$500 Budget PC Build April 2013

$500 Budget PC Build March 2013

Original Budget PC Build Article: http://newbcomputerbuild.com/gaming-pc-builds-of-the-month-2/april-2013-gaming-computer-builds/#500-april-2013-pc-build

This $500 gaming pc build will be able to play games at a decent frame rate of medium to high settings at 1920x1080p resolutions. If you are planning a gaming pc build at a reasonable price that will play any game then this is the right build for you.

Gaming PC Build Recipe:

All hardware is linked to Amazon.com – You Can also try   Amazon.ca (CANADA) • Amazon.co.uk (UK) Newegg.com (US) • Newegg.ca (CANADA)  Scorptec.com.au(AUS)  pccasegear.com (AUS) to shop for these parts.

 

Processor: AMD FX-4300 FX-Series Four-Core Processor Edition, Black AM3 FD4300WMHKBOX Price: $119.99	Motherboard: ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard Price: $53.18
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1024MB GDDR5 128bit, Dual Dual-Link DVI, Mini HDMI, Graphics Card (01G-P4-3650-KR) Graphics Cards 01G-P4-3650-KR Price: $144.99	RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Core i3, i5, i7 and Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Price: $47.98
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD5000AAKX Price: $59.26	Power Supply: Antec VP-450 450 Watt Energy Star Certified Power Supply Price: $34.50
Computer Case: Apex Computer Technology PC-389-C 10bay ATX Tower No Psu USB / Hd PC389C Price: $29.99	Optical Drive: Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive – Bulk – IHAS124-04 (Black) Price: $17.99

Estimated Price: $ 507

The Video:

The Hardware:

AMD FX-4300 FX-Series Four-Core Processor Edition, Black AM3 FD4300WMHKBOX Price: $119.99

The AMD FX 4300 processor is a perfect fit for a budget gaming pc build. With an unlocked multiplier you have the advantage of being able to easily overclock this processor, which makes this processor a great value for only $120.

Technical Details:

• Processor: 3.8 GHz
• Number of Processors: 4

Cases and Expandability

• Size (LWH): 5.5 inches, 2.75 inches, 5 inches
• Weight: 1 pounds

ASUS M5A78L-M LX PLUS AM3+ AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard Price: $53.18

With the change to an AMD processor this month, I had to switch up the motherboard to accommodate this. The ASUS M5A78L-M LX Plus motherboard will be able to overlcock the AMD FX 4300 and comes at a very affordable price. Keep in mind that we do include the maximum supported memory of 8GB for this motherboard (which is plenty of memory for a gaming build), so if you expect to upgrade in the future to check the "other suggestions" for a motherboard that can be further upgraded later on.

Technical Details:

• 2 x DIMM, max. 8GB, DDR3 1866(OC)/1600(OC)/1333/1066 MHz support
• Integrated ATI Radeon 3000 support hybrid CrossfireX and DirectX10
• 100% Solid Capacitor – High-quality conductive polymer capacitors for durability, improved lifespan and enhanced thermal capacity
• ASUS Core Unlocker – Unlock the Potential, Turbo-charge your Potential
• ASUS EPU Technology – System Level Energy Saving & Real-time Power Management for Superb Platform Power Efficiency
• 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC
• ASUS Anti-Surge Protection – Safeguard your device by providing voltage protection to all major onboard components
• ASUS Turbo Key – Touch-N-Boost! No more lag

EVGA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 1024MB GDDR5 128bit, Dual Dual-Link DVI, Mini HDMI, Graphics Card (01G-P4-3650-KR) Graphics Cards 01G-P4-3650-KR Price: $149.99

The GeForce GTX 650 Ti graphics card is as good as it gets for around $150. With its low power demands and amazing performance its the perfect card for a $500 builds to keep performance up and power demands down.

The minimum required wattage for this card is 400W, so if you do decide to purchase a different card for this build to be cognizant of the minimum wattage requirement of the power supply (generally starting at 500W)

Technical Details:

• Core Clock: 1071
• Memory Clock: 5400 MHz
• Cuda Cores: 768
• PCI-Express 3.0
• 1024MB GDDR5 128 Bit
• Microsoft DirectX 11, NVIDIA PhysX Technology, NVIDIA 3D Vision Ready, NVIDIA CUDA Technology, PCI-Express 3.0 Support, OpenGL 4.3 Support
• Nvidia SMX Engine, NVidia Adaptive Verticle Sync, Nvidia Surround, Support for Concurrent Displays, Nvidia PhysX, Nvidia 3D Vision Ready, Nvidia SLI Ready, Nvidia CUDA Technology

Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) 240-Pin DDR3 Memory Kit for Core i3, i5, i7 and Platforms SDRAM CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 Price: $47.98

These two sticks of 4GB = 8GB RAM are a good quality bunch and a total of 8GB is more then enough RAM for this build.  Corsair Vengenace is a reputable RAM manufacture and is currently priced pretty well for a 8GB 1600Mhz package of RAM.

Technical Details

• Model: CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9
• Item Package Quantity: 1
• Form Factor: Desktop
• Memory Storage Capacity: 8 GB
• Memory Speed: 1600 MHz

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB SATA III 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive – WD5000AAKX Price: $59.26

Western Digital 500 GB Caviar Blue

500GB for a budget build seems to be a good amount of space. Need more later because you hoard tons of music, movies and other sorts of media? Then by all means, just connect another hard drive later on, or find one that goes spontaneously on sale, but for now a nice solid 500GB hard drive should do the trick.

Performance Details From Western Digital's Website:

Performance Specifications Rotational Speed 7,200 RPM (nominal) Buffer Size 16 MB Load/unload Cycles 300,000 minimum Transfer Rates Transfer Rate (Buffer To Disk) 126 MB/s (Max) Physical Specifications Formatted Capacity 500,107 MB Capacity 500 GB Interface SATA 6 Gb/s User Sectors Per Drive 976,773,168 Metric Height 26.1 mm Depth 147 mm Width 101.6 mm Weight 0.69 kg Temperature (English) Operating 32° F to 140° F Non-operating -40° F to 158° F Temperature (Metric) Operating -0° C to 60° C Non-operating -40° C to 70° C Electrical Specifications Current Requirements Power Dissipation Read/Write 6.80 Watts Idle 6.10 Watts Standby 0.70 Watts Sleep 0.70 Watts

Product Details

• WD Caviar Blue hard drives have a multitude of features to deliver rock solid performance and ultra-cool and quiet operation.
• 3rd generation SATA interface for 6 GB/s maximum data transfer rates.
• WhisperDrive technology minimizes noise to levels near the threshold of human hearing.
• 500 GB capacity holds up to 100,000 digital photos, 125,000 MP3 files, and 60 hours of HD video.
• Ships in Certified Frustration-Free Packaging
• 3rd generation SATA interface for 6 GB/s maximum data transfer rates
• 500 GB capacity holds up to 100,000 digital photos, 125,000 MP3 files, and 60 hours of HD video
• WD Caviar Blue hard drives have a multitude of features to deliver rock solid performance and ultra-cool and quiet operation
• WhisperDrive technology minimizes noise to levels near the threshold of human hearing

Antec VP-450 450 Watt Energy Star Certified Power Supply Price: $34.50

This Antec power supply proves a continuous power of 450W with many positive reviews and a price point of about $35 bucks for a PSU there was no reason not to include it. Also to note, this PSU has a continuous powerrating of 450W, which means that it will always give out a continuous amount of 450 watts – in other words this power supply unit is a fantastic deal and will run all of the required hardware in this build perfectly.

Technical Details:

• 450W of continuous Power!
• Dual +12V rails ensure greater system stability
• ATX 12V version 2.3 compliant
• 120mm fan delivers quiet, reliable cooling
• Black exterior complements any system

Apex Computer Technology PC-389-C 10bay ATX Tower No Psu USB / Hd PC389C Price $29.99

A cheap, budget oriented case is this Apex Computer Technologies case. There is plenty of room for all of the included hardware, and even space for plenty of more hard drives / storage. Nothing fancy, but it should do that job just right.

Technical Details:

10BAY ATX TOWER NO PSU USB/HD

Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive – Bulk – IHAS124-04 (Black)Price: $17.99

Back to the good ol'Lite-on optical drive. Honestly, I say again and again, I pay very little attention to how I choose the optical drives – I simply choose the cheapest one. So if you find a cheaper one, get it. Likewise, if you don't actually think you'll use it, then skip it. You can instal your OS via a USB stick or an external hard drive if that's the only reason you would need it, however this will be completely up to the builder.

Technical Detail

• Lite-On Super AllWrite 24X SATA DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Drive IHAS124-04 BLACK/BULK (Black)
• 6.7 x 5.8 x 1.6 inches ; 2 pounds
• Interface: SATA; Buffer Memory: 1.5 MB