Competition The PC Gamer Best PC Builds - $500 Min Spec Console Killer

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Which is the best performing $500 min spec console killer build?

  • Advent by PandaPandaPanda

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • The BLACK GOBLIN by Nonomcno

    Votes: 5 31.3%
  • Mr. No Frills by HBZK100

    Votes: 2 12.5%
  • The Nautilus by Oussebon

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • The Cable Boxer by Zoid

    Votes: 4 25.0%

  • Total voters
    16
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Zoid

Community Contributor
A couple folks in here have already sniped the best prices on Ryzen 5 2600s, RX 570s, and other hardware that would show up in the "best performing build" under $500. Since the prices always seem to be higher when I check, I'll go a different direction.

A family gaming, fortnight playing, living room console-like SFX form factor build! :)

The Cable Boxer

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: MSI B450I GAMING PLUS AC Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($129.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Team MS30 256 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone ML06B HTPC Case ($70.70 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300 W 80+ Gold Certified SFX Power Supply ($64.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $492.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-21 17:06 EDT-0400
 
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Budget Streamers Dream

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 560 - 1024 2 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($47.33 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($62.94 @ ModMyMods)
Total: $499.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-21 19:23 EDT-0400

This build sports 16GB of speedy 3200mhz RAM to run games, music, twitch chat and more. The Ryzen APU has a built in encoder to keep the load off of the RX560 when streaming with the latter running most games at a smooth 60fps. The motherboard comes with four RAM slots and an M.2 port for future upgrades. The case is highly customizable and newb-friendly, making it perfect for the college streamer looking for some extra cash. The 2TB hard drive won't require an upgrade anytime soon, and the semi-modular power supply will power any non-bottlenecked GPU.
 
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Rating vs what they actually do:

These kinds of PSUs, and the VS series, are more than fine for a very basic gaming setup, with a dGPU. VS is widely used by (reputable) system integrators as well. There's a limit to their place for sure, but it's fair to argue this kind of build is within that limit.

Fair. I just personally don't like recommending them, especially since usually the price difference doesn't open up upgrades for other parts.

Also PCG are doing this competition, albeit for very obvious reasons, at a time where PSU availability and pricing is all over the place. And other component too. Half of what I posted is already out of stock.

Yeah, hard to recommend things when they are out of stock by tomorrow.
 
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Skeletor

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME H310M-E R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($68.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P2 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 8 GB Video Card ($143.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($47.33 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V3 500 W ATX Power Supply ($34.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $490.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-21 21:04 EDT-0400


Base Total:$496.36
Promo Discounts:-$10.00
Shipping:$3.99
Total:$490.35

*The Bios can be updated for the H310 chipset.
 
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$500 Build

The Nutcracker

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B365M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($74.99 @ B&H)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ Walmart)
Total: $500.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-21 22:15 EDT-0400


Base Total:$497.93
Shipping:$2.99
Total:$500.92
 
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Welcome to 'The Destroyer'

PCPartPicker Part List

Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($68.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Team MS30 128 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($22.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500 GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($19.94 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 570 8 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($47.33 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill RD-Z 450 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($45.99 @ Amazon)
Custom: AMD CPU RYZEN 5 1600 AM4 ($85.00)
Total: $492.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 00:12 EDT-0400


List price (before tax and shipping): $488.72
 
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Grandson of Anton
$500 Console Killer

Best possible in-game performance at the $500 price point.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (14nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Hitachi Ultrastar 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($30.04 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB OC Video Card ($159.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite V3 500 W ATX Power Supply ($34.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $498.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 02:12 EDT-0400
 
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Weiss Ritter
(White Knight)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI H310M PRO-M2 PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Ultimate SU800 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($37.15 @ Amazon)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Case: darkFlash DLM 22 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CV 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($53.98 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: ARCTIC P12 Silent 24.1 CFM 120 mm Fan ($7.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $505.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 05:58 EDT-0400

List Price (excluding Shipping and Tax): $499.08
 
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PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (14nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($114.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B450M-A/CSM Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team MS30 256 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($30.04 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: HEC HX310 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 550 W 80+ Platinum Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($23.49 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Kingwin CFR-012LB 40 CFM 120 mm Fan ($1.96 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Kingwin CFR-012LB 40 CFM 120 mm Fan ($1.96 @ Amazon)
Total: $506.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 06:46 EDT-0400
 
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Name: Thin Lizzy


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($47.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital WD Green 750 GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($29.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon RX 560 - 1024 2 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone ML08 HTPC Case ($86.31 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300 W 80+ Gold Certified SFX Power Supply ($64.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $497.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 15:17 EDT-0400


A true mITX console-style build. It doesn't get much smaller than this, and with the budget available, this is about the most power you can squeeze into this enclosure. It will handle 1080p gaming at medium settings and will deliver good frame rates.
 
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The Versatile Budget PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($82.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS900 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($54.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: EVGA BQ 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($62.94 @ ModMyMods)
Total: $495.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 13:43 EDT-0400
 
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Bad bITX

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper Elite 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: SanDisk SSD PLUS 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($139.99 @ B&H)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($49.79 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $490.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 13:47 EDT-0400
 
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Name: 8-Box
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus ASUS Prime A320I-K AM4 AMD A320 SATA 6Gb/s Mini ITX AMD Motherboard Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($104.49 @ B&H)
Memory: OLOy 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY CS900 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($22.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone SG13 Mini ITX Tower Case ($57.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $490.43
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 16:07 EDT-0400
 
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Name: QBox

heres my approach to this budget to kill a console.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($80.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-AB350M-DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($62.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: SanDisk SSD PLUS 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($14.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda ES 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 570 4 GB ROG STRIX Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Case: HEC HX310 ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $499.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 20:10 EDT-0400
 
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The Cat That Swallowed a Cobra

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team MS30 256 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($50.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Raidmax Cobra 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $497.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-22 20:13 EDT-0400
 
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Ocelot

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME H310M-E R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Elite 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB OC Video Card ($159.99 @ B&H)
Case: darkFlash DLM 22 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 450 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-23 09:47 EDT-0400



Base Total:$493.01
Shipping:$3.99
Total:$497.00
 
PCPartPicker Part List
Night Cities bottom of the barrel

CPU: AMD Athlon 3000G 3.5 GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($78.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 4 GB RS XXX Video Card ($134.02 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-23 13:10 EDT-0400
 
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PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZkknK4

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: EVGA ACX mITX 46.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.75 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B365M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($93.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1 TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($65.45 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030 2 GB Video Card ($95.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($49.79 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Raidmax XT 300 W ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $497.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-23 15:11 EDT-0400
 
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The Humble Bumble Bee AKA The HBB

A small simple orange and black tower hides a machine that can run many games in 1080p at high settings near 60 fps. Running a Ryzen 3 3200G should have plenty of CPU to feed the GTX 1650 super in most games and have enough bandwidth to do everyday chores that you need it to do. 480 GB of storage with 8 GB of RAM should give you a good starting point with room to expand later. Finally a WiFi dongle to make connecting to the internet simple.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston A400 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB OC Video Card ($159.99 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC F2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($46.97 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.40 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN823N USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter ($16.99 @ Dell)
Total: $504.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-23 16:09 EDT-0400
 
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Welcome to the very first PC Gamer Best PC Builds competition!

It's an open secret that here at PC Gamer we love PC Building. Building your own PC makes for a fun weekend project, and nets you the biggest performance bang for your buck. It's hard to match the sweet satisfaction of customizing each component to fit your specifications and needs. We want to share the joy of PC Building with the entire community, which is why we're challenging you to submit your best performing builds at the lowest possible price in a number of categories.

The competition will run from April 17th till April 27th. This means you have a week to submit your builds!

At the end of the competition the winners and their builds will be featured on the PC Gamer home page. Submit your build and get that clout!

This is the $500 Min Spec Console Killer Category
Please submit builds with the best gaming performance for $500 or less. We will favor console sized submissions, ie. m-ATX and m-ITX builds.

How does it work?
We're gonna break this competition down into 4 parts:
  1. Submit your builds​
  2. After a week of submissions, the PC Gamer staff will pick their top 5 in each category. We will judge primarily on quality of components, price, and theoretical system performance.​
  3. Users vote on their favorite build of the top 5.​
  4. We feature the winning builds in each category on the PC Gamer homepage.​

How do I submit a build?

  1. Head to the PCPartPicker System Builder.
  2. Build your system!
  3. When you're all set, smash that BB code button
  4. Copy the BB code
  5. Head to this thread, respond hit the BB code toggle in the tool bar
  6. Paste the BB code and post your thread!

Ground Rules - Read this or you will be disqualified

  • Only one build per budget category, per user. Multiple builds from a single user or duplicate accounts will be disqualified.
  • Do not go over budget.
  • Use list prices only: coupons, rebates, bundles or any other limited-time offers will not be accepted.
  • Do not include shipping or tax in your final budget.
  • Do not include the Operating System, Monitor or VR Headset, Keyboard, Mouse or Gamepad.
  • All builds must have a name.
  • Do not put your forum handle in the name of your build, and avoid odd capitalizations & symbols.
  • We encourage users to use PCPartPicker's System Build for speedy construction.
  • Do not post a link to your build, but rather please be sure to export as BBCode for a quick copy/paste to the forums

Here are links to all three build categories:

$500 Min Spec Console Killer
$1000 Streaming and Gaming Build
$2000 Ultra High Quality Cyberpunk 2077 Build

Good luck and may the best build win!
PCPartPicker Part List

Judo Chop

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.95 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A320M-S2H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 580 8 GB GTS Black Core Edition Video Card ($169.99 @ Best Buy)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($54.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: EVGA 600 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $496.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-24 21:34 EDT-0400
 
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El-Cheapo

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($72.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($72.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX500 240 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($40.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 570 4 GB GAMING Video Card ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($44.19 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 500 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $486.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-24 22:00 EDT-0400
 
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Next Box One-Upped

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-9100F 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME H310M-E R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($56.07 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Green 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.40 @ Amazon)
Total: $494.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-24 22:39 EDT-0400


9100f and 1650 Super seemed to be the sweet spot for new hardware value this week.

480 gb isn't a ton of storage, but I'd personally prefer to delete games than deal with mechanical drive speeds.

16 gb RAM seems to be recommended by a lot of new games, which I think this build would handle well in 1080p. I know the frequency will be capped at 2666 mhz, but the next cheapest option was only $2 savings to drop to 2400.

The case is quaint, but compact and a steal!
The included case fan, the psu fan, stock CPU heatsink, and dual fan GPU I hope would keep temps at acceptable levels without the need to add another fan.
 
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PCPartPicker Part List

Name: Thomas the Computer Engine

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3200G 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($91.95 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock A320M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P2 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 5500 XT 4 GB OC Video Card ($179.99 @ B&H)
Case: DIYPC MA01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($37.95 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Smart Series 430 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.40 @ Amazon)
Total: $499.27

Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-25 02:11 EDT-0400
 
Apr 25, 2020
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PCPartPicker Part List

Name: Minimalist Simplicity ($500 build)

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($80.98 @ Amazon) (Wraith Spire cooler included)
Motherboard: MSI A320M-A PRO MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($35.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX 570 8 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H18 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($54.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $496.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-04-25 03:54 EDT-0400
 
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