The $750 Budget Gaming PC Build

The $750 Budget Gaming PC - June 2017

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  CPU:

  AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

  While Intel has owned the mid-range gaming segment for years, that reign has come to an end. AMD has just introduced its Ryzen 5 1500X, a 3.5GHz chip that offers not only the four cores of its competitors from Intel, but also four additional virtual cores to improve multi-threaded performance. That makes it a whole lot more future-proof than Intel's chips, which only offer this feature if you pay over $300. At under $200, the 1500X is a true bargain for playing games today and in the future!

  The Guru's Tip:

  We know that a lot of gamers want to soup up their systems with an aftermarket CPU cooler, but trust us on this: the AMD Wraith Spire cooler included with the 1500X is more than capable of handling its heat output, so please save your money!

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  Motherboard:

  MSI B350 PC Mate AM4

  To get the absolute best value in a gaming system, there's no question that you want to use a B350-based motherboard, part of the new AMD Ryzen AM4  family. It guarantees that you'll have a great out-of-the-box experience with your new 1500X processor, with full support for overclocking and a nice array of ports and slots, including an M.2 slot for a future SSD upgrade and a USB Type-C port for cutting-edge external devices.

  The Guru's Tip:

  Note that this board does not support SLI, but that's just fine, as the GTX 1060 we recommend for this system doesn't support it either!

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  Video Card:

  Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Amp!

  This month, we're recommending the GTX 1060 6GB, which matches the Radeon RX 580 in performance and is much easier to find in stock. Interestingly, the RX 580 disappeared from the market soon after launch due to its popularity with "crypotcurrency" miners, making it a non-starter for gamers on a budget. Luckily, gamers will be well-served by the potent GTX 1060, but will still have to pay a premium for it at this point.

  The Guru's Tip:

  Another advantage of the GTX 1060 is that it uses very little power, meaning it needs just a single PCIe power cable!

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  Memory:

  Crucial 2x4GB Ballistix Sport LT DDR4-2400

  The latest games are finally starting to require more than 4GB of RAM, so this 2x4GB kit is a wise investment in your PC as a whole. Plus, by using two sticks, you'll be taking advantage of dual-channel operation, which speeds up many tasks by 2-3%.

  The Guru's Tip:

  Take note: we've made extra sure that this kit appears on MSI's memory support list, which is a critical step when matching RAM to AM4-based motherboards! Please do not just choose any random DDR4 kit you find, as it's quite likely it will not work at its rated speed.

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  Hard Drive:

  Western Digital Blue 1TB

  There's just no better budget-friendly hard drive than WD's 1TB model. It's among the least expensive drives on the market, despite above-average performance. Of course, if you already know you need more than 1TB of storage, pick up Seagate's 2TB 7200RPM model, which offers even higher capacity per dollar.

  The Guru's Tip:

  While SSDs large enough to hold a big collection of games don't quite fit into the budget for this system, by all means add the bargain-priced Crucial MX300 275GB SSD to your build if you can spare an extra $90 or so. It will improve system boot speed, game level loading, and overall responsiveness.

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  Case:

  Zalman Z1 Neo

  The Zalman Z-series offers an amazing set of features for the price. With this particular model, you get three pre-installed 120mm fans, along with three front USB ports (one being USB 3.0). There's no other case near this pricepoint that offers these features.

  The Guru's Tip:

  Another great option if the Z1 Neo sells out (which it does often) is the Z3 Plus. As or our latest update, it's actually cheaper than the Z1 Neo.

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  Power Supply:

  EVGA 450 B1

  This EVGA 450W model is a great match for this build. With two PCIe 6+2-pin power cables, this unit can support just about any video card on the market. Plus, it's backed by EVGA's unrivaled service and a 3-year warranty.

  The Guru's Tip:

  The 450 B1's bigger brother, the new 500BQ, is also available at a very reasonable price, and it comes with the advantage of a bit more power and semi-modular cables for a much cleaner interior.

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  Operating System:

  Microsoft Windows 10

  Windows 10 is so much better than Windows 8.1, it makes us wonder whether Microsoft even tested Win8 in the first place. Windows 10 is easy to use right out of the box, and has a lot of refinements under the hood as well.

  The Guru's Tip:

  We're recommending the DVD version of Windows 10 because it's the cheapest way to get an OS license, and you can actually install it without a DVD drive. All you need to do is download a Windows 10 image directly from the Microsoft website, and run the installation tool to copy it onto a 4GB or larger flash drive.

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  Optical Drive (Optional):

  LG 24x DVD Burner (Opt.)

  Because including a DVD drive would put us significantly over budget, we're listing it as optional for this build. While not required for any modern games, a DVD burner makes the installation of the OS and motherboard drivers a lot easier.

  The Guru's Tip:

  Note that the motherboard comes with two SATA cables, so you don't need to supply your own to attach this drive.