So you already know from the title that this video is from early 2021 and right now the market
for PC components isn't in a very good way. Supply chain squeezes have made it really difficult to
get your hands on both big ticket graphics cards and processors. But do you really need all that
to build a capable gaming rig? The answer is no. And today on TechWiki we're going to walk you
through how to choose parts to put together a solid system for under $600. Here's hoping that
won't even come close to eating through your tax refund. Let's start by talking about the CPU,
the brain of the computer. Despite the well-publicized chip shortages, it's not too difficult to get
your hands on a modern quad-core processor for around 120 US dollars. Although six-core CPUs
are quickly pushing their way into the mainstream, most modern games will still play just fine on
four cores, as long as you're not trying to stream with CPU encoding or run lots of other things
while you're gaming. And besides, we only have $600 to work with. Of course, you'll need something
to plug that CPU into, so let's quickly talk about motherboards. The good news is that unlike
the old days, raw performance doesn't vary much between models. Higher price boards simply give
you more IO, more features, and perhaps more overclocking headroom. But for a $600 build,
there's nothing wrong with spending around 75 bucks on a simple motherboard from a reputable
manufacturer, especially as you can always connect more powerful components to it later.
Just make sure it's compatible with your CPU. But how much RAM should you pair with your bank
for the buck CPU and motherboard? Although it's becoming more common to see 16 gigabytes recommended
as a sweet spot for mid-range builds, 8 is enough if you're trying to save some money. Although you
won't be doing any extreme multitasking with 8 gigabytes, it's enough for most games and seeing
how it's possible to find 8 gigs of RAM for only about 40 bucks, it's a great starting point for a
cheaper build. Additionally, even though there's been a lot of chatter lately about how AMD processors
specifically can benefit from higher RAM speeds, the difference isn't huge. So don't feel compelled
to go out and blow more money on a faster RAM kit if you went with a CPU from Team Red. Now,
let's get to the most costly item, your graphics card. The shortage of current gen GPUs has driven
up the costs and constraints apply for even older cards, as many people are scrambling just to get
something to game on. But this doesn't mean that you're out of luck, as supply for more
mid-tier products can still be had. As of the time of this writing, you can still get a GTX
1050 Ti for about 200 bucks, and you can even find RTX 570s and 580s on the AMD side for around the
same price if you're willing to buy used. Although you won't be setting any 4K benchmarking records
with these cards, they can play in most modern titles at smooth frame rates at 1080p on high
settings. So if you've been keeping score at home, we're up to 435 bucks now, meaning there's not much
room left to play with, but still some components to buy. So let's look at how we can get the most
value for money out of the last few parts. In terms of storage, we wouldn't want to salve you with a
clunky old mechanical hard drive even at this price point. But fortunately, there are plenty of good
SSDs that will hold around half a terabyte for 50 bucks, and you can even find an NVMe model for only
five or ten dollars more if you have large files to move around frequently. But if you're trying to
save every penny, a good old SATA SSD won't slow you down appreciably when you're gaming or doing
typical tasks in Windows. Next up, a power supply. You've probably heard horror stories about how
cheapo, no-name power supplies can do lovely things like give off sparks and damage your components,
but the good news is that you don't have to spend too much more to get something reliable.
Look for a power supply with an 80 plus bronze certification from a manufacturer you recognize.
Such a unit will set you back around 45 bucks. Don't worry too much about wattage as the components
we're recommending in this video won't come close to pushing your PSU to max capacity.
And finally, you'll need a case to hold it all together unless you just want to expose it to
the elements and the dust. Budget cases are actually the nicest they've ever been, as it's
possible to find painted interiors, cable management grommets, a basement to hide all the mess from
your budget power supply, and even tempered glass and RGB for 60 bucks. Although you'll want to read
reviews and make sure the case you want has good airflow, you won't need the kind of high-end fan
setup that you might see in builds with pricier components that generate more heat. And that's
it. For 590 bucks, you've got yourself a very capable home PC and gaming machine, even in this
economy. But unfortunately, there wasn't room in the budget to squeeze in a built-in chicken chamber,
so the kernel still wins on that one. So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video,
give us a thumbs up, hit that like button, and go to the comment section with your peers to tell
us your ideas for topics that we should cover in the future.