I'm helping my friend build a gaming PC with a budget of $500 that his parents set for his birthday. I volunteered because I have experience, and it's cheaper than buying a prebuilt one. I've got a list ready, but I'm feeling a bit unsure about it. I don't have a cooler in the build since I'm using the stock one, and I've already purchased the GPU at a bargain price. Here's the link to the parts I've picked out: [PCPartPicker List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZthKmC). I would really appreciate any suggestions on what I can tweak to make this build better!
3 Answers
When building a gaming PC, I usually recommend spending around half of your budget on the graphics card. You could try to fit a $250 GPU while keeping the rest for a used PC and $100 for any necessary upgrades like a better PSU or extra RAM. I’d look at adjusting your power supply choice too!
With tight budgets like this, I suggest looking for used parts on platforms like Facebook Marketplace or eBay. Sometimes you can score great deals there!
I already bought the GPU used, but the motherboard prices on eBay are actually higher. Plus, I'm hesitant about buying CPUs used since they might not come with the cooler I need.
You might want to consider dropping the cable extensions. Instead, aim for a Ryzen 5600 if you can find it at a decent price. Other than that, your build looks solid!
I checked and the Ryzen 5600 is just too expensive for this budget, usually over $100. I’m trying to keep the overall cost down. Plus, I want those cable extensions for aesthetics since the build is mostly white and grey to match my friend's setup.
The PSU you're suggesting is a bit pricier at $79.99, and honestly, you won't see much of a difference in color, considering it's hidden in the case.