A few years ago, $300 wasn’t enough to build a gaming pc. But time has changed. And fortunately, the competition has given us the chance to have excellent parts at a reasonable price.
If you are here, it means that you don’t want to spend a lot of money on a gaming PC, or you simply can’t afford the best high-end hardware. And it’s completely normal since most of us already experienced this situation.
That’s why we’ve made a guide to help you get the best value for your money. The following budget build’s main goal is to be able to play the AAA titles and all eSports games without breaking the bank.
Let’s dive into the hardware you need to achieve the performance you seek.
1-APU(CPU) AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
If we could achieve this $300 gaming PC at this price is because of AMD Ryzen APU. For those who are not familiar with the term, an APU means an Accelerated Processing Unit designed to work as a CPU and GPU at the same time.
This APU comes with 4 cores, 4 threads, and integrated Vega 8 graphics similar to the GT 1030 in terms of gaming performance. Also, this APU has a 3.6 GHz base clock going all the way up to 4.0 GHz at maximum boost. It also comes with a good stock cooler which will help you save money.
The integrated graphics on this APU have enough power to handle many games at low or medium settings, such as CS GO, Overwatch, league of legends, Fortnite…and many other games.
However, you will have to lower the resolution in some demanding titles to get a decent frame rate.
Check it Out Here on Amazon.
2-Gigabyte B450M DS3H
When it comes to a budget build, no motherboard can beat the Gigabyte B450M DS3H. This motherboard comes at a budget-friendly price with some good features. It has 4 RAM slots, x2 PCIe x16, and M.2 NVMe slot. Also, it supports the 3rd gen Ryzen.
The Gigabyte B450M DS3H is a micro ATX motherboard which means that it won’t take you a lot of space. Also, the BIOS is user-friendly, so you will not have any problem using it. The Black and Grey design makes it really attractive, especially when considering its price tag.
Furthermore, this motherboard is more than capable of handling more powerful CPUs such as the Ryzen 5 3600. And therefore, by going with this latter, you ensure the ability to upgrade your CPU without investing in another motherboard.
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3-EVGA 500 Watt Power Supply
A bad PSU, in some cases, might not be able to deliver enough power to certain computer parts, which will reduce their performance. Also, it can lead to some random shutdowns/reboots of your machine.
That’s why we went for an EVGA 500 watt PSU. This PSU will have enough power for your machine. It will also be a great investment if you are looking to get a discrete graphics card such as AMD RX 570 or RX 580.
Check it Out Here on Amazon.
4-Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 X 4GB) DDR4 3000MHz
The Corsair Vengeance LPX is one of the most popular RAMs among Ryzen users. These modules offer great performance, with some overclocking headroom as well as a heatsink that covers the modules. The heatsinks will draw the heat from the modules, which will help maintain a great temperature.
8GB of RAM is the minimum requirement for most games. And because the motherboard has 4 RAM slots, we’ve picked 2 sticks 4GB of RAM since the dual-channel gives more performance than a single channel. It also leaves 2 free empty slots for a future upgrade.
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5- ADATA SU635 240GB SSD
Why an SSD and not an HDD? Well, SSD is way faster than normal storage (HDD). We have also chosen an SSD to benefit from a smooth system and a fast boot and loading time.
And maybe you will be able to put on it one or two light games from your gaming library. Besides, an SSD makes your overall experience much better.
Check it Out Here on Amazon.
6-AeroCool Cylon RGB
A case has an important role in your system’s performance, but the primary factors that you should look for aren’t the RGB as most beginners do. What you should pay attention to is the Airflow because a case with a bad airflow can cause a lack of air inside the case, which can lead your components to overheat. And overheating means that your components won’t be able to perform at their maximum potential, which can have a significant impact on the performance.
However, you can still find great gaming cases at an affordable price that can offer amazing airflow as well as some RGB effects. And one of these affordable cases is the AeroCool Cylon.
The AeroCool Cylon is an excellent budget case. It has 5 fan slots. 3 fans slots on the front, one on the top, and the back of the case. This case supports Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and ATX motherboards. Also, it offers enough space for your future additional parts. Furthermore, the AeroCool Cylon offers customizable RGB lighting effects on the front of the case.
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Upgrade path
1-GPU
The first part that you should think about adding to this build is a GPU. A good GPU will offer you a better gaming experience than the integrated graphics on the 3200G.
This is our recommended GPUs for this build:
RX 570 Check it Out Here on Amazon
RX 580 Check it Out Here on Amazon
GTX 1650 Super Check it Out Here on Amazon
2-CPU:
Since this motherboard already has the 3rd Ryzen generation bios flash, upgrading the CPU won’t be a problem. And here is our best midrange CPUs for this build:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Check it Out Here on Amazon
AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Check it Out Here on Amazon
3-HDD
For sure, 250 GB of SSD won’t be enough. That’s why adding a 1TB HDD is a great option for your offline games, heavy programs, or files. Also, you will not need to uninstall games each time you want to play a new one.
Check it Out Here on Amazon.
4-RAM
Although 8GB of RAM is enough for most games, 16GB is the sweet spot since most PC users often have background programs. And as we mentioned above, the motherboard on this build comes with 4 slots of RAM. That’s why adding another 2x4GB sticks of RAM will offer more performance without a big effort.
Check it Out Here on Amazon.
What to expect from this build.
This $300 gaming pc is a great entry gaming machine, but you shouldn’t expect to run all the latest demanding AAA titles at high quality and frame.
This PC will allow you to play almost all the eSports titles between 60 to 100 Fps for low-medium quality. And AAA titles around 30-40 fps at low quality. Also, some demanding titles will require lowering the resolution for a better gaming experience.
