The GPU crisis has been in full flood for months now, with a near perfect storm of production issues, supply shortages and peak demand meaning that graphics cards are almost impossible to purchase at anywhere near sane prices. In turn this means that if you’re looking to build a PC now, you might be put off because this key component is out of reach.

But there are options. 

In this article we’ll show you a couple of builds that don’t need a graphics card for general use and basic gaming. We’ll also explain how you can use them to play high end titles right now, without a graphics card so you can get gaming without paying outrageous prices. As an added bonus, they form a fantastic basis for a PC without compromises, meaning that when the market corrects itself you can slot a graphics card right in and enjoy all the advantages a GPU brings to a true gaming PC. 

Sit tight for the Premiumbuilds guide to beating the GPU crisis!

Why do you need graphics anyway?

A PC needs some form of graphics adaptor to process a video signal and output it. A discreet graphics card does this job for you in a standard gaming PC, but of course, we’re in a situation where they’re exceptionally hard to buy and vastly inflated in price. Most motherboards have an HDMI and sometimes a Displayport video output but this is driven by the CPU itself, via an integrated graphics processor or ‘iGPU’. This small section of the CPU allows for basic display output but lacks the power and versatility to render game graphics with anything like the performance of even a basic of dedicated GPU. Most AMD CPUs lack an integrated graphics processor, whilst Intel CPUs have traditionally only been capable of the most basic office desktop output and cannot run games.

However, things have changed a little recently. AMD pioneered 3D Capable CPU’s, or ‘APU’s’ as they are known with their Zen+ CPUs and the Ryzen 2200G and 2400G. They were later refreshed to as the 3200G and 3400G but these are still Zen+ designs. They incorporate 8 or 11 ‘Vega’ graphics cores respectively and offered surprisingly capable gaming performance, particularly when paired with fast RAM and a motherboard flexible enough to allow overclocking of the memory and iGPU core. But that isn’t the end of the Ryzen APU story as you’ll discover in our build guide below.

Intel have also enhanced the capabilities of their CPUs, with the most recent ‘Rocket Lake’ 11^th Generation CPUs incorporating the updated Intel Xe graphics architectures into UHD750 graphics. These aren’t as capable as the Vega units found in AMD CPUs, but they do allow passable gaming performance in some more basic games.

Importantly, either of these solutions enables you to build a viable PC with no graphics card at all, and that in turn lets you exploit a service to get gaming in high fidelity right now. 

GeForce Now – is now the time?

Of course, we’ve long been advocates of building a stand-alone gaming PC. However the joy of PCs is their flexibility, and it’s that versatility we’re leveraging to get you gaming without a GPU. Nvidia launched its ‘GeForce Now’ service several years ago, but this is a golden opportunity to revisit it. It is a subscription-based service, where for $10 a month you can run games on their data centre, streaming to your PC. It connects to a number of game stores including Steam, Epic Games, and Ubisoft so if you own a game already, you’ll be able to play it without re-purchasing it. There’s also a huge library of free-to-play titles. All the favourites are covered –CS:GO, Rocketleague, Fortnite, CyberPunk 2077, Tomb Raider, Watchdogs:Legion – Enough top-tier titles are available so that you can game in high fidelity on a PC without a GPU for months, whilst you wait for the opportunity to get the GPU of your dreams. 

Given the performance and cost, we consider this the best way to keep PC gaming through this crisis, whilst still enjoying the benefits of your own PC for general use, media consumption and more. $10 per month is an easier price to bear when a GPU capable of an equivalent experience would be $500 or more and take a great deal of heartache to obtain. The fact that you can buy games on Steam or other platforms to experience offline for as long as you want, and are not locked into purchases within GeForce now is an important factor. The primary downsides are the requirement for a high-quality internet connection and very light latency penalty of having the game rendered remotely and streamed back to your PC. We’d call those acceptable trade-offs in the circumstances. 

So, with that ‘one weird trick’ revealed, let’s look at a couple of PC’s you can build right now and get gaming on both offline and via GeForce now. Both of these builds have been uploaded into our PC builder tool, which can be found here.

1. AMD Ryzen ‘Renoir’ APU build

AMD CPUs seem to be at a major disadvantage in this market owing to their lack of integrated graphics. Only a select few options suffixed with a ‘G’ have integrated GPUs, allowing you to get graphics output from the CPU itself. Earlier we mentioned the Ryzen 3200G and 3400G, but these 4 core parts lack the performance and versatility we strive for as the basis for a strong PC. 

AMD have another option though – so long as you’re prepared to go off the beaten path. The Ryzen 4650G and 4750G are 6 and 8 core CPUs that are available to OEMs only. However, they’re available to buy via sites such as Aliexpress for around $250/$350 respectively. Just be mindful of longer shipping times and the lack of a direct warranty, as these parts are not meant to be sold to consumers directly. Keep an eye out also for the higher performance 5600G and 5700G – the more recent versions of these CPUs that have yet to land with OEMs but will no doubt trickle onto the grey market soon. 

These ‘Renoir’ APU’s are really special bits of kit. They pair Zen 2 architecture with Vega Graphics cores, essentially making them a Ryzen 5 3600 or 3700 with an entry-level graphics card built-in. Whilst you can’t expect miracles, the 7 or 8 Vega cores do a great job of rendering 3D graphics, and many games are playable at lower settings and resolutions. Meanwhile, the underlying 6/12 or 8/16 core CPU specification makes them powerful and versatile all-rounders capable of all normal tasks including basic video editing and productivity work.

Motherboard

This build pairs the Renoir APU of your choice with the MSI B550M PRO-VDH WiFi motherboard. This board has a BIOS flashback button that allows you to flash the most recent AMD BIOS even without a compatible CPU. This ensures it will accept the Renoir CPU as old BIOS revisions may not recognise it. It’s a full-featured but good value B550 motherboard with HDMI and Displayport out, integrated WiFi, 4 RAM slots and 2 M.2 slots. It’s fully compatible with the high-performance Zen 3 CPUs for future upgrades. The 4650G is the better value of the two potential CPU options, offering 6 cores, 12 threads and solid underlying gaming performance. If you have a more varied workload, the 4750G offers 8 cores, one more VEGA GPU core, and slightly higher iGPU speeds for better graphics performance, but it is more expensive. 

RAM

RAM speed is really important to help the APU perform: It is used as both system and video RAM. For that reason, we’ve opted for this 3600MHz CL16 kit from Crucial. Using their E-Die Integrated circuits, this RAM has high speed and tight timings, and it’s receptive to overclocking so you can boost performance further if you like to optimise manually. The two stick kit allows operation in dual channel mode, essential for performance, whilst 16GB is ample for both system memory and video memory and forms the basis of a versatile PC. This RAM helps you get the most from your APU in the meantime, for just a few dollars more than slower kits. 

Storage

For storage we’ve opted for the Adata Swordfish. This entry level NVMe drive gives good performance and 1Tb of space at just over $100. It’s a great starting point and since this system doesn’t force you to download large AAA titles to be able to play them, it’ll go a long way. It fits in the primary M.2 slot with no additional cables required. 

Case

For the case, we’ve chosen the great value Cooler Master MB311L. This compact mATX case comes with a mesh front panel and two large RGB fans, reducing the cost if you want a bit of bling. It has a good balance of airflow, build quality and looks and is a cost-effective case. You can of course choose any case you like for this build including the non-RGB version of this one.

Cooler

To further aid cooling and because the Ryzen APU’s are generally sold without a bundled cooler, we’ve opted for the great value and high-performance ID-Cooling SE-224 XT. This four-heat pipe cooler keeps noise to a minimum and by cooling the APU effectively you can get maximum performance without thermal throttling.  

Power Supply

Finally, we’ve selected the Cooler Master MasterWatt 650W 80+ Bronze PSU for the build. This power supply has ample power to add a GPU later and is a lower cost but good quality option. It has zero fan mode so at light loads the fan does not spin meaning it’s silent. The semi-modular design lets you keep the build really clean and simple with no superfluous cables and it comes with a 5-year warranty so you can expect long and trouble-free service.

Performance expectations

This AMD ‘Renoir’ APU build will get you gaming straight away. You can play lighter weight titles at reduced settings and 1080p without a problem as well as ‘desktop’ games. You’ll be able to use the GeForce Now service to play more demanding titles right away. When you can get a GPU, this system is capable of gaming in the most demanding games at moderate to high frame rates and is an excellent all-rounder with equivalent performance to a Ryzen 5 3600. For $750, we think this represents the best possible value at the moment. 

2. Intel i5 Rocket Lake UHD 750 build

Intel’s 11^th Generation ‘Rocket Lake’ CPUs have brought the capability of the inbuilt GPU a long way. Using their newer ‘Xe’ architecture, these iGPUs are particularly adept at accelerating transcoding and some video manipulation tasks, but they’ll also turn their hand to light gaming. Performance still isn’t close to matching the Ryzen APU, with UHD 750 graphics about half as capable as AMD’s Vega 8 iGPU – but it will work to an extent. It will of course also allow you to access the Geforce Now service, giving you a PC that will punch well above its weight whilst the stock shortages persist. 

You can choose between the i5-11400, i5-11500 or i5-11600, and even the i5-11600K if you aim to make a very high-performance machine once you can get a GPU. The i5-11400 makes do with UHD 730 graphics, so if you do intend on running games we’d certainly recommend the 11500 or 11600 both of which include UHD750 graphics, a markedly more powerful iGPU owing to 32 execution units instead of 24. The small lift to clock speeds in the higher tier parts will also aid general performance. If you intend on doing more demanding work, you could also consider the 8 core i7-11700 or i7-11700K. Just make sure whichever CPU you choose it isn’t the ‘F’ version – these lack any iGPU at all so the PC won’t be functional! 

Motherboard

For the motherboard, we’ve chosen the Asus TUF Gaming B560M WiFi. This compact but full-featured motherboard allows memory overclocking even on non-K series CPUs boosting the performance of both the CPU and iGPU. There’s inbuilt Wifi, HDMI and Displayport outputs, and good USB connectivity. You can use the 2.5Gb Ethernet or Wifi 6 for connection to online services.

Storage

We’ve opted for the Adata Swordfish 1Tb NVMe SSD for storage for its great value and decent entry-level performance, but you could spend a little more on the Western Digital SN550 or Kingston A2000 if you prefer.

RAM

For RAM, we’ve chosen the matching ‘TUF’ branded memory from Team Alliance, 16Gb in a 2x8Gb 3000MHz configuration. It’s fast enough to let the iGPU perform and can be set to the XMP profile with one click in BIOS, simplifying the setup.

Case

For the case the Cooler Master MB311 ARGB shines through as the best value offering although it does lack USB 3.2×2 on the front panel, you can still access this via the motherboard IO panel. It has good airflow, is supplied with two fans and is easy to build in. We’ve partnered it with the be quiet! Pure Power 11 Gold-rated 600W PSU, an efficient unit with a low noise profile. Again, we’ve ensured there’s ample power to run a GPU when you’re able to obtain one without further upgrades. 

Power Supply

We’ve partnered it with the be quiet! Pure Power 11 Gold-rated 600W PSU, an efficient unit with a low noise profile. Again, we’ve ensured there’s ample power to run a GPU when you’re able to obtain one without further upgrades. 

CPU Cooler

Finally, we’ve added an ID-Cooling SE224-XT Tower CPU cooler, for both lower noise and lower running temperatures, letting the CPU perform to its full potential. 

Performance expectations

This PC will be an excellent general-purpose PC, capable of office work, photo manipulation, media browsing and even light video editing. It will play more basic games and will allow some simple 3D games to run acceptably well at lowered settings. As with the AMD system, we’d recommend making use of Geforce Now for demanding games until such time as you can find your own dedicated GPU – at which point this $750 starter PC becomes a gaming champ and a great way to bridge the gap until you get your own GPU.

So, there we have it: A choice of two PCs that give you a pathway to gaming and all-round use without breaking the bank, or forcing you to pay over the odds for GPU. Enjoy!

*This article is not sponsored by Nvidia GeForce Now and was written independently of any influence from Nvidia*

The post Best Intel & AMD PC Builds Without GPUs – 2 Gaming Builds for under $800 appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

AMD’s Ryzen CPUs have come to redefine what we expect from a processor in terms of performance and value. Using higher core counts to achieve versatile CPU whilst pricing them competitively saw AMD build a strong market. They still excelled in-game though, with more than enough performance for all but the most demanding competitive players. This month AMD made a bold statement with their Zen 3 release. They’ve announced that they’re out-performing intel across the board but especially in gaming which was traditionally Intel’s strongest suit. The six core ‘Ryzen 5’ CPUs have always been the mainstay of this line of products and the 5600X looks like it will continue this trend offering top-drawer gaming performance and versatility too. In this article, we’ve built a PC that takes full advantage of this $299 high-performance processor. This PC will excel in high FPS gaming, but also has a powerful enough GPU to allow glorious AAA titles to shine at 1440p. However, the strength of the 5600X will be in its value, so the build is carefully balanced to keep performance high but costs under control. Every part represents the best value component for this class of build, so let’s dig in!

Best Ryzen 5 5600X Gaming Build – The Parts List

CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X

AMD claim to have made big strides with this generation of their Zen Architecture. The CPU core layout has been redesigned for better access to the cache memory on the CPU and reduced memory latency overall, as well as slightly higher clock speeds. The Ryzen 5 5600X is a 6 core 12 thread CPU with a boost clock of 4.7Ghz, 300Mhz higher than the outgoing Zen 2 parts. It still uses AMD’s ‘PBO’ technology that opportunistically raises boost levels to take advantage of thermal and power delivery headroom and maximise the potential of your chip. All of this adds up to a CPU that should exceed the capabilities of the current gaming value champion, the $279 Intel i5-10600K but at a much lower power draw. This CPU will excel in fast-paced shooters and more complex titles alike, whilst the six cores mean it’ll be perfectly capable in tasks like occasional video editing or photo processing. It supports the latest specifications such as PCIe 4.0 so you can adopt these technologies as they mature. The Ryzen 5600X is set to become the standard core of mid-range gaming systems owing to its touted performance advantage and lower platform costs over an equivalent Intel CPU.

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition

Whilst AMD includes a stock cooler with the Ryzen 5 5600X, it’s a noisy affair and not really suited to getting the most out of the CPU. We’ve opted to include a more appropriate aftermarket cooler for the 5600X, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition. This tower cooler uses a 120mm fan and four heat pipes to pull heat away from the 5600X with minimal noise. Lower temperatures equate to higher boost clocks and the ability to sustain them for longer, improving the performance of your CPU. With PBO on hand to take advantage of a better cooler, the $35 outlay is easily justified for both performance and quality of life via lower noise levels. 

Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M AORUS Pro

There is no motherboard revision for the Zen 3 CPUs and they will all work on B550 and X570 motherboards –although has the specification of the CPU is unreleased, if you buy prior to the CPU release you may have to flash the BIOS to gain compatibility. In terms of Value B550 is more than enough for almost all gamers. This chipset offers PCIe 4.0 support for the GPU and one NVMe SSD, along with a full suite of CPU and RAM overclocking facilities and multitudes of USB connectivity options. We’ve selected the Gigabyte AORUS B550M owing to its well-judged balance of features and pricing at just $130. It has a strong voltage delivery configuration with 10+3 phase design to ensure that the Ryzen 5600X is able to perform optimally and boost to those high clock speeds. There are two M.2 slots with the main slot offering PCie 4.0 compatibility direct to the CPU. The audio codec is a high-quality ALC 1200 chip, and gigabyte Ethernet is plenty for almost all home settings. There are 5 fan headers and a suite of 6 temperature sensors to allow you to monitor the thermal performance of your build and tweak adjustments if needed. Overall this motherboard is an excellent backbone to the system and keeps costs down with an attractive $130 price point.

RAM: Crucial Ballistix RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory

Whilst we will have to wait for performance testing of RAM on Zen 3 CPUs, what we know about the design allows us to make informed decisions. The IO chip that acts as an interconnect between the CPU cores and the outside world remains unchanged, axnd it’s this that dictates the infinity fabric speeds and optimal RAM specification. Therefore it seems very likely that 3600Mhz RAM with tight CAS timings will be optimal, and given our testing it will certainly remain the price to performance sweet spot for this new processor with 3600MHz RAM being relatively affordable. We’ve chosen this Crucial Ballistix 2X8GB kit with RGB highlights for a little extra visual flair. It offers good timings and uses Micron E-die chips which are high quality and overclock well if you want to try your hand at optimising speeds and timings further. 16GB is plenty of RAM for almost every game, and there are 2 slots left free for a hassle-free upgrade should you need more RAM in future. 

Storage: Western Digital SN550 1Tb NVME SSD

2020 has been a great year for SSDs and we’ve seen storage prices drop making high capacity SSDs affordable for all. There’s also been competition for performance however the benefits for gaming and general-purpose PC’s really aren’t made out. There’s minimal difference in boot or loading times and only really specialist usage cases need to consider the higher performance SSDs for tasks such as high-resolution video editing or manipulation of large files. We’ve used the Western Digital SN550 in our test bench for over 3 months now and remain impressed with its performance. This SSD offers 2400MB/s sequential read and 1950MB/s write speeds and uses 3D TLC NAND for good endurance and sustained write speeds. It lacks DRAM but doesn’t let that put you off: WD uses an SRAM cache combined with their proprietary controller to ensure performance doesn’t suffer.  It ships with a 5-year warranty and at $105 represents excellent value for money. 

Graphics Card: Nvidia RTX 3070

We’ve gone out on a limb here because this is an unreleased GPU featuring in a build for an unreleased CPU – however, we’re confident that the October 29^th release of the RTX 3070 will be the best price to performance offering for a mid-range PC. Listing at around $499 the RTX 3070 has 8GB VRAM but Nvidia tout performance equalling the RTX 2080 Ti. We’ll have to wait and see exactly how that stands up to scrutiny but nevertheless, we can expect at least RTX 2080 Super class performance at a much-reduced price. This combines with Ray tracing and tensor cores to leverage AI technologies. Chief amongst these is DLSS 2.0, a super-sampling process whereby AI is used to upscale images using a library of super-high-resolution 16K renders from games. This allows for dramatically improved visuals and performance and is a game-changer in the way GPUs process in-game graphics. At $500 this GPU represents the current best in class 1440p solution, with ample power for the most demanding titles. Be warned: Demand is likely to be high and supply limited, so get in the queue early to secure yours!

PC Case: Cooler Master MasterBox MB311L ARGB

We’ve opted for a slightly more compact mATX form factor for this build and chosen the excellent value Cooler Master MB311L. This case comes with 2 pre-installed 120mm Fans with RGB lighting behind the mesh front panel. The PSU shroud hides the uglier bits of the build whilst a tempered glass side panel displays the rest of the components to best effect: Your RGB Ram and the motherboard heatsinks will look great. We’ve also opted to add another 120mm fan matched to the front to act as an exhaust. Meanwhile, there’s a pair of additional front panel USB ports and the usual flexibility of a drive cage in the ‘basement’ of the case. At $60 this case is a great way to keep costs lower without reducing performance, and also keeps the size of the PC manageable being mATX mid-tower format.

PSU: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650 W 80+ Gold

The PSU market is still reeling from supply troubles in 2020, but this unit from Antec represents a great buy. With 650W output and Gold efficiency rating it’s more than up to the task of powering the efficient components in this build without overspending. It’s semi modular so you only need to use the cables essential to the build, keeping clutter to a minimum. We use this PSU in our test bench and can vouch for its capability and stability as well as quiet operation and good build quality.  It uses high quality Japanese capacitors and ships with a 7 year warranty for your peace of mind. This PSU is an excellent choice for a mid range gaming build and rounds out the components for the PC itself.

Recommended Monitor: Gigabyte G27QC 

A PC of this calibre demands a monitor capable of showing its capabilities to best effect. Gigabyte has recently released the excellent G27QC at a very attractive $280. This 1440p QHD monitor has a 165Hz refresh rate and uses Freesync premium adaptive sync to eliminate screen tearing and give a smooth consistent gaming experience. 165Hz allows lighting quick reactions in first-person shooters, whilst the monitor has fast response times and low input lag so it’s crisp and responsive. The VA panel gives vibrant colours and deep blacks. This monitor is specified to excel in almost all gaming situations and take maximum advantage of the high refresh rates that this Ryzen 5600X and RTX 3070 gaming PC is capable of. 

Conclusion

This PC uses carefully selected parts to allow the Ryzen 5600X to achieve its full potential. It will give exemplary performance across a broad range of titles for years to come. We hope you’ve found this build inspirational, and we know you’re as excited as we are about the new Zen 3 CPU’s and Ampere GPU’s on the horizon. 

The post $1400 Ryzen 5 5600X Gaming Build – The Best Value PC Build for 2021? appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

Here at PremiumBuilds, we’re all about pushing the envelope of what performance your money can buy in the PC world. We’re living some exciting times in the components market thanks to the high levels of competition on every component a PC build needs. This $600 part list that we’re presenting here is an indirect follow up to a $700 one we’ve did at the start of this year; we’re talking about a Ryzen 5 2600 CPU paired with 16 GB of fast Dual Channel RAM and a graphics card that laughs at anything 1080p while putting really good numbers even in higher resolutions. With this $600 build and 8 to 9 months later, we’re trying to slightly exceed those performance levels of the previous $700 build with a new build planned around the $600 price mark.

A new exciting CPU has been launched a few months ago which, on paper, isn’t something really exciting or some kind of performance king. The unlocked 4 core / 8 threads Ryzen 3 3300X is an entry-level CPU that puts out a heavy fight in the gaming department thanks to its single CCX design. Launched together with it, the Ryzen 3 3100 has the disadvantage of having 4 cores enabled on two different Core Complexes (CCXs) and this slightly affects gaming performance due to the introduced latency of cores communicating with one another. The Ryzen 3 3300X is the first AMD Ryzen 3000 CPU that has all its cores on the same CCX and it makes a sizable difference; gaming performance is up to 10% faster than its very similar brother, the Ryzen 3 3100. This aspect gives us a lot of prospects and insight into the performance of upcoming Ryzen CPUs with cores on the same CCX and its also why this 3300X CPU makes this list in favor of the 6 core / 8 thread Ryzen 5 2600 featured on our $700 list. We’re building a gaming machine here and when compared with the Ryzen 5 2600, the 20% higher single-core performance and comparable multi-core performance of the Ryzen 3300X feels one or more steps ahead, at least in the gaming department.

We promised we would beat the performance of the previous $700 high-value build and we will do so because even if this $600 build has a slightly slower GTX 1660 SUPER (2-3% slower than GTX 1660 Ti), the difference is more than made up for it with the added CPU performance of the new Ryzen 3 3300X. eSports games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, CoD Warzone, Valorant, or Fortnite will heavily benefit from the much better single-core performance and heavily GPU bound titles will perform about the same in average FPS but with better minimum frame rates which leads to a smoother experience. This $600 price point is also very important for the PC market because it fits right around the launch price of the upcoming Play Station and Xbox generations.

Enough with the talk, lets get on with the list!

Best $600 Gaming PC – The Parts List

CPU: Ryzen 3 3300X

We’ve rambled about what this little powerhouse of a CPU can do and rightly so; many people will remember that 3 years ago the 4 core / 8 thread CPU was the top consumer processor, in the form of the Intel Core i7 7700K. Today, we consider a 4 core / 8 thread CPU tiny thanks to how the market has evolved and how the mainstream market now offers AMD’s 16 cores / 32 threads 3950X and Intel’s 10 cores / 20 threads in a mainstream consumer platform. Those CPUs are also very workstation focused and cost themselves around the price of this full build.
We won’t need them in our $600 list thanks to how the Ryzen 3 3300X is capable of offering stellar 1080p performance at the low price of ~$130. And that’s our focus, right? High and stable frame rates when paired with a midrange GPU like the GTX 1660 SUPER.

Motherboard: ASRock B550M-HDV

This build features the latest iteration of AM4’s chipsets, the midrange B550. Nothing special here but a motherboard that will easily handle the Ryzen 3 3300X and any upgrade you have planned for the future thanks to its compatibility across the whole Ryzen stack.

The board features the mandatory 24-pin ATX power connector, 4 x SATA ports for your storage, and a USB 3.0 header. The audio, CMOS, TPM, and COM headers are all present on the bottom of the board and the I/O is good for this price; on the rear panel, we get 2 x USB 2.0 ports, a shared PS/2 port, HDMI, DVI-D, and D-sub video output, 4 x USB 3.2 ports, audio jacks, and a gigabit fast ethernet port.

Memory: ADATA XPG Z1 16 GB (2 x 8GB)

Thanks to the high competition in the RAM market, we can get good memory kits for a fraction of previous years’ DDR4 prices. This RAM kit is an example of that and it offers very good capacity at 16GB and great bandwidth thanks to Dual Channel (two RAM sticks). One well known recommendation is to buy two memory sticks over a single one in order to get the full bandwidth which, for our interests, translates to smoother performance in gaming situations.

If you can’t find this exact same 3000 MHz CL 16 kit, you can swap it with a different 2 x 8GB one but be sure to aim for similar speeds and latencies. Such a memory kit or even a 3200 MHz one shouldn’t exceed $60-65 as it perfectly fits this price range.

SSD: ADATA SU635 240 GB

This may be the most unexciting component in this build because its simply just a basic solid state drive with average rated speeds. Its enough for most gaming builds though if you want more storage for your files or game library, consider looking for more capacity or getting an additional SSD from an older build. We highly recommend having an SSD for the boot drive because it takes the whole PC experience and snappiness to a new level.

Older HDDs can be easily added in order to store rarely accessed files like documents or movies so feel free to use those as well if you desire; 4 SATA ports is usually enough for anyone!

Graphics Card: GTX 1660 Super

Even if its now almost an year old, this 6GB card sits right under the RTX 2060 GPU, neck and neck with the GTX 1660 Ti in raw performance. You can’t expect a lot of ray-tracing capability at this price point from the likes of the RTX 2060 so that shouldn’t be your focus; what it should interest you though, especially in a $600 build is how capable the 1660 SUPER is for $229. The closest in performance you can get is a Radeon RX 590 which is around 15% slower, more power hungry and priced around the same. That makes the GTX 1660 SUPER a great opportunity and the best value in the Turing line-up.

Around 30% better than one of the most popular 1080p cards, the GTX 1060, the 1660 Super will crush 1080p gaming in both ultra graphics AAA titles and high refresh rate eSports games. Paired with the Ryzen 3 3300X, you’ll be able to play any eSport game from the likes of CS:GO, Valorant, Fortnite, CoD Warzone, Rainbow Six Siege and others always above the refresh rate of a 144Hz monitor and that’s a great level of performance to have from such a mid range build.

Its also important to note that even if the ASUS variant we’re recommending here is a great implementation of the GTX 1660 Super (silent operation, good form factor and cool temps), if you can’t find this in stock where you live, other similar priced options will do the job just as well. It would be best if you’d check our list of all GTX 1660 SUPER custom graphics card implementations.

By using the SUPER variant of the GTX 1660 we are able to fit in the $600 budget and remain very close in raw graphics performance to the GTX 1660Ti.

PC Case: Deepcool Matrexx 30 Mini ATX case

The Matrexx 30 case has a rather spacious feel to it and designed around an open style layout. An ODD bay is present with minimal intrusion in the top of the case. A power supply shroud is not present so you’ll have to do the majority of the cable management around the back of your motherboard but if you feel like you need a PSU shroud then you’ll have to take a look at other cases with a higher price point. Deepcool however has designed the steel side panel to allow for extra cable management space; the Tempered Glass front side panel is also a rarity at this price point.

Temperatures are kept under control by a 120mm pre-installed rear exhaust fan; the case also has an additional slot for a 120mm case fan on the front panel. The honeycomb style mesh vent together with the very efficient components in this build means you’ll experience a silent build that will not get hot even in the most intensive gaming sessions.

Power Supply: EVGA BR 450 W 80+ Bronze

The power requirements of this PC are taken care of an EVGA unit that can output 450W with 80+ efficiency. Don’t be fooled by the lower price point of this power supply because EVGA still takes seriously every safety aspect of this product.

With its sleeved cables, silent operation, and simple but sleek looks, this power supply fits this build very well in both budget and power requirements. The build won’t even come close to the 450W this PSU can output thanks to the efficient Ryzen 3 3300X & GTX 1660 SUPER.

Conclusion

If you’re not a big fan of console gaming and would like to find something with high performance which at the same time, doesn’t break the bank, then this $600 build might just be for you! We’ve focused on balanced CPU & GPU performance in order to get the best possible performance in both eSports and Triple A games. If you plan to game on Ultra 1080p, high refresh rate 1080p or entry level 1440p this build will definitely not disappoint. On the contrary, you’ll probably be amazed how this little beast handles everything with ease.

Last year we’ve put up a $700 build that crushed 1080p gaming but this year, you can get even better performance out of a $600 build; that’s progress for us consumers and we’re very happy to be able to give you more and more builds similar to this one.

There are some areas where you could spend a little more money in order to upgrade a few components. One of them is the SSD; you can get a larger one, with more capacity for your files, OS and game library or a faster one like an NVMe drive (the motherboard supports it). The other area would be the PSU if you plan on upgrading to a more powerful graphics card or processor in the future.

The great thing about getting a Ryzen 3 3300X together with a B550 (or even a B450 board) is that you’ll be able to upgrade your CPU on the same motherboard with no additional stress; just BIOS update, swap the CPUs and you’re ready to go!

We hope that the sections in this article have been informative enough for you to go ahead and make your dream PC come true, regardless of your price range. Any further questions can be easily addressed in the comment section below. We will also be doing complete building video guides in the future so stay tuned for that!

The post Best Gaming PC Build under $600 – 2021 Edition appeared first on PremiumBuilds.

So you want a gaming PC but cash is tight… No Problem! In this article, I’ll run you through a build specification that gets you a fully functional gaming PC for just $400. We’ve done the leg work to find affordable parts that provide an easy upgrade path as your tastes and means develop over time.

The build ethos

This build is aimed firstly at getting a functional PC that will let you explore the versatility of a PC: That means it will be happy to let you browse, edit photos and simple video, and of course play the vast majority of games. Due to the budget constraints, we’re going to make the fullest use of AMD’s 3200G CPU. This is technically an ‘APU’ in that it combines a 4 core CPU with 8 AMD ‘VEGA’ graphics cores – the result is that this single component provides an all in one processor and graphics solution to get you started. However, it doesn’t stop there. For every component, we’ve considered not just how it will work in this build, but how it will support you over time as you inevitably upgrade and modify this system to meet your needs. Every part has been chosen to smooth your path in future so that this PC isn’t just a computer, it’s a platform towards your very own premium build. We’ve adopted a ‘keep it simple’ approach to minimise the components you need to buy and therefore maximise the value in the build but this list includes everything you’ll need to get a working PC except a Philips size 2 screwdriver and a  monitor or TV to output to.

Performance expectations from the Ryzen 3200G

The 3200G utilises AMD’s ‘VEGA’ architecture on the CPU die in order to provide 8 Vega Cores. These specialist cores focus on 3D graphics rendering and the APU uses the system RAM as video RAM as well. This is an impressive amount of functionality from an $87 part but it does carry some inherent limitations. 3D performance is remarkably good, but it is limited. Demanding AAA games like Grand Theft Auto V will be playable on low settings only, whilst titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 will demand that you drop settings AND resolution to 720p to have the game run at around 30fps – you won’t be experiencing it in all it’s glory using this set up. However, e-sports titles and well optimised games will run with remarkable visual fidelity and fluidity and the vast majority of the PC game catalogue will run with pleasing results. This lets you delve into all manner of gaming experiences at a very low price point. You can find videos on youtube documenting the 3200G’s performance across a range of titles so have a look to ensure you’ll be happy with the performance in the games you want to play.

Let’s get into the part by part breakdown of this system:

$400 Gaming PC Build – The Parts List

Component	Selection	Design	Price
CPU	AMD Ryzen 3 3200G		$99
Motherboard	Gigabyte B450M DS3H		$72
Memory	G.Skill Aegis 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 CL16		$61
Storage	Crucial P1 500GB M2 NVMe SSD		$62
PC Case	Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L TUF Edition		$47
Power Supply	Thermaltake Smart BX1 RGB 550W 80+ Bronze		$59
		Total	$398

CPU

This system is built around the incredible value offered by the Ryzen 3 3200G ‘APU’. This $87 processor uses AMD’s ‘Zen+’ Architecture, using a 12nm fabrication process. It is a quad-core CPU without multithreading but also packs 8 Vega Graphics processing cores to provide video output. Along with the 3400G, It’s somewhat unique in the AMD line up – only CPU’s with the ‘G’ suffix have inbuilt graphics and any other AMD CPU’s require a dedicated Graphics card to obtain a functional PC. The 4 cores self boost to 3.6Ghz but those of you who enjoy tinkering will be able to achieve mild overclocks for a little more performance. It’s plenty of CPU power for general tasks and gaming and it’ll happily support a mid-range GPU if you choose to upgrade in future. The quirks and nuances of the CPU are that it needs fast RAM to allow the VEGA cores quick access to the information they need to render out images – your system RAM doubles as video RAM and RAM speed has a dramatic impact on performance in this setup. It also ships with a basic CPU cooler – the wraith stealth which has thermal paste pre-applied, so there’s no need to spend any more on those items.

Motherboard

This motherboard, the Gigabyte B450M DS3H, is amongst the cheapest B450 motherboards on offer. We’ve opted for this over the cheaper A320 motherboard options because it allows for overclocking meaning you can get the best performance out of your CPU, and it has markedly better build and feature sets than those rock bottom boards. It includes HDMI and DVI-D video output, onboard Ethernet and sound output, and 2 full-length PCIe slots and one x1 PCIe slot to make fitting a WiFi PCIe card simple. There’s an M.2 connector that we’ll populate with the main SSD for this system. The CPU power delivery is a 4+3 phase set up which is nothing to write home about but it will happily support the demands of a 3200G or for example, the 6 core Ryzen 5 3600 if you choose to upgrade in future. The BIOS is compatible with this ‘3000’ series CPU since BIOS revision F40 so you’ll have no issues booting right out of the box. But, if you’re in doubt check with the Vendor that you’re getting up-to-date BIOSwith the board you’re buying. In the box, you’ll find a SATA cable and m.2 mounting hardware. Overall this motherboard is a no-frills option that gets you what you need without overspending.

RAM

RAM performs an important dual role in this system which is why I’ve chosen a kit, the G.Skill Aegis, with the following features: 16 Gb in 2 matched 8Gb Sticks, 3200mhz speed, and tight CL16 timings. RAM specification has a huge impact on the systems ability to process and render 3D imagery because using an APU means that the VEGA cores use system RAM as video RAM. In a dedicated graphics card, there is usually 4-8gb or more of very high specification video memory with ‘GDDR6’ being the current specification. System RAM is DDR4 or 4^th generation and has much lower bandwidth. To combat this disadvantage we need to ensure 2 things: First that the RAM is a matched 2 stick kit to operate in ‘dual-channel mode’. This pairing of sticks effectively doubles the throughput of the RAM with a dedicated channel from the CPU memory controller talking to each ram stick. Secondly, we want the ram to operate at a higher frequency, increasing throughput. This 3200mhz kit should have no problems operating at its rated speed, which is activated simply by selecting the predefined overclock profile in BIOS settings.

Further, because 2Gb of ram is partitioned off for video use, the system loses that for general use. This is why 8Gb (2x4Gb) is unsatisfactory in an APU system, with 2Gb hived off only 6Gb is available for the operating system and game code and this is small enough to trigger performance problems in resource-hungry games. With 14Gb available, however, you’ll experience no such problems. To cap it off, if and when you do decide to add in a dedicated GPU you’ll have the full 16Gb RAM at your systems disposal which is plenty for all normal PC tasks and gaming.

Storage

Any PC requires an SSD to ensure it’s snappy to boot and load programmes. To keep thing simple and reduce cost we’ve chosen the excellent Crucial P1 500Gb M.2 SSD.

This is a high speed ‘NVME’ drive and uses ‘QLC’ flash memory. This quad-layer memory allows manufacturers to cram more storage onto each chip keeping costs low, but it does negatively impact speed: this NVME drive is not as fast as more expensive ‘TLC’ drives. That said it’s an order of magnitude faster than any mechanical disc drive and provides a snappy responsive experience when booting up and in use.

500Gb is plenty of space for an operating system, several large games and a good number of smaller games. It might be tempting to opt for a larger 2Tb HDD initially, but we advise against it: It’s FAR easier to add a hard disk to this system later for more storage than it is to clone a hard drive onto a smaller SSD or re-install the operating system onto an SSD and reconfigure the system come upgrade time. This drive gets you started with fast, reliable storage space and can then continue to operate as your core OS drive in future. The m.2 form factor means no cables are required for fitment, it slots straight into the motherboard and is held in place by a single screw and standoff.

PC Case

We’ve chosen the very popular Q300L mini-tower case from Cooler Master. This version has the ‘TUF Gaming’ branding and works out a few dollars cheaper than the standard version at the time of writing. It’s a versatile mATX case which can be laid flat or stood on its side, and it provides plenty of space and a window to view components. It’s no secret that this isn’t the best thermally performing case on the market but we’re only loading it with a 65W CPU and little else to make heat: it’ll perform fine in this configuration or with a mid-range GPU in future. It will accept GPU’s up to 4-slots deep and 360mm long meaning that virtually any GPU you choose in future will fit without a problem. It ships with an exhaust fan, and cabling and hardware to hook up the USB ports and buttons.

Power Supply

Finally, we come to the power supply which is a critical part of any PC build. Unfortunately at the moment, we’re suffering the compounded effects of the trade wars with China and supply issues due to COVID-19 meaning that the choice and price of PSU’s has been haywire for a while. It’s really a case of finding any available reputable brand PSU with an output of 450W or more. Currently, the Thermaltake Smart BX1 Bronze 550W PSU is available at a reasonable $59. This 550W PSU has ample power for this system as is, but will also happily power an additional GPU in a future upgrade, minimising the cost and trouble of upgrading. It has a 5-year warranty and the full suite of thermal and overcurrent protection. 

Suggested upgrade path for the future

As stated, this PC has been specified with upgrades in mind. The first item should definitely be a dedicated GPU, and the PC is ready to accept and power any mid-range GPU without additional purchases or modification.  A suitable good value GPU for 1080p gaming would be an AMD Radeon RX580 at around $150 or a Nvidia GTX 1660 Super at around $220. Either of these options would transform this PC from an entry-level gaming PC to a very capable 1080p gamer, with demanding titles running well at high settings.
Other upgrades could include a 2Tb or larger hard disk, or SATA SSD to improve the storage capacity and either of these options are plug and play, with the original operating system already on the main SSD from the initial build.

If you want wi-fi connectivity we’d recommend a simple PCIe WiFi add-in card such as the TP-Link TL-WN881ND at $16.

Finally, following the addition of a GPU, a Ryzen 2600 or 3600 CPU would be a substantial upgrade for productivity tasks or more demanding games and will be a tempting option when these CPUs are available on the second-hand market.

I hope in this article we’ve demonstrated that with $400 you can get a great starter system that will impress you right from the start, but moreover, one that gives a basis to grow with your needs as they develop.

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