Question500$ Gaming PC
Question500$ Gaming PC
Hello Everyone,
My friend is planning to purchase a gaming PC for 500$ this year.
I'm searching for a new build suitable for Full HD.
He usually plays Hearts of Iron IV, Europa Universalis IV, Crusader Kings III and CS2 mainly.
Thank you all ahead for recommending the specifications and your help is greatly appreciated.
Start here: *How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice* How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel... forums. Answer all the questions.
Excluded OS, Monitor and Computer Peripherals. Only PC components included.
PCPartPicker List of Components
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor
($179.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
MSI PRO A620M-E Micro ATX AM5 Board
($69.99 @ MSI)
Memory:
Kingston FURY Beast 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 RAM
($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVMe SSD
($59.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Case:
Phanteks XT PRO ATX Mid Tower Housing
($74.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:
MSI MAG A650BN 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Unit
($59.99 @ Amazon)
Overall Cost:
$493.94
Included are shipping, taxes, and any applicable discounts.
Generated by PCPartPicker
2025-03-22 10:07 EDT-0400
This item is suitable for 500 units; the selection focuses on IGUI settings. The CPU performs adequately, while the motherboard and RAM are more affordable. For optimal IGUI results, the RAM should reach at least 6000 CL 32.
Given the limited budget, consider a Console or a refurbished PC.
PCPartPicker Part List
Best affordable option meeting gaming requirements.
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5500 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
($81.30 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte A520M K V2 Micro ATX AM4
($85.00 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16
($47.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: PNY CS900 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
($44.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 6600 8 GB
($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Zalman T3 PLUS MicroATX Mid Tower Case
($38.90 @ Newegg Sellers)
Power Supply: MSI MAG A650BN 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX
($59.99 @ Amazon)
Overall Cost: $568.16
Includes shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
Created by PCPartPicker
2025-03-22 10:46 EDT-0400
Intels LGA 1700 actually shines pretty brightly in the budget segment, normally id try to figure out an AM5 build, but id be hard pressed to find something AM5 that doesn't cost a good bit more than below. I also went with Intel's Arc cards because they're in much better shape than they were a year ago, and an A750 is a pretty decent card now, you still need to make sure to enable above 4GB encoding and resizable bar in the bios though. If i could spend about 50 bucks more id swap out the ssd, ram, and powersupply for some slightly better stuff, but the ones currently in the list should work fine for years.
PCPartPicker Part List
Https://pcpartpicker.com/list/cbn33w
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/pQNxFT/...071512400f) | $110.40 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [ASRock H670 PG Riptide ATX LGA1700 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bRhFf7/...pg-riptide) | $94.99 @ Amazon
**Memory** | [Patriot Viper Steel 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/v3FKHx/...432g320c6k) | $39.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Silicon Power P34A60 512 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/94gQzy/...bp34a60m28) | $30.97 @ Newegg Sellers
**Video Card** | [ASRock Challenger SE OC Arc A750 8 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9JJp99/...-cl-se-8go) | $199.99 @ Newegg
**Case** | [be quiet! Silent Base 600 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RvfmP6/...case-bgw06) | $29.82 @ Amazon
**Power Supply** | [PowerSpec PS 650BF 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4xhKHx/...y-ps-650bf) | $56.99 @ Amazon
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$563.15**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2025-03-22 12:54 EDT-0400 |