Budget PC Build Guide ($500 - $1200 builds)

Intel_man

VIP Member
EDIT: This thread is currently obsolete. Will update some day...

So there's always a bunch of new members coming on here to ask for a budget build help, and I think there should be a guide to help these people. So I'm going to start it off. Feel free to help me out here to create more diverse builds. Also, be sure to include in the build a copy of Windows 10 and a dvd writer when you create a parts list. (Now optional, since no one really wants to include it for w/e the reason. I'll put a ** on the ones that don't include it)

Goal of this guide
The goal to this guide is to provide people who are new or relatively new to building computers with an idea what components you can get with the budget they have. Feel free to modify any of the builds listed below to suit your needs and as necessary due to price changes.


Disclaimer
  1. The following builds will primarily be based in US purchases and US pricing.
  2. Prices of components may change over time due to availability and/or other unforeseen circumstances.
  3. Use this as a general guide only.
  4. If you would like to add or replace parts with different components and is unsure about compatibility with the rest of the system, feel free to create a separate thread, ask the question and refer to this Guide.
  5. Prices are based off of the dates in brackets
$500 Builds

1. $473.50 (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i3 6100, 8gb ram, z170 mobo, 1tb hdd, corsair CX500
2. $559.81** (Prices @ March 3, 2017)​
  • I3 7300, Gigabyte GA-H270-HD3, 8Gb RAM, CS1311 120Gb, 1Tb HDD 7200 RPM 64Mb, RX 460, EVGA 500
$600 Builds

1. $583.49 after $20 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i3 6100, 8gb ram, z170 mobo, R7 370, 1tb hdd, corsair CX500
$700 Builds

1. $682.37 after $10 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i3 6100, 8gb ram, z170 mobo, RX 480 4G*, 1tb hdd, corsair CX500
2. $764.56** (Prices @ March 3, 2017)​
  • I5 7500, Gigabyte GA-H270-HD3, 16Gb RAM, 850 EVO 250Gb, 1Tb HDD 7200RPM 64Mb, Rx 470, Seasonic S12II 620W
$800 Builds

1. $772.37 after $10 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i5 6500, 8gb ram, z170 mobo, RX 480 4G*, 1tb hdd, corsair CX500
$900 Builds

1. $901.87 after $45 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i5 6600k, 16gb ram, z170 mobo, RX 480 4G*, 250gb ssd, corsair CX650M
2. $913.69** (Prices @ March 3, 2017)​
  • I5 7600K, Cryorig H7, Asus Z270 Mark, 2 16Gb RAM, 850 EVO 250Gb, RX 480 4Gb , Seasonic S12II 620W, 1Tb HDD 7200 RPM 64Mb
$1000 Builds

1. $1001.36 after $45 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i5 6600k, 16gb ram, z170 mobo, RX 480 8G*, 250gb ssd, 1tb hdd, corsair CX650M
$1200 Builds

1. $1211.35 after $45 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i7 6700k, H80i GT AIO, 16gb ram, z170 mobo, RX 480 8G*, 250gb ssd, 1tb hdd, corsair CX650M
2. $1197.34 after $60 MIR (Prices @ June 23, 2016)​
  • i5 6600k, 16gb ram, z170 mobo, GTX 1070, 250gb ssd, 1tb hdd, corsair CX650M
3. $1209.28** after $60 MIR (Prices @ March 9, 2017)​
  • i5 7600k, 16gb ram, z270 mobo, GTX 1080, 250gb ssd, 1tb hdd, SeaSonic S12II 620W
*RX480 at the time this build was created is very close to being released, and prices are based on AMD announcements. Prices are subjected to change.

**Prices do not include an OS.
 
Last edited:

Intel_man

VIP Member
Lol, credit to where it's due. @Laquer Head mentioned it in one of the convos I'm having with him "offline". I just so happen to be bored at the time the idea was thrown onto the table and made it happen.

@johnb35, not sure how to finish this guide tbh. I was thinking more along the lines of continuous updates to the master list in accordance to new tech releases and then perhaps archive the older builds. Of course though, it will be helpful to have others here post their build list in this thread so I can update the master list to include them along with a general description of what is in the build just like it is shown right now.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
You can always hit me up for help with AMD builds but in all honesty they're pretty useless currently except for super low budget APU setups. If you need any help at all with this though I'm happy to help. I quite like writing guides. :)
 

Intel_man

VIP Member
With a name like Intel Man was I foolish to expect any sort of AMD build thrown in there? ;)
Pfffttttt. Mr. smarty pants. Even our resident AMD fanboy doesn't think it's wise to throw an AMD build on there unless it's that APU crap. :D:D

You're more than welcome to make some builds with AMD and I'm more than happy to put them on the list.

You can always hit me up for help with AMD builds but in all honesty they're pretty useless currently except for super low budget APU setups. If you need any help at all with this though I'm happy to help. I quite like writing guides. :)
 

Calin

Well-Known Member
@Intel_man 1080 with a locked i5 for 1237. You can add something like a Hyper 212 later.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-D3HP ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($90.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Video Card ($649.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1232.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-24 18:35 EDT-0400
 

Intel_man

VIP Member
@Calin, please read the following and resubmit.

Also, be sure to include in the build a copy of Windows 10 and a dvd writer when you create a parts list.

This requirement is so that the builds are clear cut for new members and ensures that the build itself is ready out of the box to install Windows 10 with the included DVD.
 

Calin

Well-Known Member
@Intel_man I know you will kill me for this but I'd rather go AMD/1080 over Intel/1070 unless you play at 120hz and above.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($149.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($68.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Video Card ($649.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($14.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1249.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-24 19:51 EDT-0400
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
I'm wondering if it would be best to only have a couple people working on this project so it doesn't get out of hand, somebody that knows what they are doing. And I think doing AM3+ builds right now would be bad since AM4 is coming out soon.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Agreed. And maybe a discussion thread for it (this) and a separate official post managed by one/two members/mods to facilitate uniformity.
 
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