Budget PC build under $3000?

What do you guys think about this build? I am not looking for some high-end gaming rig or anything crazy, but I would love for it to handle games reasonably well, especially since my main focus is playing NFL head coach simulations, though I am wondering if there might be something with a bit more punch available for around $1000?

Weak. For that kind of money, you can find much better options—this doesn't even include an SSD.

Yahoo, they just throw things together for free here



$1044.
You could ditch the HDD or SSD to get the price under $1000, depending on what you actually care about.

It’s more important to get a better motherboard, power supply, and RAM than whatever junk they pack into those pre-builts
(mostly no-name power supplies, plus that link you sent has an A320 board, and they paired it with 2400MHz RAM—that's a huge mistake for an APU build. Who knows if it's even running in dual channel).

For an NFL head coach simulator, this will probably be fine, but I wouldn't call it "solid." This is entry-level gaming at best.

On the bright side, you can toss a dedicated GPU into a setup like this tomorrow—maybe grab a used one for $267—and that'll boost performance several times over.

If you want actual performance, skip the SSD or HDD and swap the 2200G for a 2400G. You get better graphics and IBM tech, making it a much better platform for future upgrades. It ends up costing about the same as the SSD + 2200G combo.

P.S.

At Home Depot, that 5-year warranty means you have to bring it in for "maintenance" every single year and pay for it, otherwise, the warranty is void.

240GB SSD and 2400G build:

SSD: Kingston A400 240GB, SATA3, SA400S37/240G
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2400G, 3.60GHz, 4MB Cache, AM4 socket, YD2400C5FBBOX
2x DDR4 4GB (1x4GB) Transcend, 2666MHz, JM2666HLH-4G
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV, AM4, 90-MXB830-A0UAYZ
Case: MS Helios III midi tower, ATX
PSU: 500W FSP Fortron/Source Hexa+, ATX 2.4
Fan: Akyga 120mm AW-12A-BR LED red (3 pin) -> for the front panel

Total: $1.00 - ADM

wiredotter14 said:Yahoo just bundles those things for free, so don't let that fool you.



$1044.
If you decide to skip the HDD or the SSD, you can actually bring the total cost down below $1000, depending on which one you feel is more important for your needs.

It's much more important to get a better motherboard, power supply, and RAM than what they typically throw into those pre-built systems.
(Most of those come with no-name power supplies, and looking at the link you shared, it has an A320 motherboard paired with 2400MHz RAM, which is honestly a big mistake for an APU build, and I really wonder if they even bothered setting up dual channel memory).

For running an NFL head coach simulation, this setup will probably be just fine, though I wouldn't go so far as calling it "solid" because we are definitely talking about entry-level gaming here.

On the bright side, it's great that you can easily pop in a dedicated graphics card later—maybe find a decent used one for around $267—and that would boost your performance several times over.

If you're really chasing better performance, you could trade off the SSD or the HDD and swap out that 2200G for a 2400G, which features much stronger integrated graphics and IBM technology, making it a way better platform for future upgrades. It ends up costing roughly the same as the SSD plus the 2200G combo, or just the 2400G without the SSD.

P.S.

When Home Depot talks about a 5-year warranty, keep in mind that usually means you have to take it back to their service center every single year and pay a "maintenance fee," otherwise the warranty won't even count.

What kind of games can you actually run on these parts, roughly speaking?

Honestly, you’d be much better off grabbing the rig from crimsonstag84 instead; the processor and graphics card are just a tier above. With his setup, you could actually run GTA V without breaking a sweat, and most other games would play fine on low to medium settings. An NFL head coach could probably manage a massive crowd of about 80k fans on that machine without any issues whatsoever.

Thanks so much for all the help, I think I'm probably going to end up going with the one recommended by crimsonstag84.

I was looking through the threads but haven't seen much advice yet, so I figured I'd just ask—what kind of graphics card would you guys recommend?

You’re getting integrated graphics bundled right in with the processor, which honestly isn't bad at all considering what you're paying.

We put this together assuming that’s your entire budget, since you linked a build using an APU without a dedicated GPU.

If you’re planning on picking up a graphics card, you'd be better off going with a Ryzen 3 1200 plus a card, but that's going to push you well past $300-$1033

View on imgur

So, does this look pretty much complete to you guys, or should I go ahead and throw a few more details into the mix?

https://www.amazon.com/product/dp/B08C1X5G6W

I ended up just installing this frame and that was really all it took, so I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for all the help.

Grab two 4GB sticks for dual channel. Don't even think about doing 1x8GB if you're running an APU.

crimsonstag84, which ones did you list for him?

I was actually thinking about putting 8GB in there, assuming it wouldn't make much of a difference?

Nah, that's DDR3, not DDR4.

crimsonstag84 already told you which one to grab.

Well, here I am, thanks again to everyone for everything, and feel free to close this thread, admin