Never built a PC before and need help? No problem.
You don?t have to be a Geek to build a PC!
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 ASRock B75M, the new motherboard recommendation for the Budget Gaming PCs, offers USB 3.0 and SATA III ports and features UEFI which is requires to support all of Windows 8 features.
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
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.
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:?(Identified by a Dark Red color): $260
This is our lowest cost Tier that?s perfect if all you want to do is play at 1366 x 768 or 720p with low/medium settings, older games, 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 Red color): $351
This is our lowest cost Tier that?s perfect for playing games at lower resolutions (1366 x 768) with high graphic settings or higher resolution (1600 x 900) with medium settings. With an alternative motherboard and after-market CPU Cooler, both of which are recommended in this guide, Tier 0.625 can be overclocked to reach even higher performance, despite its rock bottom price!
Tier 0.75 (Identified by a Fuchsia color): $417
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). 1920 x 1080 should be playable too, although with lower graphic settings.
Tier 1 (Identified by a Green color): $462
Great entry-level gaming machine, perfect for gaming at a 1680 x 1050 or 720p resolution.?1920 x 1080 should be playable too, although with lower graphic settings.
Tier 2 (Identified by an Orange color): $569
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, except for AMD CPUs that only work with AMD motherboards and Intel CPUs that only work with Intel motherboards. Smaller Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX cases that don?t support larger Micro-ATX and ATX motherboards respectively and may not support some large after-market CPU Coolers.?Ask us on the forums?if you want us to double-check your build.
4. If this is your first build and if you just a simple template to follow, stick to the recommended parts for a Tier.
| Budget Gaming PCs Tiers: Tier 0.5 (in Dark Red): Older games, web browsing, music, Youtube, Office, etc. Tier 0.625 (in Red): AMD Trinity APU, can be overclocked with alternative parts Tier 0.75 (in Fuchsia): Lowest cost Gaming PC with a dedicated video card Tier 1 (in Green): Our classic $500 Gaming PC Tier 2: (in Orange): Low cost 1080p Gaming PC Click on a component?s name (e.g. CPU) to jump to the detailed section of it. | Price $260 $351 $417 $462 $569 |
| CPU AMD Llano APU: Only compatible with FM1?motherboards. Tier 0.5: AMD A4-3300 Llano APU (CPU+GPU) with Radeon HD 6410D AMD Trinity APU: Only compatible with FM2 motherboards. Tier 0.625: AMD A10-5800K Trinity APU (CPU+GPU) with Radeon HD 7660D  Intel CPUs: Only compatible with LGA1155 motherboards. Tier 0.75-1: Intel Pentium Dual-Core G860 3.0 GHz  Intel Pentium G2120 Ivy Bridge Dual-Core 3.1 Ghz  Tier 2: Intel Core i3 3220 Dual-Core + Hyper-Threading 3.3GHz  Intel Core i5-3350P Quad Core 3.1-3.3GHz Turbo No IGP  | - - $40 - $120 - $69 $96 $126 $180 |
| Motherboard FM1 motherboard: Only compatible with AMD Llano APUs. Tier 0.5: MSI A55M-P33 FM1 Micro-ATX: For Llano APUs  FM2 motherboards: Only compatible with AMD Trinity APUs. Tier 0.625: ASRock FM2A75M-DGS FM2 Micro-ATX: For Trinity APUs ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M FM2 Micro-ATX: For Trinity APUs ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 FM2 SATA6Gb/s USB3 ATX: For Trinity APUs LGA1155 motherboards: Only compatible with Intel CPUs. Tier 0.75-1-2: ASRock B75M-DGS LGA1155 SATA 6Gb/s USB3 Micro-ATX ASRock B75M-ITX LGA 1155 SATA6Gb/s USB3 Mini-ITX ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Z75 ATX ATX form factor motherboards: Compatible with ATX cases only Micro-ATX form factor motherboards: Compatible with Micro-ATX/ATX cases Mini-ITX form factor motherboards: Compatible with Mini-ITX/Micro-ATX and some ATX cases | - - $47 - $55 $75 $80 - $55 $90 $85 - - -? |
| RAM Tier 0.625: Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1.65v DDR3 1866MHz  G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866MHz Tier 0.5-0.75-1-2: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz Samsung 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz  | - $28 $50 $25 $45 |
| Video Card Tier 0.5: Radeon HD 6410D ? Integrated Tier 0.625: Radeon HD 7660D ? Integrated Tier 0.75: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB Tier 1: EVGA Geforce GTX 650 Ti 1GB  Tier 2: Radeon HD 7850 1GB Radeon HD 7850 2GB OC EVGA Geforce GTX 660 2GB FTW Signature 2  | - Free Free $120 $140 $170 $195 $240 |
| Storage Hard drive: Tier 0.5-0.625-0.75-1-2: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 64MB cache SATA III  Western Digital Red 2TB SATA III  Western Digital Red 3TB SATA III  SSD (Solid State Drive): Crucial M4 2.5? 64GB SATAIII SSD  Sandisk Extreme 2.5? 120GB SATA III SSD  Sandisk Extreme 2.5? 240GB SATA III SSD  | - - $58 $77 $110 $152 - $72 $96 $160 |
| Optical Drive All Tiers: LG?SATA 22X DVD Burner  Lite-On Black 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray Reader/16x DVD Burner Pioneer Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE SATA Blu-Ray Burner  | - $16 $55 $85 |
| Power Supply All Tiers: Antec VP-450 450W  SilverStone Strider 500W 80 PLUS  SilverStone 600W 80 PLUS  Seasonic M12II 520W 80 PLUS BRONZE Modular  | - $39 $64 $70 $80 |
| Case ATX cases: Compatible with ATX/Micro-ATX motherboards, some with Mini-ITX Tier 0.5-0.625-0.75: NZXT GAMMA Classic 1x 120mm fan  Tier 1: Corsair Carbide 200R 2x120mm USB 3.0 x2 Tier 2: Rosewill R5 3x120mm USB 3.0 Fan Controller NZXT Source 210 Black 1x120mm NZXT Source 210 White 1x120mm NZXT Source 210 Black Elite 2x120mm NZXT Source 210 White Elite 2x120mm Cooler Master Storm Scout 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm Rosewill Blackbone 2 x 120mm fans Cooler Master Elite 430 2 x 120mm fans COUGAR AF-2 Black & Army Green 1x120mm Cooler Master HAF 912 2x120mm  Rosewill Line Glow USB 3.0 4x120mm NZXT Apollo 2 x 120mm fans NZXT M59 2 x 120mm fans NZXT Tempest 210 1x120mm NZXT Tempest 410 2x120mm  NZXT Guardian 921 3 x 120mm fans NZXT Lexa S 3 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm Cooler Master Storm Enforcer, 1 x 120mm, 2 x 200mm Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced 1 x 120mm, 2 x 140mm Cooler Master HAF 922 Red LEDs 1 x 120mm, 2 x 200mm  NZXT H2 H2-001-BK Black 3x120mm SILVERSTONE Precision PS06B-W 1x180mm 1x120mm Corsair Carbide 400r 3x120mm  Rosewill Challenger Mid-Tower 2 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm fans  COUGAR 6XR9 2x120mm COUGAR Challenger Black 1x120mm 1x200mm COUGAR Challenger Orange 1x120mm 1x200mm COUGAR Evolution Black Window 2x120mm COUGAR Evolution White Window 2x120mm Fractal Design Define Mini Micro-ATX 2 x 120mm fans NZXT Phantom 410 Black 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans NZXT Phantom 410 White 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans NZXT Phantom 410 Black Orange 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans NZXT Phantom 410 Gunmetal 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans NZXT Phantom 410 Red 1x140mm + 2x120mm fans Antec Eleven Hundred 1 x200mm + 1x120mm fans Antec Three Hundred Two 1x140mm 1x120mm Corsair Vengeance C70 Black 3x120mm Corsair Carbide Series 300R 1x140mm 1x120mm Corsair Carbide 400R 3x120mm COOLER MASTER HAF XB Cube 2x120mm COOLER MASTER Storm Scout 2 Black 1x120mm COOLER MASTER Storm Scout 2 Gunmetal 1x120mm Antec P280 Sound proofing panels and foam 3x120mm Fractal Design Define R4 Black 2x140mm Fractal Design Define R4 Window Black 2x140mm Fractal Design Define R4 White 2x140mm Fractal Design Define R4 Window White 2x140mm Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium 2x140mm Fractal Design Define R4 Window Titanium 2x140mm Corsair Carbide 500R Black 3x120mm 1x200mm  Corsair Carbide 500R White 3x120mm 1x200mm  LIAN LI PC-7HX 1x120mm 2x140mm Aluminum Corsair Vengeance C70 Black 3x120mm  COOLER MASTER HAF XM 1x140mm 2x200mm Corsair Obsidian 550D 3x120mm  Micro-ATX cases: Compatible with Micro-ATX/Mini-ITX motherboards Fractal Design Core 1000 Micro ATX 1x120mm NZXT Crafted Series Vulcan Micro-ATX 2x120mm  SilverStone SST-PS07B Micro-ATX USB 3.0 2x120mm  SilverStone SST-PS07W White Micro-ATX USB 3.0 2x120mm  Fractal Design Define Mini Micro-ATX USB3.0 2x120mm Thermaltake A30 Micro-ATX USB 3.0 1x230mm 1x90mm 2x60mm  SilverStone TJ08B-E Micro-ATX USB3.0 1x180mm 1x120mm  LIAN LI PC-A04B Aluminum Micro-ATX USB3.0 3x120mm  Fractal Design Arc Mini Micro-ATX USB 3.0 3x120mm fan contr. Micro-ITX cases: Compatible only with Mini-ITX motherboards BitFenix Prodigy Black 2x120mm BitFenix Prodigy White 2x120mm BitFenix Prodigy Red 2x120mm BitFenix Prodigy Orange 2x120mm LIAN LI PC-Q08B Black Aluminium 1x140mm 1x120mm LIAN LI PC-Q25B Black Aluminium 1x140mm 1x120mm LIAN LI PC-TU200B With handle, perfect for LAN 1x140mm  | - - $35 $60 $80 $40 $40 $50 $50 $80 $45 $50 $50 $60 $70 $70 $50 $55 $70 $70 $80 $80 $90 $90 $100 $100 $80 $53 $80 $86 $60 $90 $95 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $70 $140 $80 $80 $100 $90 $100 $110 $80 $110 $110 $110 $110 $120 $117 $118 $120 $126 $120 $130 - $40 $56 $79 $84 $80 $98 $100 $123 $100 - $80 $80 $90 $90 $110 $120 $165 |
| Cooling All Tiers: Stock Cooler Included with CPU Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus  CPU Cooler for Micro-ATX cases: COOLER MASTER GeminII M4 120mm CPU Cooler for Mini-ATX cases: The BitFenix Prodigy supports CM Hyper 212 Plus, use this alternative for other Mini-ITX cases: COOLER MASTER Vortex Plus 92mm Cooling fans:  CM Barometric Ball .6k-2k RPM 26-86CFM 13-30dBA PWM Rosewill 1.2k-2.2k RPM 43-87CFM 23-38dBA Blue LED fan contr. AC Fluid Dynamic .3k-1.35k RPM Max 57 CFM w/ 4 Pin PWM Silverstone 2Ball .8k-2.4k RPM Max 110CFM 17-40dBA fan contr. Noctua SSO .9k-1.1k-1.3k RPM 33-54CFM 13-20dBA adj. speed Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Fan  Cooler Master R4 Series Silent 140mm Fan  200mm Red LED fan for Cooler Master HAF cases  | - Free $25 - $35 - - $25 - $18 $10 $10 $17 $25 $9 $9 $13 |
| Sound All Tiers: 5.1/7.1 sound card: Integrated on motherboard ASUS Xonar U3 USB Sound Card w/ Headphone Amplifier  ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 PCI Sound Card  ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1 PCI-Express 1x Sound Card  Speakers: 2.0 (2 satellites no sub-woofer) Logitech X-140 2.0 5W  Creative Inspire T12 2.0 18W  Creative Gigaworks T20 Series II 2.0 28W  2.1 (2 satellites + sub-woofer): Logitech Z313 2.1 25W  Logitech Z323 2.1 30W  Logitech Z523 2.1 40W  Logitech Z623 2.1 200W  5.1 (5 satellites + sub-woofer) Logitech Z506 5.1 75W  Headphones/Earphones: Open Design Headphones: Koss KSC75 Clip on headphones  Koss PortaPro  Superlux HD668B  Grado SR-60i  Audio Technica ATH-AD700  Grado SR-80i  Closed Design Headphones: Koss UR-20  Audio-Technica ATH-M30  Shure SRH440  Audio Technica ATH-M50S (Straight 10ft Cable)  Audio Technica ATH-A700  Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Coiled Cable)  In-Ear Headphones: Logitech Ultimate Ears 200  Sennheiser IE 4 Earphones  Microphone: Syba 3.5mm microphone with stand Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone  Headsets: Yapster TM-YP100A  Koss SB-45  Corsair Vengeance 1100  Sennheiser PC 151  Razer Moray Plus  ARCTIC Sound P531  SteelSeries Siberia V2  Logitech G35  ASUS Vulcan ANC  Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Wrath Wireless  Logitech G930  | - Free $40 $27 $41 - - $25 $45 $80 - $30 $59 $80 $100 - $87 - - $15 $37 $47 $79 $100 $99 - $17 $50 $88 $130 $159 $130 - $13 $60 - $5 $65 - $16 $28 $25 $44 $50 $48 $90 $80 $120 $89 $114 |
| Network All Tiers: Ethernet Up to 1000 Mbps: Integrated on motherb. Rosewill 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps Wireless USB2.0 5dBi Antenna TRENDnet TEW-684UB Dual Band 802.11b/g/n 450Mbps USB2.0  Wireless Routers: TP-Link WL TL-WR841N 300Mbps  TP-LINK TL-WR1043ND 300Mbps USB  D-Link DIR-645 300Mbps USB  ASUS RT-N56U Dual-Band 600Mbps  | - Free $20 $30 - $26 $50 $70 $109 |
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:
Newegg TV has three great videos on how to build your PC. The first covers choosing your parts, which we help you with in this article, so I chose not to include it. The second one, below, shows you in detail how to assemble your PC. The 3rd one shows you how to install Windows and software.
If you prefer a text version with pictures, here are two great guides by ArsTechnica, the first one covering the assembling and the second one covering Windows and software:
- Arstechnica Outstanding Guide for Hardware (Building the PC)
- 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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Tier 0.5:
Compatible only with AMD Llano APUs, not AMD Trinity APUs nor Intel CPUs.
This motherboard offers AMD FM1 Llano CPU support and UEFI support at a great price ($47), making it an excellent choice for the lowest cost Budget Gaming PC Tier.
Despite its low cost, it?s equipped with solid capacitors for long-term reliability and it comes with a three year warranty.
It comes with VGA and DVI video outputs.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what?s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back:?Six USB 2.0 ports, two PS/2, VGA, DVI, Gigabit LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.
Expansion slots:?On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 2.0 16X, one PCI-Express 2.0 1x and one PCI slot.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard:?Three fan connectors (Two four pins, one three pins), six SATA 3.0Gb/s and three USB 2.0 headers.
Included in the box:?Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.
Tier 0.625:
Compatible only with AMD Trinity APUs, not AMD Llano APUs nor Intel CPUs.
This motherboard offers AMD FM2 Trinity CPU support and UEFI support at a great price ($55), making it an excellent choice for the 2nd lowest cost Budget Gaming PC Tier.
Despite its low cost, it?s equipped with USB 3.0, SATA 6.0Gb/s, solid capacitors for long-term reliability and it comes with a three year warranty.
It comes with VGA and DVI video outputs.
Note that due to its limited amount of?Phase PWM, it?s not the ideal choice for overclocking the Tier?s 0.625 unlocked APU. If you intend to overclock, consider one of the two alternatives below.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what?s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back:?Four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0, two PS/2, VGA, DVI, Gigabit LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.
Expansion slots:?On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 2.0 16X, one PCI-Express 2.0 1x and one PCI slot.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard:?Three fan connectors (Two four pins, one three pins), six SATA 6.0Gb/s, one USB 3.0 header and three USB 2.0 headers.
Included in the box:?Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.
Alternatives
Tier 0.75, 1 and 2:
Compatible only with Intel 2nd and 3rd generation of ?Core? CPUs, not AMD Llano APUs nor AMD CPUs.
This motherboard offers Intel LGA1155 and UEFI support at a great price ($65), making it an excellent choice for the higher Tiers of the Budget Gaming PCs that are equipped with Intel CPUs.
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.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what?s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back: Two USB 2.0 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, two PS/2, VGA, DVI, and HDMI outputs, Gigabit LAN and 6 Channels audio on the back.
Expansion slots: On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 3.0 16X, one PCI-Express 2.0 16X (but running at 4X), and two PCI slots.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Three fan connectors (One for the CPU Cooler, two for case fans), three SATA 6.0Gb/s, five 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.
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Alternatives
In short, if you intend to invest into your PC and upgrade it as time goes by, the last motherboard is as future-proof as it gets.
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Regarding ?Trinity?, the new 2nd generation of AMD?s APUs:
As you may have heard, AMD recently launched ?Trinity?, their 2nd generation of their APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), a combination of a CPU and a relatively powerful GPU (video card) on a single chip, for the desktop platform. Featuring even faster GPUs, they are now fast enough in my opinion to be recommended for the Budget Gaming PCs.
Tier 0.5
Entry-level APU at a very low price:
The AMD A4-3300 is based on AMD?s first generation of APUs, Llano and features the Radeon HD 6410D onboard GPU.
VS the competion:
The Intel Celeron G540 runs at the same frequency as the A4-3300 (2.5GHz), but thanks to a more efficient architecture, it offers somewhat higher CPU performance than the A4-3300, as well as lower power consumption.
However, the A4-3300 offers higher graphic performance, resulting in a Gaming PC that can handle games at low resolutions (1366 x 768 or 720p) or older games, as?well as browsing the Internet, watching some videos, listening to some music, doing some Office work and the like.
Lower cost:
Finally, the A4-3300 Llano APU?only costs $40, versus $45 for the ?Intel Celeron G540, a $5 advantage for the A4-3300.
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Tier 0.625:
High-end APU at a reasonable price:
The AMD A10-5800K is based on the 2nd and latest generation of APUs, Trinity and features the Radeon HD 7660D onboard GPU.?This is AMD?s fastest APU.
Relatively low cost:
While it may seem expensive when compared to the CPU recommendation for Tier 0.75 and 1, keep in mind that those Tiers also need a discrete video card, bringing up the cost way higher when you compare the Tier 0.625?s AMD APU ($120 for CPU and video card) to the Tier 0.75 ($190) and Tier 1 ($210) CPU and discrete video card combos.
For the AMD A10-5800K integrated video card performance and what you can expect of it, see the video card Tier 0.625 section.
Unlocked and ready to be overclocked:
Being an AMD ?K? series processor, it is fully unlocked and can easily overclocked. However, for maximum overclocking potential, I recommend upgrading the motherboard to the recommended alternative for overclocking and I recommend getting the alternative after-market CPU Cooler.
If you overclock it, I recommend overclocking the GPU (video card) cores, as they will give a bigger performance boost in games vs overclocking the CPU cores.
Tier 0.75 and 1:
VS the Competition:
While AMD?s APUs offer great performance for lower Tiers, when you start using a dedicated video card, the Intel CPUs just have the edge when it comes to performance in video games with a dedicated video card.
Even if you went with the AMD Athlon II X3 455, a CPU only chip with three cores and high frequencies, I?d still pick the Intel Pentium G860 over it because:
- The 100MHz slower Pentium G850 easily outperforms it in gaming and pretty much any applications, so the 100MHz faster G860 has even more of an advantage.
- The Pentium G860 is way more efficient, consuming about 50W less at load, according to AnandTech.
Ideal for:
A budget Gaming PC, when you can?t afford faster CPUs.
However, if you have a bit more money to invest and can afford a Core i3-2100, then by all means, go for it. AnandTech?s bench tool clearly shows how much more powerful the Core i3-2100 is versus the Pentium G850 , the G850 being a slightly slower version of the Pentium G860.
Alternative
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Tier 2:
Replacing the Core i3-2120:
Based on the 3rd generation ?of Core processors, codename ?Ivy Bridge?, the Core i3-3220 replaces the Core i3-2120. While they both run at the same frequency (3.3GHz), the Core i3-3220 has a slight performance advantage (5-10%) and a slighly lower power consumption compared to the Core i3-2120.
VS the Competition:
While AMD?s APUs offer great performance for lower Tiers, when you start using a dedicated video card, the Intel CPUs just have the edge when it comes to performance in video games with a dedicated video card.
Don?t let the dual-core part fool you vs AMD ?quad-core? processor available at the same price: Intel?s and AMD?s definition of a core isn?t the same thing?any more?so an AMD quad-core isn?t comparable to an Intel quad-core.
AMD?s FX line-up stand no chance either. While they offer competitive performance for multi threaded programs and workstations loads, the similarly priced FX-4170 just can?t keep up in gaming performance vs the Core i3-3220.
On top of that, the Core i3-3220 consumes about 100W less at load compared to the AMD FX 4170 and roughly 20 Watts less at idle!
Alternative:
For $60 more, you can upgrade to the $180 ? Intel Core i5-3350P Quad Core 3.1-3.3GHz Turbo No IGP
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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.
- Looking for a monitor recommendation? Visit The Best Monitors For Your Money article.
Tier .05:
Free ? Radeon HD 6410D ? Integrated
The Radeon HD 6410D is the integrated video card featured on the AMD A4-3300 APU.
What games can this video card handle?
The Radeon 6410D is capable of handling the vast majority of games at 1366 x 768 or 720p with low-medium graphic settings. Older games should be playable with higher graphic settings.
The recommended motherboard has VGA and DVI video outputs.
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Tier 0.625:
Free ? Radeon HD 7660D ? Integrated
The Radeon HD 7660D is the integrated video card featured on the AMD A10-5800K APU.
What games can this video card handle?
The Radeon 7660D is capable of handling the vast majority of games at 1366 x 768 or 720p with high or maximum graphic settings and at 1600 x 900 with medium/high settings, although you might have to lower details for the most demanding games.
The recommended motherboard has VGA and DVI video outputs.
Tier 0.75:
Replacing the previously recommended Geforce GTX 550Ti is the Radeon HD 7770 1GB.
The Radeon HD 7770 HD outperforms the Geforce GTX 550 Ti in the vast majority of games and also consumes roughly 35 Watts less under load, resulting in also a more quiet card.
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.??1920 x 1080 should be playable too, although with lower graphic settings.
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Tier 1:
Replacing the previously recommended Radeon HD 6850 is the Geforce GTX 650 Ti.
I?m recommending the Geforce GTX 650 Ti over the Radeon HD 6850 1GB simply because it?s faster in nearly every game, it consumes roughly 35 Watts less under load and it?s more quiet.
The Geforce GTX 650 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.
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Tier 2
Performance:
Replacing the previously recommended Radeon HD 6870
Faster than the Radeon HD 6870 in every game, and faster than the Geforce GTX 650 Ti recommended above, the Radeon HD 7850 simply is the logical recommendation at this price point.
The Radeon HD 7850 is capable of handling most games at 1920 x 1080, although you might have to lower details in more recent and more demanding games.
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Upgrade to a more powerful video card:
Radeon HD 7850 2GB
The $195 ? Radeon HD 7850 2GB OC is the same card as recommended above, except that it comes with 2GB of VRAM and is factory overclocked for slightly higher performance. While not necessary for most games at the moment, some games will take advantage of 2GB (e.g. Skyrim with texture mods) of VRAM and it?s also an easy way to future proof your PC.
$240 ? EVGA Geforce GTX 660 2GB FTW Signature 2
The Geforce GTX 660 , which is not to be confused with the Geforce GTX 660Ti (with the ?Ti?, which is a faster card), is an excellent card for ~$230, that performs nearly on par with faster cards.
Do note that this particular model from EVGA comes with a nice dual-fan cooling system, as well as higher frequencies thanks to a factory overclock, resulting in even higher performance.
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Need a monitor recommendation?
No problem, I invite you to visit The Best Monitors For Your Money article.
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Tier 0.5, 0.75, 1 and 2:
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.
If the CPU only supports 1333MHz RAM, don?t worry: The 1600MHz RAM sticks will automatically adjust to 1333MHz.
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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:
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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/UEFI (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. 1.50v) 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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Tier 0.625:
AMD Trinity APU performance under video games dramatically increase when using DDR3 1866MHz RAM versus slower RAM, which makes sense considering that the integrated video card relies on the system RAM for storing data. In other words, it?s the exception to the rule that faster RAM usually doesn?t boost performance much.
The AMD Llano A4-3300 in Tier 0.5 only supports up to 1600MHz, which is why only Tier 0.625, with its AMD Trinity A10-5800K APU, has DDR3 1866MHz RAM recommended.
Alternative
Tier 0.5, 0.625, 0.75, Tier 1 and Tier 2:
The Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB hard drive is available for $58 and it?s pretty much the least expensive reliable 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?
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