I've got some extra PC parts lying around, including a couple of Asrock H81 Pro BTC motherboards, some DDR3 RAM, a PC case, and fans, along with several RX 480 GPUs from an old crypto mining rig. I want to put together a budget-friendly gaming PC for my girlfriend as a Christmas gift. She doesn't ask for much in terms of gaming—nothing overly demanding or from AAA titles. Do you think an i7 4790 paired with an RX 480 8GB and 16GB of DDR3 RAM would be a decent setup? The only purchases I'd need to make are a $30 500W power supply, a $35 500GB SSD, and the CPU for another $30. Is this a good idea?
3 Answers
You might find that this setup struggles with newer games released after 2022, especially with DDR3 RAM. It could be worth testing the parts first, but if you're open to it, saving up a bit more for better components might be wise. By the way, great gift idea!
The RX 480 is solid, but the i7 4790 is underwhelming for today's gaming standards. If she's into casual games like Stardew Valley or Minecraft, it'll work. That $30 price for the CPU feels high, though; it's mainly valued just for existing these days. But given the price jump for DDR4, you might not have better options right now.
For games released between 2015 and 2020, this combo should do just fine! I had a similar setup with an i5 4690k and GTX 970, and it handled non-AAA games without trouble. Your girlfriend's gaming preferences will likely fit this setup well.
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