[clever_and_original]

I have $500 to build a gaming rig with!  Anybody have suggestions on parts?

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  clever_and_original,

 

$500 is a bit too tight of a budget to get a top spec build and even more so if you also need to purchase a new Windows OS product key, let us know what games you wish to play, on what settings and if you also need to purchase an OS such as Windows 7 etc and we can see what we can come up with for you, it will most likely need to be an AMD build and possibly based around an FX6300 CPU.

[phillpower2]

  clever_and_original,

 

$500 is a bit too tight of a budget to get a top spec build and even more so if you also need to purchase a new Windows OS product key, let us know what games you wish to play, on what settings and if you also need to purchase an OS such as Windows 7 etc and we can see what we can come up with for you, it will most likely need to be an AMD build and possibly based around an FX6300 CPU.

[clever_and_original]

The games I'm the most interested in are Payday 2, the Mass Effect Trilogy, and Knights of the Old Republic 2.  On a secondary tier, I'm also interested in Skyrim, MGS 5, and Dishonored.  It would also be cool if I could get SEUS shaders for Minecraft, but I've heard that that one can crash even the best rigs.  I would settle for pretty low graphical settings, I just want to be able to play these games at all, and afford it.  I understand that I'll have to go over my original budget, but please bear in mind that cost is the prime factor for me.  And yes, it seems I'll need to buy a Windows OS--so would 7 or 10 be better for these games?

 

Thanks for the quick response!

[phillpower2]

Best Answer

The following build will play all of the games that you mention with ease clever_and_original parts list

 

Windows 7 DVDs are becoming harder to find but if you can get one for less than the cost of Windows 10 64-bit on disk you could go the upgrade route in the future, if me though I would purchase a retail version of Windows 10 now and avoid the hassle of installing Windows 7 and the multitude of updates only to end upgrading to W10 in any event, having the Windows 10 disk as opposed to downloading it also gives you the added bonus of being able to do a fresh install or system repair from a genuine disk as opposed to a downloaded ISO.

 

You are welcome   

[iammykyl]

Gday.

Hope you don't mind a suggestion for an Intel build, this will also play your listed games.  Not knocking the AMD build, would have slightly better performance with the GTX 960, but the Z170 is a better platform and the CPU upgrade path is excellent. 

OS not included, NOTE promotions end soon, > http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xXQwdC

The RAM is tested on the MB, > http://www.gskill.co...4-2666c15d-8gvr

Benefit of using the faster RAM, > 

would performance be acceptable for you? Minecraft GTX 950 SEUS shades, click the video you want and when it starts to play, click YouTube at bottom right.

> http://www.magcartz....us-shaders.aspx

You can use the search box to look for other games, or CPU/GPU comparisons, >  http://www.magcartz....vs-gtx-960.aspx

[phillpower2]

I did try to do an Intel based build but many of the games mentioned in reply #3 have a quad core CPU recommendation by system requirements lab with MGS V and Dishonoured being particularly CPU intensive, MGS V requires a minimum of an Intel Core i5-4460 (3.40 GHz) or better; Quad-core or better, couldnt be anywhere near done on an Intel build so went the AMD route instead  . 

[iammykyl]

Sorry, did not look at system requirements, researched MGS on Game Debate where the i3 got a 86% score.  

"Fortunately, The Phantom Pain is relatively light on CPU use, and even our Haswell Core i3 processor doesn't get close to hitting full capacity in its most intensive scenes."

> http://www.eurogamer...r-solid-5-on-pc

 

"Similarly to Mad Max – and Ground Zeroes – Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is easy on the CPU. A simulated dual-core CPU (with Hyper Threading enabled) was more than enough to provide a 60fps experience."

> http://www.dsogaming...mance-analysis/

[iammykyl]

Gday clever_and_original,

My apologies for not researching enough and missing the min system requirements.   As the Intel build does not meet them, to be assured of having no issues,  Go with Phillpowers2's AMD build, with a faster CPU and better GPU, it will do the job.

 

Thanks Phillpower2 for picking up my mistake.   Hopefully I did not cause too much confusion.   

 

 

[clever_and_original]

Thanks very much guys!  Ordered phillpower2's suggested parts yesterday!

[iammykyl]

 

While waiting for your parts, you could download the user manuals from their websites to familiarize yourself with them.

If you need any build assistance, let us know.   

[iammykyl]

Gday.

How did the build go? up and running yet?