Kill Your Console - $350-400 Gaming Rig

Hey guys, it's time for a new round of gaming PC builds. Today, we're gonna go for low-budget, entry level builders; people who don't want to play the latest games at the highest settings or who can't immediately build their dream rig.

Now, I'm gonna say this, cause a lot of people seem to think that PC gaming can't be better than consoles at this price. Well, here's the thing: Even if you can't max out the games at this price range, you have more variety, more versatility, and better functionality than a console gives you. The Xbox One and PS4 have about 40 or so games between them, probably less. The PC has over 2500 available on Steam and many other places, plus the myriad of free to play games online.

So, how about we get going with this build, shall we?

CPU: AMD A10-5800k
This is an APU, a CPU and GPU on the same chip. This saves us money because we aren't going to need to buy a graphics card and a separate CPU. Now, this won't play all the games at 1080p, but I will say that coupled with fast RAM, this will play a lot of fun, awesome looking games at good graphics at 1080p. It will even play Battlefield 3 at 1080p on low settings, or medium settings if you lower the resolution and fool around. Might even play Battlefield 4.

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M
That's a mouthful. This Mobo is pretty much a great motherboard for this rig. Not only does it allow RAM speeds up to 2400MHz, but it also is a micro-ATX motherboard with Crossfire support. That's really awesome, because it gives us a lot of space. I may even put this Mobo into a rig later. (Use PCPartPicker link)

RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB @ 2400MHz
This is where the GPU on the APU will get all it's power from. Fast RAM means that the GPU can process things faster, so having this RAM will greatly increase framerates, especially at resolutions like 720p and 1080p. Again, you might not be able to make the game shine, but it will be great for in between upgrades.

HDD: Western Digital RE3 1TB
I have no idea what the RE3 stands for, but it's a 1TB drive for less than $60. That's great value, so get it.

PSU: Corsair CX500M
This PSU is really good for the money. Not only does it give ample space for future upgrades, but it is also semi-modular, which means we only use the cables we want. If you wanted to, you could even get a short cable kit to cut down more on cables, depending on your case. Also, I have one.

Case: Rosewill Ranger-M
As I said before, cases are very subjective, but I chose this case to showcase what I usually look for. You may like something else, but I like the front fan with the rear fan and all that for really good air flow. It doesn't have front USB3, but you can always change it if you want. Contact me if you want a different case, or go ask the people at the TekSyndicate forum, and they'll definitely give some input (expect many Fractal cases).

Total price (PCPartPicker): $401.87 (after discounts and shipping)

Future GPU Upgrade: HIS IceQ2 R7 260X or HIS IceQ2 R9 270
You will probably want to upgrade your system in the future, and the best upgrade for this is a new graphics card. Well, I have two options for you. If you want a decent machine for your money, get the R7 260X. It's at a great price right now, and is definitely my contender for "Mantle Baby" when Mantle starts getting implemented into games. If you have about $60 more to spend, I recommend the R9 270. Not only is this card better than the R9 270X when overclocked, but even with its stock settings it is an amazing card. I highly recommend it. (buy them from Newegg. They're cheaper than Amazon.)


So your base build is great, and after a few months of getting used to PC gaming, plop in a graphics card and run with the big dogs. I think this is a great machine for anyone looking to get into PC gaming, so if you are wondering what to do next gen, this is definitely an option.

Happy gaming.

Game recommendation: Humble Bundle Bohemia Interactive
Not just one game, you get 8 amazing games and the mod of the century in this bundle. From the makers of ArmA, they've partnered with Humble Bundle to bring their most beloved games together for charity, and you name your own price. I can't say for all the games, but the ArmA series is great, as it DayZ, and $6 for the ArmA games is well worth the price of admission, and you may even find a game you like in the others, a hidden gem of sorts. So buy the bundle, support some charities, and have fun.