Best Value Low-Mid Range Gaming PC Configuration Guide

daffyd on 12/08/2018 - 15:12
Last edited 12/08/2018 - 16:13

I was browsing the Whirlpool Gaming Configurations and realised they are a bit biased towards build vs buy and there isn't enough bargain-hunting in them (https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/rmp_sg_whirlpoolpcs_gaming_con…). I have a few ideas but wanted the forum's insights…

General principle, if patient, is to wait for an ebay 20% off sale. In particular Dell do not price-jack their PCs

$500-ish Budget Gaming
Buy a refurbished i5 desktop (i5-2500 or newer, including or adding an SSD)
Add a Low Profile Nvidia GTX 1050Ti
These will crush a Ryzen 3 2200G for gaming

Here is an example refurb deal (now expired): https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/394340
Available now is this (upgrade to 8GB ram): https://www.reboot-it.com.au/p/Used-Computers/Core-i5/Dell-O…
Or this (but better deals do get posted regularly): https://www.reboot-it.com.au/p/Used-Computers/Core-i5/Dell-O…
The LP graphics cards haven't had amazing specials the past few weeks, most recently ~$263 from ebay 20% off specials

$800-ish Solid 1080p Gaming
Actually the Whirlpool examples above are pretty solid, just replace the graphics card with an RX570 which have recently come down in price substantially
E.g. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/395901

If you need a copy of Windows and aren't planning power-hungry upgrades a pre-built alternative is one of these Dell's when the ebay 20% off deals come along:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/396079
You'll want to add an SSD though

$1100-ish Amazing 1080p Gaming
The Dell pre-built i5-8400 / GTX 1060 is hard to beat for price/performance when it is 20% off at $1,119:
E.g. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/comment/6245212/redir

If you want to game at higher resolutions then I think we're past the budget choices.
PCByte sometimes have some decent value packages during ebay 20% off coupon times but they also have a lot of overpriced configurations and the supporting parts tend to be weak (in particular, for higher resolution gaming you'd want a GTX 1080 graphics card or better and if you're paying that much for a graphics card you probably want a more reliable power supply).
The Dell i7-8700 / GTX 1070 is decent value at 20% off but the price of a GTX 1080 has come down enough that it's probably worth squeezing one in if you're spending close to $2,000 (recently $1719 https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-Dell-Inspiron-Gaming-Desktop…)
At higher price points the ozbargain approach is probably to find individual components on sale (particularly that graphics card, or if you want higher capacity SSDs) and build your own. Whirlpool forum guidance is probably very reasonable, just being selective around pricing.

As a humble bargain hunter I'd appreciate any other insights you have. In particular I'd be curious to know if anyone has found a common desktop refurb that can handle an RX570 graphics card. It would be great to find a cheaper base to build that card into but it requires a stronger power supply than most SFF desktops (and ideally a power supply with a PCI-E 8pin cable).

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • Diji1 on 12/08/2018 - 15:28
    +2

    i7-8700 / GTX 1070

    Unless you have specific titles in mind that are CPU bound you'd be better off buying an i5-8600K and trying to get to a 1080 IMO.

  • conza on 12/08/2018 - 15:47
    +1

    So, this isn't looking for a particular build you're just looking for deals then?

    Base line, 1080p high build, picked an 8350k and a Z370 board, arguments for a Ryzen system if you want to keep it longer term (but then if you are, probably want a higher budget anyway? Idk).

    https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/LxpKKB

    • daffyd on 12/08/2018 - 15:55

      Indeed, I'm just trying to figure out where the best price-performance ratio is at different price-points, seeing if there is an angle I've missed. Nice example you have there! Any idea of the reliability of TCSunBow SSDs?

  • Cartman2530 on 12/08/2018 - 17:11

    I'm still running a 2600k @4.2Ghz with a GTX1080 and 8Gb of DDR3 and I'm fine playing pretty much everything at maximum at 1440p. Farcry 5 is like butter!

    The graphics card is really the only thing that you really need to think about depending on what tier you want to game at, choosing an older CPU and RAM should have a much smaller effect on a game than an older GPU.

    CPU is not that taxed and you really only lose a few FPS at the higher resolutions, its all up to the graphics card. Only a couple of games really stress a CPU out, or if you play at a lower res like 720p or under, you'll be CPU limited.

  • oscargamer on 12/08/2018 - 17:35

    I've got an i5-2500 with an SSD and a 1060.

    Works great at 1440

  • daffyd on 12/08/2018 - 20:08

    If trying to save a buck do you think it's worth building a i5 2500/2600/3470/3570 with used CPU/MB/RAM? Or does it not stack up vs i3-8100? Might review ebay listings…

  • Cave Fire on 12/08/2018 - 21:06

    Yeah… missed out on a Graysonline Optiplex Auction here in Brisbane. i7-2600 + 8gb ram + 500gb hard drives going for under a $100 Link. I think I was bidding $50 on one and it went for under $100, after a 15% buyer fee and 10% "gst". Apparently people throw these out, but haven't found those so far. Thought about rehoming this into a case + mobo. Should be more on offer around Vic or NSW.

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