Version 3.9.1 : Updated on November 8th 2013
What’s new in Version 3.9.1:
New main motherboard recommendation for Tier 0.5 and 0.75: The GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-D3H. The previously recommended ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M was a great choice at $70, but with its current higher price ($88), the GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-D3H is a better choice because it’s more reliable and because it’s based on the newer A88X chipset and features the FM2+ socket, meaning that it’s ready to accept the future AMD Kaveri APUs that are expect in Q1 2014. It also brings PCI-Express 3.0 support
New main motherboard recommendation for Tier 1 and 2: The GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P. The previously recommended ASRock 960GM/U3S3 didn’t support onboard USB 3.0 and only supported CPUs with TDP up to 95W, greatly limiting CPUs upgrade to more powerful models. This is no longer a problem with the new recommendation.
The case recommendation for Tier 1 and 2 has been upgraded to the newer model which has front USB 3.0 connections that connects to the USB 3.0 header of the new motherboard recommendation for Tier 1-2.
Tier 1 and 2 can now be upgraded to two more powerful CPUs, the FX-6350 and the FX-8320, thanks to the new motherboard main recommendation which supports 125W CPUs.
New alternative video card: The Radeon R9 270X, at the $210 price point.
New pre-built PC alternative recommendation for Tier 0.5
Prices has been updated.
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 MSI Geforce GTX 760 2GB, the video card 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 four Tiers:
Tier 0.5: (Identified by a Red color): $395
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. With an after-market CPU Cooler, which is suggested in this guide, Tier 0.5 can be safely overclocked to reach even higher performance, despite its rock bottom price for a Gaming PC!
You don’t want to build Tier 0.5 and you would rather just buy a pre-built Gaming PC? The HP Pavilion P6-2350, $479.95 at B&H (International shipping) offers a Gaming PC performance that’s slowly lower than Tier 0.5, thanks to its AMD A8-5600K APU. It also comes with 8GB of RAM and a large 1TB hard drive. At its price, it’s a good deal for a pre-built PC.
Of course, keep in mind that you can build Tier 0.5 for less money or get higher performance at a similar price with Tier 0.75. Nonetheless, if building a PC isn’t an option or if you live outside the USA, the HP Pavilion P6-2350 is an option to consider.
Tier 0.75 (Identified by a Fuchsia color): $460
This is our lowest cost Gaming PC with a dedicated video card. It 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. While it can be overclocked as it is, you’ll get the best overclocking results with an after-market CPU Cooler and an upgraded power supply.
Tier 1 (Identified by a Green color): $540
Great entry-level gaming machine, perfect for gaming at a 1680 x 1050 or 1920 x 1080 (although with possibly lower graphic settings). While it can be overclocked as it is, you’ll get the best overclocking results with an upgraded motherboard, an after-market CPU Cooler and an upgraded power supply.
Tier 2 (Identified by an Orange color): $665
This Tier can handle most games at high/max settings at 1920 x 1080/1080p. While it can be overclocked as it is, you’ll get the best overclocking results with an upgraded motherboard, an after-market CPU Cooler and especially an upgraded power supply.
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 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 want a simple template to follow, stick to the recommended parts for a Tier.
Budget Gaming PCs Tiers:
Tier 0.5 (in Red): AMD high-end APU(CPU+iGPU)
Tier 0.75 (in Fuchsia): Lowest cost Gaming PC with a dedicated video card
Tier 1 (in Green): Six-Core 3.5-4.1GHz CPU, more powerful video card
Tier 2: (in Orange): Even more powerful GPU; Ideal for a low-cost 1080p Gaming PC
Click on a component’s name (e.g. CPU) to jump to the detailed section of it.
Price
$395
$460
$540
$665
CPU
AMD FM2 APUs/CPUs: Only compatible with FM2/FM2+ motherboards.
Tier 0.5: AMD A10-5800K Trinity Radeon HD 7660HD Unlocked
Tier 0.75: AMD Athlon X4 750K Quad-Core 3.4-4GHz Turbo Unlocked FM2
AMD AM3+ CPUs: Only compatible with AM3+ motherboards.
Tier 1-2: AMD FX-6300 Six-Core 3.5-4.1GHz AM3+ Unlocked
AMD FX-6350 Six-Core 3.9-4.2GHz AM3+ Unlocked
AMD FX-8320 Eight-Core 3.5-4.0GHz AM3+ Unlocked
-
-
$110
$80
-
$119
$140
$160
Motherboard
FM2 motherboards: Only compatible with AMD FM2 APUs/CPUs.
Tier 0.5-0.75: GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XM-D3H FM2+SATA6Gb/s USB3 MicroATX
ASRock FM2A88X Extreme6+ FM2+ SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ FM2+ SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX
AM3+ motherboards: Only compatible with AMD AM3+ CPUs.
Tier 1-2: GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3P AM3+/AM3 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
ATX form factor motherboards: Largest, compatible with ATX cases only
Micro-ATX: Smaller, compatible with Micro-ATX/ATX cases
Mini-ITX: Smallest, compatible with Mini-ITX/Micro-ATX and some ATX cases
-
-
$85
$110
$100
-
$65
-
-
-
RAM
All Tiers: G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1.5v DDR3 1866MHz
G.Skill 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1866MHz
G.Skill 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1866MHz
-
$47
$85
$160
Video Card
Tier 0.5: Radeon HD 7660D – Integrated
Tier 0.75: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHZ 1 GB
Sapphire Radeon HD 7790 1GB
Tier 1: Radeon HD 7850 2GB
Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz OC 2GB
MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB
Tier 2: GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB
Monitors:
- 1440 x 900 monitor (Ideal for Tier 0.5): Asus VS198D-P 5ms 19″
Dell UltraSharp 1909W Matte USB Hub
- 1600 x 900 monitor (Ideal for Tier 0.75): AOC e2050Swd 20″ 5ms
Acer S201HL 20″ 5ms LED
Samsung B350 S20B350H 20″ 2ms HDMI LED-Lit
- 1920 x 1080 monitor (Tier 1 or 2): Acer H226HQL bid 21.5″ 5ms IPS 1080p
Dell S2340M 293M3-IPS-LED 23″ 5ms IPS 1080p
ASUS VS239H-P 23″ Full HD 1080p IPS 5ms
ASUS VN247H-P 24″ Full HD 1080p 1ms
-
Free
$95
$122
$150
$180
$210
$260
-
$108
$120
$90
$100
$130
$140
$140
$150
$185
Storage
Hard drive:
Tier 0.5-0.75-1-2: Seagate ST500DM002 500 GB SATA III
Seagate ST1000DM003 1 TB SATA III
Seagate ST2000DM001 2TB SATA III
Seagate ST3000DM001 3TB SATA III
SSD (Solid State Drive):
Kingston V300 2.5″ 64GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 2.5″ 120GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 2.5″ 250GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 2.5″ 500GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 2.5″ 750GB SATA III SSD
Samsung 840 EVO 2.5″ 1TB SATA III SSD
-
-
$52
$65
$90
$120
-
$65
$100
$175
$340
$494
$572
Optical Drive
All Tiers: ASUS SATA 24X DVD Burner
Pioneer Black 15X SATA Blu-Ray/CD/DVD Burner
Blank Disks:
JVC Taiyo Yuden 100-Disc 52X CDR CD-R 80min 700MB
Verbatim 4.7GB 16x DVD-R 50-Disc Spindle
Verbatim 4.7GB 16x DVD-R 100-Disc Spindle
Verbatim DVD+R DL 8.5 GB 8x Double Layer 50 Disc
Verbatim 25GB 6x Blu-Ray BD-R 25-Disc Spindle
Verbatim 25GB 6x Blu-Ray BD-R 50-Disc Spindle
HP Blu-Ray BD-R 6X 50GB Dual Layer 10-Disc
DIGISTOR Blu-Ray BD-R 6X 50GB Dual Layer 25-Disc
Verbatim Blu-Ray BD-R 6X 50GB Dual Layer 100-Disc
Disk Sleeves and Cases:
100 White Paper CD Sleeves with Window & Flap
100 Black Paper CD Sleeves with Window & Flap
100 Multi-color Paper CD Sleeves with Window & Flap
50 Standard Clear Disk Jewel Case
100 Slim Clear Disk Jewel Case
Verbatim 50 Slim Multi-color Disk Jewel Case
25 Double Slimline Disk Jewel Cases
-
$22
$58
-
$28
$13
$21
$55
$25
$60
$36
$79
$134
-
$4
$5
$7
$22
$21
$12
$12
Power Supply
Tiers 0.5-0.75-1: Antec VP-450 450W
Tier 2: SilverStone Strider 500W 80 PLUS
SilverStone 600W 80 PLUS
SilverStone ST50F-P 500W 80PLUS BRONZE Modular
SilverStone PP05 Set of Short Cables for PSU
-
$35
$50
$65
$75
$20
Case
ATX cases: Compatible with ATX/Micro-ATX motherboards, some with Mini-ITX
NZXT GAMMA Classic 1x 120mm fan
Corsair Carbide 200R 2x120mm USB 3.0 x2
Rosewill R5 3x120mm USB 3.0 Fan Controller
Tier 1-2: Rosewill Challenger U3 USB 3.0 x2, 2 x 120mm, 1 x 140mm fans
NZXT Source 210 Black 1x120mm
NZXT Source 210 White 1x120mm
NZXT Source 210 White Elite 2x120mm
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
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
COUGAR Spike Micro-ATX 1x 120mm fan
Fractal Design Core 1000 1x120mm
Rosewill LINE-M Micro-ATX 2x USB 3.0 2x 120mm Fan
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
Corsair Obsidian Series 350D
Corsair Obsidian Series 350D w/ Window
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
BitFenix Prodigy Blue with Side Panel Window 2x120mm
BitFenix Prodigy Green with Side Panel Window 2x120mm
-
-
$30
$60
$70
$50
$40
$40
$50
$45
$40
$50
$62
$60
$70
$50
$45
$60
$70
$80
$80
$100
$100
$90
$98
$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
-
$35
$36
$44
$70
$75
$84
$80
$100
$100
$109
$100
$130
$100
-
$90
$80
$90
$90
$100
$90
Cooling
All Tiers: Stock Cooler Included with CPU
Low-noise/good cooling performance: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
CPU Cooler for the smallest Micro-ATX cases:
COOLER MASTER GeminII M4 120mm
Case fans: Double-check which size of fans your case accepts before ordering
120mm:
Masscool BLD-12025V1 Blue LEDs 60 CFM 23.5dBA
MassCool BLD-12025V1R Red LEDs 60 CFM 23.5dBA
Gelid FN-SX12-10 37 CFM 20dBA
Gelid FN-PX12-15 Up to 58 CFM 12-25.5dBA PWM
AeroCool Shark Black 32.5/82.6CFM 12.6/26.5dBA
AeroCool Shark Red LEDs 32.5/82.6CFM 12.6/26.5dBA
AeroCool Shark Blue LEDs 32.5/82.6CFM 12.6/26.5dBA
AeroCool Shark White LEDs 32.5/82.6CFM 12.6/26.5dBA
AeroCool Shark Green LEDs 32.5/82.6CFM 12.6/26.5dBA
COUGAR CF-V12HP Up to 70.5CFM Up to 17.9dBA PWM
Noctua NF-P12 12.6-17-19.8dBA 37-46-54CFM
Cougar Turbine CFT12SB4 60CFM 17.7dBA Pack of 4 fans – Black
Cougar Turbine CFT12S4 60CFM 17.7dBA Pack of 4 fans – Orange
140mm:
AeroCool Shark Black 50/96.5CFM 14.5/29.6dBA
AeroCool Shark Red LEDs 50/96.5CFM 14.5/29.6dBA
AeroCool Shark Blue LEDs 50/96.5CFM 14.5/29.6dBA
AeroCool Shark White LEDs 50/96.5CFM 14.5/29.6dBA
AeroCool Shark Green LEDs 50/96.5CFM 14.5/29.6dBA
COUGAR CF-V14H 140mm 70CFM/19.2dBA or 55CFM/16.4dBA
Noctua NF-A14 FLX 140mm 13.8/16.4/19.2dBA 52.2/60/68CFM
200mm:
Cooler Master MegaFlow 200mm Black or Blue LEDs or Red LEDs
Fan controllers:
Lamptron FC2 6 Fan Controller, 45W per channel
FrozenCPU Deluxe Multi Power Port – 12V / 7V / 5V
4-Pin Molex Fan controller
-
Free
$31
-
$30
-
-
$7
$11
$7
$11
$15
$18
$18
$18
$18
$18
$18
$32
$30
-
$19
$20
$20
$19
$12
$13
$19
-
$16
-
$43
$15
$6
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
ASUS Xonar DGX 5.1 PCI-Express 1x 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):
Creative A220 2.1 9W
Logitech Z313 2.1 25W
Logitech Z323 2.1 30W
Logitech Z523 2.1 40W
Logitech Z623 2.1 200W
Corsair SP2500 2.1 232W
5.1 (5 satellites + sub-woofer)
Logitech Z506 5.1 75W
Logitech Z906 5.1 500W
Headphones/Earphones:
Open Design Headphones:
Koss KSC75 Clip on headphones
Koss PortaPro
Superlux HD668B
Grado SR-60i
Grado SR-80i
Audio Technica ATH-AD700
Sennheiser HD558
Grado SR225i
Sennheiser HD 598
Grado SR325is
Closed Design Headphones:
Koss UR-20
Panasonic RP-HTX7 (In Black, Blue, Red, White, Cream, Pink or Green)
Audio-Technica ATH-M30
Shure SRH440
Audio Technica ATH-A700
Audio Technica ATH-M50S (Straight 10ft Cable)
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 (Coiled Cable)
Sennheiser HD25-1 II
In-Ear Headphones:
Sony MDREX58V EX Black, Blue, Red, Silver, Violet or White
Sony MDRXB60EX/GLD Gold Extra Bass
Logitech Ultimate Ears 600
Bose IE2
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