Cheap first build

[gaz90]

Hi all. Absolute newbie here looking to build a very cheap gaming PC. Other than helping a family friend with the build of a PC when I was in my early teens, I've got very little idea on how to build one or what to look for, but I'm after a bit of a project and would like to learn!

My wife and I are looking for a fairly basic gaming PC to play games like Plant Coaster and Football Manager on (though our tastes might evolve into games that are more demanding) and we'd ideally like the best spec we can get for our limited budget. We're looking to spend £350-450 on the build (preferably towards the lower end) but I'm not even sure if that's possible.

I was preferably looking for a system with 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD and a strong CPU (amongst everything else needed to build a gaming PC from scratch) but I don't know if this will be affordable with my kind of budget. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Joxeon]

Hi, this is the cheapest i could put together for an entry level gaming PC with new parts.

You might be able to pick up some deals on used stuff to bring the price down further.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x **B Grade** Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherbaord= £70.00
• 1 x Bitfenix Formula Series 450W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply= £59.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey= £59.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 3 3100 Quad Core 3.9GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £99.95
• 1 x WD Green 3D NAND 480GB 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (WDS480G2G0A)= £49.99
• 1 x Kolink Inspire Series K5 RGB Midi Tower Case - Black Window= £34.99
• 1 x Asus Radeon RX 580 Arez Dual OC 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £149.99

Total: £537.20 (includes shipping: £12.30)
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[Sparx]

No chance I’m afraid, you could maybe look for something used. But it won’t be very good.

This is the minimum I’d dare spec for a ‘budget’ gaming PC...

Edit: Very similar spec to @Joxeon lol - unsure if that mobo will come with latest BIOS to boot Ryzen 3 though??

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 3 3100 Quad Core 3.9GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £99.95
• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £99.95
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey= £59.99
• 1 x WD Green 3D NAND 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (WDS240G2G0A)= £30.95
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Micro-ATX Case - Black= £39.95
• 1 x Asus Radeon RX 580 Arez Dual OC 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £149.99
• 1 x Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 550W 80 PLUS Gold Modular Power Supply - Black= £79.99

Total: £560.77 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​

 

[Minibiker]

The Used markets are the place to go, you can get some older gen ryzen gear....

I've recently grabbed a few bargains on an auction site. It can be a good place to shop but some sellers try their luck.

 

[bagel]

3200g/3400g would take £150/£100 off those builds and could play games at low settings.

Used probably the way to go for something more capable

 

[gaz90]

Thanks all

 

[arc@css]

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 3 3100 Quad Core 3.9GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £99.95
• 1 x Corsair CV Series CV550 550W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (CP-9020210-UK)= £56.99
• 1 x **B Grade** ASUS TUF B450-PLUS GAMING (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £55.00
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan TUF Gaming Alliance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Blac= £59.99
• 1 x **B Grade** Raijintek Arcadia II Midi-Tower Gaming Case - Black Window= £22.99
• 1 x WD Green 3D NAND 240GB 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive (WDS240G2G0A)= £30.95
• 1 x **B Grade** Asus Radeon RX 580 Arez Dual OC 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £129.98

Total: £469.05 (includes shipping: £13.20)​

​

As said, second-hand is the best way forward in terms of VFM here.​