$300 feels like a sacred price point. It was around the same price as the first gaming PC that I ever built. Nowadays, $300 won’t take you as far as in 2011, but you can you 100% can build a $300 PC right now. The method just depends on your needs.
A note on consoles
The Xbox Series S, especially on sale or used, is great value. If you just want to play games, and you don’t need computer functionality, it’s your best bet. I mean, it plays Starfield out of the box. That’s awesome.
The same principle applies when buying a used computer. In Atlanta, I can find some cheap PCs for like $300 and some of them include a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. No building is necessary
Basically, if there are pre-built options that already meet your needs and are within your budget, use those!
#1 - The brand new PC (Entry level)
| CPU + GPU | Ryzen 5 4600G | $95 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 | $30 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Motherboard | B450M | $70 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| SSD | 512GB M.2 | $25 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Power Supply | Smart 500W | $40 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Case Option 1 | Thermaltake H17 | $40 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Case Option 2 | Thermaltake H18 | $50 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
The first option is to build a brand new PC. For people that only play games like CSGO, Fortnite, Valorant, and vanilla Minecraft, this is a decent starting place.
I recommend a Ryzen 5 4600G APU, which is a processor and video card smashed into one. You’ll get a respectable, casual gaming experience. You can always add a dedicated video card once you’ve saved a little bit more money.
This option also has huge potential because it is on the AM4 platform. You have dozens of upgrade options, including the 5800X3D, which was considered the fastest gaming processor ever at one point.
Now, I understand if you want to only buy new parts, especially if this is your first computer; but we can improve gaming performance out-of-the-box when we take advantage of the second-hand market.
#2 - The slightly used PC (Mid-range)
| CPU Option 1 | Ryzen 5 1500X Used | $26 | [Aliexpress, Ebay] |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Option 2 | Ryzen 5 1400 Used | $23 | [Aliexpress, Ebay] |
| CPU Cooler | Wraith Stealth | $9 | [Amazon] |
| RAM | 16GB DDR4 | $30 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Motherboard | B450M | *$70 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| GPU | RX 580 8GB 2048SP Used | $60 | [Aliexpress, Ebay] |
| SSD | 512GB M.2 | $25 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Power Supply | Smart 500W | $40 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Case Option 1 | Thermaltake H17 | $40 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| Case Option 2 | Thermaltake H18 | $50 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
I replaced only a couple of new components with second-hand components in this option, but the repercussions are huge.
Instead of the 4600G, buy a used Ryzen 5 1500X and new cooler from Aliexpress for $40 total, (or you can grab them both for the same price on ebay), and a used RX 580 8GB for $50 on Aliexpress. You’ll spend about the same amount of money, but you get more than double the performance out of the box. You still have access to the same amazing upgrade path, but your performance is over double that of option #1.
But the final option is for those of you who don’t mind second-hand at all, and want to go all out. You want to play the best of the best right now with the money that you have.
#3 - The workstation PC (High end)
| CPU/Mobo/RAM/PSU/Case | HP Z440 Used | $120 | [Ebay] |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU (if necessary) | Xeon E5 1650V4 Used | $25 | [Ebay] |
| RAM Opt 1 (if necessary) | 16GB DDR4 ECC Used | $20 | [Ebay] |
| RAM Opt 2 (if necessary) | 32GB DDR4 ECC Used | $30 | [Ebay] |
| SSD | 512GB M.2 | $25 | [Amazon, Newegg] |
| SSD Adapter | PCIe to M.2 | $9 | [Amazon, Ebay] |
| GPU Option 1 | GTX 1070 Ti 8G Used | $120 | [Ebay] |
| GPU Option 2 | RX 5700 8G Used | $130 | [Ebay] |
| GPU Option 3 | RTX 2060 6G Used | $150 | [Ebay] |
Option #3 is buying a workstation and upgrading it, and it’s my favorite of the 3.
I showcased a variation of this with my previous video where I tried building a $168 machine, but there were many shortcomings. A workstation PC, specifically an HP Z440, gets rid of ALL of that.
Most of the hardware in the Z440 is standard, so you can replace it with components you buy from Amazon or Newegg, and its upgrade options out of the box are insane.
The actual work station costs around $120, and here’s what you get:
A modern 6 core processor
An ATX motherboard with 8 RAM slots and 5 PCIe slots
16gb of DDR4 RAM
A 700 watt power supply (80% efficiency)
And a case
And because it’s made for enterprise customers, it’s crazy reliable. I mean, if you buy a 512GB SSD for $25, an M.2 adapter for $9, and an 8GB video card for $120 - you have yourself a monster computer for $274 before taxes. And you can still upgrade in the future.
It’s pretty cool, and my favorite on the list. The biggest downside is you are on a dead platform, but I doubt that won’t cause you issues for a long time.
Bonus option - save up!
With that being said, you can also just save up. It’s a very valid option.
Holiday season is right around the corner, so I imagine a lot of tech will go on sale. If you can save even another $100, within the next 2 months, it could make a big difference. Don’t deny this option!