$500 Gaming PC: It’s Time For A Quad-Core 2.8GHz CPU!
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Recently updated Gaming PCs: $400 Gaming Build, $1000 Gaming Build, $1250 Gaming Build, $1500 Gaming Build and the $2000 Gaming Build.
The NZXT GAMA-001BK, the case featured in this build.
Upcoming Updates:
After updating the $400 Gaming Build yesterday, today I’ll be updating the $500 Gaming Build., I’ll be updating the $600, $700 and $850 Gaming Builds next week.
Later this month, all of the Workstation Builds, as well as all of the HTPCs Builds, will be updated. I’m also planning a few updates to our popular Best PC Parts articles, where I point out which parts offers the best performance for a given price or the best value.
For more details on what is coming up in March, read the following article: Recap of February and the Schedule of March 2010.
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This version compared to the previous version of the $500 Gaming Build:
The CPU was upgraded from an AMD Athlon II X3 425 Rana 2.7GHz Triple-Core AM3 95W to an AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz Quad-Core AM3 95W. The Athlon II X4 630 price recently dropped to $100 and considering that it’s faster and has an extra core, it’s a wise investment for better performance today and in the future.
In order to keep costs in check with the $500 budget, the RAM was changed from a kit of G.Skill 2×2 GB DDR3 1600MHz to a kit of G.Skill 2×2 GB DDR3 1333MHz. Rest assured, 1333MHz is plenty fast enough and you won’t see see a difference unless you run benchmarks (Which will show only a few % difference at worst.)
Also in order to keep costs in check with the $500 budget, the Video Card was changed from an AMD Radeon HD 5750 to an AMD Radeon HD 4850. I did this because the Radeon 4850 actually performs a tad faster, while costing a whole $50 less than the Radeon 5750, which recently went up in price. While you give up on DirectX 11 compatibility and Eyefinity by going from the Radeon 5750 to the Radeon 4850, the $50 savings will allow you to use that money elsewhere.
The DVD Burner was changed from a LITE-ON 24x to a Samsung 24X model, which is $2 less expensive.
The Case and Power Supply were changed from a Cooler Master Elite 310 and Antec Neo Eco 400W to a NZXT GAMA-001BK and an Antec BP 550W Plus. The reason for this is that the NZXT case offers much better cooling capabilities for the same price and that the power supply will give you more headroom for overclocking and future upgrades.
Other than that, the build now costs $410 instead of $421, a $11 reduction.
Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
Also, if this is your first build, here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
About Gaming PCs:
Gaming Computers are all about playing video games. Every year, new video games that pushes the boundaries of visual effects are released and demand more and more power from your computer to run. Being so powerful to handle cutting-edge video games, they are also very good all-around computers, capable of handling photo/video edition, web development, High Definition content playback and much more.
This is why our Gaming Builds Designs focus both on current performance for today’s games, as well as being ready to upgrade, to be ready to handle future games. For Gaming Builds Designs, a big portion of the budget goes to the Video Card and the Processor to ensure high performance in video games, as well as a solid power supply with a case with good cooling abilities, to ensure reliability.
Upgrades will usually focus on the processor and video card for enhanced performance, as well as on the power supply and cooling, to enhance overclocking capabilities. You may choose to upgrade the hard drive for more capacity, or change the case to get one that matches your personal preferences, such as look, cooling, size, etc.
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking for a PC to play video games, you’re at the right place. If this is not what you’re looking for, check out our other Computer Systems instead.
$500 Gaming computer hardware parts recommendations, short version:
Explanation:
- In the left column, you have the component type, such as the Processor, Video Card, etc.
- In the middle column, you have the specific brand, model and a quick look at specifications for that part.
- In the right column, you’ll find the best price that I found after double-checking at various trustworthy online sellers such as Amazon.com, NewEgg.com, Buy.com and others.
- In Bold, you’ll find my recommendations for the parts that you should buy in order to have the best overall performance while fitting the overall budget.
- In Italic, you’ll find the best possible upgrades if you have money to spare. These are the parts that offer better features or more performance, while still being relatively affordable in regard to the overall budget.
- In simple terms, if you want a more powerful CPU or video card, pick it from the list of recommended upgrades that are in Italic.
- All upgrades are compatible with the rest of the system, as well as other upgrades, meaning that you can choose one or many upgrades without a problem.
- If upgrades just don’t cut it, visit the Gaming PCs page, where you’ll find our other gaming computer custom build designs.
$500 Gaming Computer Hardware parts recommendations, detailed version:
Motherboard:
ASRock M3A770DE AM3 AMD 770 ATX
A basic, yet reliable motherboard at a great price that supports everything in this system. Come with six USB ports, two of them being Hybrid E-SATA/USB ports, S/PDIF Out via Optical and Coaxial, two PS/2, Gigabit LAN and 8 Channels audio on the back.
Two PCI-Express 2.0 16X (Green at 16X, Orange at 4x), one PCI-Express 1X and three PCI slots, four SATA ports and the usual IDE port, etc.
If you wonder who is ASRock, they belong to ASUS. Simply put, they are their budget brand, offering the same reliability known from ASUS, but with lower prices.
Recommended upgrade:
If you want a motherboard that offers SATA 6.0Gb/s and USB 3.0 for a more future-proof platform, the GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB3.0 ATX is the motherboard that I recommend for that.
CPU:
AMD Athlon II X4 630 Propus 2.8GHz Quad-Core AM3 95W
Now at a new low price of only $100, the 2.8GHz Quad-Core Athlon II X4 630 is an excellent all-around processor, capable of handling today’s and tomorrow’s games.
While you could gain a few extra frames per second with a Phenom II X4 series CPU, thanks to the extra L3 cache, the least expensive Phenom II quad-core processor, the 2.8GHz X4 920, starts at $140.
In my opinion, for the same frequency, only adding on 6MB of L3 is not worth an extra $40. You’re better off spending that $40 elsewhere. Besides, you can just overclock the Athlon II X4 630 and get similar performance to the Phenom II X4 line-up. At $100 for a 2.8GHz Quad-processor, this recommendation is all about value.
Video Card:
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 DirectX 10.1
For $95, this is one sweet deal considering all the performance that you’ll get from this card. Note that it’s starting to run low in stock, as its being phased in favor of the new Radeon 5750, so this might be your last chance to grab one, especially at this price!
It is capable of handling the vast majority of games at 1680×1050 with high visual quality or at 1920 x 1080 if you’re ready to sacrifice some visual quality.
Finally, it is HDCP Ready and will handle Blu-Ray and other 1080p content playback, with audio over HDMI as well.
Recommended upgrades:
- Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 DirectX 11
- Radeon HD 5770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 DirectX 11
RAM:
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333
4GB of RAM is pretty much mandatory to handle the latest video games along with Windows and background background such as your anti-virus, web broswer, music/video player, etc.
Considering the price of RAM these days and the ever-expending memory use of games and programs, 4GB of high-speed DDR3 memory is a no-brainer.
I went with G.Skill for their high reliability and compatibility with the majority of motherboards. I chose these particular sticks due to their low price.
In my opinion, there is little incentive to move to faster frequency RAM, as it brings only a small performance increase (According to Tom’s Hardware ) for a much higher price.
Recommended upgrades
If you do happen to want those extra % of performance, for only $11 more, you can get the G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CAS 9 memory kit.
If you want a kit that has lower latencies and needs only 1.35V to run at 1600MHz, take a look at the G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 CAS 7 1.35V memory kit.
Hard Drive:
Western Digital Caviar Blue 3.5″ 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
A standard SATA hard drive, that offers 160GB of storage, plenty enough to handle your video/music collection and all your games.
I went with Western Digital because their hard drive offers the highest reliability in my experience, being less prone to failure on average. The Blue Caviar series drives come with a 3 year warranty.
Recommended upgrades:
- Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
- ($50) Over three times the capacity for $11 more.
- Western Digital 640GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
– ($65) Four times the capacity for $26 more.
- SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
Optical Drive:
SAMSUNG SATA 24x DVD Burner
This drive is able to read and burn CDs and DVDs. Silent, compatible with all major formats including DVD-RAM.
The motherboard includes two SATA cables (One will be used for the hard drive and one for this DVD Burner), so no need to worry about cables.
Also, seeing as DVD Burners are often go out of stock lately, here are a two alternatives that you can use to replace it. All are SATA based.
Case:
NZXT GAMA-001BK
For $40, this case from NZXT offers tremendous value. It’s comes with a single 120mm case fan, yet allows you to add up to five more, for a total of six 120mm case fans. The inside is painted in black, which is amazing considering that it’s a $40 case!
Recommended upgrade:
The Antec Three Hundred is an excellent alternative and for only $15 more than the NZXT Gama, you should at least take at look and consider it.
Power Supply:
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Modular
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 550W, not that should rely on this information only as I often point in posts such as Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply, but more importantly 32A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
Best of all, it is modular, meaning that you just plug in the cables that you need, making your life easier when it comes to routing your cables and keeping the mess inside your case to a minimum.
Power Consumption:
According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, it is estimated that this system will consume at load (peak usage):
- 309W with the recommended Athlon II X3/X4 and a Radeon 4850.
As you can see, this power supply will have no trouble handling this setup, even if you do overclock.
However, if you more headroom or a more efficient power supply, take a look at the recommended upgrades below:
Recommended upgrades:
If you’re looking for a power supply that’s more efficient than the Antec BP550 Plus 550W, consider the SeaSonic SS-550HT 550W 80 PLUS Certified. For only $9 more than the Antec, it comes with a 80 PLUS certification, meaning that it’s certified to run at least at 80% efficiency at 20%, 50% and 100% load. A highly efficient power supply will reduce your electricity costs, run cooler and be more silent.
For something with a bit more of a punch (600W) and even higher efficiency (80 PLUS Bronze: Certified to run at at 82% efficiency at 20%/100% loads and 85% at 50% loads.), go with the SILVERSTONE ELEMENT ST60EF 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified.
Cooling: Stock cooling
To save on costs, I recommend using the cooler included with the CPU. While there are better coolers, the one that is included is good enough to handle the cpu under normal operation. The case includes cooling fans as well to help you keep your system cool.
However, there are two reasons why you may choose to upgrade your cooling system:
- To keep your computer components cooler, which in return extend their lifespan and allows you to overclock to higher speed.
- To keep your system silent, as the stock cooling can get noisy at times, especially during prolonged gaming sessions.
Alternatives:
- Cpu Cooler: If you have any intention of overclocking, I cannot stress enough the importance of a good cooler.The COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus 120mm CPU Cooler
- Thermal Compound: Use the ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound
- Case cooling:You can add up to five additional 120 mm fans in the NZXT case, one in front, two on the side and two on the top. If you’d like the same model that comes with the case, go with the NZXT FN-120RB 120mm Case Fan
Sound Card: 8 channels sound card: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this sound card will handle many different sound setups, including headphones, a microphone and more. While integrated audio on a PC used to be absolutely horrible, it has gotten much better in the last few years, thus why I have no trouble recommending it.
Recommended upgrade:
For $35, you can get the Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 24-bit PCI, which will definitely provide a nice boost in audio quality.
Network: Ethernet RJ-45 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN: Integrated on the motherboard
Integrated with the motherboard, this network adapter will allow you to access your local network and Internet.
Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:
- The budget only considers hardware.
- You may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or , if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents.
If you decide that you need a need OS, here are some recommendations:
Windows 7
Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. Considering that you’ll have 4GB of RAM or more, along with a dedicated video that also has memory (512MB or 1GB), you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system, which is not enough now, nor in the future if you decide to upgrade.
Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, more functional, less annoying, consumes less resources and brings DirectX 11 to the table.
Three Available Versions:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
- Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows.
- Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.
OEM vs Retail:
The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.
The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.
Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.
OEM Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
Linux
A lot of people these days boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.
While Linux does not offer the wide compatibility of Windows with video games, gaming on Linux is still possible, through projects such as Wine, Cedega and Crossover. For more on the topic of Linux Gaming, I invite you to read this excellent article from AnandTech: Linux Gaming: Are we there yet?
What about Word processing, Excel and other Windows-based programs that you need? Linux being an open platform, there are many free alternatives that will answer your needs. For Word/Excel and such, try OpenOffice.
Cost: Free
Conclusion
What do you think of this updated version of the $500 Gaming PC?
Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.
Building this system?
Do you need a guide on how to build a computer or do you have some questions?
Consult our: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
Also, if this is your first build, here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
Finally, if your newly built computer won’t start, I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
Did you enjoy this build? Support me and Hardware Revolution
For each article, I spend many hours of research and many hours of writing/editing and I generously offer it to you and everyone else for free.
In the last few months, My current “workstation” from which I manage Hardware Revolution and write articles on, an HP tx1000 tablet laptop, has been plagued with problems for the last few months and could now fail at any time. Despite various attempts to fix it, the problem remains.
My solution is to build a new Workstation PC from scratch, based on a mix of the $500 and $1000 Workstation Builds.
Starting today and until the end of March, I’ll be raising funds toward building this new Workstation in order to replace my failing laptop and to help me keep improving Hardware Revolution for you.
My goal is to raise $1000, which will cover the build, a monitor, shipping and taxes.
To learn more details about this, read: Raising Funds for Hardware Revolution’s New Workstation PC
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Donate what you can (I suggest $5 to $20, but it’s up to you) via the ChipIn widget below (Which will track the donations), which will bring you to a secure Paypal page where you can donate.
Thank you very much for your support,
Mathieu
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