Building a Budget Gaming PC in 2020 For Under $600
If you’re a passionate gamer, choosing a system that meets all your needs should be at the top of your priority list. When making this decision, you will also want to get the most performant parts for your money.
Setting up your customized computer can come with several benefits when compared to purchasing a pre-built machine. Although you have to decide on the components that meet your needs, you get a personalized appearance, save costs, and don’t have to worry about annoying pre-installs and bloatware.
If you’re thinking of upgrading your old PC setup or are a newbie looking for your first experience building your power PC, this guide will help you through the process.
Building a powerful gaming PC in 2020 isn’t as hard as you imagine; it’s as simple as lego, but this time using more sophisticated components. Below is a carefully collated list of parts to build your powerful gaming PC for a budget of $500 – $600 including an operating system.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
First off, to make the build process as smooth as possible, we have created a component compilation using PCpartpicker to ensure there are no compatibility issues and also to choose a build within our specified budget. It’s a great way to know if the package will work even before buying a single component.
You should also consider that you will be working with parts that draw electrical currents, so remember to never touch them when the system is powered on. Avoid building on carpet or a metal surface and instead, use a wooden surface or place cardboard on top of your working surface. You can isolate yourself with an anti-static bracelet or other earthing methods to prevent sending electrostatic discharge (ESD), as this can damage your components.
In terms of tools, make sure you have a small and large Phillips head screwdriver, zip ties, and a light. Any specialist tools you need for your components will typically be included with the component.
What You Will Need
The essential components you will be needing are things you might already know. They include the case, operating system, RAM, motherboard, processor, CPU cooler, thermal paste, graphics card, harddrive, fans, the USB boot disk, and of course, the power supply.
It is also important to note that the kind of build you want should be entirely based on your needs. For instance, if needing a PC for video editing, paying attention to the hard disks and RAM should be a top priority. On the other hand, a gamer should prioritize a graphics card and processor speed.
Components for Building a Budget Gaming PC in 2020 For Under $600
CPU: New Ryzen 3 3300X
CPU Specifications
Our CPU performs well when playing simple and most games on lower/medium settings and other simple tasks. It comes with a 4.3 GHz turbo frequency, which is perfect for small builds like what we are working with.
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
It is important to pick a motherboard that can be updated to become compatible with the CPU of your choice. Our MSI B450 motherboard is consistent with the Ryzen 3 3300; boots complete without needing a BIOS update. This is a good motherboard with upgrade potential.
Motherboard Specifications: G.skill Ripjaws 16 (2*8) GB DDR4 Memory
Memory Specifications
For this build, we have selected a 16 (2*8) GB DDR4 G.skill Ripjaws CL66 memory running at 2666 Mhz as it’s the best price memory for our AMD recommendations. Of course, there are several options when it comes to memory selection, but this portable, roughed memory kit from G.skill provides us with a huge amount of memory and also increases the clock speed while keeping our budgets on the downside.
Storage: ADATA SU635 480 GB 2.5″ SSD
SSD Specifications
Depending on your type of work, you are going to need space for the operating system and the high-resolution games you build it for. The chosen SSD offers up to 480GB storage, which optimizes performance when compared to a traditional HDD. This drive isn’t the best, but it’s a great place for starters. You can always consider an upgrade at any time, or when you have exhausted almost all your memory space.
Power supply: Corsair CXM (2015) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
Power supply Specification
This PSU unit is manufactured by Corsair, and it provides all power needs for this build. Since we are starting with a modest CPU, we don’t need to worry about upgrading our PSU to something that provides more wattage than 450W. In the future, if making significant upgrades to the CPU and graphics card an upgrade may be required.
Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 ATX Mid Tower Case
If you are looking for a case that gives you enough space to house full-length video cards, cable management, a tempered glass, and a 2x USB 3.0 front panel ports, at a low budget, then this P300 ATX Mid-tower case is perfect for you. The cable management feature helps you tire off all connections, keeping the build clean and organized.
There is always the temptation to spend more money on better looking and more portable cases, which is not a bad choice if you have a knack for great designs, but always remember that a case adds no value to the overall performance of your build.
Video Cards: ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card
Video Card Specifications
This ASRock Radeon RX 570 4 GB gaming video card isn’t among the best of video cards, but this one can meet all your basic gaming needs. Ideal for entry-level gamers and beginner level gaming PC’s.
All Components
As at the time of publishing, all the components listed in the article Building a Budget Gaming PC in 2020 For Under $600 are accurate and have no incompatibility issues. You can find their price listing on PCpartpicker’s description.
At any point in time, you can decide to swap your parts for faster and better upgrades, like a faster processor, SSD, and a larger Corsair RAM. The best part of this is that you are in control of how and whatever you decide to assemble which is what makes building your powerful gaming PC a whole lot of fun.
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