Desktop PC build for $750?

Bradley Wright47 said:Hey there!
I'm looking for a PC for my nephew to play modern games, but I need to keep the total under $1667. I've noticed people on this forum advising against buying pre-built rigs, but honestly, I just don't have the time to source parts and assemble everything myself. I have no clue what to pick without accidentally wasting money on junk. Also, getting a proper receipt is crucial because I'll be getting reimbursed by my company...
Does anyone have any recommendations on where or how I should go about this?

Look, I've got a fantastic option for you here. You'll get a powerful eight-core processor that's essentially future-proof and even offers decent overclocking potential. It includes a stellar graphics card capable of running most games on ultra settings, 8GB of RAM, a massive hard drive, a reliable power supply and motherboard, plus a solid CPU cooler that allows for light overclocking. The case even features a USB 3.0 connector. You could actually skip the optical drive to save some cash—that would bring the price down to $40, making the final cost $1650. Plus, installing Windows via USB is a breeze nowadays!

1xGraphics Card MSI Radeon R9 270 x gaming, 2GB GDDR5
1xMotherboard Asus M5A97 R2
1xProcessor AMD X8 FX-8320
1x Raijintek CPU Cooler Aidos P/N: CPRT-001
1xPower Supply SILVERSTONE Strider Essential ST50F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz, DC 3.3/5/±12V, 500W, Retail
1xADATA MEM DDR3 8GB 1600MHz (2x4) XPG v1 kit AD AX3U1600W4G9-DB
1xHard Drive WD Caviar Blue 3.5 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX
1xOptical Drive Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS
1xCase Midi ATX Gamer Akyga AKY003BL colorFan/12cm 1xUSB3.0 w/o PSU

Total: $5,070.77 — Free assembly at Best Buy

Timothy Kim60 said:Take a look at this build from Newegg (free assembly and shipping)

1 x SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon R9 280 3
1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1
1 x MSI B75MA-E33, Socket : 1155, microATX, Intel B75, 2xDDR3
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
1 x Caviar Blue 3.5, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Zalman ZM-T1 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm

$1650

Games will run smoothly on this

Very nice 😁

Small tweak:
1 x Asrock B75 Pro3M - Intel B75, microATX, dual Channel 4 xDDR3
1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL10, HyperX Fury, HX316C10F
1 x SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon R9 280 3
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm

$1675
Motherboard with 4 slots and 2x4 RAM🙂 even though the quoted config was specific👍

I made sure he didn't go over $5,000, just like we discussed—assuming there’s some kind of spending limit on his card or something similar.

Timothy Kim60 said:I was banking on him staying under 5K, just like he mentioned—assuming there’s some kind of limit on the card or whatever.

Look, if he's got $1667 xD, then he'll probably have those 24 😁 too.

But like I said, 😁 yours is solid enough.👍

Robert Rodriguez2 said:A quick swap:
1 x Asrock B75 Pro3M - Intel B75, microATX, dual Channel 4 xDDR3
1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz) ,6MB
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL10, HyperX Fury, HX316C10F
1 x SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm
1 x XFX TS Series 550W PSU -P1550S-XXB9
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427,5(H) x 364(D)mm

$1675

Another little tweak 😬

1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz) ,6MB
1 x DDR3 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL10, HyperX Fury, HX316C10F
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x XFX Core Edition 80+ 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm
1 x MSI Z77A-G41, Socket : 1155, Intel ® Z77, 4xDDR3 1066/1333/1600/2
1 x Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black, SATA
1 x Spire Maverick 6009, ATX/micro ATX case

$1693 ...same thing on adm.hr

I guess 450W should be plenty. That i5-3350P doesn't pull much at all (only 69W), so the whole rig probably won't even hit 250W under full load. Plus, you get that Z77 board, so maybe you can play around with the TurboBoost multiplier for an extra 300-400MHz if you feel like it. 🙂

crimsonstag84 said:A 450W unit should definitely cut it. The Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1 draws very little power (only 69W), so even under full system stress, you'll barely hit 250W. Plus, if he uses a Z77 motherboard, he can always play around with the TurboBoost multiplier to squeeze out an extra 300-400MHz if needed. 🙂

Did you mean up to 350W? If I recall correctly, the 280-series alone is rated at 250W.

He probably won't even need a Z77 board. In all honesty, very few people actually bother upgrading, and I highly doubt this guy is planning to overclock (unless he eventually jumps to an i7 k). My take is that he’ll run this setup for years and be perfectly happy with it. Once that i5 finally feels sluggish down the road, he’ll be looking for used i7 chips anyway, and by then, building something entirely new will likely be more cost-effective.
Of course, if his budget isn't strictly capped at $50, he should grab what he wants...

By the way, I suspect used i7 CPUs for LGA 1155 and 1150 will become overpriced once everyone starts upgrading (similar to how Q9xxx and until recently Q6xxx behaved)—basically, demand will far outstrip supply.

SAPPHIRE AMD Radeon R9 280 3
Asus M5A97 R2 motherboard
AMD FX X8 8320
Patriot Signature Series DDR3, 1600MHz, 8GB (1x 8GB)
Fortron Raider S PSU 550W, 80+ Silver
WD Caviar Blue 3.5", 1TB hard drive
Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler
MS MINOTAUR gaming case

$1642Micro Center (free assembly included)

I’m somewhat on board regarding the motherboard, but I was actually thinking about the 250W 😉 TDP can be pretty misleading; it’s basically just an overclocked HD 7950, which pulls about 150W.



The test rig uses a much beefier board, plus a 4770K that probably draws at least 20-30W more.

Check this out—it hits 417w (though that’s mostly just the 3DMark peak and a 130w CPU draw), while this one pulls 355w with the 3570K. Naturally, running it with an XFX 450w won't be an issue at all; I only went with that specific unit because it fits the budget perfectly and leaves me some breathing room.

At 305W -> moving up to an Intel Core I5 3570 k running at 4.2GHz (42 x 100MHz), you're looking at at least an extra 50W compared to the 3350P

For 417W -> you've got the i7 3970X clocked at 4.7GHz, which pulls about 250W under load😬

Thanks
I barely understand any of this... but I think I'll just go with the one from $1675

I totally miscalculated the official TDP for this GPU. I just realized the 280 is rated at 200W—which, granted, is usually lower during actual gaming—but the 280X sits at 250W. Once I start overclocking, it’ll probably be pulling power like a 280X.

For 417W -> i7 3970X @ 4.7GHz drawing 250W under load

TweakTown uses the 3960X, but honestly, there isn't much of a difference. Speaking of power draw (looking back at some old news):

MSI is introducing the R9 290 x LIGHTNING, which offers massive overclocking headroom; by utilizing two 8-pin and one 6-pin PCIe power connectors, it can "handle" up to 450W of power.

😬

Well, if I decide to try overclocking with a liquid cooler, then 😬

Anyway, the inače R9 290 x can hit 350W at its peak, even with a crazy overclock.

Thanks for all the input, everyone. Just two follow-up questions, purely out of curiosity:

Does RAM actually need a heatsink? Are they really running that hot these days?

What’s the point of having integrated graphics on the CPU if you’re already buying a "real" GPU for the build?

@mellowtiger83/">@@mellowtiger83: thanks for the offer, but I'm doing this through the company, so I'll need the official invoices for the tax write-offs.

Are you talking about RAM sticks you grab at a local shop, or an actual dedicated heatsink designed to cool down your memory modules? Something like this... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835236002

If that's what you mean, those are really just for people who spend their time overclocking their RAM—the heatsink is there to manage that extra heat. Honestly? In my opinion, it’s kind of a waste of money for most people.. 😁

As for the integrated graphics built into the processor, that's really meant for everyday office users—people using their PC for work, browsing the web, or light tasks. You don't need a dedicated graphics card plugged into the motherboard for that. But, if you're looking to play modern games and want things to actually run smoothly, then yeah, you're definitely going to need to pick up a separate gaming card..

Basically—you don't need integrated graphics on the motherboard. If it's there, fine; if not, who cares? Just look for something more budget-friendly...

What's even the point of having integrated graphics in a CPU if you're buying a "real" dedicated GPU for your PC?

Absolutely nothing. 😬

By the way, the suggested Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1 doesn't even have integrated graphics...

This is a solid build. Though, I have to say, I’m a bit puzzled by the choice of that Mini Zalman case.

Plus, the motherboard is mATX, so the GPU fits without any issues, and you still get those USB 3.0 ports... Honestly, at this price point, you aren't going to find other cases that offer better build quality or more features; they’d likely just be bigger.

I just finished watching a review on YouTube, and I have to say, the case design is quite an interesting approach. It seems Zalman really put some serious effort into this one. Honestly, though, I was even more impressed by the LC Power 2001B 🙂

These cases are intelligently designed.

mellowtiger83 said:It’s a killer build, seriously! Though, I gotta ask, why on earth did you go with that tiny Zalman case??

Exactly my thoughts.

Timothy Kim60 said:Well, look, the board is mATX, the GPU fits perfectly fine, and it's got USB 3.0... Honestly, if you look at other cases for that kind of cash, they aren't even better quality or more feature-packed, they're just probably bigger.

But wouldn't it be better to just get a larger one so there's actually some breathing room? Plus, a standard MIDI tower looks way cleaner, and you can find them for next to nothing these days.

Aside from that, those mini cases always look so cramped and claustrophobic to me.