If you’re out in the market to build the best gaming PC for this New Year, then you’re in the right place.
Having a tight budget means you’ll need to be tight on what PC hardware to purchase. With a budget of $400, you can build a solid and reliable entry gaming PC.
You’ll need to focus on the essentials, such as the CPU and GPU, since it’ll affect most of what you do in terms of your gaming sessions and daily tasks.
In this guide, we’ll dive deep into what your buck can give you in the long run.
| Type | Product | Specs | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
|
CPU |
AMD Ryzen 3 3200G |
4Ghz, 4 Cores, Radeon Vega 8 graphics |
|
|
MOBO |
MSI B450M |
AM4 Socket, DDR 3 RAM, 2133 MHz |
|
|
MEMORY |
Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 |
2x 8GB, 3200 MHz, DDR4 |
|
|
SSD |
Kingston 240GB A400 |
SATA3, 240 GB, SSD |
|
|
PC Case |
Montech X1 |
Tempered Glass ATX, 120 mm Fan |
|
|
PSU |
G. Skill 650-Watts |
650 Watts, ATX, 120 mm Fan |
TOTAL PRICE: $300
1. CPU – AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
You can check out the AMD Ryzen 3 3200G; the processor has four cores, four threads, and has a clock base of 3.6GHz. The AMD Ryzen 3 3200G is recommended if you’re on a tight budget and want to build a powerful yet cheap PC gaming system.
However, the CPU doesn’t support multi-threading, compared to the upper models such as the Risen 5 5600X, which has multi-threading.
The 3200G is compatible with an AM4 socket motherboard.
But with the 3200G, you’ll get excellent graphics support and processing power to run most games on high levels. The 3200G uses Radeon RX Vega 8, which is its integrated graphics card.
The processor does come with a stock fan, which cools down the CPU efficiently.
Overall the AMD Ryzen 3 3200G is an awesome entry-level PC, which provides you the processing power for a tight budget.
2. Motherboard – MSI B450M
You can check out the MSI B450M; it’s a super budget-friendly entry-level motherboard compatible with the AMD Ryzen 3 3200G. The board supports 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation AMD Ryzen, including the Radeon Vega graphics.
The MSI B450M supports two DDR4 memory, giving you all the speed you need to load through the application with ease. Having two memory slots will be sufficient enough for daily tasks and running medium loads of applications.
In general, the MSI B450M is an excellent entry-level motherboard and will provide you with the performance you’ll need. However, if you want to go a step up, you can check out the MSI Gaming Plus motherboards as well.
3. Memory RAM – Patriot Viper Steel DDR4
You’ll want a decent memory to load your software, applications, or media at lightning speed.
With a $300 PC build, then you’ll have to go with Patriot Viper Steel DDR4; it performs pretty fast, with each memory having 8GB. Since the MSI B450M only has two memory slots, you’ll have a total of 16GB worth of RAM, which is already fast.
You can even overclock the memory itself to gain even more speeds.
The memory itself looks pretty aesthetic; thanks to its sleek steel build, the memory sticks look impressive.
So if you do decide to get the Viper Steel RAM, you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money, and you’ll also have the performance that goes along with it.
4. SSD – Kingston 240GB A400 SSD
The Kingston 240GB A400 SSD is quite inexpensive; however, you’ll get the performance and storage you’ll need.
The A400 is ten times faster than a regular hard drive, with a quick read and write speeds, giving your PC system a boost as well.
Additionally, it’s very stable and will provide you with a solid value for your buck.
5. Display – Asus VP228HE
You can check out some of the low-cost monitors you can invest in. such as the Asus VP228HE, which costs around $100; it measures at 21-inches and has a 60hz refresh rate.
It’s not the most awesome PC in the market, but if you don’t mind the image sacrifice and are just looking for a regular monitor for the moment, then your best bet would be the Asus VP228HE.
5. PC Case – Montech X1
You can get the Montech X1 PC case; it’s pretty low cost and won’t hurt your wallet as much if you’re on a budget. The case comes with four fans along with LEDs to add to the excellent build.
The X1 has a clean aesthetic look, along with a transparent window to see your well build PC hardware working hard.
Additionally, the airflow runs excellent, and the design provides great ventilation for your PC components.
6. PSU – G. Skill 650 Watt
Running those PC components will eat a lot of power, so you’ll need a stable PSU to get the job done. If you’re tight on the budget, we recommend getting the G. Skill 650 Watt PSU; it’s a well-balanced PSU, providing your PC components the optimum power it needs.
The G. Skill 650 Watt is made up of high-quality Japanese capacitors and a 120mm hydraulic fan. The PSU itself is 80 Plus Bronze Certified.
What You Can Expect from a $300 Gaming PC Setup.
The AMD Ryzen 3 2200G is powerful enough to run most games on low to med settings with its integrated GPU processor.
You can expect to run most games on 50 to 60 fps without any issues. However, other than these fps, you won’t achieve higher framerates at higher resolutions.
Upgrades in the Future
If you’re planning on making upgrades in the future, you can easily do so. You’ll be able to add a suitable GPU rather than relying on the CPU’s integrated GPU.
Once you have the extra budget, you can swap out the MSI B450M motherboard for a motherboard that holds two extra memory RAM as well.
Thoughts and Conclusion
If you’re a casual gamer and don’t mind the performance sacrifice, then this $300 PC gaming build should suffice because it’ll get most jobs and daily tasks done.
And once you have more money, you can make more upgrades on your budgeted PC rig. These are our recommendations for an entry gaming PC setup.
