Hey everyone! I bought a pre-built gaming PC for my kid last year, and now I want to get my own so we can play games like Ark Evolved and House Flipper 2 together. I'm aiming for a high-performance rig while keeping the total budget under $500 for the motherboard, CPU, GPU, and RAM. I don't need a case and will be using a cheap SATA 3 Timetec SSD for storage. I also have an old 600W Corsair power supply from around 2012 that I might still be able to use. Any suggestions for parts or builds?
5 Answers
I’d suggest checking out used parts or even a complete used system. At that price point, new components just won’t give you much bang for your buck. If you’re not set on new, you might find a solid deal on a second-hand build.
You can look at guides like this one for an entry-level Intel gaming build. There’s also an AMD version linked that could fit your needs. Since you’re skipping the case and power supply, you should be able to keep it under $500 without issue!
Just a heads up: don’t use that old PSU; it might not handle new components well. If you can stretch your budget just a bit, consider getting something like an RTX 5060 or RX 6600 for your GPU. Check out this sample build I found [here](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ZKpnp): it features a Ryzen 5 CPU and a decent motherboard for just a bit over your budget.
Why not consider a console? An Xbox One would let you play the latest games, but I understand if you prefer PC gaming for modding purposes. Just be aware that your budget of $500 might only cover building the components like a hard drive, CPU, and GPU, which isn't much.
You should check out sites like PC Bros for used parts—they often test them first, which is a plus. Newegg also has some good deals, like a 7600x CPU paired with a free SSD for storage, but just be aware that allocating budget for a GPU will be tricky unless you find a solid used one.
Yeah, I hear you, but I really enjoy modding my games on PC, which is why I'm leaning toward a custom build.