$300 Starter PC Build - Updated

Finally, a new PC build guide has arrived!~

The Beginner's PC (With 4K support!)

*This PC build guide is for beginners or anyone who wants a speedy, up-to-date system without having to pay a fortune!(with 4K support)

Price: ~$300 (May fluctuate)

Level: Beginner

Performance: Pretty amazing

*This is actually an update to my first DIY PC build which you can check out here: DIY#1 $300 Skylake Build Since the new Kaby Lake processors are out, I will be posting many more updated versions of my PC build guides.

Parts List

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor	$59.99 @ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$46.98 @ Newegg
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory	$68.49 @ OutletPC
Storage	ADATA Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$44.99 @ Newegg
Case	Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case	$49.99 @ B&H
Power Supply	EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply	$34.64 @ B&H
Optical Drive	Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer	$18.88 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$323.96

CPU

Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor

The nifty little CPU from the Kaby Lake lineup, the Intel Pentium G4560 is a significant upgrade from the G4400. With 4K becoming increasingly available to consumers, an integrated graphics card with 4K support is crucial. The Intel HD 610 integrated into this CPU can handle 4K at 60hz, which is a selling point to customers who want 4K but don't want to necessarily pay for a dedicated graphics card. The CPU itself is clocked at 3.5GHz and features an old but proven technology: hyper-threading. In the past, Intel did not include this in their low-end lineups, but this time they juiced this CPU up to be the next budget CPU king. It easily matches up with the i3-6100 and performs decently on games, if paired with a reasonable GPU. This is surely the best choice for a budget PC and the best fit for this build.

Motherboard

Asus H110M-E/M.2 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

Asus is a brand proven to be the best in the motherboard business. The motherboard that I have from almost 10 months ago, the ASUS H110M-A, is performing nicely and no problems were raised. This motherboard is an update to that motherboard, featuring the new M.2 technology, and all the other features that ASUS usually includes. (USB 3.0, LAN GUARD, Xpert fan control, etc.) This is a great choice not only because of the price, but because of the reliability and the performance that it brings to the PC build. Also, the warranty is up to 3 years so you're pretty much guaranteed a quality product. This motherboard supports up to 4k resolution in the HDMI port, so the 4K support is guaranteed.(up to 24Hz) 

Memory

Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory

RAM is a crucial component of the DIY PC. For this build, 8gb is satisfactory, but can be upgraded to 16gb if necessary. I've been using the Kingston HyperX Fury Black 2x4GB(8GB) in my $300 Skylake build, and it hasn't given me any problems. I would have numerous tabs and even windows open and ram usage never reached the maximum allotted. 

Storage

ADATA Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

ADATA. It's probably not a brand that most people are familiar with. But it has great reviews on Amazon and I only have great things to say about it. Check out my review here if interested: ADATA 240GB SSD REVIEW. But to get straight to the point, this SSD is FAST. It will definitely speed up your boot and loading times and if you are still used to the hard drives speeds, this SSD will blow you away. Even if all your other parts are low-end, this SSD will support and work together with those parts to make your build SO MUCH FASTER. I've experienced this myself, because I switched from a WD hard drive to the ADATA 240GB SSD and the change was like night and day. For example, the hard drive startup speed was around 1 min and 45 seconds, but the SSD starts up in less than 15 seconds. Anyway, this type of storage is a must have and can be easily upgraded to higher storage capacities and even to M.2 which is even faster. Conclusion: A MUST HAVE

Case

Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case

Corsair cases are cheap, look good, and has the necessary features. It features 2 USB 3.0 front headers, tool-free SSD, hard drive, optical drive installation, and more. This case is the exact case that I reviewed here: Corsair 100R Case Review. To put it simply, it has all the necessary features and look clean. It also has lots of room for expansion.

Power Supply

EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply

 

A classic power supply company, EVGA. Reliable, gets the job done, easy to work with, good warranty, nice product, what more can I say. Simple yet effective power supply for our build. (It was also used in my $300 Skylake build. Still going strong!)

Optical Drive

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

A good, reliable optical drive is simply necessary in a productivity build. This ASUS optical drive was meant to be reliable and will burn and read CDs with no problem. A no frills optical drive with a low price tag.(Same as previous builds)

Let me know if you decide to build this PC and feel free to ask me any questions or leave comments below. Build On!

Sources and other reads:

1. Techspot: Pentium G4560 Review

2. PCWORLD: M.2 SSD

3. PCWORLD: Intel gives its low-end Kaby Lake Pentium some Hyper-Threading bling to boost sales

4. INTEL: Intel Pentium G4560 Specs

Top 3 Budget Gaming Keyboards

1. CM Storm Devastator 

This gaming keyboard is going to be your best "bang for the buck" keyboard. The keyboard comes with a gaming mouse and they both look quite stealthy and sleek. This will definitely compliment any type of gaming setup at a low budget. At a low price of around 30 USD, this combo cannot be beaten by any other keyboard for the price.

Keyboard Features:

- LED illuminated keys

- Multimedia buttons

- Ergonomic design

- Rubber pads on the bottom

Mouse Features:

- DPI switching button

- Blue LED

- Amazing look

- Max 2000 DPI

Links:

Amazon

Cooler Master Devastator - LED Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo Bundle (Blue Edition)

Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823129038

2. CM Storm Octane

This keyboard is for people with a little more room in their budget. This combo is also extremely good for the money, as you will seldom find gaming keyboard and mouse combos of useful quality for under 50 dollars. The $20 upgrade from the previously mentioned keyboard mouse combo gets you 7 LED backlight colors with a "breathing effect", 35000 DPI mouse, and overall better quality. The most important factor to keep in mind is if the upgrades are worth the extra $20 for you. If it is, go for it!

Keyboard Features:

- LED illuminated keys (7 colors)

- Multimedia buttons

- Ergonomic design

- Rubber pads on the bottom
-19 key anti-ghosting

Mouse Features:

- DPI switching button

- Multicolor LED

- Amazing look

- Max 3500 DPI
- High precision sensor

Links:

Amazon

Cooler Master CM Storm Octane Multicolor LED Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo Bundle (SGB-3020-KKMF1-US)

Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N83ZP7336

3. Azio Levetron

The Azio Levetron. Most people wouldn't have even heard of the company Azio. But the fact is, that this company makes some great budget gaming keyboards that are very feature rich. This particular keyboard comes with blue LED backlit keys and a nice arm rest for long sessions of gaming. It also features multiple multimedia buttons for access to control over the computer.

Keyboard Features:

- Blue LED illuminated keys 

- Multimedia buttons

- Ergonomic design

- Arm rest
- 6 key anti-ghosting

Links:

Amazon

Azio Levetron L70 LED Backlit Gaming Keyboard - Black (KB501)

Newegg

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823839016

Conclusion

Budget, Quality, Aesthetics. These three factors are necessary to decide which keyboard to purchase. Usually the budget forces consumers to purchase ugly and dysfunctional products, but the gaming keyboard section has thankfully produced some very nice budget friendly keyboards. Hopefully this article helped you decide which gaming keyboard to buy. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or requests down below. 

Virtual Build #3: $1000 Productivity Build

$1000 Ultimate Productivity Build

Whether you are an avid blogger, Youtuber, or photographer, a computer that is powerful and speedy is a necessity. This build featuring an i5-6500 will deliver just that: speed and power. The i5-6500 is known to be the best "bang for your buck". Even though it's not exactly budget friendly, it delivers amazing performance without having to step up to the i7 series. Also in the build is a Samsung M.2 SSD. A regular SATA based SSD is fast, but an M.2 SSD will deliver blazing fast speeds and tremendously help out with productivity. It will easily load large files, videos, pictures, and very quickly transfer them to other locations. The GTX 960 will be adequate for light gaming from time to time (because we all need that), and it can support up to 4 monitors, which is extremely helpful with multitasking. For a $1000, this build is a great value and it's something that will last many years, and also has plenty of room for upgrades in the future.

Parts List

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor	$199.99 @ NCIX US
Motherboard	Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$144.99 @ NCIX US
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory	$67.99 @ Newegg
Storage	Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive	$186.99 @ SuperBiiz
Storage	Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$47.49 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Asus GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card	$194.99 @ SuperBiiz
Case	Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case	$59.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply	EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$77.99 @ SuperBiiz
Optical Drive	Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer	$16.88 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$997.30

CPU

Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor

The i5-6500 is the ultimate productivity CPU. It can easily handle everyday tasks, and also heavier loads, like video editing. While it might not be as good as the i7-6700, it still boasts a clock speed of 3.2Ghz and sports four cores. This CPU is definitely the right choice for this build because it combines value and performance in one amazing package.

Motherboard

Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard

This motherboard is know and proven to be the Best value Z170 motherboard out there. You can easily google this motherboard and find that there are millions of reviews of this motherboard, and they're mostly positive. The main reason I chose this motherboard for this build is because it has a M.2 slot for the SSD. Other than that, it's ASUS, and it has great reliability and performance. It also has amazing features like USB 3.1 type C, UEFI BIOS, RAM overclock, and more. The ASUS Z-170-A motherboard has the best and performance.

Memory

G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory

 With most RAM speeds averaging 2133Mhz, this RAM gives you the extra boost needed in video rendering and other tasks, like loading programs. G Skill is known for their reliability and is used in countless builds. The price tag is significantly lower than other brands, and 16GB is perfect for this build.

Storage

Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive

This SSD is the star of this build. Not only is it ULTRA FAST, but it's very reliable because it was manufactured by Samsung. You do pay a slight premium for that, but it's definitely worth it in the end. This M.2 SSD delivers significantly faster speeds than the traditional SSD, up to 2500MB/s read and up to 1500MB/s write. I recently reviewed a SATA based SSD, and I was pleasantly surprised by the fast speeds. ADATA 240GB SSD REVIEW This SSD, is based on a PCIe M.2 connection, so it is enormously faster than an SSD, which is crazy. Having this SSD in your build will hugely increase the speed and performance of your computer. Link to Samsung's website: Samsung 950 Pro 256GB M.2 SSD

Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

The classic WD Caviar Blue 1TB storage for all your videos, files, programs, and etc. Although hard drives are slowly becoming obsolete, they are still valuable, mainly because of the amount of pure storage they provide, and also the low price point. This hard drive is great for storing all of the files that are not frequently used, as well as all of your multimedia files.

Video Card

Asus GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card

Many of you out there will argue that the GTX 1060 is the new budge graphics card king. Although that is 100% true, GTX 1060s are rarely available as of right now, and will cost over $200. This graphics card gives you the option of running 4 monitors at a budget, and also allows for light gaming. It's perfect for this productivity build.

Case

Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case

Corsair cases are cheap, look good, and has the necessary features. It features 2 USB 3.0 front headers, tool-free SSD, hard drive, optical drive installation, and more. This case is an older brother of the 100R that I reviewed here: Corsair 100R Case Review. To put it simply, it has all the necessary features and look clean. It also has lots of room for upgradability. 

Power Supply

EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

Building a PC with a clean interior is not easy. That's where the fully modular power supply comes in handy. You can choose the cables you need, and plug those in to the power supply. Simple. This power supply is also Gold certified, which means that it will save you a lot of electricity, which is a must have in a productivity build, which draws lots of power. 650 watts of power will provide ample room for upgrades in the future.

Optical Drive

Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer

A good, reliable optical drive is simply necessary in a productivity build. This ASUS optical drive was meant to be reliable and will burn and read CDs with no problem. A no frills optical drive with a low price tag.

Conclusion

Will you buy this PC? It mainly depends on your needs. If you're an average Joe that only surfs the web and social media, this build is probably overkill. However, if you're getting into video editing and Photoshop, and other CPU intensive work, then I highly recommend this build. Also, another thing to mention is that this build is not specifically for gaming. It's mainly for productivity so it will not give you max settings and max fps in all games, even though it can easily play games at mid-high settings, depending on the requirements of the game. Let me know if you decide to build this PC and feel free to ask me any questions or leave comments below. Build On!