Building a powerful gaming PC at a good price is no longer an impossible dream. With the last drop that have experienced the general consumer graphics cards, and the strong competition that Intel and AMD have been waging in the CPU sector, today we can find a variety of components at very attractive prices, so much so that if we know how to search and choose we will have the possibility of to assemble a powerful computer for little money.
During the last few weeks many readers have told me that it is impossible to build a gaming PC with guarantees for less than 1,200 euros, that the prices are crazy and that it is better to buy a PS5 for 500 euros The thing is that this is not trueand I have decided to make this guide to prove it. On the other hand, remember that today it is practically impossible to buy a new PS5 for 500 euros, as there is no stock, and that in the resale market is still around 700-800 eurosthat is, it is more expensive than the PC we are going to assemble in this guide.
As I have done in previous guides I am going to leave you a complete list with the components that I have chosen, and I will leave you interesting alternatives to some of those components, as long as they exist and are really worth it. In case you have any doubt about this configuration, or about the application of possible changes in specific components, you can leave it in the comments and we will help you to solve it. Without further ado, make yourselves comfortable and let’s get started.
What is the purpose of this PC?
To move current games in the best possible wayand with an investment adjusted to the maximum. To do this, I have fine-tuned the choice of components to the millimeter, and I have prioritized three major keys that I want to make clear from the beginning:
- IPC over number of cores, since in the end the games prioritize this when we reach the recommended minimum number of threads.
- Graphics card power and support for advanced technologiesin this sense, DLSS makes a very important difference in terms of graphics quality improvement as well as gaming performance and support.
- Balance in the rest of components to avoid bottlenecks or a poor experience in certain aspects, such as loading times in games. All in all, we have avoided excessive expenses that do not compensate in terms of performance, and therefore we have preferred a configuration with DDR4 memory.
What will I be able to do with this PC?
Well, a lot of things, really. The only thing you won’t be able to do optimally is to work with applications and tools that require a high degree of parallelization, but that’s normal since that’s not the goal of this configuration.
With the base configuration of 721 euros you will be able to play with all the guarantees in 1080p and 1440pand thanks to DLSS you can get extra performance by enabling ray tracing and compensating for its impact on frames per second.
I know some will tell me that AMD’s FSR 2.0 could also have been taken into account, but there’s two very important reasons why I have opted for the DLSS and I want to make them clear from the outset as well to avoid any doubts:
- DLSS offers a far superior result, both in terms of image quality and performance improvement.
- It has much greater support, and is available in a large number of triple-A titles (Cyberpunk 2077, Control, Dying Light 2, DOOM Eternal, Call of Duty Warzone and many others).
With DLSS enabled in quality mode or balanced mode we can gain a lot of performance, especially in demanding games, and its adoption rate is increasing, so I think it’s pretty clear why I preferred this technology and why I placed so much value on it when choosing the graphics card for this rig.
Configuration of this Gaming PC: motherboard
The motherboard we have chosen is a GIGABYTE B660M DS3H DDR4, an economical but well-built model that has everything we will need now and in the future, and that offers many possibilities for expansion.
It has a 6+2+1-phase hybrid digital VRMwhich means that we will be able to mount quite powerful processors without any problem. In this sense, the maximum recommended for this motherboard for a matter of temperature and power supply at the VRM level would be a Core i7-12700a very powerful chip that has 8 high-performance cores and 4 high-efficiency cores (20 threads in total).
The GIGABYTE B660M DS3H DDR4 has four slots for dDR4 RAM memory at a maximum of 4,300 MHz (allows us to overclock the RAM), supports two M.2 PCIe Gen4 x4 x4 SSDs, and comes with a passive cooling system in the main slot, which will allow us to keep the temperatures of our SSD completely under control. Undoubtedly a very good choice for what it costs. We can buy it for 120.21 euros.
Possible alternative we could invest in a cheap AM4 motherboard and mount a Ryzen 5 5500. If we want to reach a similar level of quality we would have to invest almost 120 euros, so the price difference would be minimal. The Asrock B550M Pro4 would be a good choice.
Processor: Intel Core i3-12100F
The choice of processor has a very simple explanation, although I am sure you could have already guessed it if you have carefully read the first half of this guide. The Core i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads, which means that it meets the minimum level we need to run current games with guarantees. Admittedly, this puts it behind other 6-core and 12-thread alternatives, but it makes up for it with a very high IPC and a very low price It comes, moreover, with a fan includedso we do not have to buy a separate one.
We already told you at the time that the Core i3-12100F has such a high IPC that it is able to overwhelm in games the Ryzen 5 5500, a chip that has 6 cores and 12 threads, and its price is only 105.90 euros. On the other hand, this processor allows us to access the Intel LGA1700 platform, one of the most advanced of the moment, and if in the future we need a more powerful processor we can upgrade without any problem.
With the Core i3-12100F we will enjoy a high level of gaming performance with minimal investment. It is true that when the transition to next-generation consoles takes place, quad-core, eight-thread processors will start to show clearer and clearer signs of exhaustion, but this is still some time away, and when it does happen we will be able to upgrade to a Core i5-12400F.
Possible alternative: we can opt for the Ryzen 5 5500 if we have chosen an AM4 motherboard, but we must be clear that this processor is more expensive and performs worse in games despite its higher core count due to its lower IPC. Personally, if you are worried about having to upgrade your CPU in a few years, I recommend you to go directly for the Core i5-12400F.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 2 x 8 GB at 3,600 MHz
For the Core i3-12100F to develop its full potential it is necessary to accompany it with sufficiently fast memory, but we have to avoid unnecessary expenses that inflate the cost of the equipment and do not compensate in performance. For this reason, we have opted for the Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 memory kit with two 8 GB modules working at 3.600 MHz and with CL18 latencies, which is reduced to 66.99 euros.
This kit gives us everything we will need to play with all the guarantees:
- Two modules to enable dual channel (128-bit bus).
- 16 GB of RAM in total.
- High operating frequency for very fast communications with the processor.
- Tight latency.
- Low height to ensure full compatibility if we decide to change the CPU cooling system.
Remember that for future upgrades we will have two free slots on the motherboard, so we can install two other Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 modules and expand the total RAM to 32 GB without any problem.
Possible alternative:Â frankly at the time of writing this article I didn’t see any that were really worth it. Â If you care about RGB LED lighting you can look for a similar or equivalent kit, but you will be overpaying for aesthetics.
Graphics card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 OC with 6 GB
The 6GB GeForce RTX 2060 is a previous-generation graphics card, i.e. it is Turing-based, but it still delivers excellent performance, and features RT cores for accelerating ray tracing and tensor cores supporting second-generation DLSS. They also support NVIDIA RTX IO and Microsoft DirectStorage.
In terms of raw power, the GeForce RXT 2060 performs better than a GeForce RTX 3050 and is only slightly slower than the Radeon RX 6600, although it has three important advantages over the Radeon RX 6600:
- It is cheaper, as we can buy it for 249 euros.
- It performs better with ray tracing.
- Supports second-generation DLSS, which offers superior value to FSR 2.0.
The GeForce RTX 2060 we have chosen is also very compact, and comes with in-house overclocking, allowing it to offer higher performance and further narrow the gap with the Radeon RX 6600. With this graphics card we will be able to play with all the guarantees in 1080p and 1440p with maximum qualitiesand we can maximize performance for gaming with high refresh rate monitors or activate ray tracing by compensating for the loss of performance with the second generation DLSS.
Possible alternative: the only one really worth considering for price proximity is the Radeon RX 6600, which can be purchased for about 279 euros. Personally I prefer the GeForce RTX 2060 for the three reasons I gave you above.
Storage drive: WD Blue SN570 SSD 1TB M.2 NVMe
Our team is already taking shape, but we are still missing some important components, and the SSD is certainly one of them. For a gaming PC to be really capable of running games optimally we need an SSD, and in this case we have chosen the WD Blue SN570 1TB for its excellent price-capacity-performance ratio.
This storage unit uses TLC memory (three bits per cell), achieves speeds of 3,500 MB/s sequential read and 3,000 MB/s sequential write and has a lifespan of up to 600 TB in write cycles. All this means that we have:
- Enough capacity to have several games installed at the same time without space being an issue.
- Superior performance to the SSD used in the Xbox X Series and S Series.
- Fairly long service life.
The price of this SSD is 98.09 euros, a very good figure considering all it offers. Once assembled we can use the heatsink that includes the motherboard we have chosen so that their temperatures remain at optimal levels.
Alternative options:Â we could invest more money in a 2TB drive, or even opt for a configuration of a 512GB SSD and a 2TB HDD as a secondary drive, although this will depend on your specific needs. Personally, before investing more money in a 2TB SSD I would upgrade the processor to a Core i5-12400F.
Power Supply: NOX Hummer Alpha 600W 80 Plus Bronze
We have a configuration that does not require a very powerful power supply, as the most demanding component in this regard is the GeForce RTX 2060, and this one settles for an a minimum power of 500 watts and a additional 8-pin power connector.
All in all, the power supply is very important to ensure that all the components can receive the power they need, and that the system will operate at full capacity and in a fully stable manner. You know that a poor quality or underpowered power supply can eventually die, and in the process can take other components with it.
Therefore, we did not want to make absurd sacrifices on this component, and chose the NOX Hummer Alpha 600W 80 Plus Bronze, a reliable but economical power supply that will allow us to move the equipment without any problem, and that will also give us a considerable margin for future expansions, both at CPU and GPU level.
Possible alternatives:Â the truth is that we could hurry and go for a 550 watt power supply, but the price difference between that kind of models and the NOX we have chosen is only five euros, so frankly it is not worth it.
Chassis: Mars Gaming MC300 FRGB USB 3.0 White
We are missing the last component, the chassis. This is quite a personal choice, but I have chosen the Mars Gaming MC300 FRGB USB 3.0 White because it’s a rather attractive case in terms of design, it is well built and on top of that it comes with three fans as standard, which means we don’t have to spend extra money to get good airflow right out of the box.
This chassis also has enough room to mount all the components we have chosen, and gives us room for future expansion. It offers a very good value for what it costs, 38,69 euros.
Possible alternatives:Â as I said at the beginning, the chassis is a very personal choice, so you can change it for any other that suits your taste. Be careful, though, that the model you choose has the necessary space for all the components, and that it comes with enough fans to create a good airflow.
Final notes
The total cost of the base configuration we have given you in this guide was, at the time of writing, 721.77 eurosincluding VAT. We have a gaming PC of just over 700 euros that:
- Has a latest generation CPU with top IPC and four cores and eight threads.
- Mounts a powerful GPU that gives its best in 1080p and 1440p.
- It has specialized hardware to accelerate ray tracing.
- Supports second-generation NVIDIA DLSS, and the latest industry technologies.
- It has a high-performance SSD that outperforms the Xbox X Series, and has 1TB of capacity.
- It has 16 GB of DDR4 RAM with high speed and configured in dual-channel.
- It mounts a motherboard with a good price-performance ratio, and gives us a remarkable margin for expansion.
- It comes with a reliable power supply capable of powering more powerful components without problems.
Here are some of them performance data to give you a better idea of what this modest equipment is capable of:
- Control in 1080p with maximum quality, without DLSS: 67 FPS. With DLSS we can play in 1440p maintaining 60 FPS totally stable.
- Days Gone in 1080p with maximum quality: 82 FPS, in 1440p it registers 59 FPS on average.
- Cyberpunk 2077 in 1080p with maximum quality: 51 FPS on average, we can get more than 60 FPS totally stable with the DLSS in quality mode. In 1440p with maximum quality we have an average of 32 FPS, but we can also achieve a stable 60 FPS thanks to the DLSS. In both cases we had contact shadows and enhanced facial geometry enabled.
- DOOM Eternal is so well optimized that we can even play it in 4K maintaining fully stable averages of over 60 FPS using DLSS in quality mode, although for a memory limitation issue we have to reduce the texture setting. All in all, it doesn’t make any major difference.
- Red Dead Redemption 2 in 1080p with very high quality almost always moves above 50 FPS on average, and in 1440p it doesn’t usually go below 40 FPS. In both cases we can activate the DLSS to reach 60 FPS.
