Hey my name is Zachary i'm new to the computer community. I only have a basic laptop that is dying and instead of buying a nextgen system and a new computer I want to switch to computer gaming , but being a recent college graduate I need a cheap build, either I build myself or buy pre built looking for suggestions, help,and to meet new gamers.
So what's your budget?
No more than 600-700
And so you need a keyboard/mouse/monitor with it as well?
Yes i'm switching from my laptop so i need all new equipment
I went for the lower end, so I'd up the RAM, and then that's about it, maybe swap the CPU for an i5 4460 with the extra cash in the build
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4VtWpg
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4VtWpg/by_merchant/
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-DS2H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($46.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Elite 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 750GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($183.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Monitor: AOC I2269VW 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($99.99 @ Best Buy)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard ($9.99 @ Micro Center)
Headphones: Superlux HD668B Headphones ($42.89 @ Amazon)
Other: Mouse ($13.99)
Total: $599.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-10-26 21:45 EDT-0400
There's a coolermaster Keyboard/Mouse bundle that's popular, but if you want an accurate mouse that is so not the way to go, that cheap Chinese gaming mouse is pretty solid
There is a thread about building a $500 gaming box here on Tek Syndicate, you really should look at that. Also a competition!
Hey thanks guys, do you know of anything prebuilt for that price range? or is way cheaper to build my own?
It's just about always better to build your own
Unless you want something on the unique side of things with something like this, which has a full desktop APU in it, but won't game exceedingly well
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883282447
A pre-built in that price range will perform horribly. It'll probably be equivalent to a mid-range gaming pc from 5 years ago. If even that...
The problem is there's really no profit in prebuilding machines. So anybody who does it is going to cut as many corners as possible.
Also you get the added experience of building something with your own two hands which there isn't really enough of in the world anymore.
I hear that man i'm a tech for subaru and most people can't even change their oil in their car.... so thanks for your help guys i think i'm gonna build my own pc. it's nice to be in a community that isn't 12 year olds calling me a hacker.
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my bother-in-law bought a pc from cyberpowerpc and really enjoys it. They have pre-built systems in your price range, and I think there is an option to configure your own but that comes are a premium. It's a thought though if you're not really interested in building your own setup.
One thing to keep in mind though is that building your own pc is extremely gratifying for many and provides a lot of flexibility now and in the future. For example, I used up my budget on case, motherboard, power supply, cpu, and ram. I took the hard drive out of my laptop and got peripherals from thrift shops. Overtime I've upgraded and now have the system I almost have the system I want.
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That builds not bad but I would really spend a few extra dollars and get 8 gb of ram. 4 isn't going to get you very far.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211842
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That's the same reason I'm in this community. Everyone here takes a lot of pride in our community. We'll be here every step of the way to help you in any way we can for your project :)
thanks guys. one thing i am worried about is virus protection and crashes from mods, whats a good way to protect my computer once i build it?
Don't download things from russian websites mostly
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It's good that he's happy with his purchase, but cyberpowerpc is a rip off. I'd rather steer people well clear of any of those sites.
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Don't download things you don't trust.
But if you do my go tos are always Malwarebytes and Avast. Both are free.
The built in antivirus in windows 8 and 10 is actually pretty good.
As far as crashes from mods go. Install mods one at a time and check for stability after each so you know whats causing problems.
Are you planning to install Windows or go Linux? If Linux, I wouldn't worry about it. I've never had any problems. If Windows, I would just make sure that Windows Defender is enabled. As Total_Eclipse said, it is actually pretty good.
I think the best way to avoid infection though is to simply practice good network hygiene.