$400 Gaming PC: Now with even more bang for your buck!

The Sapphire Radeon HD 4850, with GDDR5 memory, the video card featured in this $400 Gaming PC.

Last updated on August 24th 2010.

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What is the secret of building a Gaming Computer for $400?

It’s quite simple: Be realistic. For $400, you won’t get that huge tower, with flashy neons, LEDs and water-cooling (Although that’s available as an upgrade ).

However, you can and will get very respectable performance, plenty enough to handle gaming at a 1440 x 900 or lower resolution with good graphic quality and still a very nice case. Mind you, gaming at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 is possible with most games if you’re ready to sacrifice a bit of visual quality or by simply upgrading the video card.

This version compared to the previous version of the $400 Gaming Build (Last Updated on August 24th 2010):

1. The Motherboard was changed from an ASRock N68-S to a Foxconn A74ML-K. They both have similar features, with the Foxconn A74ML-K using DDR3 instead of DDR2.
2. The RAM was upgraded from Geil 2x2GB DDR2 800MHz to G.Skill 2x2GB DDR3 1333MHz.
3. Video card: This build now features a Radeon HD 4850 with GDDR5 memory, instead of the Radeon HD 4850 with GDDR3 memory.
4. The Hard Drive got a bump from 160GB to 320GB by upgrading the previous Western Digital 160GB to the Samsung Spinpoint F4 320GB. This also provides a nice bump in performance.
5. The Case was changed from a Rosewill TU-155 w/ 500W power supply to a Rosewill R519-BK w/ 500W Power Supply, which is $10 less expensive, features to same power supply and has a nice simple look.
6. The Network LAN RJ-45 connection got a bump from 10/100Mbps to 1000Mbps.
7. Other than that, the build is unchanged and now costs $405 instead of $406, a whopping $1 reduction!

As you can tell, for the same price, you can even more performance than before!

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.

$400 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, as well as a link to buy it.
• 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 video card, pick it from the list of recommended upgrades that are in Italic.
• 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.
• If upgrades just don’t cut it, visit the Gaming PCs page, where you’ll find our other gaming computer custom build designs.
• Note that 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. Of course, please carefully read any note(s) that I may leave to clarify and avoid some possible issues.

Required components:

Components	Make, Model and Specifications	Price
CPU/Processor	AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Dual-Core AM3 65W AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Dual-Core AM3 65W AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Triple-Core AM3 95W AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Triple-Core AM3 95W AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz Quad-Core AM3 95W	$58 $63 $75 $81 $99
Motherboard	Foxconn A74ML-K AM3 AMD 740G Micro ATX	$45
RAM	G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz	$81
Video Card	Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit DDR5 Radeon HD 5770 1GB	$100 $145
Hard Drive	SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB SATA Samsung F3 500GB SATA II 3.0Gb/s Samsung F3 1TB SATA II 3.0Gb/s	$43 $52 $70
Optical Drive	LITE-ON Black 24X SATA CD/DVD Burner	$18
Power Supply	Rosewill 500W Power Supply Included with the Case	Free
Case	Rosewill R519-BK w/ 500W Power Supply COOLER MASTER RC-P100-RKR1 w/ 550W Power Supply	$60 $80
Cooling	AMD CPU Stock Cooler included with CPU COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus 120mm CPU Cooler ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound CORSAIR All-in-One Water-Cooling CPU Cooler Rosewill RFA-80-K 80mm Case Fan	Free $25 $8 $80 $2
Sound	6 channels sound card: Integrated on the motherboard	Free
Network	Ethernet RJ-45 10/100 Mbps: Integrated on the motherboard	Free
Total price	Not Including OS, Shipping nor handling. Within -/+ 5% of Budget	$405

Accessories:

Accessories	Make, Model and Specifications	Price
Headphone	Rosewill RH-40C 3.5mm Circumaural SONIC HP-259 3.5mm Circumaural PLANTRONICS .Audio 355 3.5mm Circumaural SENNHEISER PC31 Dual 3.5mm Supra-aural KOSS SB45 3.5mm Circumaural Logitech G330 3.5mm/ USB Circumaural ABS AZ1 Circumaural USB SENNHEISER PC151 3.5mm Binaural	$7 $8 $20 $28 $30 $43 $50 $50
Speakers	Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Creative Inspire T3130 15 Watts 2.1 Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1	$27 $50 $89
Monitor	ASUS VH198T Black 19″ 5ms LED 1440 x 900 Samsung BX2035 20″ 2ms 1600×900 LED ASUS VW224U Black 22″ 2ms 1680 x 1050	$130 $180 $170

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.

$400 Gaming Computer Hardware parts recommendations, detailed version:

Motherboard:

Foxconn A74ML-K AM3 AMD 740G Micro ATX

A basic, yet reliable motherboard at a great price that supports everything in this system. Come with four USB ports, two PS/2, DVI and VGA output, 1000 Mbps LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.

One PCI-Express 16X, one PCI-Express 1X and two PCI slots, four SATA ports and the usual IDE port, etc.

If you wonder who Foxconn is, they are a large electronics hardware manufacturer. They manufacture many OEM parts for big corporations such as HP and Apple. They are well known in the PC industry, just not so much by the average consumer.

CPU:

AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz Dual-Core AM3 65W

The other contenders in the same price range would have been the Intel E5300 (2.6GHz $67) or E5400 (2.7GHz $70).

I picked the AMD Athlon II X2 245 over them for the following reasons:

• The motherboard ($45) & CPU ($59) are less expensive with the AMD platform, a critical advantage when you’re on a tight $400 budget.
• The AMD Athlon II X2 245 outperforms the more expensive E5400 ($70) when it comes to gaming in five benchmarks out of six. In the one benchmark that it lost, it was by a single FPS. In the five benchmarks that it won, it usually was by a decent margin.
• Here are the said benchmarks comparing the E5300/E5400 and the X2 245 for you:

1. Half-Life 2
2. Crysis
3. FarCry 2
4. Unreal Tournament 3
5. H.A.W.X.
6. Left for Dead 4

• You get more value out of upgrading with AMD CPUs as you can see below.

Recommended upgrades:

1. AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Dual-Core AM3 65W – For $5 ($63) more, you get the same CPU, but with an additional 100MHz.
2. AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz Triple-Core AM3 95W - For $17 ($75) more, you get an extra 100MHz and, more importantly, you gain a very valuable third core. Most games use two cores, which mean that the third core handle background programs, such as anti-virus, allowing the two first cores to focus on the game, thus increasing the performance compared to a dual-core processor.
3. AMD Athlon II X3 445 Rana 3.1GHz Triple-Core AM3 95W – For $23 more ($81), you get an additional 200MHz and an extra core.
4. AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus 2.9GHz Quad-Core AM3 95W – For gaming, right now most games don’t take advantage of a quad-core, making this quad-core at a disadvantage compared to the two previous triple-core CPUs with higher frequencies. However, this CPU shines when it comes to multi-tasking and audio/video converting. Also, this CPU is more future-proof, as future games will more and more take advantage of additional cores. It’s not THE fastest CPU for gaming purposes in this build, but rather a very good all-around performer.
5. For additional options, check out our guide to The Best CPUs For Your Money. Make sure to double-check compatibility with sockets, chipsets and memory if you pick another CPU. You can also leave a comment to ask me

Video Card:

Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit DDR5

For $100, you’ll not find a card that offers as much performance, as I pointed out in our latest edition of The Best Video Cards For Your Money series of articles.

The Radeon HD 4850 is capable of handling any games at a resolution of 1440 x 900 with high visual quality or at 1680 x 1050 with high details in most games, although you might have to lower details in the most demanding games.

Finally, it is HDCP Ready and will handle Blu-Ray and other 1080p content playback, with audio over HDMI as well.

This particular Radeon HD 4850 card features GDDR5 memory, instead of the usual GDDR3 found on other Radeon HD 4850 cards. This translates in higher bandwidth and higher performance, making this Radeon HD 4850 perform close to the Radeon HD 4870. In comparison to the Radeon HD 57xx series, the GDDR3 Radeon HD 4850 performs on par with the Radeon HD 5750, while the Radeon HD 4870 performs on par with the Radeon HD 5770. Expect the GDDR5 Radeon HD 4850 to perform in between the two.

Recommended upgrades:

1. Radeon HD 5770 1GB – A great upgrade if you intend to play the latest games at a resolution of 1680 x 1050 or most games at 1920 x 1080. This card offers performance on the level of the older Radeon HD 4870 1GB, while consuming way less power at idle (15W!) and at load (108W) than any card offering this level of performance thanks to the 40nm process it’s based on. Support DirectX 11 as well.
2. Other, more powerful options are available in our guide to The Best Video Cards For Your Money. Make sure to consider power requirements and the length of a video card if you decide to go with a different card. Also very important: A very powerful video card will be useless in a low-end Gaming PC, you want to balance the components to avoid having your CPU limit your video card for example.

RAM:

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit

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.

Hard Drive:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB SATA

Who said that a budget build meant a slow hard drive?

The Samsung Spinspoint F4 320GB is the latest hard drive from Samsung and what a drive it is! For a mere $43, you get one of the fastest hard drives currently on the market, with a 320GB storage capacity, plenty enough to handle your video/music collection and all your programs. Uses the SATA interface and comes with a 3 years warranty.

320GB isn’t enough for you? No problem, take a look at my Recommended upgrades:

1. Samsung F3 500GB SATA II 3.0Gb/s – ($52) For $9 more, you get an extra 180GB.
2. Samsung F3 1TB SATA II 3.0Gb/s – ($70) Over three times the capacity for $23 more.
3. Interested in SSDs (Solid State Drives), RAID or want a different drive? I invite you to take a look to our guide to the Best Hard Drives & Best SSDs For Your Money.

Optical Drive:

LITE-ON Black 24X SATA CD/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.

1. LITE-ON Black 24X SATA Black CD/DVD Writer
2. HP Black 24X SATA 24X CD/DVD Writer – Retail

Case:

Rosewill R519-BK w/ 500W Power Supply

For $60, this case from Rosewill also comes with a very decent 500W power supply, making it an excellent choice for this $400 Gaming PC. It offers a relatively nice design, with a glossy black finish (It all depends on your tastes right?)

The case comes with one 120mm case fan on the back. That’s nothing spectacular, but for a $60 case that comes with a decent 500W power supply, I wouldn’t complain. Besides, that’s good enough for this build.

• If you want a different case, the: COOLER MASTER RC-P100-RKR1 w/ 550W Power Supply in an option. At $80, it comes with a decent 550W power supply.
• If you want something different still, take a look at the following article: Find Out the 88 Best Computer Cases For Your Money.
• Keep in mind that if you pick a different case that doesn’t include a power supply, you’ll need a separate power supply.

Power Supply:

Rosewill 500W Power Supply Included with the Case

This power supply is capable of delivering up to 500W, 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 31A 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 80 PLUS certified, meaning that it’s always at least 80% efficient, resulting in less heat, more silence and a lower electricity bill for you.

Power Consumption:

According to the eXtreme Power Supply Calculator, it is estimated that this system will consume at load (peak usage):

• 283W with the recommended Athlon II X2 245 and the Radeon 4850.
• 257W with an Athlon II X3/X4 and a Radeon 5750.
• 276W with an Athlon II X3/X4 and a Radeon 5770.
• 312W with an Athlon II X3/X4 and a Radeon 4850. This is the worse case scenario.

This goes to prove how efficient these new Radeon 57xx cards are, especially compared to the older Radeon 4850. The power supply will have no problem handling any of the recommended upgrades, even in the worse case scenario. However, if you intend on overclocking, I cannot recommend enough that you upgrade the power supply. To pick the right one, set some time aside and read Warning: 6 Surefire Ways of Blowing Up Your Computer Due to an Inadequate Power Supply.

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:

1. To keep your computer components cooler, which in return extend their lifespan and allows you to overclock to higher speed.
2. To keep your system silent, as the stock cooling can get noisy at times, especially during prolonged gaming sessions.

Alternatives:

1. 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 offers the best value regarding performance for the price.
2. Thermal Compound: Use the ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound either with the stock cooler or better, with the upgraded CPU cooler to lower your CPU temperatures further more. For $8, this is a wise investment.
3. Case cooling:You can add up to two additional 120 mm fans in the Rosewill case, both in the front. At $2 a pop, you should consider adding at least one, if not two Rosewill RFA-80-K 80mm Case Fan in order to improve airflow, lower the temperatures in your system and make your PC last.

Sound Card: 6 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.

Network: Ethernet RJ-45 10/100 Mbps LAN: Integrated on the motherboard

Integrated with the motherboard, this network adapter will allow you to access your local network and Internet.

Accessories:

Headphones – With a Microphone:

Headphones, with a microphone, are a must for many games, especially First Person Shooters (FPS), where a lack of team communication can break a team. However, I do realize that we all have different tastes when it comes to headphones, as in which size is comfortable, which brand sounds the best, etc. This is why I found eight great pair of headphones, with prices ranging from $7 to $50, for you to choose from:

1. Rosewill RH-40C 3.5mm Circumaural
2. SONIC HP-259 3.5mm Circumaural
3. PLANTRONICS .Audio 355 3.5mm Circumaural
4. SENNHEISER PC31 Dual 3.5mm Supra-aural
5. KOSS SB45 3.5mm Circumaural
6. Logitech G330 3.5mm/ USB Circumaural
7. ABS AZ1 Circumaural USB
8. SENNHEISER PC151 3.5mm Binaural

Speakers:

If all you want is a pair of decent, inexpensive speakers, the Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 at $27, or the Creative Inspire T3130 15 Watts 2.1 for $50 will do a great job.

Looking for higher quality speakers, without breaking the bank still? The Logitech X-540 70 watts 5.1 make for an excellent and affordable 5.1 setup.

Display:

For a long time, you’ve been asking for recommendations for a good monitor to play on. I’m listening to you and starting today, with this $400 Gaming PC, I’ll be including a few recommendations of good monitors for every Gaming PC.

My recommendations are based on the following criteria:

• Price: I obviously won’t recommend a $500 monitor if the budget for the PC is $400.
• Resolution: The resolution of the monitor directly impacts the performance within video games, as higher resolution are more demanding on the system, resulting in lower FPS. Picking the right resolution for a particular system is crucial to achieve good performance.
• Response time: The lower the better, very important with video games.
• Brightness and Contrast Ratio: The higher, the better.

1. With its resolution of 1440 x 900, the ASUS VH198T Black 19″ 5ms LED 1440 x 900 is my main recommendation for the $400 Gaming PC, as it is, without upgrades. This Build will have no problem offering excellent performance in all video games on this monitor. It is also the best option to be able to play future video games without upgrading, or at least, not as soon.
2. If you play all, but the most demanding games (i.e. Crysis), the $400 Gaming PC, as it is, without upgrades, will be capable of handling the 1600 x 900 resolution of the Samsung BX2035 20″ 2ms 1600×900 LED. If you do intend on playing the most demanding video games, or simply want to be more future proof, I highly recommend upgrading the video card to a Radeon HD 5770 (See the video card section).
3. If you play older, less demanding games, the $400 Gaming PC will be capable of rendering them without a problem on the ASUS VW224U Black 22″ 2ms 1680 x 1050. If you do intend on playing the most demanding video games, or simply want to be more future proof, upgrading the video card to a Radeon HD 5770 (See the video card section), is a must, unless you are enjoy lag for some reason…

Recommended operating systems:

The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:

1. The budget only considers hardware.
2. 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:

1. Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM – $100
2. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM – $140
3. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM – $175

Retail Versions:

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail – $180
2. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail – $258
3. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail – $276

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 $400 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?

Don’t miss out on the new models/updates to the Gaming PCs!

Make sure not to miss the next Gaming PC Builds that will be published in the next days/weeks by getting them for free via RSS or E-mail. If the fact that you’ll be receiving outstanding custom Gaming PC designs for free is not enough to convince you, here are 7 Reasons to Get Our Posts Via RSS or E-Mail For Free!

Category: Gaming PC