Virtual Build #2 : $650 Ultimate Budget Gaming Machine

$650 Ultimate Budget Gaming Machine (feat. R9 390)

$650 is a great price point for many gamers. It gives plenty of horsepower for just the right price. Now, some of you might be wondering, "why not use the newest, best budget card from AMD, the RX480?" Well, let me explain. The main reason I chose the R9 390 over the RX 480 is because although the R9 390 is an older graphics card, it still has more raw horsepower than the RX 480. Also, with the highly inflated prices of RX480s right now, the R9 390 proves to be a significantly better deal. Check out the graphics cards in a real life gaming benchmark test here: RX480 vs R9 390 Benchmarks. Aside from the graphics card, this build is a fairly common build, with 8GB of RAM, 240GB SSD, and a MSI microATX motherboard. Also, the i3 processor paired with the R9 390 will provide more than enough horsepower to power through most modern titles. Like the last build, this build focuses on easy upgradability. The CPU, RAM, Graphics Card, and other parts can easily be swapped out in the future, and upgraded to better parts. Overall, this system is truly worth every cent and has many features that can't be rivaled. 

Parts List

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor	$110.99 @_ SuperBiiz
Motherboard	MSI H110M Gaming Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$69.99 @ SuperBiiz
Memory	Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory	$39.99 @ Newegg
Storage	A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$54.99 @ NCIX US
Video Card	Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card	$264.99 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case	$64.99 @ Directron
Power Supply	EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply	$43.99 @ SuperBiiz
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total	$649.93

CPU

The i3-6100 is definitely the ultimate budget friendly, game ready CPU. Although this CPU won't be too beneficial in editing videos or anything extremely CPU intensive, it can and will game with ease. Its gaming capabilities are proven to be almost endless when paired with the right graphics card. It can easily handle all other tasks you throw at it, at a relatively low price point. This CPU is definitely worth a spot in this build.(If you're editing videos I recommend that you go with the i5-6600K instead.)

Motherboard

This motherboard is jam-packed with features, right out of the box. On the hardware side, it has USB 3.1 front headers, reinforced PCI slots, RAM boost, gaming LAN, and more. There are also a bundle of software included with this motherboard, including CPU-Z, MSI RAMDISK, and Click BIOS, which makes editing the BIOS a breeze. This motherboard was meant for gaming at a budget so it will be perfect for this gaming build. 

Memory

This RAM was an easy choice mainly because it's cheap, and it's reliable. 8GB of RAM nowadays will easily play games and perform daily tasks. But it also gives you the option of upgrading to 16GB of RAM for even more performance. I used this RAM in my Skylake build, and it's still going strong. *Also used in $400 budget gaming build

Storage

I highly recommend this SSD. It's fast, reliable, and relatively cheap compared to the other SSDs. I also used this in my Skylake build and it speeds the whole computer up and reduces loading times, which equals higher productivity levels. You can also find my review on this SSD on my blog. *Also used in $400 budget gaming build

Video Card

As explained in the intro, this Graphics card is a pure beast when it comes to performance. It's also on the budget side, especially compared to some of Nvidia's newer cards. This graphics card is not really meant for playing all games at 4K max settings 60fps, but it will definitely run games 1080P max settings with ease. It single-handedly beats out the RX480 at in-game performance and also beats the GTX 970. The price to performance ratio is superb and the in-game performance is what makes this card a must have in this build.

Case

Many thoughts come to mind when you observe this case: Clean, Simple, Pure. The outside of this case is pure white, and also looks FRESH. The window also adds to the effect and will help show off the amazing parts inside. It features 2 USB 3.0 front headers, and features an easy to build interior. The case has no hard drive cages, allowing longer graphics cards to fit inside. This case is also on the cheaper side, so it's great for our build.

Power Supply

This power supply will provide more than enough power to juice up this system, and even allow for upgrades in the future. It has a bronze certification, which means it will be efficient and save you money while you game on!

Conclusion

Will you buy this PC? It mainly depends on your needs. If you're beginner just getting into gaming, this build will be more than enough to play any games. If you're an avid gamer, this build will also satisfy most of your needs. Let me know if you decide to build this PC and feel free to ask me any questions or leave comments below. Build On!