Hey everyone! I'm on a mission to either buy a complete PC or piece together a great tower for no more than $500. I'll admit, I'm pretty clueless about computer parts and their functions at the moment—it's all a bit like magic to me! My main goals are to have a well-rounded system with decent storage and graphics, enough to smoothly run games like Minecraft and modded Skyrim (I usually clock around 40 hours a year on those). I really want this PC to last me at least a decade, even if by then it's just good for browsing the internet and streaming videos. I've got a smart TV to use as a monitor and a wireless keyboard/mouse set, so those won't factor into my budget. I also have an old Acer Nitro that I can salvage parts from since the battery's toast. I'd appreciate any recommendations for cost-effective gaming or general-use components, or websites that can help me check if my parts are compatible.
1 Answer
Have you thought about using any second-hand parts? Particularly for things like the GPU? If you're open to it, I’d recommend going for a Ryzen 5 5500 or 5600 and maybe pairing it with a GPU that costs around $100-$150.
I'm open to new or used! I've also looked into upgrading a whole used Intel tower if people still think that's reliable.