Budget - $450
Live in US, use US currency.
Any retailer.
Already have mouse, keyboard, OS, and monitor.
This will be for gaming only.
I'll maybe consider overclocking, not sure yet.
No water cooling.
Want to play with 60 fps or more.
I'd be playing at 1080p.
Games I want to play : Battlefield 4, Arma 3, Assassins creed (once they get there sh*t together), Call of Duty, etc.
If you guys can, use pcpartpicker.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JnJnhM
- on budget with mail-in rebates but to go lower perhaps look at 2nd hand gear. A 1st gen i5/i7 combo + r9 280 (7950) and above would work out to be about the same price.
Still looking for another builds.
You would be hard pressed to find better options than what deejeta proposed. :)
I was literally going with the same pcpp-list, but deejeta was faster so I didn't post it. There really isn't a ton of options in that budget range.
If you go with used parts, don't use a used PSU and when you buy a used GPU probably stay away from 7950s, 7970s and such, because many of those where used for mining and are pretty worn out. I had that problem once.
Used 280Xs go for around 150$ right now, which is a pretty good option.
If you want another reference to compare the builds suggested here, check logicalincrements.com.
For ebay pricing, check bidvoy.net.
You aren't exactly going to get 60fps@1080p with that budget, but you'll get close.
Just get an 860K for the CPU, and a 260x, if you can find a bit more to spend shoot for a 280, they're nearing $150.
I replaced the r9 280 with a r9 285 so ill get maybe some more performance.
If I'm not mistaken the 280s have 3GBs of VRAM while the 285s are limited to 2, you might be a bit better off in the long run with the 280 unless you want better power consumption and a bit better overall performance.
I have, not really my build.
my psu cost $400. A gaming computer costing $450 will be viable for probably about 6 months if at all. It's a popular gimmick online and on youtube to pump the under $500 builds. In reality they turn them off and use their real computer.
If you want a gaming computer in the real world have $1200 to spend on a box alone. You heard it here.
What...?
You don't need 1500w to power a low-end rig. While not amazing, a CX500 or EVGA 500B would often work just fine for many years on a budget system.
out of context... my psu powers my rig... I'm saying your cost scale is for trash not worth a year run. I wouldn't run a gaming system with a psu under 600watts for the amps on the +12v rail alone.
Ridiculous notion. You can run modern games on 7 year old hardware that is far outclassed by today's mid-range that fits into a $450 envelope.
What games and what settings. Enlighten me. If you're not beating console standards what's the point.
ARMA 3 on a Phenom II, 8GB DDR2-1066, and SLI 9800 GTX's. Ran at 1080p on Medium preset (High Textures), 2x FXAA, and particles turned off. It looked a little fuzzy but with sharpness filter at 145 it smoothed out. Even had view range at 1600 still.
Tomb Raider (the new one) ran at Medium/High with that same machine. Metro 2033 ran at Medium with PhysX disabled and FXAA 2x.
Skyrim maxed out without complex water reflections.
The point is that gaming is not about having the best hardware, but about playing a game
Enjoying the game requires no gaps in performance and modern standards of visual pop. I stick to my guns, a gaming system < $1000 is an impulse buy and not something I'd put my name to.
I dunno man, I've been gaming just fine on my 500 dollar rig for a few years now
Fine is relative.