Budget Gaming PCs v3.3: Lower cost or higher performance!
Updated on February 3rd 2012.
Never built a PC before and need help? No problem.
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Building a PC has never been easier. We have hundreds of readers who had no experience and who built their first PC with the help of Hardware Revolution. If they can do it, so can you!Start by reading our “Building Your First PC?” article, which covers everything that you need to know to get started.
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking for a budget Gaming PC, to play video games, or a PC to browse the web, you’re at the right place. Otherwise, check out our other Do-It-Yourself Computer Systems or The Best Laptops For Your Money instead.
The video card for Tier 0.625 of the Gaming PCs got upgraded to the much more powerful Radeon HD 6750 1GB, while all other Tiers got a nice price cut.
Click on a section to jump to it:
- Five Tiers to choose from
- Recommended parts summary
- Computer Builds FAQs
- Recommended parts in details
- Mainstream/High-End Gaming PCs
- Mainstream/High-End SFF Gaming PCs
About Hardware Revolution’s Budget Gaming Computers:
Performance and reliability at a low-cost
With their low-cost, our Budget DIY(Do-It Yourself) Gaming Computers feature parts that were hand-picked to offer the maximum bang for your buck, or in other terms: to offer the best performance possible at a given price, while fitting within your budget.
However, these low-cost PCs are still designed with reliability in mind. They feature a safe, reliable power supply and a case with good cooling abilities, so that your PC will last you many years and to ensure that it will not overheat.
Tier System:
Instead of having several articles that each cover one specific build, there are Tiers, allowing you to pick one of several systems at broader price points.
The Tiers are color coded as such:
Choose from five Tiers:
Tier 0.5: Web PC (Identified by a Light Blue color): $281
This is our lowest cost Tier that’s perfect if all you want to do is browse the Internet, watch some videos, listen to some music, do some Office work and the like, on a reliable and relatively quiet PC that doesn’t consume much power.
Tier 0.625 (Identified by a Dark Red color): $386
This is our lowest cost Gaming PC, which is fine for older games or more modern games at a low or medium resolution (1600 x 900 or 720p HDTVs).
Tier 0.75 (Identified by a Fuchsia color): $443
Our 2nd lowest cost Gaming PC. Recommended for older games, or for more recent games on a low or medium resolution (1600 x 900 or 720p HDTVs).
Tier 1 (Identified by a Green color): $527
Great entry-level gaming machine, perfect for gaming at a 1680 x 1050 or 720p resolution.
Tier 2 (Identified by an Orange color): $616
This Tier can handle most games at high/maximum settings at 1920 x 1080/1080p.
Need a Tier recommendation for a specific video game?
Ask us on the forums: Tell us about the video game, the level of details that you want (i.e. I just want to be able to play the game, medium, high or maximum details) and the resolution (e.g. 1920 x 1080. NOT the size) of the monitor (HDTVs: 720p or 1080p) that you’ll use.
Recommended Parts Summary:
Main recommendations, upgrades and alternatives:
1. Recommended Components are in Bold, with one or more colors/symbols for the Tier(s).
2. Suggested Alternatives and Upgrades are in Italic. You can upgrade as many parts as you want to, including parts from higher Tiers.
3. All Parts are interchangeable/compatible with each other. Ask us on the forums if you want us to double-check your build.
What happened to Tier 1 OC?
Simply put, it got too expensive for me to recommend it anymore. Even overclocked, it’s no longer price competitive and you’re better off with Tier 2 or 3.
Building this System, Got a Question, Need Help?
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…
1. You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
2. Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
3. Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
4. Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Recommended step-by-step guides to build your PC:
1. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
2. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Software (EFI/BIOS, Windows, etc.)
Free Assistance
If you have any question(s) about the build, simply head over to the forums and our community will be there to assist you.
No worries, there are no stupid questions here on Hardware Revolution. We all started from scratch and learned through our mistakes. We”ll just help you make sure to avoid those mistakes 
If you want to have your final build double-checked and get my opinion on it before ordering, or for anything else, don’t be shy, just post a thread on the forums.
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Recommendations in details:
Motherboard:
Tier 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1 and 2:
$50 – BIOSTAR H61MGC Intel H61 LGA1155
This motherboard offers Intel LGA1155 support at a great price ($50), making it an excellent choice for the Budget Gaming PCs.
It also comes with video outputs (VGA and DVI), making it a perfect choice for the Web PC.
It also allows you to use the integrated graphic processor (IGP) from the CPU, so that you can use your PC without a dedicated video card if necessary. This is great if you’re waiting to get your dedicated video card or to troubleshoot your PC if your dedicated video card isn’t working.
Note that since it’s based on the Intel H61 chipset, it does not support CPU overclocking. Mind you, none of the CPUs recommended for the Budget Gaming PCs do support overclocking anyway, since their multiplier is locked and that overclocking via the BCLK won’t result in much more than a 5% overclock before you get stability issues.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back: Four USB 2.0 ports, two PS/2, VGA and DVI outputs, Gigabit LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.
Expansion slots: On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 2.0 16X and two PCI-Express 1X slots.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Two fan connectors (One for the CPU Cooler, one for a case fan. Note that all recommended cases either have one 3-pin fan or use Molex connectors for their case fans), four SATA 3.0Gb/s and two USB 2.0 headers.
Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.
Why Tier 1 and 2 no longer have the $70 – ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 LGA1155:
I use to recommend the $70 – ASRock H61M/U3S3 Intel H61 LGA1155 motherboard for Tier 1 and 2, as it brought USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps support for only $20 more.
Unfortunately, as time passed by, more and more customers complained about various issues with it and based on that, I no longer recommend it as I don’t consider reliable enough to recommend it now.
The least expensive motherboard with USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps that’s reliable enough for me to recommend costs $90, $40 over my recommendation above.
In my opinion, I’d say that those features not worth an additional $40 to recommend it by default for Tier 1 and 2, considering that neither of them will be taken advantage of.
Think about it: Hard Drives do not benefit from SATA III, you’re unlikely to get a SSD with that kind of budget, how many devices really take advantage of USB 3.0 and how likely are you to use one?
You’re better off investing that $40 on a better CPU or better video card in my opinion. However, if absolutely want USB 3.0 and SATA 6.0Gbps, check out the alternative motherboards that I recommend below.
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Alternatives:
1. $90 – ASRock P67 PRO3 LGA1155 USB 3.0 SATA 6.0Gbps – This motherboard brings USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gbps and CPU overclocking (thanks to the P67 chipset) support, for $90.
2. $112 – ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 – The ASRock Z68 PRO3 Gen 3 brings quite a few interesting features to the table:
- Support for the next generation if Intel’s “Ivy Bridge” CPUs.
- PCI-Express Generation 3.0 support (with Ivy Bridge CPU, Sandy Bridge CPUs support Gen 2) makes it more future-proof.
- 100% Japan-made high-quality Gold Capacitors with 2.5 times longer life time (according to ASRock).
3. $125- ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 – The ASRock Z68 Extreme 3 Gen 3 brings a few additional features to the table, on top of what the PRO 3 motherboard offers:
- Power and Reset buttons on the motherboard, allowing you to easily test your PC outside your case.
- A Clear CMOS button is located on the back of the motherboard. The Clear CMOS button alone is hugely useful when you overclock and need to clear the CMOS. No more need to move a jumper, which is a pain compared to using a simple button.
- Two slots worth of space between the two main PCI-Express 16x slots, which gives the top video card some space to “breath” in order to stay at a reasonable temperature.
In short, if you intend to invest into your PC and upgrade it as time goes by, the two last motherboards are as future-proof as it gets.
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CPU:
Tier 0.5
$45 – Intel Celeron G530 Dual-Core 2.4GHz
Don’t get fooled by the frequencies:
The Intel Celeron G530 is based on Intel’s Sandy Bridge architecture and despite running at 2.4GHz, it has no problem outperforming the Athlon II X2 260 3.2GHz in about every application.
Lower power consumption:
On top of outperforming the Athlon II X2 260, the Celeron G530 is also more power efficient, consuming about 22W less at load, according to XbitLabs.
Lower cost:
Finally, the Intel Celeron G530 only costs $45, versus $69 for the AMD Athlon II X2 260, a $24 advantage for the more powerful and more efficient Celeron G530.
Ideal for:
Budget builds, if all you want to do is browse the Internet, watch some videos, listen to some music, do some Office work and the like.
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Tier 0.625:
$70 – Intel Pentium G620 Dual-Core 2.6GHz
VS the Competition:
AMD’s similarly priced CPU is the Athlon II X3 455 ($80, Triple-Core 3.3GHz, No L3 cache)
I picked the Intel Pentium G620 over the AMD Athlon II X3 455 because:
- The Pentium G620 easily outperforms it in gaming and in most applications.
- The Pentium G850 is way more efficient,consuming 54.7W less at load, according to AnandTech.
Ideal for:
A budget Gaming PC, when you can’t afford the 400MHz faster Pentium G860 below.
The 300MHz faster Pentium G850 is quite faster than the G620, as you can see here.
Tier 0.75 and Tier 1:
$93 – Intel Pentium G860 Dual-Core 3.0GHz
VS the Competition:
AMD’s similarly priced CPU is the Athlon II X3 455 ($80, Triple-Core 3.3GHz, No L3 cache)
I picked the Intel Pentium G860 over the AMD Athlon II X3 455 because:
- The slightly slower Pentium G850 easily outperforms it in gaming and pretty much any applications.
- The Pentium G850 is way more efficient,consuming 51.8W less at load, according to AnandTech.
Ideal for:
A budget Gaming PC, when you can’t afford the much faster Core i3-2120.
However, if you have $37 more to invest and can afford that Core i3-2120, then by all means, go for it. AnandTech’s bench tool clearly shows how much more powerful the 200MHz slower Core i3-2100 is versus the Pentium G850, so add a tad more of a lead to the Core i3-2100 performance and you’ll get an idea of the performance of the 200MHz faster Core i3-2120, which is only $5 more or so than the Core i3-2100.
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Tier 2:
$120 – Intel Core i3-2120 Dual-Core + HyperThreading 3.3GHz
VS the Competition:
AMD’s similarly priced CPU is the Phenom II X4 955 (AM3, Quad-Core 3.2GHz).
I picked the Intel Core i3-2100 over the Phenom II X4 965 because:
Don’t let the dual-core part fool you.
Thanks to Hyper-Threading, its high 3.3GHz frequency and the high IPC performance of the SandyBridge architecture, the $130 Core i3-2120 performance is, on average, 13.7% higher than the $120 AMD Phenom II X4 955, when it comes to gaming, according to this Tom’s Hardware article.
Even better, the Core i3-2120 outperforms the Phenom II X4 955 by 25.4% when it comes to minimum frames per second, according to the same Tom’s Hardware article.
Alternative:
- $190 – Intel Core i5-2400 3.1-3.4GHz Turbo Quad-Core
– The Core i5-2400 is based on the same Sandy Bridge architecture as the more expensive $215 Core i5-2500, it’s simply a notch slower and costs $25 less. A great upgrade over the Core i3-2120, improving performance all around, as well as making your PC more future-proof, thanks to its quad-core nature.
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Video Card:
A few important recommendations and notes regarding video cards:
- Get the latest version of the video card drivers directly from AMD or Nvidia. That way, you’ll be sure to get the latest bug fixes as well as the best performance possible from your video card(s).
- Most video cards require one or two PCI-Express 6 or 8 pin power connector(s) to be plugged into them to function properly. Make sure that your power supply comes equipped with enough 6 and/or 8 pin connectors for your video cards. Of course, I double-checked that already for the recommendations in this article, I simply mention it if you decide to modify a build to your own taste.
Tier .05
Free – Intel HD – Integrated
Seeing as all you’ll be doing with this Web PC is browsing the web, listen to music, watch videos and other tasks that don’t require a powerful dedicated video card, an onboard video chipset offers plenty enough power, while being free since it’s integrated in the CPU.
The recommended motherboard has a VGA and a DVI output, allowing you to use older or newer monitors or even two monitors at once if you wish to do so! If you’re looking for a low-cost monitor, I recommend the $90 – Acer G205HV 20″
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Tier 0.625:
$80 – Radeon HD 6750 1GB GDD3
Replacing the previously recommended Radeon HD 6670, the Radeon HD 6750 is significantly more powerful and is now the best video card for $80.
Note that this $80 Radeon HD 6750 is equipped with GDDR3 memory, as opposed to the faster GDDR5 found on the standard $100+ Radeon HD 6750 1GB.
This makes it slower than the $100 Radeon HD 6750 equipped with GDDR5, but it still faster than the previously recommended Radeon HD 6670 and the Nvidia competition at this price range.
Recommended monitor to go with it:
The $90 – Acer G205HV 20″
Tier 0.75:
$110 – Radeon HD 6770 1GB
Replacing the previously recommended Geforce GTX 260
The Radeon HD 6770: A rebranded Radeon HD 5770
That rebranding at least brings with it Bluray 3D decode support.
Performance, DirectX 10/11, power consumption and noise:
The Radeon HD 6770 performs on average on par with the previously recommended Geforce GTX 260, while offering DirectX 11 support (GTX 260 is limited to DirectX 10), consuming less power and being less noisy.
What games can this video card handle?
This card is capable of handling the vast majority of games at 1600 x 900, although you might have to lower details for the most demanding games.
Recommended monitor to go with it:
The $90 – Acer G205HV 20″
If you can afford it, upgrade to consider:
If you have $30 more in your budget to spend, most definitely spend it on a Radeon HD 6850 (recommended below), which offers a significantly step-up in performance.
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Tier 1:
$140 – Radeon HD 6850 1GB
Performance:
Much faster than a Radeon HD 6770
I’m recommending the Radeon HD 6850 1GB once again, seeing as the Geforce GTX 460 256-bit is no longer available for $130 and also seeing that there’s currently a $25 price gap between the Radeon HD 6850 1GB and the more powerful $165 Radeon HD 6870.
The Radeon HD 6850 1GB supports DirectX 11 and will do the job at 1680 x 1050 and even 1920 x 1080 although you might have to lower details in more recent and more demanding games.
The Radeon HD 6850 1GB also offers a significantly step-up in performance over the Radeon HD 6770 (same performance as Radeon HD 5770), despite costing only $30 more.
Recommended monitor to go with it:
The $130 – Acer V223WEJbd 22″
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Tier 2
$165 – Radeon HD 6870 1GB
Performance:
A nice step-up over the Geforce GTX 460 1GB
The Radeon HD 6870 has no problem outperforming the Geforce GTX 460 1GB or outperforming the Radeon HD 6850.
It also performs on average almost on par with the $190+ Geforce GTX 560 (Non-Ti).
Recommended monitor to go with it:
The $140 – Acer S230HLAbii 23″
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Upgrade to a more powerful video card:
$210 – Gigabyte Geforce GTX 560 Ti Dual fans
The Geforce GTX 560 Ti, which is not to be confused with the Geforce GTX 560 (without the “Ti”, which is a slower card), is an excellent card for ~$210, that performs nearly on par with the more expensive Radeon HD 6950 ($250+).
Do note that this particular model from Gigabyte comes with a nice dual-fan cooling, giving you some overhead to overclock this video card, if you want to that is.
Rest assured that the GTX 560 Ti has a lot of overclocking potential for you to take advantage of. As a matter of a fact, with a decent overclock, the GTX 560 Ti can perform on par with the more expensive GTX 570
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Alternative: An even more powerful Radeon HD 6950 2GB
The $258 – Radeon HD 6950 2GB
This card will run pretty much any game at 1920 x 1080, including Crysis Warhead (At Gamer overall settings, with some Enthusiast settings) and other demanding games, with less or more AA/AF, depending on the game.
Want to use a different monitor that the one that I recommend?
That’s not a problem. I simply recommend to go with the same or a lower resolution than that’s what on the monitor that I recommend, for optimal performance.
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RAM:
Tier 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, 1 and 2
$23 – G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz
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 browser, 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 this particular kit from G.Skill for their mind-blowing low price and excellent reliability.
Is it worth it to get RAM with higher frequencies (e.g. 1600/2000MHz RAM vs 1333MHz RAM)?
In my opinion, there is little incentive to move to faster frequency RAM, as this usually only brings only a small performance increase, nothing noticeable (According to Tom’s Hardware ), while costing quite a bit more in some cases.
Besides, the recommended motherboard only supports up to 1333MHz RAM.
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Is it worth it to get more than 4GB of RAM?
Except for a few exceptions, according to Tom’s Hardware, current games and applications won’t take advantage of more than 4GB.
However, if you intend on keeping this Gaming PC for more than say, 2-3 years, I’d highly consider getting more than 4GB of RAM now, considering that RAM prices have never been this low!
Faster or More RAM?
Can’t decide between getting faster (Higher frequency) RAM, or more (More GB) RAM?
I recommend going with more RAM, as this will allow your PC to be more future-proof and it will improve its responsiveness when you’re using demanding programs/games.
In short: More RAM will give you more performance, in the long run.
Maximum amount of RAM: Motherboards in this guide that supports two sticks of RAM can be equipped with up to 8GB (2 x 4GB) of RAM and the motherboards that support four sticks of RAM, can be equipped with 16GB (4x4GB) of RAM.
If you want more than 4GB of RAM, here’s my recommended upgrade:
- $37 – G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz
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Heatsinks and CPU cooler clearance:
Every kit that I recommend in this guide feature either no heatsinks or small heatsinks that don’t raise too much above the RAM sticks.
Why?
- Because RAM heatsinks barely make any difference when it comes to RAM temperatures. Besides, even if you overclock it/raise the voltage (at your own risk), RAM temperatures aren’t a problem as long as you have decent airflow in your case.
- Tall RAM heatsinks can get in the way of larger aftermarket CPU Coolers, preventing you from installing your aftermarket CPU Cooler!
Important: RAM can require manual configuration within the BIOS to reach its full potential or function properly!
By default, some RAM kits will boot at lower frequencies than they are rated for. This is perfectly normal, it does not mean that your RAM is defective.
You simply have to go within the BIOS (The first thing that you see when your PC starts) and enable XMP, for your RAM to function at its rated speed. If XMP is not available or doesn’t work for some reason, you can adjust the RAM settings manually, such as frequency (In MHz, usually linked to the CPU, look for a CPU:RAM ratio), voltage (e.g. 1.65v) and timings (a series of numbers, such as 9-9-9-24). Refer to your motherboard manual and your RAM specifications for more information.
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Storage:
Tier 0.5, Tier 0.625 and Tier 0.75:
$70 – Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB SATA III
The Western Digital Caviar Blue 250GB hard drive recently got a price cut and now that it’s available for $70, it’s pretty much the least expensive modern hard drive that’s available on the market right now.
SATA III hard drive on a motherboard with SATA II? Not a problem.
The SATA standard is backward compatible, meaning that SATA III hard drives will work on a motherboard equipped with SATA II.
As I explain below, this will not result in any performance bottleneck, seeing as no hard drive offers performance that’s high enough to be bottlenecked by a SATA II connection.
SATA II 3.0Gb/s vs SATA III 6.0Gb/s: No performance difference for hard drives!
SATA 3.0 Gb/s (SATA II) and SATA 6.0Gb/s (SATA III) refer to the speed of the connection between the drive and the motherboard.
However, the best hard drives reach about 210MB/s (or 1.68Gb/s) in best scenarios. SATA 3.0Gb/s is plenty enough to handle that and for hard drives, SATA 6.0Gb/s does not offer any performance advantage, since the hard drives can’t even max out a SATA II 3.0Gb/s connection.
Only SSDs take advantage of SATA 6.0Gb/s due to their higher transfer rates.
In other words, if you take two otherwise identical hard drives, the SATA III model will not be faster than the SATA II model. SATA III for hard drives is just a marketing scheme 
Tier 1 and Tier 2:
$85 – Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB SATA III
Seagate new Barracuda hard drives:
In November, Seagate launched their latest Barracuda line-up of hard drives, featuring higher density, with 1TB per platter.
Performance wise, they simply dominate the competition, as you can see here in this HardwareCanucks review.
The Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 is one of those new Seagate Barracuda hard drives that offers great performance.
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Hard Drive alternatives:
- $125 – Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB SATA 6.0Gbps
– Part of the new Seagate Barracuda line-up, offering top-notch performance.
- $170 – Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB SATA 6.0Gbps
– Part of the new Seagate Barracuda line-up, offering top-notch performance. $170 for the fastest 2TB hard drive on the market is actually not that bad of a deal, especially when considering the current prices of hard drives.
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Following the major flooding in Thailand last fall:
If you were not aware of this yet, there has been a horrible flooding in Thailand last fall, which has resulted in:
A horrible human tragedy and Western Digital/Seagate (who now pretty much owns Samsung hard drive division) been forced to cut down their production of hard drives since October, due to either factories or suppliers of hard drive parts that were affected by the flooding.
While production has resumed in many factories, it will most likely take another 4 to 7 months before availability to return to normal and for prices to return to what we were used to before.
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Recommended alternatives:
Solid State Drives
SSDs dramatically improve storage performance. With their prices coming down and capacities going up, they are getting more and more attractive.
Ideally, what you want to do is get a SSD to store Windows and your favorite (or most demanding) games, with the rest of your media/games on the hard drive.
Here are my recommendations, in order of storage capacity and price:
- $53 – Patriot Torqx 2 2.5″ 32GB SATA II SSD
– Ideal as a boot drive, however not for much more than that, as Windows 7 64-bit takes about 20GB.
- $102 – Crucial 64 GB SATA III SSD
– 64GB is a great choice for a boot drive with a few games. Upgrade your motherboard if you want this one, in order to take fully advantage of its SATA III performance.
- $140 – SanDisk Ultra 2.5″ 120GB SATA II SSD
– A great reliable 120GB SSD that’s selling for only $140!
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Optical Drive:
$16 – LG SATA 22X DVD Burner
This drive is able to read and burn CDs and DVDs. Silent, compatible with all major formats including DVD-RAM.
The recommended motherboards includes at least two SATA cables (One will be used for the hard drive and one for this DVD Burner), so no need to worry about cables, unless you decide to add a SSD or additional hard drive(s) or additional optical drives.
Also, seeing as DVD Burners often go out of stock, here are a two alternatives that you can use to replace it. Both are SATA based and are compatible with any Tiers.
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Upgrades:
If you’d like to watch BluRay movies or TV shows, this $58 – ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray will do the job. However, note that it can only read CDs, DVDs and Bluray disks, not burn any of them.
If you want the ability to burn Blu-Ray disks as well, then the $80 – Lite-On Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE SATA is what you want. There are less expensive Blu-Ray burners available, but they are either much slower (4X instead of 12X) or not that reliable.
Regarding Blu-Ray playback:
As far as I know, you still require a specific software to playback Blu-Ray disks on a PC.
Based on various reviews and feedback on various forums, PowerDVD 12 is the software that I recommend to you. Note that you’ll need at least the Pro version for Blu-Ray playback.
PowerDVD 12 is fully compatible with Windows 7 and shouldn’t give you any problems.
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Case:
Tier 0.5, 0.625 and 0.75:
$40 – NZXT GAMMA Classic 1 x 120mm fan
- Cooling wise, this case includes one 120mm case fan, which is enough for the Web PC and the Gaming PC Tier 0.625/0.75.You can also add five additional 120mm case fans (Two on the side, two at the top, one in the front) if you wish to.If you live in warm weather without A/C, adding a front 120mm case fan is recommended. See the cooling section for my case fans recommendations.
Features wise, you get:
- Plenty of ventilation holes, so your parts won’t starve for fresh air.
- 2x USB 2.0, 1x eSATA, Audio out, MIC in at the front.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
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Tier 1
$60 – Cooler Master HAF 912 2 x 120mm case fans
- Cooling wise, this case includes two 120mm case fans, insuring proper cooling for your Gaming PC. You can also add many more case fans if you wish to. Here’s what possible:
- Front: 120 mm fan x 2, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA (one is included, one is optional, can be swapped for one 200mm fan)
- Top: 120 mm fan x 2 or 200mm fan x 1(optional)
- Rear: 120 mm fan x 1, 1200 RPM, 17 dBA (included)
- Side:120/140 mm fan x 1 (optional)See the cooling section for my recommended case fans.
Features wise, you get:
- Mesh design front panel with dust filters.
- 2x USB 2.0, Audio out, MIC in at the top.
- An unique industrial look.
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
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Tier 2:
$70 – COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced 2x120mm + 1x140mm
Currently $20-$30 off, the Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced case is an excellent case, especially for $70!
- Cooling wise, this case includes two 120mm and one 140mm case fans, ensuring proper cooling for your Gaming PC.
Features wise, you get:
- Mesh design with dust filters.
- An hole on the back panel, to easily install after-market CPU Cooler without having to remove the motherboard from the case.
- Various holes and space to route and hide your wires.
- 2x USB 2.0, E-SATA, Audio out and MIC in on top of the case.
- Support for 1.8″ and 2.5″ drives.
Recommended alternatives:
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If you a want with a different look, more case fans, a smaller form-factor, an handle (LAN parties anyone?) and/or other features (e.g. fan controller, USB 3.0 front ports, etc.), take a look at my list of other recommended cases.
The vast majority of them are compatible with any Tier, although it’s always good to check the video card length clearance, CPU Cooler height clearance and the accepted motherboard form factors (ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX, etc.).
Ask us on the forums if you have a doubt about whether a case is compatible or not with your build.
- $40 – Rosewill Blackbone 3 x 120mm fans
- $50 – Cooler Master Elite 430 2 x 120mm fans
- $50 – Rosewill Destroyer Mid-Tower, 3 x 120mm fans
- $60 – NZXT Apollo 2 x 120mm fans
- $50 – NZXT M59 2 x 120mm fans
- $70 – NZXT Guardian 921 3 x 120mm fans
- $70 – NZXT Vulcan 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200mm fans + handle
- $70 – LIAN-LI PC-K57 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm fans
- $85 – Thermaltake Armor A60 2 x 120mm, 1 x 200mm
- $80 – NZXT Lexa S 3 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm
- $80 – LIAN-LI PC-K57W 1 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm
- $80 – Cooler Master Storm Scout 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm
- $90 – Cooler Master Storm Enforcer, 1 x 120mm, 2 x 200mm
- $70 – Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm
- $80 – LIAN-LI PC-K7B Aluminium 3 x 120mm
- $89 – Cooler Master HAF 922 Red LEDs 1 x 120mm, 2 x 200mm
- $100 – LIAN-LI PC-K62 1 x 120mm, 3 x 120mm
- $90 – LIAN-LI PC-K59 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm
- $90 – LIAN-LI PC-K59W 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm
- $70 – Fractal Design Core 3000 1x140mm 1x120mm
- $100 – Fractal Design Arc Midi 3x140mm
- $100 – NZXT H2 H2-001-WT White 3x120mm
- $100 – NZXT H2 H2-001-BK Black 3x120mm
- $100 – SILVERSTONE Precision PS06B-W 1x180mm 1x120mm
- $100 – Corsair Carbide 400r 3x120mm
- $65 – Rosewill Challenger Mid-Tower 2 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm fans
- $110 – Fractal Design Define Mini Micro-ATX 2 x 120mm fans
- $100 – NZXT Phantom 410 Black 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans
- $100 – NZXT Phantom 410 White 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans
- $130 – Antec Eleven Hundred 1 x200mm + 1x120mm fans
- $70 – Antec Three Hundred Illusion 3x120mm 1x140mm fans
- $70 – Antec Three Hundred Two 1x140mm 1x120mm
- $85 – Corsair Carbide Series 300R 1x140mm 1x120mm
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Power Supply:
Tier 0.5 and Tier 0.625:
$37 – ENERMAX NAXN ENP350AST 350W
With Tier 0.5 that uses an IGP and Tier 0.625 that uses a Radeon HD 6750 that doesn’t need much power, you don’t need a power supply that’s very powerful.
However, the power supply is one of the most important components when it comes to the stability and reliability of a PC.
This is why I’m not cutting corners here, by making a recommendation for a fairly high-quality Enermax 350W power supply.
Mind you, at 37$, it is still a very affordable power supply considering its quality.
It is capable of delivering up to 350W, but more importantly, 25A on the 12V line, the most important line for a power supply in a modern PC.
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Tier 0.75:
$41 – ENERMAX NAXN ENP450AST 450W
With Tier 0.75 featuring a Radeon HD 6770, a video card that draws a bit more power, I’m making a recommendation for a 450W unit.
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 450W, not that you 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 30A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
At only $40 for a reliable 450W power supply, this is one great bargain.
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Tier 1 and 2:
$60 – Silverstone 500W 80PLUS
With Tier 1 and 2 featuring more power-hungry dedicated video cards, I’m making a recommendation for a more powerful power supply here, a Silvertstone 500W unit.
This power supply is capable of delivering up to 500W, not that you 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 34A on the 12V line, the most important factor when it comes to choosing a power supply for a gaming computer.
It is also 80PLUS certified, making it fairly efficient, so that you don’t waste money on your electricity bill. Its efficiency also helps it remain fairly cool and quiet, as there is less wasted energy converted to heat to dissipate.
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Power Consumption:
How to calculate power consumption:
I recommend using the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator. Here are the settings that I used:
- CPU depending on the Tier, 90% TDP.
- Video Cards depends on the Tier
- Two sticks sticks of DDR3
- One regular SATA drive
- 1 DVD-RW/DVD+RW Drive
- 4 USB Devices
- 4 x 120mm regular fans
- System Load: 90%
- Capacitor Aging: 20%
A quick note about the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator:
While this is the main tool that I use to estimate power consumption, do note that sometimes, I’ll do some additional research on my own to verify these numbers. This is why you may notice that the numbers that I give below may or may not match what the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator gives you. In doubt, stick with my numbers or ask us on the forums.
Give your power supply some overhead:
While you can match a 650W PSU with a 630W requirement, it is good practice to add about 75-100W of overhead, so that your PSU doesn’t run at full capacity all the time, as that will reduce its lifespan, increase its chance of failure, increase its heat output and its noise output.
Estimated Power Consumption, per Tier:
According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, with the settings that I described above, it is estimated that this system will require at load (peak usage), the following numbers. The minimum requirements are in Italic, while my recommendations (including overhead) are in Bold:
- 175W/300W with the Intel Celeron G530 and the Integrated Intel HD (Tier 0.5).
- 240W/350W with the Intel Pentium G620 and the Radeon HD 6750 (Tier 0.625).
- 323W/450W with the Intel Pentium G860 and the Radeon HD 6770 (Tier 0.75).
- 350W/450W with the Intel Pentium G860 and the Radeon HD 6850 (Tier 1).
- 385W/500W with the Intel Core i3-2120 and the Radeon HD 6870 (Tier 2).
- 400W/500W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Radeon HD 6870.
- 440W/550W with the Intel Core i3-2120 and the Geforce GTX 560 Ti.
- 455W/550W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Geforce GTX 560 Ti.
- 400W/500W with the Intel Core i3-2120 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB.
- 415W/500W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB.
- 450W/550W with the Intel Core i3-2120 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB unlocked to a Radeon HD 6970.
- 465W/550W with the Intel Core i5-2400 and the Radeon HD 6950 2GB unlocked to a Radeon HD 6970.
The Tiers recommendations will cover you up to 500W. If you need a 550W PSU because you’re upgrading the video card to one of the recommended alternative, go with the $70 – Rosewill HIVE 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Modular instead.
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Cooling:
CPU Cooler:
All Tiers:
Stock Cooler
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 keep the CPU at safe temperatures.
The recommended case includes several cooling fans as well to help you keep your system cool.
However, here are two reasons why you may choose to upgrade your CPU Cooler:
- To keep your CPU temperatures lower, which improves the reliability of your PC and the longevity of your CPU.
- To lower noise, as the stock cooler can get noisy at times, especially during prolonged work sessions, or in a warm room.
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Alternative:
$24- Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus remains the heatsink that offers the best bang for your buck, offering great cooling performance and much lower noise compared to the stock cooler, for only $26.
Need help figuring out how to put the Thermal Compound with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus?
Follow this tutorial, where they compare different methods to figure out the best one.
Thermal compound:
All recommended CPU Coolers include thermal compound which are pretty good, so no need to spend more money on a tube of thermal compound.
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CPU and Case Fans:
On the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus, you can add a second 120mm fan to improve performance.
If you want to add a different fan to your CPU Cooler, or simply want to add a case fan to help keep your computer components cool, here are my recommendations:
- $18- CM Barometric Ball .6k-2k RPM 26-86CFM 13-30dBA PWM
- $9- Rosewill 1.2k-2.2k RPM 43-87CFM 23-38dBA Blue LED fan contr.
- $10- AC Fluid Dynamic .3k-1.35k RPM Max 57 CFM w/ 4 Pin PWM
- $17- Silverstone 2Ball .8k-2.4k RPM Max 110CFM 17-40dBA fan contr.
- $25- Noctua SSO .9k-1.1k-1.3k RPM 33-54CFM 13-20dBA adj. speed
- $9 – Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Fan
- $9 – Cooler Master R4 Series Silent 140mm Fan
- $14 – 200mm Red LED fan for Cooler Master HAF cases
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Sound:
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:
However, if you do want better sound quality, the $35 – ASUS Xonar DG
Equipped with an headphone amplifier, with three settings in the control panel, it will bring out the best out of your headphones!
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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, using a standard LAN (RJ-45) cable.
If a LAN network is not an option or if a wireless network is preferable for you, know this before you use wireless for a Gaming PC:
The problem with wireless is that:
- It’s not as reliable as LAN, with signals dropping out, interference and the like.
- It induces additional latency compared to LAN, which is the last thing that you want when you’re playing online, especially with first-person shooters.
In short, for reliability and getting a low ping, LAN is simply superior (and cheaper!).
If you understand that and still want to go with wireless, here are my suggestions:
I recommend three adapters:
The $10- Rosewill 802.11b/g 54Mbps USB2.0 Wireless 2dBi Antenna for a simple, inexpensive USB 2.0 Wireless G 54Mbps dongle, which will be fine as long as you are not too far from the router.
If you rather have a faster adapter and/or if you’re pretty far from the router, I’d then consider the $20- Rosewill RNX-N180UBE Wireless USB 2.0 Dongle 802.11b/g/n w/ 5 dBi Antenna, which also connects in a USB 2.0 port. It comes with a base, so that you can move it away from the PC for better reception and a 5dBi external antenna to improve reception further more. It support 802.11b/g/n, with transfer rates up to 300Mbps.
The best solution is the $57 – TRENDnet TEW-684UB Dual Band 802.11b/g/n 450Mbps USB2.0
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Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reasons 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 an 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.
64-bit drivers are widely available for pretty much any devices nowadays.
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. Also good to know: You’ll need at least the pro version to take advantage of Remote Desktop Connection.
- 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 Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM SP1
– $99
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM SP1
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM SP1
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
– $182
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
– $250
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
– $233
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.
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Linux
A lot of people these days boot more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distribution and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandriva, 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, has many free alternatives for you. For Word/Excel and such, try LibreOffice.
Cost: Free
Conclusion
What do you think of the latest version of the Budget Gaming PCs? Let me know if you have any suggestion to improve this article or your opinion on it by leaving a comment below. Additionally, if a part goes out of stock, let me know.
Don’t agree with my choices? Have a better idea?
Feel free to leave a comment. There’s always place for improvement and after some research I may change the part according to your suggestion.
Building this PC?
If you build this system, I invite you to share your experience on how well it runs: What applications do you use, what type of work do you do, how well does this PC performs, is there anything that slows it down? Your feedback will help other people make an informed decision on what to buy for their own needs.
Do you need a guide on how to build a computer, need help or do you have some questions?
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…
1. You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
2. Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
3. Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
4. Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Recommended step-by-step guides to build your PC:
1. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
2. Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Software (EFI/BIOS, Windows, etc.)
Free Assistance
If you have any question(s) about the build, simply head over to the forums and our community will be there to assist you.
No worries, there are no stupid questions here on Hardware Revolution. We all started from scratch and learned through our mistakes. We”ll just help you make sure to avoid those mistakes
If you want to have your final build double-checked and get my opinion on it before ordering, or for anything else, don’t be shy, just post a thread on the forums.
Build your Gaming PC today!
Why should you?
For the same price, you’ll get more performance out of your custom PC, or you’ll save money while getting the same performance compared to a retail PC. Not to mention that retail PCs come with tons of bloatware and limited warranties. Why settle for less?Stop relying on HP, Dell and other companies:
Build your own custom PC today. It’s easier than you think!This Build includes all the parts/cables that you need and it was double-checked to ensure compatibility. Simply order your parts, set aside some time, grab a screwdriver and build your own personal PC. No worries, we’ll (the HR community) be there to assist you if you have questions or need help.
Then you’ll be able to say, “See that computer over there? Yeah, I built that.” Talk about being proud of a job well done.
Want or need a more powerful Gaming PC? No problem.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC that boots and launch games/applications faster thanks to a SSD (Solid State Drive) and that can handle most of the latest video games at a 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution at their maximum graphic settings, head over to our Mainstream Gaming PCs article.
If you’re looking for a Gaming PC that can handle all of the latest video games maxed out at a 1080p (1920 x 1080) on a 120Hz monitor or to play video games on a multiple monitor setup or to play games in 3D, head over to our High-End Gaming PCs article.
Want or need a Gaming PC in a much smaller case? No problem.
Tier 4 or Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs are Gaming PCs that come in a much smaller Mini-ITX case.
Performance wise, Tier 4 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 1 of the Budget Gaming PCs, while Tier 5 of the Mainstream HTPCs/SFF Gaming PCs is equivalent to Tier 2 of the Budget Gaming PCs.
Do note that they both come with a SSD (Solid State Drive), meaning that they boot and launch games/applications much more quickly than the equivalent Budget Gaming PC.
If you want more power, check out the High-End HTPCs/SFF Gaming PC, which, at its stock settings, offers performance equivalent to about Tier 6 of the Gaming PCs, while still being in a case that is more compact than the usual Gaming PC case.
However, thanks to its outstanding pre-assembled, all-in-one liquid-cooling, it can be overclocked to offer even more performance, without sacrificing reliability nor noisy.
All of those builds being HTPCs (Home Theater PCs) as well, you can rest assured that they are very quiet too.
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Category: Gaming PC
