Suggestions for cheap gaming rigs.

[Beriallord]

I thought this would help some of the ones looking to build a budget rig.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 PRO3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($75.06 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ Compuvest)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-21 02:52 EST-0500)

 

If you need a case, this is a good one for $39.99 (currently)

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc430kwn1

 

If you want a Bluray/DVD/CD reader, absolute cheapest one I see is $29.99

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lite-on-optical-drive-ihos10406

 

Still under $600, should be able to run games on mid to high, possibly max out a few older games 2-3 years old

Edited February 21, 2013 by Beriallord

[FMod]

Nice that you're trying to help. However there are several issues with this.

 

1) It's not all in one shop. This means added hassle vs receiving just one package. Two stores could be all right; this is four.

2) You are listing extremely commonplace, non-exotic items from secondary stores, like RAM. G.Skill doesn't mean anything these days, they use the same chips.

3) Some of the items are actually out of stock at specified retailers.

4) Seagates are cheap because they're made cheap. At the specified retailer, shipping isn't free, so it's actually $74.

5) The GPU is out of stock, but 7850 2GB is only $10 more and in stock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

6) This is a very specifically budgeted build. A $600 build will be quite different and a $650 one more different still.

 

In short individual approach is still best, because deals change every week and because perfect builds just $100 apart might not share a single component.

[Beriallord]

Nice that you're trying to help. However there are several issues with this.

 

1) It's not all in one shop. This means added hassle vs receiving just one package. Two stores could be all right; this is four.

2) You are listing extremely commonplace, non-exotic items from secondary stores, like RAM. G.Skill doesn't mean anything these days, they use the same chips.

3) Some of the items are actually out of stock at specified retailers.

4) Seagates are cheap because they're made cheap. At the specified retailer, shipping isn't free, so it's actually $74.

5) The GPU is out of stock, but 7850 2GB is only $10 more and in stock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131473

6) This is a very specifically budgeted build. A $600 build will be quite different and a $650 one more different still.

 

In short individual approach is still best, because deals change every week and because perfect builds just $100 apart might not share a single component.

 

I use it more as a rough estimate, and sometimes you can find better deals that aren't listed. If someone has a microcenter near them, they often have sales, and very good deals that you can't find online. You can possibly get better components for cheaper.

 

Someone can do a lot more with a $700-$800 budget. That opens the door for a $200 range CPU, and a decent motherboard with crossfire/SLI, which someone could just drop another GPU in at a later date and it would be a future upgrade without replacing any components.

Edited February 21, 2013 by Beriallord