It’s a brand new year and new generations of processors and graphics processing units are coming in like candies. With that being said, we recently talked about building a gaming PC that’s worth of ₱15,000. However, we received some feedback about it not being a complete build or so~so and it’s as good as shit without a legit OS and monitor. So, for the first quarter of 2014, we decided to write this article talking about a legit and complete entry level gaming pc as cheap as possible without compromising the quality and durability of each individual components.
To start of, this build will be able to play most casual games out there like Dota 2, LoL, Mercenary Online, RaiderZ, NeverWinter, World of Warcraft and some petty games. I will be just basing the components availability and prices on two nationwide known stores and they are PCXpress and DynaQuestPC.
So this is still an Intel gaming build because it’s going to be a different talk if we changed our processor to AMD. So here’s our configuration:
Motherboard
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-DS2
Price: ₱2,750
Reason: Gigabyte offers a solid balance between quality and features. Given our track record with the brand, we’ve come to respect their durability.
Specs:
- Supports 4th Generation Intel® Core™ processors
- GIGABYTE Ultra Durableâ„¢ 4 Plus Technology
- GIGABYTE UEFI DualBIOSâ„¢
- All solid capacitors design
This motherboard is pretty solid specially cause of it’s price point however, this motherboard only utilizes PCIE 2.0 but with an entry level gaming setup, this is enough.
Processor
Processor: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Haswell
Price: ₱2,650
Reason: Cheapest. Latest. Haswell.
Specs:
- # of Cores    2
- # of Threads    2
- Clock Speed    3 GHz
- Cache    3 MB
- DMI2 Â Â Â 5 GT/s
- Lithography    22 nm
- Max TDP Â Â Â 54 W.
This processor might be a Pentium but don’t underestimate it’s capabilities because it is equipped with the latest architecture known as “Haswell”. This equates to far better power efficiency and no, Haswell is only hot when you OC. These lower-tier models can even run without the heatsink… we don’t recommend doing it so don’t go blaming nobody if you do it.
Memory
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB Single 1600 CL9 x2
Price: ₱1,800 x 2
Reason: Compared to the cheapest DDR3 1600 module which is about 1,600 to 1,750 and has a bad timing of CL11. This one hits the sweet spot.
Specs:
- DDR3 PC3-12800
- 9-9-9-24
- Unbuffered
- Non-ECC
- 1.5v
I prefer this RAM rather than the corsair brand being sold at PCExpress for the same price. Why? The Corsair is only 1333mhz while this one is 1600mhz. Other than that, all features that are being offered by those two rams are the same. So take two of this for an 8GB ram size.
Storage
Storage: Samsung ST500DM005 500GB 16mb Sata
Price: ₱2,160
Reason: For storage, I went for the best price to GB ratio possible.
Specs:
- 500GB
- 7200RPM
- 16mb Cache
- 2Years Limited Warranty
Majority might seem to think twice about Samsung when it comes to storage but give them a try. Durability of the storage is relatively based on how it is being used.
Graphics Processing Unit
Graphics Processing Unit: POWERCOLOR HD7750 1GB DDR3 128BIT (AX7750 1GBK3-H)
Price: ₱3,480.00
Reason: It’s still by far better in terms of performance price ration in an entry level competition. It’s even faster than the new R7 240 and 250.
Specs:
- SPU CORES: 512
- Core Clock: 800 mhz
- Memory Clock: 1600mhz
- Memory Type: DDR3
- 128 bit
- 1GB
A bit disappointed for the R7 250 since it is the card that was designed to replace the HD 7750. Performance wise, HD 7750 is still by far better than the R7 250.
Power Supply
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART SE 530W Modular 14cm Fan 87% Efficency
Price: ₱2,150
Reason: It’s quality for that price range and probably the best one since it offers 87% efficiency.
Specs:
- Intel ATX 12V 2.3 & SSI EPS 12V 2.92
- 530W ~ 630W(Peak)
- 14cm Sleeve Fan: 1900RPM ± 10%
- Deliver up to 87% efficiency
- 6+2pin x 2
A modular design PSU, with solid build quality. Thermaltake may not be a top choice but it has been around for a long time and that is a testament to their quality.
Chassis
Price: ₱1,400
Reason: Cause it looks awesome and cheap.
Specs:
- MicroATX Mini Tower
- Power Supply Mounted Top
- External 5.25″ Drive Bays 2
- External 3.5″ Drive Bays 1
- Internal 3.5″ Drive Bays 2
- Internal 2.5″ Drive Bays 1 (at bottom cover)
- Front Ports USB3.0 x1 & USB2.0 x1, Mic x1, Audio x1
- Dimensions 7.09″ x 14.57″ x 16.73
Ultimately, the casing is up to you and as long as you don’t break the bank you can always go for a more luxurious case to accommodate any upgrade path you may choose.
You can also go cheaper and buy a no-name case to save a few hundred but DO NOT SKIMP on the PSU.
BUILT AROUND PSU YAN!
Monitor
Monitor: LG 19EN33S 18.5″ LED Monitor
Price: ₱3,800
Reason: Best 18.5″ monitor size out there for it’s price range.
Specs:
- Panel Type: TN
- Resolution   1366 x 768
- Response Time (ms)Â Â Â 3.5
And that’s it. A total of ₱21,990 for this gaming system setup but that’s not yet over. You need to grab atleast ₱500 worth of keyboard and mouse bundle, ₱800 worth of AVR, and ₱800 worth of ODD so you can install your operating system. Now that I have mentioned it, you also need to grab an operating system. Well of course when it comes to operating system, go for the latest one which is Windows 8.1 Pro and grab the 64-bit version. That’s about another ₱4,000.
So overall our LEGIT gaming system is worth ₱28,090.
Well, that’s pretty much about it and do note that you can play Dota 2 and LoL and WoW in max settings with this setup. Let us know what you think or if you have questions/suggestions or so~so reaction do drop us a comment.
8 Comments
can the G3220 really benefit from 1600MHz RAM…? i think it could only utilize up to 1333MHz…
Hi Melvin, yes it will. Although at a very minimal rate of performance compared to a 1333mhz. However, for that price point with a 100 bucks difference. The 1600 I choose for this configuration is a sweet spot in my opinion. Moreover, The CPU does not choose what the memory is recognized, the motherboard
does. The CPUs will run at whatever the motherboard tells them too.
I have a WD hard drive ready to use here, so I can leave the hard drive behind. With that, if I want to keep the price at 28,000 pesos, what part can I upgrade here?
Oh, also the monitor XD
That’s like a 6000+ savings? Go for an i3 processor and GTX750 then if the budget allows it.
Hey, thanks for the recommendations! I’ve been researching on how to put together a cheap gaming rig that could leave current-gen consoles in the dust and I think this is a pretty good set-up.
I’m curious–are these components available in the States as well?
Yes, they are. You can actually get these parts cheaper in the States from stores like Micro Center or online via Newegg. Can’t say the warranty will hold globally though.
Thanks for the tip! Appreciate it. 😀 Bookmarked and followed!