Gaming PC build under $800?

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to pick up a case and an LCD monitor for under $1833.

I’m mainly trying to put together something decent for gaming if we can make that budget work.

Thanks, 🙂

What kind of monitor size were you thinking about?

I can't quite remember if it was around 21 or 23 inches...

Is it a better move to go with an Intel Core i5, or should I save some cash by picking up an AMD chip—and then put that extra money toward a beefier graphics card?

1 x LG 22MP47D-P IPS, 21.5", 16:9, 1920x1080, 250 cd/m2, 5,000,000:1
1 x Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x AMD FX-6300 Processor, 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+, FD6300WMHK
2 x 4GB DDR3 Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Z1 Z3 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. Standard ATX.
1 x Seagate Barracuda 500GB HDD, SATA III, 7200 rpm, 7200.12
1 x Radeon R9 270 with Fortron PSU, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x AMD Radeon R9 270, R9-270A-CDFC, Double Dissipation Edition 925M Boost
1 x SCYTHE Katana 3 SCKTN-3000A White Box, 754/939/AM2/AM2+/AM3
$1842
www.newegg.com

So, what exactly am I missing here? What's wrong with this setup?

LG GH24NSC0 with Zalman Z3
Zalman Z3 mid tower
Intel Core i5 4460
Intel Core i5 4460 with MSI motherboard
Kingston HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 4GB
Toshiba DT01ACA100, 1TB HDD
AOC M2470SWDA2, 23.6" Wide LCD
XFX R7-265A
Corsair VS450 PSU

Kyle Martin67 said:So, what exactly am I missing here? What's wrong with this setup?

LG GH24NSC0 with Zalman Z3
Zalman Z3 mid tower
Intel Core i5 4460
Intel Core i5 4460 with MSI motherboard
Kingston HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 4GB
Toshiba DT01ACA100, 1TB HDD
AOC M2470SWDA2, 23.6" Wide LCD
XFX R7-265A
Corsair VS450 PSU

Not enough RAM, weak GPU, trash PSU.

Does this look alright?

LG GH24NSC0 with Zalman Z3, AMD FX-6300, Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P, and Kingston HyperX Fury
Zalman Z3 mid tower
AMD FX-6300
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
Kingston HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 4GB
Toshiba DT01ACA100, 1TB HDD
AOC LED 21.5" E2250SWDAK, VGA, DVI
AMD Radeon R9 270 with Fortron PSU
EVGA 500W 80 Plus, active
Zalman CNPS10X CPU cooler.

I'd prefer the Z3 case—since the ports are on the top—but the motherboard doesn't have USB 3.0 support even though the case does.

Kyle Martin67 said:Does this look alright?

LG GH24NSC0 with Zalman Z3, AMD FX-6300, Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P, and Kingston HyperX Fury
Zalman Z3 mid tower
AMD FX-6300
Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P
Kingston HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, 4GB
Toshiba DT01ACA100, 1TB HDD
AOC LED 21.5" E2250SWDAK, VGA, DVI
AMD Radeon R9 270 with Fortron PSU
EVGA 500W 80 Plus, active
Zalman CNPS10X CPU cooler.

I'd prefer the Z3 case—since the ports are on the top—but the motherboard doesn't have USB 3.0 support even though the case does.

You picked the absolute worst monitor with a TN panel. You can get a better setup with the Samsung Flatron; just swap out the Z1 Z3 and you're good to go.

Of course the Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P has USB 3.0.

darkowl72 said:Of course the Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P has USB 3.0.

Sure, the motherboard supports USB 3.0—but it lacks the actual header needed to connect a USB 3.0 front panel from the case.😉

It says there's one USB 3.0 header available...

Kyle Martin67 said:Sure, the motherboard supports USB 3.0—but it lacks the actual header needed to connect a USB 3.0 front panel from the case.😉

I don't get it... 🤷

It’s the exact same deal as with USB 2.0. There's the header on the board, but the cable itself comes with the case. Cases equipped with USB 2.0 ports come with cables that plug into the motherboard, and cases with USB 3.0 have their own specific cables meant for the corresponding header on the board.

Why on earth would you buy a case that doesn't even have a USB 3.0 port?

Or what... Honestly, I just don't get it...

My bad, I just spotted it—turns out I was being a bit blind there.

So, it’s got 3x USB 2.0 ports and 1x USB 3.0 port.

http://prntscr.com/89ubek

Kyle Martin67 said:I can't quite remember if it was around 21 or 23 inches...

Is it a better move to go with an Intel Core i5, or should I save some cash by picking up an AMD chip—and then put that extra money toward a beefier graphics card?

Go with the AMD.