Entry Level Gaming Rig Build - advise needed

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

hi guys,

I am planning to build my very first gaming rig (entry level), my budget is around $300-350, I know this is not enough for a decent one but for a first time build I guess this budget should suffice. I need your advise with the parts needed to atleast not go over board my budget and still get the bang for the bucks on performance.

Need advise on the following parts:

Mother board - a decent built in graphics card should work for me

CPU - AMD or Intel quad core

RAM - I want atleast 8GB but if it would not fit the budget will be ok with 4GB and just upgrade along the way

Vid card - optional if the budget will fit

Chassis - mid tower

HDD - atleast 500GB

PSU - atleast 500 watts

Any other advise you can give for a first timer. Thanks guys!

edit: The parts should be available in the Philippines

[Tanker0921]

How much is the budget in php. i will help you build one, using pcxpress parts (biggest parts dealer)

edit. my rig is about 350~400$ / 20kphpish and i run all games 2013 below with max settings / ultra(bf4 skyrim) and most 2014 games at normal(watch dogs) to ultra

also is this sytem unit only? not including the monitor and stuff?

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

How much is the budget in php. i will help you build one, using pcxpress parts (biggest parts dealer)

edit. my rig is about 350~400$ / 20kphpish and i run all games 2013 below with max settings / ultra(bf4 skyrim) and most 2014 games at normal(watch dogs) to ultra

also is this sytem unit only? not including the monitor and stuff?

My budget is around 15K, yes cpu only. Thanks man.

[Tanker0921]

How much is the budget in php. i will help you build one, using pcxpress parts (biggest parts dealer)

edit. my rig is about 350~400$ / 20kphpish and i run all games 2013 below with max settings / ultra(bf4 skyrim) and most 2014 games at normal(watch dogs) to ultra

also is this sytem unit only? not including the monitor and stuff?

My budget is around 15K, yes cpu only. Thanks man.

where in the ph do you live? as the chassis wont be coming from pcx because you can find a chassis with 600w unrated psu outside fot 1k. and it will be more than enough to power an basic unit

[Tanker0921]

---INTEL BUILDS---

Build 1 (Intel Pentium w/ GPU 2 core 2 thread)

CPU : INTEL PENTIUM G3220 processor = ₱2,450.00

Mobo: MSI H81M-P33 V2 motherboard = ₱2,300.00

Ram: 2x KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC1333 (KVR13N9S8/4) memory = ₱3,700.00 (₱1,850.00ea)

HDD: SEAGATE 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA (ST1000DM003) hard drive = ₱2,700.00 (only php 500 difference form the 500gb version)

GPU: POWERCOLOR R7 240 V2 OC 2GB DDR3 128BIT (AXR7 240 2GBK3-HV2E/OC) VIDEO CARD = ₱3,000.00

Total : ₱14,150.00

Note: Just find a case with generic 600w psu for 1k to 1,200 php

Build 2 (i3 No Gpu 2 core 4 thread, this will show as quadcore in device manager)

CPU: INTEL CORE I3-4130 processor = ₱4,995.00

Mobo: ECS B85H3-M (V1.0) motherboard = ₱3,000.00

Ram: 2x KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC1333 (KVR13N9S8/4) memory = ₱3,700.00 (₱1,850.00ea)

HDD: SEAGATE 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA (ST1000DM003) hard drive = ₱2,700.00 (only php 500 difference form the 500gb version)

Total: ₱14,395.00

Note: Just find a case with generic 600w psu for 1k to 1,200 php

---AMD BUILDS---

Build 1 (FM2+ APU yay. this is with igp 4 core 4 thread)

CPU: AMD A10-5800K processor (For Motherboard bundling only) = ₱5,650.00

Mobo: ASROCK FM2A88M-HD+ MOTHERBOARD = ₱2,950.00

Ram: 2x KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC1333 (KVR13N9S8/4) memory = ₱3,700.00 (₱1,850.00ea)

HDD: SEAGATE 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA (ST1000DM003) hard drive = ₱2,700.00 (only php 500 difference form the 500gb version)

Total : ₱15,000.00

Note: Just find a case with generic 600w psu for 1k to 1,200 php

Build 2 (AM3+ , my rig without the gpu 6 core 6 thread)

CPU: AMD FX-6300 processor (For Motherboard bundling only) = ₱5,850.00

Mobo: ASROCK 960GC-GS FX motherboard = ₱2,300.00

Ram: 2x KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC1333 (KVR13N9S8/4) memory = ₱3,700.00 (₱1,850.00ea)

HDD: SEAGATE 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA (ST1000DM003) hard drive = ₱2,700.00 (only php 500 difference form the 500gb version)

Total: ₱14,550.00

Note: Just find a case with generic 600w psu for 1k to 1,200 php

Build 3 (Super Budget gaming 2 core 2 thread)

Mobo: MSI A58M-E33 MOTHERBOARD = ₱2,450.00

CPU: AMD A4-4000 processor (For Motherboard bundling only) = ₱1,550.00

Ram: 2x KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC1333 (KVR13N9S8/4) memory = ₱3,700.00 (₱1,850.00ea)

HDD: SEAGATE 1TB 7200RPM 3.5" SATA (ST1000DM003) hard drive = ₱2,700.00 (only php 500 difference form the 500gb version)

Total : ₱10,400.00

Note: Just find a case with generic 600w psu for 1k to 1,200 php

Extra Notes

ODD : 1k php

Chassis: AEROCOOL V3X GREEN case = ₱1,350.00

Psu: HUNTKEY GREEN POWER LW-6500HG 500W power supply = ₱1,800.00

There you go, btw wait for the reply of other members to make sure these parts are okay. 2nd opinion is always nice

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

Thanks for the suggestions Tanker0921, I'm now contemplaing to go gpu or gpu less setup (budget constraint)

w/o GPU:

CPU - AMD Kaveri A8-7600 FM2+ 3.10-3.80Ghz Quadcore - ₱5,050

Mobo - ASRock FM2A58M-HD+ - ₱2,300

RAM - CORSAIR 4Gb DDR3 PC1333 x2 - ₱3,500

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - ₱2,630

Chassis + PSU - Fortress XOLO Chassis w/ 700w PSU - ₱1,175

Total cost: ₱14,655

w/ GPU

CPU - AMD Trinity A8-5600K 3.60Ghz (3.90 Ghz Turbo) Quadcore - ₱4,200

Mobo - ASRock FM2A55M-VG3+ - ₱2,050

GPU - PowerColor HD 5450 1Gb DDR3 64bit - ₱1,450

RAM - CORSAIR 4Gb DDR3 PC1333 x2 - ₱3,500

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - ₱2,630

Chassis + PSU - Fortress XOLO Chassis w/ 700w PSU - ₱1,175

Total cost: ₱15,005

Any thoughts about this setup guys?

[dMog]

best advice is to keep saving up your money until you can build something a lot better.

[avmad]

I wouldn't use WD Green for a gaming machine. It's not designed for that at all.

Or the 5450 card.

[DKT27]

I agree, fully avoid WD Green and AMD 5450. You can find something as cheaper but better. I had the HD 5450 card and it's not worth it.

I will suggest AMD CPUs for a cheap budget, however, they use a lot of watts to deliver what Intel does at 2/3 or even half of that. Still, good choice for budget. I don't know how good the graphics of build in CPUs are, but for a gaming rig, graphics card is a must.

Some things might have changed since then, but I suggest you read these 2 articles on CPU and GPU. It will give you an idea about things.

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

I wouldn't use WD Green for a gaming machine. It's not designed for that at all.

Or the 5450 card.

I agree, fully avoid WD Green and AMD 5450. You can find something as cheaper but better. I had the HD 5450 card and it's not worth it.

I will suggest AMD CPUs for a cheap budget, however, they use a lot of watts to deliver what Intel does at 2/3 or even half of that. Still, good choice for budget. I don't know how good the graphics of build in CPUs are, but for a gaming rig, graphics card is a must.

Some things might have changed since then, but I suggest you read these 2 articles on CPU and GPU. It will give you an idea about things.

Yeah, good thing I manage to squeeze some more juice from my pocket and should be able to build a more decent build than those above. What HDD should I get btw? I would love an ssd but would have to settle for the reg one. Here is the build I'm planning on:

CPU - Intel Pentium G3258 3.20GHz (Dual Core) Anniversary Edition

Mobo - MSI H81M-P33 V2

GPU - PALIT GTX 750 1GB DDR5 128BIT OC STORMX GRAPHICS

RAM - Gskill RipjawsX 8GB Dual 1333 CL7

HDD - Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 64MB SATA

Chassis - Cougar Spike

PSU - EVGA 500B 500W 80Plus Bronze

[VileTouch]

look, you can cut corners in a lot of things, but there are a few that are just irreplaceable. namely proccessor and graphics card. so i'd say get an i7 first. or even an i5 then you can figure out what mother board to put it on. and your next buy should be a decent gpu. i'd say an nvidia gtx, but i'm biased towards nvidia (for a good reason too).

there are plenty of cheap mobos you can get, including msi and even asrock. the ram....well, as long as it's ddr3 there's not much difference either so you can save a bit with that too.

aaaaand then there's the psu. that's a tricky one. whatever brand you get i'd advise you go with a certified one...seriously you're technically paying extra for a sticker, yes, but that sticker assures you that it won't tank your investment afterwards.

there's also the fact that you do not NEED to buy everything in one go, you can always buy components as your budget allows then wait and buy another piece until you have enough to assemble it.

regarding hdd, as others have said, stay away from WD green. and be VERY careful with solid states...they are not all made equal so buying the cheapest one could mean you end up having to buy another one a few months later...or better yet, just stick to regular mechanical drives! they're all bigger and cheaper and last longer.

get yourself little satchel of arctic silver paste. seriously, you won't need much but it makes a big difference in temperature afterwards (compared to other, generic thermal compounds)

you might even get it for free depending on where you're buying from ;)

one last advice: the least of your worries should be the chassis. you literally can bolt everything to a wood plank and it will work perfectly! so just buy or recycle whatever case you can find out there. it's not really that important.

[lurch234]

GPU - PALIT GTX 750 1GB DDR5 128BIT OC STORMX GRAPHICS

Not a good choice unless they have a version with more on-board video ram. 2GB is the bare minimum nowadays...

[Tanker0921]

Thanks for the suggestions Tanker0921, I'm now contemplaing to go gpu or gpu less setup (budget constraint)

w/o GPU:

CPU - AMD Kaveri A8-7600 FM2+ 3.10-3.80Ghz Quadcore - ₱5,050

Mobo - ASRock FM2A58M-HD+ - ₱2,300

RAM - CORSAIR 4Gb DDR3 PC1333 x2 - ₱3,500

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - ₱2,630

Chassis + PSU - Fortress XOLO Chassis w/ 700w PSU - ₱1,175

Total cost: ₱14,655

w/ GPU

CPU - AMD Trinity A8-5600K 3.60Ghz (3.90 Ghz Turbo) Quadcore - ₱4,200

Mobo - ASRock FM2A55M-VG3+ - ₱2,050

GPU - PowerColor HD 5450 1Gb DDR3 64bit - ₱1,450

RAM - CORSAIR 4Gb DDR3 PC1333 x2 - ₱3,500

HDD - Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB - ₱2,630

Chassis + PSU - Fortress XOLO Chassis w/ 700w PSU - ₱1,175

Total cost: ₱15,005

Any thoughts about this setup guys?

hmm so im betting you have increased your budget to atleast 20kphp then? btw what res would you use? its important to know what resolution you want when buying gpu

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

hmm so im betting you have increased your budget to atleast 20kphp then? btw what res would you use? its important to know what resolution you want when buying gpu

I have managed to get a few more bucks yes, my screen resolution is 1680 X 1050. I'll be buying the components early next month, here is my current planned setup, still changing as I am still researching for the best setup with this budget:, right now still stuck with the GPU and CPU choices.

CPU - Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz OR Intel Pentium G3258 3.20GHz (Dual Core) Anniversary Edition (unlocked)

GPU - POWERCOLOR HD7850 1GB GDDR5 256BIT OR Sapphire R7-260x OC Version 2GB GDDR5 128 bit

MOBO - Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2PH

Memory - CORSAIR 4GB DDR3 PC1333 x2

HDD - Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Sata

PSU - EVGA 500B 500W 80Plus Bronze

Chassis - Aerocool GT Black Gaming

[rudrax]

hi guys,

I am planning to build my very first gaming rig (entry level), my budget is around $300-350, I know this is not enough for a decent one but for a first time build I guess this budget should suffice. I need your advise with the parts needed to atleast not go over board my budget and still get the bang for the bucks on performance.

Need advise on the following parts:

Mother board - a decent built in graphics card should work for me

CPU - AMD or Intel quad core

RAM - I want atleast 8GB but if it would not fit the budget will be ok with 4GB and just upgrade along the way

Vid card - optional if the budget will fit

Chassis - mid tower

HDD - atleast 500GB

PSU - atleast 500 watts

Any other advise you can give for a first timer. Thanks guys!

edit: The parts should be available in the Philippines

If you wanna come somewhere near a gaming rig, you must have a dedicated GPU.

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

If you wanna come somewhere near a gaming rig, you must have a dedicated GPU.

I will just haven't decided b/w these two: POWERCOLOR HD7850 1GB GDDR5 256BIT OR Sapphire R7-260x OC Version 2GB GDDR5 128 bit, the complete setup is this:

CPU - Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz OR Intel Pentium G3258 3.20GHz (Dual Core) Anniversary Edition (unlocked)

GPU - POWERCOLOR HD7850 1GB GDDR5 256BIT OR Sapphire R7-260x OC Version 2GB GDDR5 128 bit

MOBO - Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2PH

Memory - CORSAIR 4GB DDR3 PC1333 x2

HDD - Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Sata

PSU - EVGA 500B 500W 80Plus Bronze

Chassis - Aerocool GT Black Gaming

[rudrax]

If you wanna come somewhere near a gaming rig, you must have a dedicated GPU.

I will just haven't decided b/w these two: POWERCOLOR HD7850 1GB GDDR5 256BIT OR Sapphire R7-260x OC Version 2GB GDDR5 128 bit, the complete setup is this:

CPU - Intel Core i3-4160 3.60GHz OR Intel Pentium G3258 3.20GHz (Dual Core) Anniversary Edition (unlocked)

GPU - POWERCOLOR HD7850 1GB GDDR5 256BIT OR Sapphire R7-260x OC Version 2GB GDDR5 128 bit

MOBO - Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2PH

Memory - CORSAIR 4GB DDR3 PC1333 x2

HDD - Seagate 1TB 7200RPM 64MB Sata

PSU - EVGA 500B 500W 80Plus Bronze

Chassis - Aerocool GT Black Gaming

Both cards are good for basic gaming needs. Although, despite being older, HD 7850 has slightly better performance than the R7-260X because the data bus width is doubled. See here.

For CPU, as long as you won't opt for serious gaming, you won't need a unlocked CPU. I'd be rather happy with a 4th gen i3. i3 one will provide more smoother experience than the pentium one. See the comparison here (these are not exact CPUs but are the most relevant one). The main advantage of i3 one is that it is hyperthreaded and the pentium one is not.

[Sl@pSh0ck™]

Thats what I thought as well, just go with the i3 and hd7850, but this g3258 is intriguing me with all the fuzz about it going up to 4.8Gh when OC'd, but yeah the most practical way would be the i3 and hd7850. Thanks man!

[rudrax]

Over clocking in basic rigs are just to show off. Without advanced cooling, that's gona suck practically.