The Cheapest Gaming PCs You’ll Ever Find
November 11, 2009 by Rico Mossesgeld
Filed under Desktops, Gaming
Enterprising Tom’s Hardware member tecmo34 has taken the time to write a “Recommended Build” guide, outlining the parts you should get for a “budget” gaming PC. Whether you prefer an Intel or AMD CPU, tecmo’s got you covered. Here are two gaming PC builds he’s recommended, with input from TH’s more veteran members. Both are designed to “play games at mid. to max. settings at a monitor resolution of 1440×900 or less”:
$505 Intel Build
- CPU: Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
($70)
- MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L ATX Intel Motherboard
($80)
- RAM: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
($90)
- HSF: Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2
($35)
- HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
- PSU: Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power Power Supply
- GPU: XFX Radeon HD 4650 HD-465X-YAF2 Video Card
- DVD: Sony Optiarc DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B
- Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case
$505 AMD Build
- CPU: AMD Phenom II X2 545 3.0GHz Socket AM3 80W Dual-Core Processor
- MOBO: ASUS M2A74-AM Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
- RAM: CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
- HSF: Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler W/TX-2
- HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 500GB 3.5″ SATA 3.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
- PSU: Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power Power Supply
- GPU: XFX Radeon HD 4650 HD-465X-YAF2 Video Card
- DVD: Sony Optiarc DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B
- Case: COOLER MASTER Elite 330 RC-330-KKN1-GP Black Computer Case
Both builds are meant to be overclocked, to maximize the gaming power of the components. If you’re building a new PC from scratch, you may need a display, mouse, keyboard, a headset, and of course, the OS. Here are some more suggestions from tecmo:
- OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders
- Display: Acer X193Wb Black 19″ 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
- Keyboard: Logitech Black Internet 350 USB Keyboard
- Mouse: Microsoft D66-00066 Black Wired Optical Mouse
- Speakers Logitech S-220 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System
With the above extras, you’ve got a total of $816, regardless of your processor brand loyalties. Prices are from NewEgg, are current as of this writing, and don’t include shipping or taxes.
