent monitor instead. Personally, I think people obsessing over 144Hz these days is a mistake. When you're on a tight budget, chasing high refresh rates means sacrificing way more important components.

Yeah, there’s a reason why you see way more CPUs than motherboards flooding the secondhand market. It makes sense.
Plus, those motherboards in that segment are a nightmare to troubleshoot.

The prices on the Ryzen 5 1600/2600 are actually decent. You could honestly call them cheap. They’re sitting at or even below what those old i5 quad-cores used to cost a few years back. But this is a 6-core/12-thread setup, which makes it way more future-proof than any i5—at least anything released after Sandy Bridge.

Regarding 144Hz—you don't even need to bother running at 144Hz if you're stuck using a monitor like that.
For fast-paced games, FPS matters way more than resolution or ultra settings. You can barely tell the difference between high and ultra most of the time, but jumping from 60fps to 100fps? That’s a massive, noticeable difference when things are moving fast.

Of course, it all comes down to the individual.

Look, if you're sticking to a "standard" size—say, anything up to 24"—then going with 1080p and a higher refresh rate is just common sense.

The best part is that even 144Hz monitors aren't breaking the bank anymore (around $160-$$633), which means we aren't stuck using those old TN panels anymore. It's the same deal with 1440p non-TN displays—like those massive 31.5" 75Hz AOC models everyone loves.

I picked up a random 1080p monitor for nearly $433 (similar to that sale price of $150-$$533) back then, but you can grab something like that now for just $300. Honestly, it's a great time to be buying a monitor.

Hey guys, this PC—how much is it actually worth? I’m trying to figure out the total value, and if it's less than what's being asked, how much of a discount I should look for...

Basically, a buddy of mine is selling it, so I'm wondering if it makes sense to grab it now and then maybe upgrade some parts later on, if that's even necessary...

I guess I just want to know how this build compares to putting together a brand new setup from scratch right now. 🤷 😁

It’s worse across the board, except maybe for the processor which is okay I guess, but the graphics card is definitely way weaker.

crimsonstag84 said:It's worse across the board, except maybe for the processor which is okay, but the graphics card is way weaker, for example.

So man, it really doesn't seem worth it at all. I don't want to go in on him too hard because I wouldn't want to be rude or anything, but yeah...😁

What about the monitor, though? Is that one actually any good?

Well... yeah, I guess that resolution might be a bit much for the GPU, and honestly, it feels overkill for a 27" monitor in general, IMO.

crimsonstag84 said:Well... yeah, I guess, though that resolution might be a bit much for the GPU, and honestly, it feels too big for a 27" monitor in my opinion.

So, I guess that monitor from Amazon.com is meant for that specific build Mom😁

Adam Williams2 said:So that monitor from Amazon.com is meant for that specific build 😁

Yeah, everything in this setup is pretty well balanced.

BTW, you can grab a Windows key for a few bucks on eBay so you don't have to deal with the headache of cracking Windows.

They'll email it to you, then you just enter it during installation.
If it doesn't activate automatically, just call Microsoft US and they'll unlock it over the phone.

Hey guys, what’s actually the difference between these two

http://prntscr.com/llhvu2

I guess I'm just wondering why one goes right into the case and the other doesn't?

Hey there!
I don't want to clutter things up by starting a whole new thread since this is pretty similar to our previous discussion (building a PC for the kids, and right now it's all about Fortnite), but I'm working with a slightly tighter budget this time. Are these pre-built bundles on sale at Home Depot actually worth the cash? Or does anyone have a better recommendation for a similar price point?
Thanks!

Adam Williams2 said:guys, what’s the actual difference between these two?

http://prntscr.com/llhvu2

why does one go in the case and the other doesn't?

Nah, they're basically the same thing. It's just a matter of form factor (size).

This M.2 one plugs directly into that tiny slot on the motherboard, whereas the big one gets mounted in the case and connects via a cable.

The interface is identical, though—it runs at SATA3 speeds.

M.2 can support NVMe too, which is a totally different standard, but here the only real difference is the shape and where you plug it in.

Bryan Ward3 said:Hey there!
I don't want to start a whole new thread since the situation is basically the same (building a rig for the kids, and Fortnite is what they're playing right now), just with a slightly tighter budget. Are these pre-built bundles on sale at Home Depot actually worth the cash, or does anyone have better recommendations in this price range?
Thanks!
https://www.amazon.com/example-link-1

https://www.amazon.com/example-link-2

Pretty bad. Just tell us your budget and someone will put together a better list for you.

wiredotter14 said:Nah, they're basically the same thing, it's just a matter of the physical size/format.

That M.2 drive plugs right into that tiny slot on the motherboard, whereas the bigger one goes into the case and connects via a cable.

But yeah, the interface is identical, so it runs at SATA3 speeds.

M.2 can support NVMe too, which is a totally different standard, but in this specific case, the only real difference is the shape and where you plug it in.

Aha, so the data transfer speed is actually the same? Or is the one with the cable way slower? 😁

Adam Williams2 said:so you're saying data transfer speeds are identical? Or is this cable setup actually slower? 😁

It’s exactly the same. Same SSD, same connection.

You just happen to get it cheaper than that shop in the screenshot.

wiredotter14 said:That's honestly not great. Just tell us what your budget looks like and someone will put together a much better build for you.

I'm looking at somewhere around $1500, maybe up to $5,000 max.

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 box, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
ASRock AB350M PRO4 motherboard, s.AM4, 90-MXB520-A0UAYZ
MS Stone midi tower case
1TB WD Blue HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX
Kingston 120GB A400 SSD, 2.5", interface clock 3, TLC
SAPPHIRE RX570 4 4GB GDDR5 Nitro plus OC, 256-bit, 1340/1750MHz, 11266-14-20G, 11266-46-20G
500W FSP Fortron/Source Hexa+ power supply, ATX 2.4
8GB (1x8GB) DDR4 PC4-21300U 2666MHz CL19 ADATA Premier, D4U266638G19
Arctic F12 Silent fan, 120mm, 800rpm, 62.9m³/h, ACFAN00027A

Total: $1.75 - ADM

crimsonstag84 said:AMD Ryzen 5 1600 box, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
ASRock AB350M PRO4 motherboard, s.AM4, 90-MXB520-A0UAYZ
MS Stone midi tower case
1TB WD Blue HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, WD10EZEX
Kingston 120GB A400 SSD, 2.5", interface clock 3, TLC
SAPPHIRE RX570 4 4G D5 Nitro plus OC, 4GB GDDR5, 256-bit, 1340/1750MHz, 11266-14-20G, 11266-46-20G
500W FSP Fortron/Source Hexa+ power supply, ATX 2.4
DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC4-21300U 2666MHz CL19 ADATA Premier, D4U266638G19
Arctic F12 Silent fan, 120mm, 800rpm, 62.9m³/h, ACFAN00027A

Total: $1.75 - ADM

That sounds great! But how does the process actually work? Do I just hand them my specs and they build the whole thing for me, or should I buy all the individual parts and put it together myself?

They’re stacking 🙂

Back again 😬

I was wondering if this RAM, this network card, and this fan could work on https://prnt.sc/ljkosf for this setup instead of what's currently listed 🤷

I mean, if I can just chip away about $100, $67 maybe I could shave some off 🤷

and the exact same SSD is $183 in the link today, so I'd probably grab all of that too, if that's even possible 😁

also, one more thing—could I use an SSD in a laptop? And if so, what kind should I be looking for? Are they basically the same as these ones, or are they totally different? I guess there might be something to watch out for, like specific connectors or something, or is it all pretty much the same 🤷

It’s all compatible. PCIe is PCIe, DDR4 is DDR4.

Regarding laptop SSDs—yeah, they're the same tech, but it really comes down to your specific machine. It depends on whether you're swapping out an old 2.5" HDD (the standard size you see in most desktops too) or if you're plugging into an M.2 slot.

Both 2.5" and M.2 formats work in both desktops and laptops, but with a desktop, you basically have endless options. With a laptop, you're stuck with whatever slots the manufacturer actually gave you.
Some laptops have an M.2 slot; some don't.

If you've got a spare M.2 slot in that laptop, grab an SSD for it. That way, you can just leave the old HDD alone.