I'm in the U.S. and not looking to build a completely new PC this time. I've built PCs in the past with brand new hardware and realized I wasted a lot of money, especially since many gamers just upgrade their existing setups. I have a budget of around $400-500 and don't need a new case as I plan to use my old Corsair 4000D Airflow. I also have a leftover 360mm AIO cooler from NZXT. Unfortunately, I left my Ryzen 7 3700X at a friend's place far away, so I need:
- A CPU
- RAM (DDR4 is fine)
- An SSD (I don't care about storage since I have 2 leftover 1TB HDDs)
- A motherboard
- A GPU
- A PSU
I'm considering AliExpress for cheap parts with decent reviews. I really want to avoid ASUS products due to past bad experiences. I'm looking for some inside knowledge on this build, and it's okay if I go a bit over budget (up to $600 max). Used hardware is fine too; a 1080 Ti on eBay would be awesome. I'm mainly looking to play games like Tarkov, CS2, Life is Strange, DS3, Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Assetto Corsa, Apex Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, and some others. My old spec was a Ryzen 7 5700X, 32GB DDR4 RAM, and a 3070 GPU, so I would like something that can handle 1080p or light 1440p gaming on medium to low settings. Let me know what you think!
1 Answer
I recommend checking out PCPartPicker for build ideas or adjusting an existing build you find there. Look into motherboards that don't need high-end specs, like B-series boards, making sure they fit your GPU. For the CPU, something like a Ryzen 5 or even an older Intel chip should do well within your budget!
PCPartPicker typically has new parts only, and budget builds heavily rely on that. Just saying, you might want to shop around elsewhere instead. You should read the original post more carefully!