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Budget build time

M

mclld

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
80
I have not built a pc in years(probably 8+) and I am looking to build a budget gaming pc for my 11 year old son. He doesnt needing cutting edge and max settings, just a nice little system that will run any game. He will be using his 720p lcd as a monitor for the time being, I am looking for a good deal on a 1080p monitor. He is most interested in Mincecraft and shooters like COD/Battlefield etc. I am also hoping to buy most if not all the parts used to save extra cash and since he doesnt have to have anything high end I figure we can get a good pc this way.

So now should I go AMD for the cpu or Intel? I am not interested in fanboy wars, just facts since I am looking for used parts, what cpu should I keep my eye open for? What would be the bare minimum I would not want to go below? Ram is super cheap so I figure 8 gigs should be plenty and I plan on getting a 64-128 gig ssd for the OS to boot from since they are cheap as well. What are some video cards I should consider? I need the system to be somewhat future proof for a few years if possible, well with minimum change if needed like swapping in a new videocard.

Yet again, he doesn't expect highest settings and all the bells and whistles, he just wants a decent pc that will be able to play shooters and Minecraft
 
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It would help you answered the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.
 
I think I mentally block out stickies

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Minecraft, COD, Battlefiled and cheap steam indie games. He has an Xbox One so I imagine most of his big games will be played on that

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Dont have a set budget but looking to spend 4-500 but trying to get mostly used parts

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
USA

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU/heatsink, ram, case, video card, power supply, case, motherboard

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
For now a 42" 720p lcd tv, possibly a 1080p monitor maybe 22-24" He is perectly fine with 360/One games so resolution isnt a big deal, does not have to be 1080p

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I am looking to buy parts now and build before or around Christmas

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
None besides the basics and onboard sound

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Win 7 64 bit
 
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Ok, if you were buying brand new today, this is what I would recommend:
$59 - Intel Pentium G3220 CPU
$50 - Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2V Intel H81 mATX Motherboard
$80 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609DS1S00 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$110 - HIS iCooler H260XFN2GD Radeon R7 260X 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$75 - Crucial MX100 128GB SSD
$50 - Corsair CX430M 430W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
----
Total: $474 shipped.

So whatever used parts you buy have to be faster and/or of better quality than the above while being at the same or lower price as the above parts. Also, I would highly recommend buying the RAM (used or otherwise) as soon as possible as RAM prices are only going to go up from here on out. Avoid AMD for the CPU as this is primarily a gaming PC. So stick with Intel.

With that said, if you want to make sure that the system can handle any upgrade, I recommend this new PSU as a baseline:
$63 - XFX TS Series XFX TS 550W PSU

In regards to the video card, use this Anandtech link to see if the used card you're looking at is worth getting at the price over the R7 260X:
http://anandtech.com/bench/GPU14/815

Example: The HD 7850 2GB is faster than the R7 260X.
 
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fwiw Rosewill Ranger-M is $30 on ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171425440383?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
acceptable mATX case
Unless there is a rebate on CX430 the XFX is much better, whether you "need" it or not. $63 buys a lot more power supply than $40. $20 after rebate is more difficult to pass up.
MX100 120 GB are about $75, 240 GB about $100-110. just worthwhile. Youngsters and patience..
You might want to go with the overclockable Pentium 3258, just because, 65 watt processor, most 81 boards can overclock, though may need BIOS update
 
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I found an MSI b85 and a G3258 with hs/f for about $100, should I buy it?
 
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Rosewill Line-M (has 2 each USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports up front)
$50 - $10mir

XFX TS-550G (80+ Gold version)
$80 - $15mir

Cruicial Ballistix DDR3-1600 4GB
$41

Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H
$75

Intel Pentium G3258 Anniversary Edition
$70

Sandisk Ultra Plus 128GB
$65

XFX R7 265
$150 - $20mir
*** or ***
eVGA GTX750ti Superclocked
$140 - $10mir


Arctic Cooling 120mm PWM (qty 4)
$40

TOTAL: $581 shipped ($45 mir total)


I can vouch for the MoBo, the RAM, the SSD, the case fans, and the case....all are working great for me!

Cross-check prices with other places like Amazon, TigerDirect, and NCIX-US.
 
I bought the following so far
Intel Pentium G3258 and MSI B85M $102.65
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM HD $30
Rosewill Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case CHALLENGER $29.95
 
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Thanks to a member here I just got my graphics card, power supply and ram for $140(Tt 850w PSU, CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB and
R9 270x)

So I am in this build at 302.50 and all I have left to get is a small ssd for the OS, I am pretty happy by the savings
 
Check the Hot Deals subforum...PNY Optima 240GB for $80. Great budget SSD that I've had in my HTPC for a few months now and have no complaints about the performance.
 
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