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Is it possible to get a 300$ gaming tower?

filmoretfilmoret Member EpicPosts: 4,906
in Hardware
Need something for my son and probably going to purchase around november for Christmas.  He will need 64 bit OS with a graphics card that has HDMI output so I can hook it up to the television.  I have looked around and saw some refurbished items and a few other items but IDK if there is a better option like building one myself which I can do.

Games he wants to run at medium settings 60fps would be

Star Wars Battlefront, Ark Survival Evolved, No Man's Sky

Just wondering if 300$ is possible for something of this nature or do i need like 500$?

Looks like he will need at least GTX 660, Radeon HD 7850, i3 6300t for minimum system requirements.
Are you onto something or just on something?
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Comments

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383
    edited September 2016
    Umm...

    You can build a $300 tower.

    You will almost immediately wish you hadn't though. $500 you can start to do something decent with though.
  • CleffyCleffy Member RarePosts: 6,413
    edited September 2016
    Instead of the i3, start with an AMD Athlon II 860. When picking processor that will do some harder workloads, go with AMD until you can get an i5. You might be able to build an AM1 system with that budget, but the processor may be problematic. The CPU and Mobo cost under $100. The GPU would need to be under $80 to also fit in the OS.
  • NightliteNightlite Member UncommonPosts: 227
    Is console really out of the question?
  • filmoretfilmoret Member EpicPosts: 4,906
    Nightlite said:
    Is console really out of the question?
    Yea I already own a lot of PC games so that saves me a few hundred right there.
    Are you onto something or just on something?
  • WalkinGlennWalkinGlenn Member RarePosts: 451
    Used maybe? Craigslist if you're in the USA?
  • Loke666Loke666 Member EpicPosts: 21,441
    Not really, unless you get a used computer (and I only recommend that from someone you know).

    Without keyboard, screen, mouse and OS you might be able to build a bad gaming computer for the money, but even an acceptable gaming GFX card (not the same as a good one) is $200 alone.

    You could always ask Quizzical, he is good on budget build but here it would be a miracle.
  • KingPJohn11KingPJohn11 Member UncommonPosts: 6
    Don't get that i3. Don't make the same wrong decision that I made a year ago. I'd say pick up a 2nd hand computer, or save for an i5.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,483
    If you want to fit a $300 budget, you should look at something used.  That could be reasonable if you find someone who is replacing a computer that is still okay by something much better, but there's also a risk that you buy something that someone wanted to be rid of for good reason.

    If you want to fit a new computer on a $300 budget, I hope you like Linux (so as not to pay for Windows) and integrated graphics.  $300 is enough to get out of the true cheap junk range, and should be enough that you can get nearly any game to run, though "run" might not always be as descriptive as "crawl".

    If you want good performance at medium settings in relatively demanding games, you should probably think something more in the ballpark of $600 excluding peripherals.  If you still need a monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc., then add another $200 for that.
  • CleffyCleffy Member RarePosts: 6,413
    For new I run into a wall once I hit the GPU. Under $300 I can either get a GPU that can run at med settings, or I can get an OS. $388 will get you a machine that can run games but probably not as good as you would like. Maybe when Zen fully releases in March the on board would be good enough.
    For new, you are looking at $500.
  • MalaboogaMalabooga Member UncommonPosts: 2,977
    edited September 2016
    You can get winows here

    https://www.kinguin.net/category/22175/windows-10-home-oem-key/

    And you can start with APU, it will run games at low/medium

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N83U90726

    https://www.amazon.com/AMD-A8-7600-Quad-Core-Processor-AD7600YBJABOX/dp/B00LUH1N4O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472886699&sr=1-1&keywords=a8+7600k

    Or without APU

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113410

    and for GPU

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131695

    and start from here


  • MrMelGibsonMrMelGibson Member EpicPosts: 3,034
    edited September 2016
       I think your best bet is to get a console.  I know you said you have a lot of PC games already.  But the truth is, most of those games(console) will go on sale by the time you get that PC.  Not to mention you won't have to upgrade for at least a good while.  A $300 new tower is going to struggle running higher end games like Battlefront. It will also struggle to run most newer games that come out in a year or two.  So once again you will have to either buy a newer computer or upgrade.  While a new PS4 or X1 will run it no problem.


      My advice is consider this option.  In the long run it will be cheaper.  Good luck to you either way and do let us know what you plan on doing :-)
    http://www.gamespace.com/members/mrlobster/  - Me on Gamespace
  • BeansnBreadBeansnBread Member EpicPosts: 7,254
    edited September 2016
    No. Instead it's time to focus on making sure you have $1000+ in disposable income.
  • MrMelGibsonMrMelGibson Member EpicPosts: 3,034
    edited September 2016
    No. Instead it's time to focus on making sure you have $1000+ in disposable income.
    I'm not sure how him putting his kids computer on a tight budget indicates that he is poor and can't afford to fix his car or plumbing if a problem arises.  More than likely, he just thinks it's not something that his kids absolutely needs.  Or maybe he's not sure his kid will keep playing on it after a month.  If that's the case, $300 wouldn't sting as much to waste.  Imagine if he spent double or triple that and it was collecting dust.  
    http://www.gamespace.com/members/mrlobster/  - Me on Gamespace
  • BeansnBreadBeansnBread Member EpicPosts: 7,254
    edited September 2016
    No. Instead it's time to focus on making sure you have $1000+ in disposable income.
    I'm not sure how him putting his kids computer on a tight budget indicates that he someone is poor and can't afford to fix his car or plumbing if a problem arises.  More than likely, he just thinks it's not something that his kids absolutely needs.  Or maybe he's not sure his kid will keep playing on it after a month.  If that's the case, $300 wouldn't sting as much to waste.  Imagine if he spent double or triple that and it was collecting dust.  
    I wasn't saying he was poor. Actually, I would never accuse someone of that. I was talking about his budget.

    But if he want a legitimate gaming machine for his kid, that $1000 is an important number for satisfying any PC gamer. It's possible to build for $500, but... not a gaming PC. They will be fighting with game settings and unable to play many mainstream games. 

    It's a gift. Maybe he should get a different gift for a child at this point. I like the empathy for him personally, but if the reality is that you can only afford a $300 PC, perhaps a gaming PC should be off the table?
  • monkeyslapmonkeyslap Member UncommonPosts: 20
    Malabooga said:
    Do not under any circumstances purchase from Kinguin. Like G2A, they allow users to resell serial keys. Often times the serial keys were originally purchased with stolen credit card info. I've seen Guild Wars 2 players who have purchased from Kinguin and G2A have their accounts temporarily suspended and the Heart of Thorns expansion removed from their accounts, because the serial keys they bought from those websites had chargebacks issued by the original credit card holders, which invalidated the keys.

    http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/9/8006693/the-truth-behind-those-mysteriously-cheap-gray-market-game-codes

    http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ubisoft-reinstating-some-fraudulent-far-cry-4-and-/1100-6424917/

    http://www.pcgamesn.com/scott-hartsman-g2a-fraud

    http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/916373-pc/71106743

    Even on Kinguin's own subreddit:
    Evidence that sometimes keys purchased from them are invalidated https://www.reddit.com/r/Kinguin/comments/4j5zbr/key_for_fo4_revoked_on_steam_whats_the_best/

    And specifically related to your post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Kinguin/comments/4ubr22/do_not_buy_from_kinguin/
    https://www.reddit.com/r/Kinguin/comments/4ta5kz/psa_if_you_have_bought_a_windows_10_home_oem_key/
    People who purchased Windows 10 keys from Kinguin get an error message saying the serial key is "already in use" when they try to activate Windows.

    Keep in mind, if the price is too good to be true, it probably is.

    Sorry for being off topic, but I felt I had to warn people to be cautious because you told them to go to a shady website.








    Dark Helmet: "What?! You went over my helmet?"

  • WmxWmx Member UncommonPosts: 16
    Hey there. I was thinking of building my first "gaming" PC that will be used for mediocre gaming and graphics (Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, Zbrush). 

    This is my future setup:

    CPU - AMD FX-6300 or FX-8320 if I have enough money

    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+

    RAM - Fury HyperX 8GB 1600 MHz (maybe x2 if I have enough)

    PSU - Corsair VS550 550W

    GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (This is not included in the price since I got it for free)
               Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti 

    SSD - Not yet
    HDD - Toshiba HDHWD110 1TB 7200 rpm

    I would love if someone could comment on this setup and if it would be viable to play games on low-medium settings. Also, this might give some hints to OP, because as far as I know the AMD FX series are quite good - the best bang for your buck. 
  • MrMelGibsonMrMelGibson Member EpicPosts: 3,034
    BeansnBread said:
    No. Instead it's time to focus on making sure you have $1000+ in disposable income.
    I'm not sure how him putting his kids computer on a tight budget indicates that he someone is poor and can't afford to fix his car or plumbing if a problem arises.  More than likely, he just thinks it's not something that his kids absolutely needs.  Or maybe he's not sure his kid will keep playing on it after a month.  If that's the case, $300 wouldn't sting as much to waste.  Imagine if he spent double or triple that and it was collecting dust.  
    I wasn't saying he was poor. Actually, I would never accuse someone of that. I was talking about his budget.

    But if he want a legitimate gaming machine for his kid, that $1000 is an important number for satisfying any PC gamer. It's possible to build for $500, but... not a gaming PC. They will be fighting with game settings and unable to play many mainstream games. 

    It's a gift. Maybe he should get a different gift for a child at this point. I like the empathy for him personally, but if the reality is that you can only afford a $300 PC, perhaps a gaming PC should be off the table?
    Don't you think you might be assuming too much?  You really don't know this person or their financial situation.  For all you know they might be very well off but just very frugal.  But let's just get back on topic.  We've derailed this thread enough already.
    http://www.gamespace.com/members/mrlobster/  - Me on Gamespace
  • BloodaxesBloodaxes Member EpicPosts: 4,662
    I second gibson on getting a console.

    You can buy used games, get old games for cheap, rent them from friends or his friends and it fits your budget.

  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    For $300 including OS you barely build a computer at all, anything that could be called "gaming computer" is off limits by $200.





  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Wmx said:
    Hey there. I was thinking of building my first "gaming" PC that will be used for mediocre gaming and graphics (Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, Zbrush). 

    This is my future setup:

    CPU - AMD FX-6300 or FX-8320 if I have enough money

    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+

    RAM - Fury HyperX 8GB 1600 MHz (maybe x2 if I have enough)

    PSU - Corsair VS550 550W

    GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (This is not included in the price since I got it for free)
               Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti 

    SSD - Not yet
    HDD - Toshiba HDHWD110 1TB 7200 rpm

    I would love if someone could comment on this setup and if it would be viable to play games on low-medium settings. Also, this might give some hints to OP, because as far as I know the AMD FX series are quite good - the best bang for your buck. 
    FX are insufficient gaming CPUs for a while due low performance per thread. Get an i3-6100.
    8GB RAM should be plentiful.
    There are better choices than Corsair VS series. Antec VP, Seasonic SS or EVGA B series will do better at lower price even.
    If you can afford to spent just a little more, get GTX 950.


  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,973
    Wmx said:
    Hey there. I was thinking of building my first "gaming" PC that will be used for mediocre gaming and graphics (Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, Zbrush). 

    This is my future setup:

    CPU - AMD FX-6300 or FX-8320 if I have enough money

    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+

    RAM - Fury HyperX 8GB 1600 MHz (maybe x2 if I have enough)

    PSU - Corsair VS550 550W

    GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (This is not included in the price since I got it for free)
               Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti 

    SSD - Not yet
    HDD - Toshiba HDHWD110 1TB 7200 rpm

    I would love if someone could comment on this setup and if it would be viable to play games on low-medium settings. Also, this might give some hints to OP, because as far as I know the AMD FX series are quite good - the best bang for your buck. 
    If you get GTX 560 Ti for free, don't buy GTX 750 Ti. The speed difference between them is so small you'd just be wasting money.

    Just build the computer with GTX 560 Ti and see what you can run with it, then start saving money so that you can one day upgrade to something like RX 470 or GTX 1060 3GB version, both of them should cost a little under 200$ and be good enough to run all games now and even a couple of years in the future.

    For processor you should see how well your graphic programs support multi-core CPUs. If the program has good multi-core support, than the AMD's processors you picked are your best choice. But if it does rendering only with 1 CPU core at a time, then I3 processor would be better because of its better single core speed. For gaming both AMD and Intel I3 are equally average choices. The best choice for gaming would be I5 processor but you likely won't have enough money for one.

    You should get a small SSD for your graphic program if you're able. But it looks like you won't have money for one.

    8GB of RAM is enough for games. If you do some graphics that require more, then you need to buy more for that, but for a gaming computer at low budget don't buy over 8GB of RAM you'll need the money elsewhere.
     
  • mgilbrtsnmgilbrtsn Member EpicPosts: 3,430
    edited September 2016
    The short answer is no.  You're not gonna get anything good for $300.  Better to fess up a few hundred more and get something that is useful, than to waste $300 on something that everyone is gonna be disappointed in.  You'll end up spending more upgrading it anyway.  Best do it right.

    I self identify as a monkey.

  • BigRamboBigRambo Member UncommonPosts: 191
    lol, might as well buy yourself a Gamecube, will get more power out of it than from a "300$" PC.

    But still a better bargain than One Man's Lie.   ;)
  • filmoretfilmoret Member EpicPosts: 4,906
    edited September 2016
    I'm looking to see if i can grab a tower and just put a gfx card in it.  Problem is most towers on most websites do not tell what kind of pci slots they have.
    Are you onto something or just on something?
  • MalaboogaMalabooga Member UncommonPosts: 2,977
    edited September 2016
    Wmx said:
    Hey there. I was thinking of building my first "gaming" PC that will be used for mediocre gaming and graphics (Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, Zbrush). 

    This is my future setup:

    CPU - AMD FX-6300 or FX-8320 if I have enough money

    Mobo - Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+

    RAM - Fury HyperX 8GB 1600 MHz (maybe x2 if I have enough)

    PSU - Corsair VS550 550W

    GPU - Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 Ti (This is not included in the price since I got it for free)
               Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti 

    SSD - Not yet
    HDD - Toshiba HDHWD110 1TB 7200 rpm

    I would love if someone could comment on this setup and if it would be viable to play games on low-medium settings. Also, this might give some hints to OP, because as far as I know the AMD FX series are quite good - the best bang for your buck. 
    For CPU go either FX-8300 or FX-8320e. They are both going for ~100-110$.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113399

    and if you buy now you get new Deus Ex with it :)

    PSU, try to look for something from XFX or EVGA, they have best budget PSUs around.

    Rest looks fine.

    The thing with FX CPUs is that you have to invest a little time to get the most out of them, my FX-8300 is OCed to 4000 MHz with 1.25v and doesnt go above 45c now in summer under Prime (in winter it doenst go above 40c) with medicore cooler like Coolermaster EVO 212, while Intel CPUs run into 60c-70c under Prime.

    For games, GPU is most important thing. 560ti will struggle with newer games and doesnt have DX12/Vulkan support. And if you are going to buy new GPU AMD RX460 is budget GPU to buy since its 30-40% faster and costs the same as 750ti.

    Post edited by Malabooga on
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