Budget gaming PC build for $600-$750?

My husband is looking for a PC that won't feel totally obsolete in about a year, so fingers crossed our budget actually covers it.

We’d love to pick it up at a local Best Buy—ideally something already built so we can just grab it and go 😁.
Of course, if anyone wants to suggest a custom build instead, I'm all ears.

I know my way around computers... okay, let's say "basic" is a generous term. So please bear with me if I ask questions that seem super obvious to you guys 🙂.

Also, looking for some monitor recommendations too, ideally under $500, and at least 19"
.
Thanks 🙏 🙏

Intel Core i7-4770K processor...
The ASUS Prime Motherboard...
The Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler...
Kingston DDR3 8GB, 1600MHz...
EVGA GeForce Series 80 550W...
Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5...
Zalman mid tower case in black, ZAL-ZM-Z1...
EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970...

$1676 CNN.com
Free assembly services...

A more affordable option...

Kingston DDR3 8GB, 1600MHz...
Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5...
Zalman micro tower case in black, ZAL-ZM-T1 PLUS...
The Intel Core i5 4460 NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti...
Intel Core i5 4460 NVIDIA GTX 750 Ti, 2GB...
ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0, 1150 socket...
The Fortron 500W 80+ power supply from Best Buy...

$1447

I don't see any disc drives here, though I suppose that shouldn't cause much trouble since you can just install everything via USB. this monitor seems like a total steal if you can get it for under $500

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock H81M-HDS, s1150, Intel H81, M-ATX, dual Channel 2xDDR3
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard

$1671
cnn.com

thanks guys 🙂

@Amy Vaughn12
how much extra would it run me to throw a coffee roaster into this whole setup?

my husband would probably be jumping on the web via Wi-Fi first off, so I'm wondering if we could just fix that with one of those little USB antennas (I can't even remember what they call them 🙈) they sell over at Best Buy for $53? he used something similar on his old laptop once, and if I recall correctly, you just installed the driver, plugged it in, and you were good to go.

$43 is basically a toaster. You could probably throw in 2gb + 4gb of RAM and maybe that would bring the total up to exactly $5,000 with the toaster included. Honestly, 6GB should be plenty for gaming, I guess. That wireless adapter ought to work without any major issues too.

Hold on, what’s your absolute ceiling for the whole setup (make sure to include the monitor in that total)?

By the way, it looks like they don't have that R9 280 in stock at Micro Center anymore (or maybe it just keeps selling out immediately).

@Amy Vaughn12

alright, thanks 🙏 🙏 🙏

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Hold on, what’s your absolute ceiling for the whole setup (make sure to include the monitor in that total)?

By the way, it looks like they don't have that R9 280 in stock at Micro Center anymore (or maybe it just keeps selling out immediately).

including the monitor $2167 🙂

Basically, you should follow Amy Vaughn12's advice here. If you can't find a Gigabyte graphics card, just grab the XFX R9 280 instead.
For the rest of the build, you might want to opt for a more expensive, feature-rich motherboard, such as

1 x Samsung LS24D590PLX, 23.6" LED, 16:9 (AD-PLS), 1920x1080, D-Sub
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Asrock B85M Pro3, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel ® Core
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition Radeon R9 280 933M
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. ATX standard
1 x LG GH24NS DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003

$2176

thanks 🙂

Brandon Lopez6 said:thanks 🙂

1 x AOC I2369VM, IPS monitor 23" Wide, WLED, 1920 x 1080@60 Hz
1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3,AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,AM3+, FD8320FRHK Processor
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x FORTRON 550W Raider, RA550, 12cm fan Power Supply
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition Radeon R9 280 933 m 1 x
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo,2011,1366/1156/775/AM3/ 626g,13-32dB

$2186
the amd version 🙂

1 x AOC I2369VM, IPS monitor 23" Wide, WLED, 1920 x 1080@60 Hz
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x TOSHIBA 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x FORTRON 550W Raider, RA550, 12cm fan Power Supply
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition Radeon R9 280 933 m 1 x
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. MB standard
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box Processor
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H, Socket : 1150, Intel ® B85 6.435,19 KN Intel

$2145

intel