Gaming PC build under $450 on Facebook

Hey there... I'm looking to put together a PC build by $1000. To be clear, I just need the components—I already have the case, and I don't need any peripherals
. I'm planning on buying everything through Facebook on a payment plan
. The rig's main purpose will be playing some of the newer titles
.

Al Pacino, why even bother with the links? Prices are a total disaster and there’s zero good selection for cases or anything else 😁

Don't tell me you don't have any other shops to choose from?

The closest Pa links I can find is over in Indianapolis... and honestly, for my cousin, it’s just not the right fit for a PC build.

Looks like we're looking at some PC-12800 memory—specifically a 4 GB Kingston KVR16LN11 /4, DDR3 1600MHz module. I guess that should get the job done.
It's a 460W power supply, specifically the LC Power Office Series Silent Giant GREEN POWER LC6460GP3 V2.3, which comes with a 140mm fan.
Maybe consider the AMD FX X6 6100 box, an AM3+ socket chip running at 3.3 to 3.9GHz with 14MB of cache—it’s a six core.
Just looking at this GAINWARD GeForce GTX 750 graphics card—it’s got 1GB of DDR5 and comes with D-SUB, DVI, and mini HDMI ports. It's a single slot design, too. I guess it might be useful for certain tight builds.
The BIOSTAR A960D+ motherboard features an AMD 760G /SB710 chipset, supports DDR3, and comes equipped with S-ATA, RAID, and G-LAN. It uses an mATX form factor and works with both AM3 and AM3+ sockets. I guess that covers the basics.
The LC Power Office Series cooler, compatible with sockets 775, 1155, 1156, AM2, and AM3.
Maybe this Toshiba DT01ACA050 500 is okay for a desktop setup. It's got that 7200 rpm speed and a 32MB cache, I guess.

Total: $1043 portio.us

If any parts aren't in stock at your local branch, they'll have to ship them in from another warehouse. You'll end up waiting a few days while they get everything organized and assemble the rig, but hey, that's just how things go with Links.

AMD A10 x4 7700 k box, Black edition, s. FM2+, 3.8GHz, 4MB cache, GPU R7, quad Core

BIOSTAR A78MD Motherboard, AMD A78, DDR3, audio, S-ATA, RAID, G-LAN, PCI-E 3.0, USB 3.0, D-SUB, DVI, HDMI, mATX, s. FM2+

LC Power Office Series Cooler, socket 775/1155/1156/1150/AM2/AM3

PC-12800 Memory, 8 GB, MUSHKIN RadioActive FrostByte, 997005, DDR3 1600MHz, kit 2x4GB

500W Power Supply, LC Power Office Series, ATX v2.2, 120mm vent., PFC

500.0 GB SEAGATE ST500DM002 Hard Drive, SATA3, 16MB c., 7200 rpm, desktop

LC POWER Pro-925B Case, MIDI, black, no PSU

Total:$1100 Links.
There's really no point in looking at this if you want to play anything modern. Links is way overpriced. If you're paying cash, you can get much better deals ordering from a shop in Washington, D.C. Shipping is free, it shows up at your door within 24 hours, and you just pay cash on delivery.

Something like this:

Check this out: http://i.imgur.com/CjaVDKP.jpg

It’s a decent enough power supply if you're planning on some upgrades down the road, I guess.
Just a 1TB drive, I guess.
You really need that 2x2 GB RAM setup at 1600MHz. It actually matters because since the graphics are integrated into the processor, the card relies heavily on faster memory running in dual channel. I guess you don't want to bottleneck yourself.
It's a quad Core APU, so I guess it has integrated graphics that might actually run newer games on medium settings.
Probably just looking for a CPU cooler.
Not a bad motherboard, I guess.

So, he’s got a pretty decent foundation now, plus some solid gaming performance. I guess once his games start lagging or he gets bored with the graphics, he can just swap in a beefier GPU and probably squeeze another few years out of the rig.

Hey, does a decent gaming rig actually exist for $1000? I've always had this idea in my head that you need at least 4000 - $1500 to get anything going...
I just don't get why anyone would drop more than $1000 on this!

fadedorca66 said:Here's the deal:

View on imgur

- decent power supply if he wants to upgrade later
- 1tb hard drive
- 2x2 GB RAM at 1600MHz. This part is actually crucial because the graphics performance depends heavily on the memory. Since the graphics are integrated into the processor, faster memory running in dual channel makes a huge difference.
- Quad Core APU, which has integrated graphics capable of handling newer games on medium settings
- CPU cooler
- a solid motherboard

So basically, he's got a really good foundation here plus some pretty solid gaming performance. Once his games start lagging or he gets tired of the graphics, he can just slap in a better dedicated GPU and stay in the game for a few more years.

4GB of RAM is cutting it a bit thin for an APU. The processor is going to hog a chunk of that for its graphics, leaving him with barely enough left over to run modern games.

Hmm.
I'm looking to pick up a PC for a family member who just needs it for browsing the web... currently checking out prices and suggestions... what would something decent run me around $500..
Looking at all your recommendations here... it seems like I could snag a solid gaming rig for about $1000...
That got my gears turning though...
What if I grab a gaming setup for myself and just hand her my current machine?
If I go with a super cheap build, we'd both be stuck with junk... mine is old and hers is weak...
Here’s what I’m running right now:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 5000+, 2600 Mhz, 2 Core(s), 2 Logical Processor(s)
ATI Radeon hd 3800 Series
2gb of RAM

That should still hold up for her web surfing for a while... right?

The big question is, can I get something actually better than what I have for three grand? And how much of an upgrade are we talking about?

I'm honestly willing to drop around $1167...
One thing though—I really need this build to be quiet... I don't want it sounding like a nuclear reactor sitting in my room... so maybe some higher-quality coolers... I also love the idea of using an SSD instead of a traditional drive... you know, putting the OS on a chip or whatever and then using a standard HDD for extra storage...

1 x MSI R7 260 OC, 1GB GDDR5, VGA, DVI, HDMI
1 x AMD Athlon II X4 740, 3.2GHz (3.7 Ghz) Box
1 x GIGABYTE Main Board Desktop AMD A78 (SFM2+,DDR3,DVI/VGA,USB3.0/USB2.0,SATA III,RAID,LAN) mATX Retail
1 x LC Power Office Series, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD 1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x SSD Patriot Blaze R545/W430, 120GB, 7mm, 2.5"
1 x HDD TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 (3.5", 1TB, 32MB, SATA III)
1 x Raijintek Arcadia, USB3.0, black

Total:$1211 It's all from Futur, including free assembly and shipping!
You'll be able to play stuff on medium settings like a boss!

Sean Garcia3 said:4GB of RAM is pretty light for an APU, mostly because the CPU is going to hog some for graphics, leaving whatever is left feeling pretty weak for modern games.

Maybe try seeing if you can squeeze more into Best Buy in $1000... I guess that's why they even put a motherboard with 4 RAM slots in there—to leave room for an upgrade later.

coastaltiger2 said:Is there even such a thing as a budget gaming PC for $1000? I've always figured you'd need at least 4000 bucks for a real gaming rig... $1500...
I don't really get why anyone would spend more than $1000?

If you're willing to pay, especially at a decent shop, you'll get what you pay for. Spending more just means higher settings and better FPS, but honestly, even the setup Sean Garcia3 put together should be more than enough to play decently.

coastaltiger2 said:Hmm.
I am actually willing to shell out about $1167...
Just keep in mind, I need a quiet setup... nothing that sounds like a nuclear reactor running in my living room... so, maybe some better coolers... with a heavy emphasis on quality... I really like the idea of using solid-state storage—you know, not a traditional HDD, but more like a chip or something—to run the OS, while keeping a standard HDD for extra data storage.

Here is one suggestion without an SSD or a high-end GPU, focused more on raw gaming performance. Though, it might be worth picking up a few games first.

1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 Processor 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x MS PHOENIX Case (no PSU), Midi tower MBO: ATX, mATX
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1600MHz CL11
1 x Sapphire R7 260X 1GB GDDR5 OC, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm

$1184 adm

You can swap this $17 to include a 500GB drive instead. If you add another 4GB of RAM later, you'll have a solid machine. There's also plenty of headroom to upgrade to a beefier graphics card down the road.

If you're more into titles like WoW or World of Tanks:

1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 (1x4GB), 1600MHz CL11
1 x Intel Core i3-4160 Processor (3.60GHz, 512KB, 3MB, 54 W, 1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, s1150, Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2 xDDR3
1 x Zalman ZM-T1 PLUS micro tower case, 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm
1 x MSI R7 260X LE 2GD5 OC, 2GB DDR5, DVI-I, DVI, DP, HDMI, R7 260x

$1155

Timothy Kim60 said:Here’s a suggestion without an SSD or a high-end GPU, focusing more on raw gaming performance. Though it might be smart to list out some specific games you want to play.

I love playing Call of Duty... Sniper... Battlefield... and my kid is constantly grinding Minecraft and GTA 4👍👍👍

Oh, and I really want a big case. With my last setup, the tiny case was such a pain that I ended up having to buy a bigger one later and just gave the old one away for free...
A big case is way better for airflow, 😵 right? And it absolutely has to be quiet.

So, what do you think of my current rig? It handles most stuff pretty well for now... except for the newest releases of those games I mentioned above..

One more thing.. don't sweat the $17... that budget is just a rough guide. If it goes $200-$100 over, it shouldn't be a huge deal... what matters most to me is quality and silence.

coastaltiger2 said:I’m big into Call of Duty... sniping missions... Battlefield... and then there's my kid, who just plays Minecraft and GTA 4 non-stop. 👍👍👍

Man, I really want a massive case this time. With my last build, the case was way too small, so I ended up having to go out and buy a bigger one anyway, just to toss the old one in the trash for free. Not doing that again.
At least a big case actually has some decent airflow. 😵 Right? And make sure it stays quiet, too.

So, what do you think about my current setup? It actually handles quite a bit pretty smoothly right now... except when it comes to those latest releases of the games I mentioned above.

And one more thing... you don't need to stress yourself out over it. $17Look, that limit is just a rough estimate... if it hits around 200—$100 It shouldn't be an issue anymore... I just care about this part. Quality and peace and quiet.

I put that build together for you above, including an SSD. Plus, if you go with a high-quality, well-ventilated case, you’ll get two 120mm fans—one in the front and one in the back—and you can always throw two more on the top if you feel like it.

Sean Garcia3 said:I put together that build for you above, including an SSD and a solid, high-airflow case. You'll get two 120mm fans—one in the front and one in the back—plus you can always pop two more on top if you're feeling fancy.

But hey, would I get anything actually useful or worth the extra $167?

coastaltiger2 said:So, would you actually get anything smart or worthwhile for an extra $167?

$167 isn't exactly pocket change, and obviously, you can always score something better if you bump up the budget a bit!
Here’s what you have $1200—meaning if you spent an extra $167, that would bring your total to $1367, or am I tripping?
If you're looking for something in the $1333 range, my advice would be to swap your current CPU and GPU for an AMD FX-Series X6 6300 and a Gigabyte 970 A-DS3P. That’d be the best way to go.

1 x MSI R7 260 OC, 1GB GDDR5, VGA, DVI, HDMI
1 x AMD Athlon ii x4 740, 3.2GHz (3.7 Ghz) Box
1 x GIGABYTE Main Board Desktop AMD A78 (SFM2+,DDR3,DVI/VGA,USB3.0/USB2.0,SATA III,RAID,LAN) mATX Retail
1 x LC Power Office Series, socket 775/1155/1156/AMD 1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Fortron Hexa+ 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm
1 x Patriot Blaze R545/W430, 120GB, 7mm, 2.5"
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA050 500 (3.5", 1TB, 32MB, SATA III)
1 x Raijintek Arcadia, USB3.0, black

Total:$1211 Free assembly and shipping from the shop!

Honestly, it’d be way smarter to just throw in a Zalman Z1 instead—scrap the LC since the stock cooler should be plenty, and then you could grab a better SSD like the Intel 520. Just my two cents.

graniteharbor85 said:It would actually be smarter to toss in a Zalman Z1, ditch the LC since the stock cooler should be plenty, and then grab a better SSD like the Intel 520.

Honestly, you're just moving money from one empty pocket to another. Besides, the Arcadio case is actually better than the Z1 because it has two more vents, plus it's cheaper. The price gap $33 doesn't really justify picking the Intel just because it's slightly faster—even if it does have a longer warranty—just to save a few bucks on an aftermarket cooler. Using the stock AMD cooler isn't a great move either; it'll be loud as hell and the temps won't exactly be anything to write home about.

Look, don't try to lecture me again using a burner account—you clearly haven't spent any real time working with these cases or SSDs, otherwise you'd be saying something different. The Arcadio Black Midi Tower has a much flimsier build, way less room to breathe, worse airflow, and just feels lower quality overall—plus, it doesn't even come with a fan out of the box. Throwing two extra fans on top isn't going to save it, unless you're planning on using an upward-facing cooler like a Raijintek. Even then, you might only shave off 2-3 degrees, and that's only if you go for those high-end efficient fans starting at around $23 and up—which honestly makes no sense when you could just buy a better cooler from the jump.

Honestly, Intel is miles ahead of Patriot when it comes to SSDs, and having a longer warranty is just the icing on the cake—even without it, the performance gap would still make the Samsung evo 840. the obvious choice. As for the stock cooler, it gets the job done and won't be noisy; temps should peak around 60c, and the fan will hit maybe 3000 rpm (it doesn't really start getting loud until you push past 3400).

Here’s a quick comparison for you: Arcadia vs Z1.

Sean Garcia3

With the Arcadio Black Midi Tower, you aren't getting two fans; you only get one rear fan.
With an AMD TDP of 65W, you can definitely get away with using the stock cooler—especially if you decide to undervolt. It won't be overly loud, nor will you run into any overheating issues. However, if you're a total noise freak who demands absolute silence, you might want to look into something like a Spire Kepler or an LC-CC-95 instead.

coastaltiger2

If there's anything else... $167 You can definitely do that. Let's focus strictly on gaming performance—since I assume you'll be looking to run the next big titles like the new GTA 5 or the latest Battlefield. We can leave the SSD out of this one. Here is my revised first proposal:

1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 processor, 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+ socket, FD6300WMHK
Here’s the breakdown of the specs: one Gigabyte 970A-DS3P motherboard using the AM3+ socket, paired with an AMD 970 SB950 chipset. It supports four slots of DDR3 memory, capable of running at 2000 (O.C.) or 1866 MHz.
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, compatible with 1156/775/FM1 sockets, dimensions 96.5×51×125 mm, featuring a 92mm fan.
1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, SATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x CORSAIR 430W Power Supply, CX Series 80+ Bronze, EPS12V v2.3, 80+
I have one MS PHOENIX case available—it's a Midi tower that supports both ATX and mATX motherboards. Note that this does not include a power supply.
1 x 4GB Crucial DDR3 stick, 1600MHz CL11
I have one Sapphire R7 260X 1GB GDDR5 OC available. It features 1GB of GDDR5 memory with a 128-bit interface and is built on a 28nm process.

$1184 I'm not quite sure what you mean by "adm." If you were trying to ask something specific or looking for information regarding hardware or a particular setup, please let me know! I'm happy to help once I have a bit more context.

The case is quite large (ATX), but since it's from a more budget-friendly class, you have the flexibility to add components that aren't quite as massive. $47 za click

I'm ready. Send over the content you need me to work on. $100 Should I grab another identical 4GB stick of RAM, or would it be better to just go with a single 8GB module? $193)

Regarding my approach, I've decided that instead of just adding another 4GB of RAM, I'd rather invest in a more powerful graphics card, even if it means having slightly less than... $100 It’s actually more expensive than the 260X. click But let’s be real—you're definitely going to need to throw in another 4GB of RAM down the road to handle next-gen titles (which, luckily, is a pretty straightforward upgrade). For everything coming out through 2013 or 2014, though, you can still run just about any current game smoothly on 4GB.

Regarding the graphics card—take The Witcher 3 as an example. It’s arguably one of the most demanding upcoming titles and likely the first true next-gen experience. Word is that for minimum specs, you'll need something like a GTX 660 or an HD7870, and essentially, your R9 270 is just an HD7870 under a different name. That said, there is a massive difference between what the requirements say on paper and how a game actually runs in practice. It is entirely possible that a weaker card will still handle it quite smoothly. I used that specific title as an example of a next-gen game, though I realize that might not be your primary focus.