I'm new to the world of PCs and I'm looking to buy one! My budget is around $800, but I feel overwhelmed and unsure about where to shop or what parts to choose. I don't have the confidence to build it myself, so I'm hoping for some recommendations on places where I can pick the parts and have someone assemble them for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
5 Answers
I just checked out zttbuilds again, and it's a great resource for planning your build. They explain why they recommend certain parts based on your budget, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of it!
Honestly, at this point, with the recent AI boom, prices for memory chips have skyrocketed, so getting a decent PC for $800 feels tough. It might be worth saving up a bit more if you want good specs!
If you have a Microcenter nearby, that’s a great place to start! They have a variety of parts and knowledgeable staff who can help you.
A handy rule is to spend about 40% of your budget on the graphics card. Here’s a sample Intel build within your budget:
- Intel Core i3-12100F CPU
- Asus B760M Motherboard
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- Radeon RX 9060 XT GPU
Total cost is around $798.92. For an AMD build, consider a Ryzen 5 5500 with similar specs, also around the same price. Both will give you solid performance for gaming!
I suggest checking out some build guides on YouTube for a budget of $750-1000. These guides often explain the reasoning behind the parts they choose, which can be really enlightening. Building can seem daunting, but it’s easier than it used to be. For best prices, use PCPartPicker to compare parts. If ray tracing doesn't matter to you, go for an AMD GPU and an AMD CPU for a solid performance.
You can also look at zttbuilds.com; they post great Cost-FPS builds on YouTube and typically list parts under market value monthly. Just avoid their prebuilt options since they cater to first-timers who might prefer flashy features over performance.