Ok, so I want to build a custom gaming PC and I want to build it now. Sadly, most of us don’t have a big budget to do it (myself included) so I’m looking to build it on the cheap. What options does someone like me have?
First and foremost, I have to manage my expectations. With the budget that I have ($500) I won’t be able to afford a build which can run the newest games at 4K. Not even Full HD. That would be wishful thinking! Also, whether I can or cannot afford an SSD remains to be seen. Many other compromises will have to be made, be it the CPU or amount of RAM or even the case.
I checked three sites and this is what I came up with…
Build 1: The PCGamer recommended cheap build
CPU: Intel Pentium G4560
Graphics: GeForce GTX 1060 3GB
Motherboard: ASRock B250M Pro4
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4-2133
Storage: Crucial MX300 275GB
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100
Power supply: EVGA 450W 80+ Bronze PSU
Total cost: right around $500/£500
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Build 2: The pcpartpicker entry level gaming build
CPU: Intel – Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core
Graphics: MSI – GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
Motherboard: Asus – PRIME B250M-A Micro ATX LGA1151
Memory: Crucial – Ballistix Sport LT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400
Storage: Hitachi – Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5″ 7200RPM
Case: Corsair – Carbide SPEC-04 (Black/Red) ATX Mid
Power supply: Corsair – CXM 450W 80+ Bronze
Total cost: $503.23
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Build 3: Tomshardware Best @ $500 build
CPU: Intel Core i3-7100
Graphics: Asus Radeon RX 460 2GB OC Edition
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-ITX/ac
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 750GB
Case: Fractal Design Node 202
Power supply: Integra SFX 450W (Bundled With Case)
Total cost: $498.93
It will be a tough choice.