PCPartPicker
  • Log In
  • Register
Blog/

$560 Entry Level Gaming Build

Recent Posts

April 2019

October 2018

September 2018

March 2018

February 2018

December 2017

November 2017

October 2017

September 2017

August 2017

July 2017

June 2017

May 2017

April 2017

March 2017

February 2017

January 2017

December 2016

November 2016

October 2016

September 2016

August 2016

July 2016

June 2016

May 2016

April 2016

March 2016

February 2016

January 2016

November 2015

October 2015

September 2015

August 2015

July 2015

June 2015

May 2015

March 2015

February 2015

November 2014

October 2014

September 2014

August 2014

July 2014

June 2014

May 2014

April 2014

March 2014

February 2014

January 2014

December 2013

November 2013

October 2013

August 2013

July 2013

June 2013

May 2013

April 2013

March 2013

January 2013

December 2012

November 2012

October 2012

September 2012

August 2012

July 2012

April 2012

March 2012

Post

BoyScout Nov. 21, 2016

Looking to assemble a gaming PC on a budget? We've put together a build video based on this month's Entry Level Gaming Build Guide using Corsair's brand new Carbide 270R mid tower case.

A big thanks to Corsair for providing the case for use in this build.

PCPartPicker part list

Type Item Price
CPU Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor $104.99
Motherboard ASRock B150M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard $68.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory $50.98
Storage PNY CS1311 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive $64.99
Video Card Zotac GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Mini Video Card $138.99
Case Corsair 270R ATX Mid Tower Case $69.00
Power Supply SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply $62.99
Total $560.93

 

After the build boots up, there's still work to do -- check out the completed build for benchmarks and more pictures and be sure to watch our time lapse of Barry managing the cables.

Comments Sorted by:

durepox 8 points 29 months ago

If I going to make a Entry Level Gaming Build. I preffer focus all my money in FPS.

Look this: $542 Entry Level Gaming Build

$542 w/ mail-in rebates. But: -> i5 6400 instead i3 6100 -> 16gb ram instead 8gb -> 2tb hd instead 240gb ssd (240gb will really small to actual games) -> rx 480 instead 1050ti

This cfg will delivery alot more fps per $, that's matter

Permalink
sd9h24sdfio 2 points 29 months ago

That build you linked to: - uses the USA version of PCPartPicker, so the price of each component will be different than in Canada (and usually cheaper even with the exchange rate) - 16GB but no SSD is a terrible idea given how cheap a decent 120-256GB SSD is nowadays. I'd certainly opt for an SSD over the extra RAM. Adding more RAM later is always possible (and even easier than adding a new OS/boot/main drive). Also, some games take forever to load without an SSD while the extra RAM does nothing and to the best of my knowledge, 8GB is still more than good enough esp. for cheap builds like this. All of these modern cards - RX 480, 1050 Ti, etc are more than good enough to run modern games at pleasing rates. A few extra FPS isn't worth much once you've already hit 60+ FPS... - mail-in rebates are notoriously difficult to actually get - even if you fill them in properly! A 'Don't count your chicken until they've hatched' sort of deal. - Lastly, buying the cheapest item possible per category isn't always the best idea. Sometimes it's worth it to pay a little more for something considerably better. So I would rethink the $10 PC case... Cooling for example could take a hit. Also, you might not be able to fit as large a video card in the cheap case - limiting your future upgrades. The case they used above is pricey though, I agree - there are plenty of good options @ around CAD$50.

Permalink
AS118 1 point 29 months ago

I would disagree with you about the 1050 Ti. Given the cheap prices of the Rx 470 and how powerful it is vs. the 1050 Ti, I'd just grab the 470. The 1050, 460, and 1050 Ti are more for off the shelf pre-builts with a 300w power supply.

Cheaper 480's and 1060's are also worth a look, although I'd steer clear of the 3gb 1060 myself. 3gb is just not enough anymore.

I agree with every other point you make however, especially about Mail in Rebates, which are mostly a sham imho.

Permalink
GammaBear 1 point 28 months ago

In this comment you said youd use rx480 but in the build i see now you have a gtx 1060. Whyd you change?

Permalink
[comment deleted]
durepox 1 point 29 months ago
Permalink
HaloLegend98 1 Build 3 points 29 months ago

With that case and PSU, why not get a 470 for $25-30 more? The system can handle it. Or, just drop the PSU to the Corsair CX450/550M and the Case to a 88R and save $60. She really is a beautiful case. Look at all that cable management room in the back...

Permalink
WirelessCables 1 Build 3 points 29 months ago

The RX 470 can do quite a bit better than the 1050Ti for only a $25 more...

Great videos, though! =-)

Permalink
minicrafter8401 -1 points 29 months ago

But.. Nvidia... But yeah it could use a RX 470, although the 1050ti should be fine for 1080p gaming anyways.

Permalink
WirelessCables 1 Build 3 points 29 months ago

But.. Nvidia...

I personally like Nvidia more than AMD, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to recommend their cards. The RX 480 and RX 470 are great budget options, and the 1050Ti feels like a bit of a letdown right now, at its current price.

although the 1050ti should be fine for 1080p gaming anyways.

True. It's ok for 1080p gaming, but the point is you can get so much more for your money. UserBenchmark states that for only $20 more, you can get 60%+ better gaming performance if you go AMD.

Even though red is my favorite color, go green! =D

Permalink
Drokovian 1 point 29 months ago

Some people can't afford that extra 20 dollars though

Permalink
WirelessCables 1 Build 2 points 29 months ago

You could always buy used. As in, a used GTX 970 or something similar. In a little while, you could probably also buy a used RX 470.

Permalink
AS118 1 point 29 months ago

I agree, but with this particular build, you can shave off c osts on quite a few things, like the PSU and case for starters. This build is not very efficient in terms of cost per benefit. You can easily fit in $20 for a 470 by cutting down on less essential components elsewhere.

Permalink
apk24 1 Build 1 point 29 months ago

It would be very easy to shave off $20-30 between the case and PSU without sacrificing quality and power significantly.

Permalink
IanThePineapple 3 points 29 months ago

Why do you never include the OS in the price? A lot of people don't have the OS, like myself

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 1 point 29 months ago

We don't include the OS because some people already have one, or choose to use something free like Linux. Honestly, we'd get complaints whether we added it or not, so it seems easier to just talk about balance of the core system components at a given price range. Note that we also don't list a mouse, keyboard or monitor as those are pretty personal choices that no matter what we'd select it wouldn't be "the right choice" depending on the person planning their build. And that's okay -- we love seeing folks customize our guides to fit their tastes.

Permalink
IanThePineapple 1 point 29 months ago

Alright, sorry.

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 4 points 29 months ago

Nothing to be sorry about -- it's a pretty reasonable question that comes up from time to time. Hope the video and guide help with your build!

If you have more questions or need help customizing the build further to suit a specific need or budget, be sure to ask on the forums or even on the guide's comment section. There's always folks happy to help you tweak your part list to get it just right.

Permalink
IanThePineapple 1 point 29 months ago

They sure did! I pretty much need every bit of info, every tip available, since this will be my first build.

Permalink
Falcon9 2 points 29 months ago

This looks awesome! I hope to build something similar for my first build (with an RX 470 instead).

...unless you're not doing anything with that one ;)

Permalink
MongooseCrusader 2 points 29 months ago

The price is a bit misleading because you're leaving out the price of the OS.

I made came up with a similar build that includes the OS and more SSD storage. https://pcpartpicker.com/user/MongooseCrusader/saved/WzKpgs

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 5 points 29 months ago

Thanks for the feedback. We're not attempting to mislead, but you are correct -- we deliberately don't include the OS in our guide listings, choosing instead to focus on the core components for a given price point.

Permalink
MongooseCrusader 2 points 29 months ago

Fair enough. =)

Though maybe add a note at the bottom with something like " Note: This build does not take the cost of Windows 10 into account, which may add on $80-90 more"?

Permalink
Andzx02 7 Builds 2 points 29 months ago

It always bugs me that OS is left out but once explained this way I can get behind it.

Permalink
MonkeyKing1969 2 Builds 1 point 29 months ago

Awfully nice case and power supply for an entry level system. I think a Corsair Carbide Series 88R MicroATX Mid Tower Case is better sized and better priced for a base system. And, a semi-modular like the Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply.

Permalink
LemonComputers 1 point 29 months ago

And, a semi-modular like the Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply.

The gray Corsair CXM power supplies are better than the CSM's.

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 29 months ago

So I have 2 hard drives I am planing on putting in to a PC. Would this case, power supply, and motherboard be able to handle all of those?

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 2 points 29 months ago

Sure -- this case has room for two 2.5" drives (typically SSDs), plus two 3.5" hard drives. The motherboard has a 6 SATA ports available, so plenty for the 4 total drives you could fit in the case.

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 29 months ago

Ok, Thanks! Oh, and i'm sorry if that was a very basic question. This is my first build and i'm being really cautious.

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 29 months ago

So I went looking and was just going to ask if this was a fairly good build. (The two hard drives are my own. I already have them) https://pcpartpicker.com/user/FemaleWalrus/saved/DcDcf7

Permalink
BoyScout staff submitter 21 Builds 2 points 29 months ago

Looks like you've added the case using our custom part feature, which doesn't support compatibility checking. We have the Masterbox 5 in our case listings, though. The system builder wouldn't let you add it because it doesn't have a 5.25" bay for the optical drive you selected.

You might consider posting in the forums to get some more feedback or ideas on your build.

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 29 months ago

Oh ok Thanks, and I will.

Permalink
GammaBear 2 points 29 months ago

Good, but i would get the Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 motherboard for a bit cheaper and get 1x8gb ram for expandability and convenience. Also, if this is a gaming pc then i would pick a RX 470 or 480 as a video card. And if you want to cut down the price a little go for a Corsair CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Semi Modular power supply. But, this guys more professional than me, so yeah.

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 29 months ago

So, im new to this...would a 430W power supply work for this?

Permalink
GammaBear 2 points 28 months ago

Yes it would, considering this build takes approximately 200 watts

Permalink
FemaleWalrus 1 point 28 months ago

So, I changed things... what about this https://pcpartpicker.com/list/w7DzXH But i already own the motherboard and case fyi

Permalink
GammaBear 2 points 28 months ago

That looks great! Thats a lot of storage!

Permalink
Continue this thread
[comment deleted]
tbhpcbuilder 2 Builds 1 point 29 months ago

Very nice entry build. I actually just made a build like this two days ago, using parts from Micro Center's week long Black Friday. Been testing this 1050 ti and it's one hell of a card for 129.99 @ Newegg!!

Permalink
Footsocks 1 Build 1 point 29 months ago

Would it be wise to save up more for an i5 if I wish to future-proof my budget build? Even though the i3 has hyperthreading, it seems that dual core CPU's will soon be holding back performance in games in a few years.

Permalink
minicrafter8401 2 points 29 months ago

It wouldn't be worth it to get an i5, because with this build don't expect to be future proofing much, and most games take only a couple threads to run.

Permalink
WirelessCables 1 Build 1 point 29 months ago

It wouldn't be wise with that motherboard, in my opinion. If you're going to upgrade to an i5, you might as well upgrade to an i5 6600k which will require a Z170 motherboard.

When Kaby Lake drops, I think Intel is going to be releasing an overclockable i3. So you should probably wait a little while anyway.

I know I'm being picky, but there's no such thing as future-proof. =D

Hope this comment gave you a little bit of advice.

Permalink
DakotahBill99 1 point 28 months ago

What kind of games would this be able to handle? Around what FPS to?

Permalink
SnakoM 0 points 29 months ago

With this I would throw in a Pentium G3258 and Asus H81M-A mobo, then OC the Pentium to 4.3 ghz (done this and it's stable), then pour the money you saved into an EVGA GTX 1060 SC gpu. More FPS for the $$$.

Permalink
AS118 1 point 29 months ago

In the past, that would've worked, but more games nowadays are using 4 or more cores and using them well. Plus, some games won't even start / run unless the system detect 4 cores (including virtual cores like hyperthreading) without a lot of inconvenient tweaking.

I agree that you can save money on this build to get a better GPU and stuff, but I feel like an i3-6100 is the minimum people should consider nowadays, with DX12 and Vulkan being more of a thing in the future.

DX12 can handle up to 6 cores for gaming, and Vulkan can handle more. 2 physical cores without hyperthreading just isn't enough nowadays, imho.

Permalink
[comment deleted]
DeltaForceGM01 8 points 29 months ago

asrock makes great boards !

Permalink
Clarify7 3 Builds 1 point 29 months ago

Agreed. I wouldn't have gone with this one, though (the H97 PRO4 is an awesome mATX mobo), but minus that, this build is awesome.

Also, that cable management is sexy.

Permalink
[comment deleted by staff]
[comment deleted by staff]