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Thread ID: 145668 2017-12-30 22:33:00 Super Budget Gaming Build hueybot3000 (3646) Press F1
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1444207 2017-12-30 22:33:00 My little sister is after a computer that can run GTA 5 (among other things but this is the most demanding of the games she wants to play) but has a very limited budget. Say $400 max.
She has just started her first job since being on school holidays and is saving for a car (hasn't got her license yet though!) so any money spent on the pc comes out of the car budget and I'd much rather see the money spent on a better car.

This means secondhand parts. Looking on trademe I've specced out the following build based on what is available on a regular basis...
i7 2600 (cpu, generic mobo & 8GB ram combo) ~$150
GTX 1050 ~$200
Case ~$10
Branded 400W PSU ~ $40

Total $400.

We will pick up a 1080p monitor, mouse & keyboard seperately.
I have a couple of hard drives she can use for storage but it would be great to squeeze in a boot SSD.

Does anyone have suggestions for improvement? I'd like to have a better upgrade path for her but I can't see any budget friendly options.
hueybot3000 (3646)
1444208 2017-12-31 00:19:00 This means secondhand parts. Looking on trademe I've specced out the following build based on what is available on a regular basis...
i7 2600 (cpu, generic mobo & 8GB ram combo) ~$150
GTX 1050 ~$200
Case ~$10
Branded 400W PSU ~ $40

Total $400.


Check Toms:

www.tomshardware.com

Shows the rankings, ATi - Nvidia. getting last years (or year befores) higher end card is a sensible way to go when on a budget.
Try forum sales too, GPForums for instance, can be cheaper than trademe.
piroska (17583)
1444209 2017-12-31 01:31:00 Did you forget the OS in the budget or you have one?
And I have my doubts as to the wisdom of a $40 PSU, saves money now but it could die on you later

One way to get a cheap gaming PC that is popular overseas is to buy an ex-lease business class PC and put a low profile 1050 or 1050ti in it. You just have to make sure you get one with a PCI-E expansion slot.
Still hard to get under $400 though, especially as most of the cheaper ones only have 4gb of RAM but it does include the OS

Here's an example hungrypc.co.nz but upgrading to 8gb RAM makes it $275 and you'd have to check if it has room for a graphics card. I found that supplier pretty good to deal with but only used them once.
dugimodo (138)
1444210 2018-01-02 11:03:00 Check Toms:

www.tomshardware.com

Shows the rankings, ATi - Nvidia. getting last years (or year befores) higher end card is a sensible way to go when on a budget.
Try forum sales too, GPForums for instance, can be cheaper than trademe.

Thanks that's a handy page. Saves me a bunch of time.


Did you forget the OS in the budget or you have one?
And I have my doubts as to the wisdom of a $40 PSU, saves money now but it could die on you later

One way to get a cheap gaming PC that is popular overseas is to buy an ex-lease business class PC and put a low profile 1050 or 1050ti in it. You just have to make sure you get one with a PCI-E expansion slot.
Still hard to get under $400 though, especially as most of the cheaper ones only have 4gb of RAM but it does include the OS

Here's an example hungrypc.co.nz but upgrading to 8gb RAM makes it $275 and you'd have to check if it has room for a graphics card. I found that supplier pretty good to deal with but only used them once.

I buy windows from one of the "grey" sources. Otherwise I have a Windows 7 key here that will do the job for what she wants.
The $40 PSU was based on a second hand good brand PSU. If it's only a few years old then it should have plenty of life left in it.

The complete pc idea is a good one however I think I'll have trouble getting one with a case that will fit a full height PCI as most seem to be the low profile ones. I'll have a good look though.

Another thought is that a business class pc might only have a PSU rated for the hardware installed in it :confused:
hueybot3000 (3646)
1444211 2018-01-02 11:53:00 Some of those business desktops have the graphics hardware locked up and WILL not let you use any non approved graphics card

Try facebook marketplace for a local prebuilt used pc.
apsattv (7406)
1444212 2018-01-02 22:16:00 I mentioned a low profile 1050 or 1050ti specifically as they have low power requirements and will fit in a low profile case, however I should mention that it makes an ok gaming machine with no upgrade path and a PSU that's nearing it's limits.
Nevertheless people do do it successfully and if you google the specific model you are looking at with the added phrases "graphics upgrade" or "gaming" you often find out quickly what others have done with that PC.
It's also possible to find full tower ex-lease PCs, they are just less common.

Not the only option, but one I thought worth mentioning. Not something I'd do either. My idea of a "Budget" gaming PC is a 1060, 8GB of RAM, and an i5 8400, you won't get that for $400 :p
dugimodo (138)
1444213 2018-01-09 02:52:00 I'd go for the low-profile 1050Ti and get a refurbished PC from somewhere like PBTech.

Just make sure the case will take the larger PSU, often times they have screwy connectors, weird physical sizes etc that prevent that kind of thing.

I'm with Dugimodo though, getting a 1060 is a nice leap over and above the 1050 / 1050Ti.
Chilling_Silence (9)
1444214 2018-01-12 00:14:00 My little sister is after a computer that can run GTA 5 (among other things but this is the most demanding of the games she wants to play) but has a very limited budget. Say $400 max.
She has just started her first job since being on school holidays and is saving for a car (hasn't got her license yet though!) so any money spent on the pc comes out of the car budget and I'd much rather see the money spent on a better car.

This means secondhand parts. Looking on trademe I've specced out the following build based on what is available on a regular basis...
i7 2600 (cpu, generic mobo & 8GB ram combo) ~$150
GTX 1050 ~$200
Case ~$10
Branded 400W PSU ~ $40

Total $400.

We will pick up a 1080p monitor, mouse & keyboard seperately.
I have a couple of hard drives she can use for storage but it would be great to squeeze in a boot SSD.

Does anyone have suggestions for improvement? I'd like to have a better upgrade path for her but I can't see any budget friendly options.

I got a spare 80GB SSD you can have.
DeSade (984)
1444215 2018-01-23 08:02:00 I got a spare 80GB SSD you can have.

Cheers that's very generous of you. She got her license last week so I think she's car hunting. I'll post back here if she finds budget for pc and see if it's still around.
hueybot3000 (3646)
1444216 2018-01-29 12:08:00 Cheers that's very generous of you. She got her license last week so I think she's car hunting. I'll post back here if she finds budget for pc and see if it's still around.

Sweet as
You know where I am :)
DeSade (984)
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