So a few months ago i was looking at building my own cheap gaming rig. I had some some help and found out i could get what i want for a ballpark of around $350. I've recently been looking to see if i can do something for an even lower price. Like buying a lower end PC and just swapping out a few parts. Mainly the processor, RAM, and graphics card (or adding one). I've come across a few decent barebones that really only needed an OS, hard drive, and graphics card. I've been looking at AMD processors for the fact that they're cheaper. I'm not looking to go overboard, just something that can run modern games decently.
Low end PC to upgrade
- Thread starter john925
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Arachnotronic
Lifer
- Mar 10, 2006
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$350 is going to be a bit tough, especially given the cost of the Windows OS.
In this case it might just be a better idea to save up until you have more in the ballpark of $500-$600 and build something new.
Or if you want to get super creative, you can buy parts used and try to put something together on the cheap that way.
In this case it might just be a better idea to save up until you have more in the ballpark of $500-$600 and build something new.
Or if you want to get super creative, you can buy parts used and try to put something together on the cheap that way.
I already have the OS. I was looking at used parts as well. Plus this would would be my first build, so if the thing explodes when i fire it up, at least i didn't spend a small fortune.
Main problem would be fitting a OS in the price category(edit, you just posted you got an OS, so that's good)...if waiting and saving up is not your thing... (And I totally can't advocate going rogue and using illegal OS copies) then Linux is your BEST friend.
I mean in the end Linux can really do 95+% of whatever Windows can do...just a little work getting used to it since the majority of people only ever touched Windows...but some Linux versions emulate the windows experience pretty well.
As for upgradeability...you're not going to get a whole lot in the price segment. You can try going for a very cheap FM2+ board and see where it takes you(A friend of mine slapped on an Athlon II X2 340 on a FM2+ board as an emergency "upgrade" after his Athlon 5000+ based PC broke..and since he can play WoW pretty much maxed out on it, he sees no reason to switch..the darned thing costs like 20€/$).
Alternatively for Intel I'd probably say try to check out some cheap 1151 socket boards and throw on the cheapest pentium you can find for now.
But considering your starting point...I don't feel like you would be the type of person to ever spend a whole lot...so 1151 might be a waste if you always plan on staying in the low end cost area.
if you get dedicated graphics cards...GTX 750 and R7 250/X are cards to look at if you need a little bit of gaming power...if gaming power doesnt really matter much...a GT 730 would be your friend.
Alternatively try looking for used GTX 650s and 750s...there should be quite a few of them floating around. (if you aren't scared of used bits)
But generally...used i3s, used 860K (AMD) and used mid segment cards will be your friend as those are frequently sold after people upgrade their rigs. And even if you're going cheap...I would really not recommend going with an outdated chipset like FM2 or an older Intel Chipset...because that will just leave you without upgrade options pretty fast since the older something gets, at some point it'll be even hard to get used pieces for it.
Unless of course you can spot an ultra bargain on a 2500k or 2600k...those intel CPUs will probably remain super relevant for a few more years.
You should obviously be going for DDR3 based systems as DDR2 is expensive due to its outdatedness and DDR4 is expensive as DDR4 is currently pretty much only connected to high/er end components.
I mean in the end Linux can really do 95+% of whatever Windows can do...just a little work getting used to it since the majority of people only ever touched Windows...but some Linux versions emulate the windows experience pretty well.
As for upgradeability...you're not going to get a whole lot in the price segment. You can try going for a very cheap FM2+ board and see where it takes you(A friend of mine slapped on an Athlon II X2 340 on a FM2+ board as an emergency "upgrade" after his Athlon 5000+ based PC broke..and since he can play WoW pretty much maxed out on it, he sees no reason to switch..the darned thing costs like 20€/$).
Alternatively for Intel I'd probably say try to check out some cheap 1151 socket boards and throw on the cheapest pentium you can find for now.
But considering your starting point...I don't feel like you would be the type of person to ever spend a whole lot...so 1151 might be a waste if you always plan on staying in the low end cost area.
if you get dedicated graphics cards...GTX 750 and R7 250/X are cards to look at if you need a little bit of gaming power...if gaming power doesnt really matter much...a GT 730 would be your friend.
Alternatively try looking for used GTX 650s and 750s...there should be quite a few of them floating around. (if you aren't scared of used bits)
But generally...used i3s, used 860K (AMD) and used mid segment cards will be your friend as those are frequently sold after people upgrade their rigs. And even if you're going cheap...I would really not recommend going with an outdated chipset like FM2 or an older Intel Chipset...because that will just leave you without upgrade options pretty fast since the older something gets, at some point it'll be even hard to get used pieces for it.
Unless of course you can spot an ultra bargain on a 2500k or 2600k...those intel CPUs will probably remain super relevant for a few more years.
You should obviously be going for DDR3 based systems as DDR2 is expensive due to its outdatedness and DDR4 is expensive as DDR4 is currently pretty much only connected to high/er end components.
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I don't know if you saw my previous post, but i already have the OS so I'm not concerned with that. I'm hoping to find something that'll either last me a while after a few tweaks and upgrades, or something that i may be able to upgrade again in the future. Like a year from now a 100 bucks or so for a new mid-range graphics card, or a new processor if i have the extra money or just need a new one. It'd be nice to just go balls to the wall now and not have to worry for a few years, but that's not an option. My main concern is finding the right processor and graphics card to do what i want to do which will mainly be gaming.
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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If you already have the OS, then if you can up your budget to $423 you can get the following:
CPU: Intel Celeron G1850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116999
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws X 8GB DDR3-1600 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
Mobo: ASUS H81M-K http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132052
GPU: ASUS GTX 750 TI http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121855
HDD : 1TB Seagate Barracuda http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148840
Case: Rosewill BACKBONE http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147023
PSU: EVGA 500W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438016
Optical: ASUS 24X DVD Burner http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
This should hold up pretty darn well in most games and it should give you a nice upgrade to a used quad core Haswell + better dGPU down the line.
Now what if i were to swap out the MoBo and CPU to AMD? And go used? That'd drop the price.
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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Why would you want to go with AMD?
FWIW, if you're going used I could see going with an i7 950 + X58 as a great option for the right price.
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It's cheaper mainly. I mean unless i'm doing some hardcore multi tasking, i shouldn't have a problem with a quad core AMD. Plus it'll probably last longer than a pentium as far as needing to upgrade.
Hell if i could find an i7 for a decent price, i'd go with it. But they're pricey. I wouldn't want to go with anything lower than an i5 if i were to go with Intel. I don't want a dual core that's gonna be obsolete in a year. Maybe if i wanted a retro pc and ran Windows XP that'd be ok. My laptop has an i7 and it's total overkill. If i could upgrade the graphics in this thing i would. But i can't so i need to branch out.
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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If you really want to go AMD, then I'd say go with this combo:
AMD A4-6300 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113349
MSI A68HM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=fm2_motherboard-_-13-130-856-_-Product
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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I'd go with the Intel chip, but if you want AMD this is in roughly the same price range as the Intel chip I suggested
If you must have a quad core, and want those cores as cheap as possible, the Athlon x4 860k is a reasonable option at $75. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113379&cm_re=x4_860k-_-19-113-379-_-Product
I'd go with the Intel chip, but if you want AMD this is in roughly the same price range as the Intel chip I suggested
If you must have a quad core, and want those cores as cheap as possible, the Athlon x4 860k is a reasonable option at $75. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113379&cm_re=x4_860k-_-19-113-379-_-Product
Yeah that's one of the first AMD processors i looked at. I mean if a dual core Intel processor can cut it with modern games, then i can try it. I've found some cheap ass desktops all with core 2 duos. I just wasn't sure if they would work, or if i'd be able to make upgrades with them.
right now the delloutlet has a 25% coupon for alienware, you can get an i3 alienware for just over $350
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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Damn. See i was told to avoid pretty much anything less than a quad core if i wanted it to last.
NTMBK
Lifer
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In a few years' time, you can upgrade the Intel system to an i5 or i7. You won't be able to upgrade the FM2+ system any further.
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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Arachnotronic
Lifer
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Not new, but used you'll be able to get a good deal. And these CPUs are built as tough as bricks so there's no real issue buying used IMO.
So if i bought an old, already built pc that came with one of the core 2 duos, i'd be able to upgrade it for a fraction of the cost of building a new one from scratch right? I mean i've found some old Dell's and Lenovo's for dirt cheap. Some ram, graphics, and PSU upgrades may do the trick?
Arachnotronic
Lifer
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I wouldn't do that. Core 2 Duo is pretty slow and the platform is ancient. Better to just get something modern, pay a little bit more now, but get a more reliable, less problematic, and frankly better system.
Yuriman
Diamond Member
- Jun 25, 2004
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Sadly, no.
Even the top end 775 chips today are starting to get a bit slow for anything but casual use. Plus, power supplies don't last forever, nor do motherboards or hard drives, so you'd probably be looking at needing to replace almost everything before long.
If I were on a really tight budget, I'd grab a used workstation or small business server with a Haswell i3, or perhaps build from scratch with a Celeron or Pentium.
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