Portability, price, and performance in gaming desktops usually don’t mix well. Majority of mini-ITX cases support only SFX PSU’s which are expensive and those that can fit a mainstream graphics card are usually expensive. With the recent improvements in PC hardware technology, building a mainstream gaming PC using a small and portable case is now more viable. If you are currently looking for a gaming PC that merges portability, price, and performance, this build guide is for you.
Related: Php15,000 Budget Gaming PC Build Guide December 2018 (Athlon 200GE)
The Components
Just some REMINDERS:
- The prices are based on the item listing of retailers in Metro Manila. Price may change without prior notice so call the store to verify the updated price on your day of purchase.
- For the monitor, we recommend the LG 29UM69 as starting point since it’s a 75-Hz monitor that supports Free Sync and has a resolution of 2560 x 1080.
Intel Core i5 8400
Socket – Intel LGA 1151
Number of Cores – 6
Number of Threads – 6
CPU Speed – 2.8 to 4.0 GHz
L3 Cache – 9 MB
TDP (Thermal Design Power) – 65 watts
On-die GPU – Intel UHD 630
Gigabyte B360N Aorus Gaming WiFi
Socket – Intel LGA 1151
Chipset – Intel B360
Memory Type Supported – DDR4
Memory Speed Supported – up to 2,666 MHz
Max. Memory Amount Supported – 32GB
Memory Slots – 2
Form Factor – Mini ITX (17.0 cm x 17.0 cm)
Heatsink on VRM – Yes
Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB
GPU – AMD Radeon RX 580
Number of Cores – 2,304
GPU Base Speed – 1,257 MHz
GPU Turbo Speed – 1,366 MHz
Memory – 8GB GDDR5 @ 8 GHz
PCI-E Power Cable Requirement – 1x 8-pin
Graphics Card Length – 230 mm
Display Outputs – 1x DVI-D, 2x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort 1.4
G. Skill Ripjaws V 8GBx2 DDR4 2800
(F4-2800C15D-16GVRB)
Memory Type – DDR4
Memory Amount – 8GB x 2 = 16GB
Speed – 2,800 MHz
Voltage – 1.25 V
Timings – 15-16-16-35
Seasonic S12II 520
Rated Capacity – 520 watts
Tested Max. Capacity – 588 watts
Form Factor – ATX
PCI-E Power Cables – 2x 6+2 pin
Input Voltage – 100 V to 240 V
Input Frequency – 50 Hz to 60 Hz
Modular Cables – No
80PLUS Rating – Bronze
Crucial BX500 480GB (CT480BX500SSD1)
Type – Solid State Drive (SSD)
Form Factor – 2.5 inch
Interface – SATA 6Gb/s
Capacity – 480 GB
Warranty – 3 years
Silverstone SG13
Form Factor – Mini ITX
PSU Bay Form Factor – ATX
Max. Graphics Card Length – 266 mm
Max. CPU Cooler Height – 61 mm
Drive Bays – 3x 2.5-inch
Front Fan Provision – 1x 120 mm or 1x 140 mm
Top Fan Provision – none
Rear Fan Provision – none
Side Fan Provision – none
Build Summary
| Part Name | Price (₱) | |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 8400 2.8 – 4.0 GHz | 10,750 |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B360N Aorus Gaming WiFi | 6,430 |
| Graphics Card | Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB | 14,500 |
| Memory | G. Skill Ripjaws V 8GBx2 DDR4 2800 | 9,040 |
| Power Supply | Seasonic S12II-520 | 3,070 |
| Case | Silverstone SG13 | 2,200 |
| Storage Drive | Crucial BX500 480GB | 4,420 |
| TOTAL SYSTEM COST | 50,410 |
For those who want to tweak the build according to their preferences, see the alternative parts below.
- All AMD Build: Ryzen 5 2600 | Gigabyte B450I Aorus Pro WiFi | New TOTAL = ₱50,470
- Cost Reduction: G. Skill Ripjaws V 4GBx2 DDR4 2400 | Corsair VS450 | Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD (WD10SPZX) | New TOTAL = ₱42,930
Performance
We have thoroughly tested the AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB and it’s a very capable GPU for playing games at 2560 x 1080 resolution. If you are not interested in performance graphs, you could watch the game play videos below.
For those concerned with temperature issues in small cases, no need to worry. The peak temperature I have observed on the Sapphire Pulse RX 580 8GB is 75 C when running F1 2017 for 30 minutes. That is not bad considering I tested the graphics card in Silverstone SG13 without a front fan and only relying on the PSU’s fan for ejecting hot air outside of the case. Ambient temperature is 28 C.
OS for First-time Builders
Ubuntu MATE is a free and easy-to-use OS (operating system) that can accommodate the needs of a PC gamer. Besides being free and easy-to-use, another great thing about Ubuntu MATE is you are in control of the system updates. You choose when and what to download and there are no forced system updates when restarting the PC.
As of today, there are more than 5,000 games at Steam which are natively available on Linux. That may be meager compared to the total number of games at Steam but Valve’s recent move to enable Windows games to be run within the Steam Linux client boosted by a large amount the number of games that can be enjoyed on Linux. Some of the popular PC games that can now be played on Linux are The Witcher 3, Tekken 7, Dark Souls III, NieR: Automata, and Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain.
5 Comments
Whao! Wow!
wow nice but intel nmn i hope amd build sna
Kindly re-check the article. It’s been updated to include recommendations for tweaking the build.
75c is bad and it’s because your poor choice of case and card. There are mini itx cases out there that have better air flow. I have a 1080 strix in my RVZ02 and it doesn’t go further than 60c. AMD RX cards are hella hot and power inefficient, you should’ve gotten an Nvidia card.
I’d rather replace that SG13 with a Thermaltake Core V1 instead