Gaming PC build under $1,000

Hey everyone. Looking for some advice from the pros here... I need help putting together a gaming rig with a hard budget of $2167 cash on hand. I don't need a monitor or any peripherals right now. Just a heads up, I don't care about massive storage; a simple Samsung 870 EVO should be plenty since I usually only have two games installed at once and I don't store much media on my PC. Build me something that offers great value for the money—quality parts that won't overheat or anything like that. Also, I figured I could skip the optical drive since everything is USB these days, but if I'm tripping, just throw one in there.

Intel Core i5 Dell Inspiron Desktop
MSI Main Board Desktop B250 (S1151,4xDDR4,1xPCI-Ex16,2xPCI-Ex1, USB3.0,SATA III,DVI,HDMI,GLAN)
2x Crucial DDR4 Ballistix Sport LT Gray 4GB 2400 MHz P/N: BLS4G4D240FSB
Kućište Zalman Z1 Neo Midi Tower crno bez napajanja P/N: ZAL-Z1 NEO
Samsung 870 EVO 240GB
XFX RADEON RX 480 GTR 8GB GDDR5 TRUE OC 1288MHZ Special Edition, XFX-RX-480P8DFA6
EVGA SuperNOVA Gold power supply - 450 Watt / SF-450P14XE (HX) P/N: NESF-019

Total: $2071 Centro

If you can hang tight for about four weeks while picking out a processor, that might be a good move. 😬

Alright, thanks... anyone else got a thought? Or maybe something you'd swap out or toss in?

I gotta ask, why on earth would they go with two 4GB sticks instead of just one 8GB stick?

You've got four RAM slots on the motherboard, and honestly, running dual channel makes a massive difference on these newer platforms. 🙂

Is it even worth dumping some extra $100 cash into this to swap out the CPU or maybe grab a better GPU? Or should I just look at something else entirely?

crimsonstag84 balanced this build so well that there isn't much room left for upgrades. You could potentially swap in a beefier power supply just to have extra headroom, though it’s really unnecessary since this setup won't even hit 250W at full load. Nothing major to add here, really... 🙂

Why not just toss in a standard 1TB HDD? I'm not entirely sure why that wasn't factored into the initial count, but it's worth considering.

Eric Alvarez said:Just throw in a standard 1TB HDD. No idea why that wasn't factored in, but whatever.

Because the guy literally said he didn't need it...

analogtiger19 said:Because if a person says they don't need it...

Oops

neonheron9 said:Alright, thanks... anyone else got an idea? Or maybe something you'd swap out or add?

Like they said, if you aren't in a rush, just hang tight for another couple of weeks. The new Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 5 chips are dropping soon, and those would be a much better fit for you.🙂

🙂Oh, absolutely, but let's be real—AMD prices here in the States aren't going to match what we see overseas, especially since we can only dream about hitting those MSRPs... and even once the benchmarks finally drop, we'll probably have to wait a few months for things to cool down enough for the price gap over Intel to actually make sense, particularly if you're looking at building something similar to an Intel Core i5 Dell Inspiron Desktop setup in Rhode Island... right now, the only real value seems to be the Ryzen 7 1800X, and besides, those current AMD chips are still stumbling a bit at 1080p resolution, so we should probably hold off until we see if the Red Team can actually fix that... until then, staying with Intel just seems like the smart move 🧐

Man, you managed to pack a whole lot of nonsense into just two lines. I'd say the 1800X is actually the worst value here, since you can easily overclock the cheaper ones to match its clock speeds.

When we look at dollar prices directly in the US, they correlate pretty closely (for example, $249 for the 7600K is roughly $700, and the Ryzen R5 1600 6C/12T at $219 is about $633).

They only really 'stutter' in specific games, and even then, they perform about the same as those cheap, locked i5 chips.

Aside from the Intel Pentium G4560 or the AMD Ryzen 7 1700, trying to buy a new processor and platform right now feels like a bit of a clumsy move.

Over here in the States, prices seem to be about 30% higher regardless of what you're looking at. When it comes to AMD, I think it’s worth waiting a bit since the platform is still relatively new and lacks certain optimizations. Even RAM compatibility on most motherboards hasn't been fully smoothed out yet to ensure everything runs perfectly...

Look, these prices have been out there for a while now. Including US sales tax click

R5 1400 ~ $492$
R5 1500X ~ $548$
R5 1600 ~ $624$
R5 1600X ~ $719$

You might see them run about ten bucks higher at local US retailers

crimsonstag84 said:Wow, you managed to pack quite a few inaccuracies into just two short lines... Honestly, the 1800X isn't the best value since you can easily overclock the cheaper models to match its clock speeds.

When we look at direct dollar comparisons here in the USA, the pricing correlates quite well (for instance, $249 for a 7600K equals roughly $700, while a Ryzen R5 1600 6C/12T at $219 is about $633)...

The stuttering issues only pop up in certain specific games, where performance ends up being on par with those entry-level locked i5 processors anyway...

Unless you're looking at an Intel Pentium G4560 or an AMD Ryzen 7 1700, investing in a whole new processor and platform feels rather awkward right now...

You're calling my points nonsense?😱 🤦 That logic only holds water if everyone intends to overclock, which certainly isn't the case for most people who might not have the hardware or the technical expertise that you possess... 🙂 If they are performing at the level of those "cheapest locked i5s," then there really isn't much point in dropping $600$233 or even more on a "newer platform," so I agree with you there... though high-end AM4 boards often feel just as underpowered, if not worse, than an Intel mid-range chipset like the B250 or H270, and I won't even get started on the Z270...🙂

Adam Allen said:High-end AM4 boards are basically just as good—if not worse—than an Intel mid-range chipset like the B250 or H270, and don't even get me started on the Z270.🙂

Back it up with some actual evidence.

Adam Allen said:That argument only holds water if you're planning to overclock, and let's be real: most people aren't going to do that, nor do they have the setup or the expertise that you do.

- Comparing a stock 1700 to a stock 1800X, there’s only about a 3-10% performance gap in gaming when using a Titan X Pascal at 1080p. In fact, a 1700 running with 3200MHz RAM performs just as fast as an 1800X stuck with 2133MHz RAM. If we're talking about overclocking, all Ryzens scale similarly. Ryzen 7 1700 : a Better Buy Than 1800 x and 1700 x

- These boards feature preset overclocks where you simply select your target clock and you're done. It's a proven method; sure, manual voltage tuning might yield slightly better results, but that makes it harder to write than it is to actually execute. Honestly, if someone finds it too difficult to enter the BIOS and select a preset, they probably shouldn't be buying high-end PCs in the first place. If you don't understand hardware, the assumption is that you're buying a machine for software reasons, and selecting an option is basic knowledge. Manual overclocking isn't a hurdle either. Punching in 3.9GHz and 1.375V is easy. If you want to fine-tune the voltage manually, that's also straightforward. At the end of the day, the 1800X just doesn't make sense for anyone.

Timothy Kim60 said:Well, those prices have been out there for a while now. Including US sales tax, you can click here

AMD Ryzen 7 1400 ~ $492
AMD Ryzen 7 1500X ~ $548
AMD Ryzen 7 1600 ~ $624
AMD Ryzen 7 1600X ~ $719

Maybe they'll be about ten bucks more at local US retailers

Typo—you probably meant the R5

Adam Allen said:Are you seriously trying to tell me this nonsense?😱 🤦 That logic only holds up if everyone intends to overclock, but let's be realistic—not everyone has the expertise or the setup you do. 🙂 If someone is just looking at budget-friendly, locked i5 systems, there is absolutely no point in dropping $600$233 or more just to get a "newer platform." I agree with that, but high-end AM4 boards are often just as well-equipped, if not better, than an Intel mid-range chipset like the B250 or H270—and don't even get me started on the Z270.🙂

It is frustrating when people claim such vast knowledge. After all, what does it actually take to pull off a successful auto-overclock? If one cannot even master basic communication, how can they manage a PC? Define specifically what an AM4 board lacks that an Intel 1151 socket provides, since it seems to be such a critical factor for you. Perhaps it would be wise to look closer at recent reviews that account for corrected RAM speeds.

Alexander Moore67 said:Slip of the tongue—you meant the R5.

My mistake. I'll fix that.