Budget PC build under $450

If you're looking at the 250 x, you'd probably be better off going with that Athlon that Timothy Kim60 linked. Personally, I found that the G1620 (which is basically the same deal as the G1840) was a total bottleneck for my HD7750—pretty much the same situation as with the 250 x.

It’s a solid setup, basically hitting the bare essentials. Honestly, it all comes down to what game you're running, but you really can't beat the value for that price.
If you want a more robust quad-core option—especially with upcoming titles in mind—I'd suggest going with the Athlon II x4 840 + Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-DS2 + 4gb ram

graniteharbor85 said:If you're looking at the 250 x, you'd be better off going with the Athlon that Timothy Kim60 linked. Personally, I found that the G1620 (which is basically the same as the G1840) was a total bottleneck for an HD7770—just like it would be for the 250 x.

Which games are we talking about? Honestly, I have my doubts. For instance, the G3220 + 260 x combo I'm running right now doesn't show any sign of a bottleneck. I’m talking specifically about single-player titles, which are effectively the same scenario as the G1840 + 250 x setup. The G3220 is just a slightly beefier version of the G1840, and the 260 x is just a step up from the 250 x. Following that logic, there should be a bottleneck here too, but there isn't. I'm strictly referring to single-player games; obviously, Battlefield 4 multiplayer is a whole different beast. 🙂 So, I really doubt the G1840 will bottleneck a 250 x. If the choice is between that and an Athlon, then yeah, the Athlon is definitely the superior pick and a great value, but sticking with the H81 motherboard + G1840 is still the cheaper way to go.

It’s a bottleneck. For instance, pairing a Sandy Bridge Celeron with a gtx 460

I remember back when the 1610/1620 chips were the standard; people used to say an HD7750 or a gtx 650 was about as high as you could go before hitting a massive bottleneck. Of course, that isn't a universal rule for every single title—take Tomb Raider, for example, which doesn't really scale with the CPU, or Alien Isolation link. In those cases, you're seeing less than a 15% performance gap compared to the top-tier CPUs paired with something like a gtx 980 and similar hardware.

Well, sure, it really depends on which game you're playing. That said, the G1840 is noticeably more powerful than the G530, so you definitely have to factor that in.

Hey everyone!
I really need some advice here—would this setup actually work for gaming, or should I be looking at something better? $1000 Here’s what I’m working with:
Gigabyte GV-R725OC-2GI, AMD Radeon ™ R7 250, PCI-E 3.0, 2048MB DDR3, 128bit, Single-link DVI-D*1 / HDMI*1 / D-Sub*1
AMD CPU X6 FX 6100 (3.3/3.9GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+) box
real Power RP500 ECO Silent Retail bronze, 80plus
Toshiba DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
Asrock AM3 980 DE3 U3S3
Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk
MS carbon case without power supply

Douglas Parker said:hey
need some advice if this setup works or if I can do better (budget is up to $1000, for gaming):
Gigabyte GV-R725OC-2GI, AMD Radeon™ R7 250, PCI-E 3.0, 2048MB DDR3, 128bit, Single-link DVI-D*1 / HDMI*1 / D-Sub*1
AMD CPU X6 FX 6100 (3.3/3.9GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+) box
real Power RP500 ECO Silent Retail bronze, 80plus
HDD - Toshiba DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
Asrock AM3 980 DE3 U3S3
Transcend 4GB DDR3 1333MHz bulk
MS carbon case without PSU

I'd go with a beefier GPU😁
especially for something like GTA 5. Having 2GB instead of 1GB makes a huge difference.
Maybe try something like this (slight bump in budget)

1 x MSI MB A68HM-P33, S.FM2+, AMD A68H, DDR3/2133, PCIe, D-Sub/DVI, S-ATA3, G-LAN, USB3.0, 8ch., uATX
1 x AMD Kaveri Athlon X4 840 (3.1GHz,4MB,65W,FM2+) box
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x MS CARBON black case, no PSU
1 x Antec VP400PC 400W, 80+, 120mm
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA050 (3.5", 500GB, 32MB, SATA III-600)
1 x Inno3D Geforce GTX750 2GB GDDR5
Total: $1026
future-proofed enough
quad core, better graphics than what you picked, everything else is pretty much the same.

Which game are we talking about here?

It would technically work, but it’s definitely pushing things a bit too hard.

Thanks for getting back to me so fast.
I'm actually planning on adding more RAM and picking up a beefier graphics card a bit later down the road. Everything I’ve got right now was just whatever I could grab from the local Best Buy. Anyway, I'm gonna head out and check things out at Target.

An aftermarket cooler would be practically redundant here

Hey everyone, I'm starting to think about building a new gaming rig. Give me some ideas around the $1000 mark, but keep in mind I already have a GPU that’ll hold out for a bit (an r7 260x 2gb ddr5), and I don't need a power supply included. Try to put together the best build possible for that budget so I can stay in the game as long as possible—ideally, I'd just be swapping in a new graphics card down the road.
Thanks in advance!

Something like this:

FX 6300
LC CC 95
GIGABYTE 970A-DS3P
KINGMAX 2+4 GB 1600 MHZ - 6GB
SEAGATE 3,5 1TB SATA 3 BARR.
FORTRON HYPER 500W 80+
MS CARBON MIDI ATX

Thanks! Anyone else got any suggestions?

I have one AMD CPU X6 FX 6100 available for sale. It’s the boxed version, clocked at 3.3/3.9GHz with 14MB of cache and a 95W TDP, utilizing the AM3+ socket. Let me know if you're interested.
I have one 8GB stick of Crucial DDR3 RAM, clocked at 1600 MHz (PC3-12800) with CL11 latency.
I have one Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2 motherboard available for sale. It’s an mATX form factor board that runs on the AM3+ socket and uses DDR3 memory. It comes equipped with standard VGA, SATA II, LAN, and USB 2.0 connectivity. Let me know if you're interested!
I'm looking at a single 1TB Seagate hard drive here—7200rpm, SATA 6, with a 64MB cache. Just one unit.
I have one Zalman Z3+ available, featuring the USB 3.0 ports in black.
I have one Fortron Raider S 550W available, featuring an 80+ Silver rating.
I have one unit available: an LC-CC-95 CPU cooler, compatible with both Intel and AMD systems, featuring a 90mm fan with a standard 4-pin connector.

Total: $1017
If you're looking to balance this build, I'd suggest opting for a slightly less powerful processor and a more modest motherboard. Instead, put that extra budget toward increasing your RAM capacity, picking up a higher-quality case, and investing in a much more robust power supply.

hiddenpilot4 said:Thanks! Anyone else got ideas?

graniteharbor85, your rig is the way to go. 👍

center

If you’ve already got a case lying around, I wouldn't waste my money on this one. Do you have an old SATA HDD handy?

The case is already in my cart. It’s over five years old, so I don't see much point in dropping $50 on a new one.

Plus, the hard drive I'm running is ancient—only 500GB max—and honestly, I'm not even sure if it's SATA or what.

The only thing I might consider is picking up an SSD, but those prices are still pretty steep.

I noticed that graniteharbor85 and Timothy Kim60 have similar setups, so why is there such a difference in the RAM?

What’s your take? RAM is just RAM—just grab whatever is the cheapest option, as long as it's DDR3.

Regarding the case, unless it's physically broken or something, I wouldn't bother swapping yours for a case from $50 (truth be told, there isn't anything special about them). Yours might actually be better, honestly.

A 500GB HDD is definitely SATA, which works fine, but you could always toss in an SSD like instead of the HDD

I mean, if his RAM setup was just 4+2, why on earth didn't he just go with 2x4 instead? It makes zero sense.

Alright, I guess I'll stick with this case, maybe swap out the RAM too, and definitely throw in an SSD.

If you already have a case and a hard drive, here is what you need:
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K 3.5Ghz (4.1GHz) box
1 x Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Gigabyte 970A DS3P, AM3+
1 x CPU Cooler LC-CC-95, AMD/Intel, 90mm 4-pin
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+
1 x SanDisk U110 128GB SSD, SATA 6Gb/s

Total: $1013 Just bring your old tower down to them, and they will assemble everything inside for free.