The Inexpensive Gaming PC

The speed of development of PC components is sometimes very rapid. There is fierce competition between the two major processor manufacturers Intel and AMD, but AMD and NVIDIA are also fighting for the market on the graphics card market. Shortened product generations have become a trend, to the advantage of gamers, as they can always get the best performance. When upgrading hardware or buying new computers, it is important to consider the differences between product generations to avoid spending money unnecessarily on outdated products.

For most people, the goal of building their own PC is to get the maximum performance for the minimum price. You want to make sure that every single euro that flows into the system is well spent. Since the average lifespan of a PC is just over three years, you don’t want to go for ordinary products when looking for bargains – you need a cool design with eye-catching lighting! To help you find components, we’ve put together a list of current products that you can use to build your cheap gaming system.

THE PROCESSOR: INTEL CORE I5-8400

Recently, Intel’s eighth-generation Coffee Lake processors have been introduced to the market, offering significantly more performance than the previous generation. To strike a good balance between performance and cost, we recommend the Intel Core i5-8400 processor, which has six cores and six threads. The jump from four to six cores gives processors of the eighth generation clear advantages. Not only can they play 4K Ultra HD video without a hitch, they also give you the best performance in the most demanding games and applications.

THE CPU COOLER: COOLER MASTER MASTERAIR MA410P RGB

Do you want a PC that stands out in the crowd? We recommend using the Cooler Master MasterAir MA410P RGB cooler to keep your system cool even at maximum performance. A special feature of the MasterAir MA410P – it supports a host of RGB LED colors and lighting effects, as well as the Cooler MasterBox K500 MasterBox package, which will be introduced later. In combination with the MSI B360 GAMING PLUS motherboard, all RGB LEDs can be synchronized to reveal your personal style. But not only visually it looks cool, this tower cooler has several copper heatpipes and an aluminium heat sink for optimal cooling. The heatpipes not only have direct contact to the processor, but are also placed closer to each other to increase the contact cooling area. The efficient cooling is rounded off by a 12 centimeter fan that works quietly even at high temperatures.

THE WORKING MEMORY: G.SKILL RIPJAWSX 16GB (2 X 8GB)

The new Intel Core i5-8400 supports Dual Channel DDR4-2666 memory, as well as the already mentioned MSI B360 GAMING PLUS, which can hold up to four RAM bars. For limited budgets, we recommend the purchase of two 8GB RAM bars, which in dual channel mode represent 16GB. Thus you get better performance for a smooth operation of Windows, programs and games.

Intel Core i5-8400 supports Dual Channel DDR4-2666 memory, as well as the already mentioned MSI B360 GAMING PLUS, which can hold up to four RAM bars. For limited budgets, we recommend the purchase of two 8GB RAM bars, which in dual channel mode represent 16GB. Thus you get better performance for a smooth operation of Windows, programs and games.

THE POWER SUPPLY: COOLER MASTER MWE BRONZE 500

With the further development of processor and graphics card technology, performance continues to increase, but power consumption does not always increase at the same time. Some new products even have lower power consumption than the previous generation. We therefore recommend the Cooler Master MWE Bronze 500 W power supply with 80 Plus Bronze certification, i.e. this power supply converts electricity with 82% efficiency. With high quality capacitors, this power supply improves temperature tolerance and lifetime and also offers very low power consumption of less than 0.5 watts in standby. The built-in 12cm Silencio FP fan has sealed Loop Dynamic Bearing ball bearings and silent fan blades.

Thus, the fan is efficient and quiet in cooling and has a lifetime of up to 160,000 hours. The power cable of the power supply unit is covered with fabric for problem-free cable management. With two PCI-E 6+2 pins for graphics cards, four connectors for SATA HDDs and three 4-pin power connectors, many components and peripherals can be connected.

THE HDD: SEAGATE BARRACUDA 1TB

On a limited budget, SSDs are optional, with better performance but smaller capacity and a high price. Traditional hard drives are a must, so we recommend the 3.5-inch Seagate Barracude 1TB hard drive.

With this product you have enough space for the operating system, programs and files, but also fast data transfer rates of 210 MB per second. If you want a bit more performance, combine your HDD with Intel Optane memory. This fits into the M.2 slot of the B360 GAMING PLUS and noticeably improves the performance of hard drives, so you can look forward to seamless system operation.

THE CASE: COOL MASTER MASTERBOX K500

For your personalized system we recommend the Cooler MasterBox K500 housing. The side panel made of hardened glass gives a direct view of the components inside the system and thus also an interesting touch. The front and fans of the case also have RGB lighting, which perfectly matches the recommended RGB cooler and the B360 GAMING PLUS motherboard. Vote for your system using the motherboard’s built-in RGB LED settings!

Inside the case, there’s room for a 16cm cooler, an 18cm power supply, a 40cm graphics card, two 3.5-inch HDDs and up to six 2.5-inch HDDs. The front, top and bottom are equipped with dust filters. Two integrated 12 cm RGB fans on the front and a 12 cm fan on the back are already in the case, but you could even add another six 12 cm fans to the front.