Best gaming PC build for under $1,100?

Hey guys,
looking for some advice on a gaming rig within this budget.
I was checking out this build at Best Buy:

Should I put something else together instead? I can order from pretty much any shop online.

THX!

It could be better. Just let me know which payment method you prefer and if you'll actually need an HDD as well.

I mean, if you're gaming, having an HDD wouldn't be a bad idea, right?
Payment method: credit card installments, but if the deal is good enough, I can always swing the cash 🙂

2x Crucial DDR4 4GB 2400 MHz P/N: CT4G4DFS824A
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX Hard Drive
Kingston SSD 120GB A400 SATA3 2.5
Intel Core i3 8100 Processor
GIGABYTE Main board desktop Intel Z370 (Socket, 4xDDR4, HDMI, 1xPCIEX16/2xPCIEX4(16)/3xPCIEX1) Z370P-D3
NVIDIA GTX 1070, 8GB/256bit, 1556MHz/8008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, HDMI, DVI-D, 3xDP, WINDFORCE 2 x Cooler (Double Slot), Retail
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-R1
Corsair CX450, 450 Watt Power Supply, US version total

Total: $2515 - Cash at pickup
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Or maybe:

2x Crucial DDR4 4GB 2400 MHz P/N: CT4G4DFS824A
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX Hard Drive
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-R1
Corsair CX450, 450 Watt Power Supply, US version total
US version CPU AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.20GHz Socket AM4 P/N: YD1600BBAEBOX
ASRock X370 Killer SLI, AM4
Inno3D GTX1060 iChill X3 6144MB,PCI-E,2xDVI,HDMI,DP, INO-C106F2-3SDN-N5GS
WD Green SSD (2.5", 240GB, SATA III 6 Gb/s)

Total: $2514 - Cash at pickup

Is a B350 Ryzen paired with a 1070 really enough? I have a nagging feeling we could actually push this setup a bit further.

blueheron24 said:A B350 Ryzen paired with a 1070? I feel like you could probably make that work.

The 1060 6gb goes for $800 while the 1070 is about $433 more expensive, even though it's roughly 30-40% faster depending on the game. It’s just not worth it; honestly, buying high-end cards has never been a great move since they lose their value so fast.

Well, looking at crimsonstag84's Intel build, he's running a NVIDIA GTX 1070. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 1600 setup uses a 1060. I’d bet money that pairing a Ryzen 1600 with a NVIDIA GTX 1070 would work perfectly fine; you could shave some costs off elsewhere and still come out ahead.

No way 😛

I don't think you realize that the i3 8100 is $307, whereas the Ryzen 1600 is $533. You can grab a Z370 board for just a bit more than $267, so you aren't really saving much by going with a B350 board. Honestly, it might be worth stretching the budget to $2667 to get that Ryzen 1600 paired with an NVIDIA GTX 1070. Even if you stick with the Ryzen 1400 and the cheapest B350 board out there, you're still looking at $2533.

It’s a bit of a letdown, honestly; I was under the impression there would be a more significant gap in certain areas. My brother is running an Intel Core i5 7600K B250 setup paired with a 1080, and he managed to snag the whole thing for a steal. That’s really what got me thinking about this.