2013-05-07

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.



The EVGA Geforce GTX 660 2GB Superclocked, the video card newly recommended for Tier 2.

Click on a section to jump to it:

- Recommended parts summary

- Recommended parts in details

- Want more performance? See our 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.

Tier System:

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): $320

This is our lowest cost Tier that’s perfect if all you want to do is play at 1366 x 768 or 720p with medium/high 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): $371

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): $471

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. With an alternative motherboard and after-market CPU Cooler, both of which are recommended in this guide, Tier 0.75 can also be overclocked to reach even higher performance, despite its low price.

Tier 1 (Identified by a Green color): $501

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): $591

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): AMD Llano, light gaming, web, 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
$320
$371
$471
$501
$591

CPU
AMD Llano APU: Only compatible with FM1 motherboards.
Tier 0.5: AMD A8-3850 Llano APU (CPU+GPU) Radeon HD 6550D
AMD Trinity APU: Only compatible with FM2 motherboards.
Tier 0.625: AMD A10-5800K Trinity APU (CPU+GPU) with Radeon HD 7660D
AMD Phenom II CPUs: Only compatible with AM3 motherboards.
Tier 0.75-1: AMD Phenom II X4 965 AM3 Quad-Core 3.4Ghz Unlocked
Intel CPUs: Only compatible with LGA1155 motherboards.
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

-

-
$85

-

$129
-
$85
-
$110
$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
AM3+ motherboards: Only compatible with AMD Phenom II/FX CPUs
Tier 0.75-1: Asrock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+
For OCing: GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ ATX

LGA1155 motherboards: Only compatible with Intel CPUs.
Tier 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

-
-

$48

-

$55
$75
$80
-
$55
$104

-
$50
$90
$85

-

-

-

RAM
Tier 0.5-0.625: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1.5v DDR3 1866MHz
$68 – G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866MHz
Tier 0.75-1-2: ADATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600MHz
ADATA 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz

-
$38
$68
$37
$56

Video Card
Tier 0.5: Radeon HD 6550D – Integrated
Tier 0.625: Radeon HD 7660D – Integrated
Tier 0.75: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 1GB
Tier 1: Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 OC 1GB
Tier 2: EVGA GeForce GTX 660 SUPERCLOCKED 2GB

-

Free

Free
$115
$145
$205

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):
Sandisk 2.5″ 64GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 2.5″ 120GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 2.5″ 250GB SATA III SSD

-

-

$57
$67
$115
$151

-

$64
$100
$171

Optical Drive
All Tiers: Lite-On SATA 24X DVD Burner
Pioneer Black 15X SATA Blu-Ray/CD/DVD Burner

-

$24
$65

Power Supply
All Tiers: Antec VP-450 450W
SilverStone Strider 500W 80 PLUS
SilverStone 600W 80 PLUS
SilverStone ST50F-P 500W 80PLUS BRONZE Modular
SilverStone PP05 Set of Short Cables for PSU

-
$38
$56
$65
$75

$20

Case
ATX cases: Compatible with ATX/Micro-ATX motherboards, some with Mini-ITX
Tier 0.5-0.625: NZXT GAMMA Classic 1x 120mm fan
Tier 0.75-1: 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 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 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 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
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
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

-

-
$30
$60
$70
$35
$40
$50
$70
$45
$40
$50
$62
$60
$70
$50
$45
$60
$70
$80
$80
$100
$100
$90
$98
$50
$76
$81
$110
$95
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$100
$75
$120
$80
$98
$100
$100
$110
$110
$110
$110
$120
$110
$120
$119
$100
$100
$130
$120
$130

-
$70
$75
$84
$100
$109
$100
$130
$100

-
$90
$80
$90
$90
$110
$120

Cooling
All Tiers: Stock Cooler Included with CPU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
CPU Cooler for Micro-ATX cases:
COOLER MASTER GeminII M4 120mm
CPU Cooler for Mini-ATX cases:
The BitFenix Prodigy supports CM Hyper 212 Evo, 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 NF-P12 SSO .9k-1.3k RPM PWM
Cooler Master 120mm Red LED Fan
Cooler Master R4 Series Silent 140mm Fan
200mm Red LED fan for Cooler Master HAF cases

-

Free
$28

-
$35

-

-

$25

-

$18
$10
$12
$17
$19
$10
$10
$15

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
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
Creative Sound Blaster Tactic 3D Wrath Wireless
Logitech G930

-

Free
$43

$30

-

-

$24

$56

$71

-

$40

$60

$75

$129

-

$75

-

-

$16

$45

$53

$79

$100

$99

-

$19

$44

$88

$107

$130

$102

-

$14

$60

-

$9

$65

-

$13

$27

$58

$44

$57

$50

$84

$95

$84

$110

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
$35

-
$26
$52
$64
$99

Recommendations in details:

Motherboard:

Tier 0.5:

$48 – MSI A55M-P33 FM1 Micro-ATX: For Llano APUs

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:

$55 – ASRock FM2A75M-DGS FM2 USB3 SATA6Gb/s Micro-ATX: For Trinity APUs

Compatible only with AMD Trinity APUs, not AMD Llano APUs, AMD AM3 CPUs, 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

$75 – ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M FM2 USB3 SATA6Gb/s Micro-ATX: For Trinity APUs – Equipped with 6 phase PWM, in a Micro-ATX form factor, this motherboard offers better overclocking capabilities than the recommendation above. It also features HDMI output, E-SATA and a total of four fan connectors.

$80 – ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 FM2 SATA6Gb/s USB3 ATX: For Trinity APUs – Also equipped with 6 phase PWM, in an ATX form factor. Features six fan connectors, a total of six USB 3.0 ports, HDMI output, LED debug, reset and power buttons and includes four SATA cables. A great choice if you plan on keeping/upgrading your PC for a while, thanks to all its expansion ports.

Tier 0.75-1:

$55- Asrock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+

Compatible only with AMD Phenom II/FX CPUs, not AMD Llano/Trinity APUs nor Intel CPUs.

This motherboard offers AMD AM3+ support at a great price ($55), making it an excellent choice for Tiers 0.75 and 1 of the Budget Gaming PCs that are equipped with AMD AM3+ CPUs.

It comes with an integrated graphic processor, 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.

Note that while it is compatible with the 125W AMD Phenom II X4 965 recommended for this Tier, don’t expect to overclock it much with this motherboard, due to low number of power phase and lack of VRM cooling. See the alternative motherboard if you want one that offers good overclocking capabilities.

Also something to note: It features an IDE (PATA) port, allowing you to re-use your older IDE/PATA hard drives and/or optical drives.

Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.

Ports on the back: Four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two PS/2, VGA and DVI 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 1x slot and one PCI slot.

Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Three fan connectors (Two four pins, one three pins), two SATA 6.0Gb/s, four SATA 3.0Gb/s, one IDE/PATA and two USB 2.0 headers.

Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.

Click here to go back up to parts summary

Alternatives

$103 – GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ ATX – If you have the money, the GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 is a great upgrade, providing excellent overclocking ability (provided you use an after-market CPU Cooler), a USB 3.0 header (so you can connect a case front panel USB 3.0 port to it), four RAM slots and six SATA 6.0Gbps ports. Note that it has no video outputs, so you must have a video card to use it. Also make sure your case can fit ATX motherboards.

Click here to go back up to parts summary

Tier 2:

$50 – ASRock B75M-DGS Rev.2.0 LGA1155 SATA 6Gb/s USB3 Micro-ATX: For Intel CPUs

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 ($50), 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, twoUSB 3.0 ports, two PS/2, VGA and DVI 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 and one PCI slot.

Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Three fan connectors (Two four pins, one three pins), one SATA 6.0Gb/s, three SATA 3.0Gb/s, USB 3.0 header and two USB 2.0 headers.

Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.

Click here to go back up to parts summary

Alternatives

$90 – ASRock B75M-ITX LGA 1155 SATA6Gb/s USB3 Mini-ITX: For Intel CPUs – If you’re building a small form factor PC, this Mini ITX motherboard will give you all the features you need (and HDMI, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0) while still being very compact.

$85 – ASRock Z75 Pro3 LGA 1155 Z75 ATX: For Intel CPUs – If you have the money, the ASRock Z77 Pro4 is an excellent upgrade, providing overclocking ability (assuming your CPU supports overclocking), a PCI-e 3.0 X16 slot as well as a PCI-e 2.0 X16 slot, and of course HDMI/SATA 6Gb/s/USB 3.0 support. Make sure your case can fit ATX motherboards.

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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