Gaming build under $5,500

Hey there,

I’m looking to put together a gaming rig with a budget of about $1833. I don't need any peripherals, just the tower itself—ideally something that can handle PUBG and similar titles without breaking a sweat. I'd prefer to shop at Best Buy or somewhere else that offers financing through JP Morgan Chase.

Thanks in advance 🙂

You can build a pretty decent rig at Best Buy, but everything except the GPU is okay... the prices and availability there are just a total disaster. Would you be open to picking up a graphics card at Nasdaq using cash or some other card if you have about 1500-$667?

If things really are looking that way, I guess there might be some room to work something out.

PC-4000 memory, 8 GB, GEIL EVO Spear GSB48GB2400C16DC, DDR4 2400MHz, 2x4GB kit
It’s a 1TB Western Digital Blue hard drive—SATA3, 7200 RPM, with a 64MB cache. It's a standard 3.5" desktop drive, I guess.
It’s a 500W Chieftec Proton Series unit, specifically the BDF-500S. It runs on ATX v2.3, features a 120mm fan, and carries an 80+ Bronze rating. I guess it's a pretty standard setup.
The Cooler Master MasterBox Lite 5—specifically the black ATX model (MCW-L5S3-KANN-01). Just a heads-up, this one doesn't include a power supply.
It’s an Intel Core i3 8100, LGA 1151 socket, 3.6GHz, with 6MB cache, integrated graphics, and it's Quad-core.
ASUS Prime B360M-A motherboard featuring an Intel B360 chipset, DDR4 support, Gigabit LAN, M.2 slot, and PCI-E 3.0. It comes with D-Sub, DVI-D, and DP outputs, plus USB 3.1, all in an mATX form factor for LGA 1151.

$1.00 Best Buy will put it together for you at no extra charge, plus you could always grab an SSD if you're feeling it.

Found this 120GB SSD over at Best Buy. It looks like a decent little drive if you just need something basic for a quick upgrade, I guess.

+ graphics card:

Check out this graphics card over at Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/graphics-card-product/223818

Thanks, just one thing though—I can't seem to find that motherboard on the Best Buy site

They pulled him from the race in the interim 😵

https://www.newegg.com/p/motherboard-parts/1151-050300349

Plus a PC for $1833. Honestly, doesn't matter which store you hit up.

I put this together using that American iPhone site.
https://prnt.sc/kcwmdo

Honestly, you can get way more bang for your buck elsewhere—you could probably find better gear even at a local Target or Best Buy.
You could easily cram a GTX 1060 or an RX 580 into that build without breaking a sweat.
That is, unless you’re absolutely dead set on that specific processor.

Look, I'm not trying to be difficult, but I actually dig that CPU—it’s a steal for what it costs. This is my first time building a rig, and since I live for gaming, this build feels pretty much spot on for me. I'm torn, though: should I prioritize a beefier processor or a better GPU? I haven't really done the whole assembly thing before, so if anyone can spec out a build for the same budget that actually outperforms what I've put together, I'm all ears.

You put together a build for $5,700, so you might as well just grab something similar from Best Buy.

Would that PSU actually hold up for the build you put together?

Of course, the entire rig under full load wouldn't even break 300W; the power supply delivers 408W on the +12V rail

Really digging this build, but I noticed you don't have that motherboard in stock anymore...

Damn, that's an incredible deal. In that case, this

Thanks a ton for the help 🙂