WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.720 So you already know from the title that this video is from early 2021 and right now the market 00:00:04.720 --> 00:00:10.880 for PC components isn't in a very good way. Supply chain squeezes have made it really difficult to 00:00:10.880 --> 00:00:16.720 get your hands on both big ticket graphics cards and processors. But do you really need all that 00:00:16.720 --> 00:00:22.160 to build a capable gaming rig? The answer is no. And today on TechWiki we're going to walk you 00:00:22.160 --> 00:00:28.800 through how to choose parts to put together a solid system for under $600. Here's hoping that 00:00:28.960 --> 00:00:33.440 won't even come close to eating through your tax refund. Let's start by talking about the CPU, 00:00:33.440 --> 00:00:38.560 the brain of the computer. Despite the well-publicized chip shortages, it's not too difficult to get 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:44.720 your hands on a modern quad-core processor for around 120 US dollars. Although six-core CPUs 00:00:44.720 --> 00:00:50.080 are quickly pushing their way into the mainstream, most modern games will still play just fine on 00:00:50.080 --> 00:00:55.360 four cores, as long as you're not trying to stream with CPU encoding or run lots of other things 00:00:55.360 --> 00:01:00.400 while you're gaming. And besides, we only have $600 to work with. Of course, you'll need something 00:01:00.400 --> 00:01:05.840 to plug that CPU into, so let's quickly talk about motherboards. The good news is that unlike 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:11.440 the old days, raw performance doesn't vary much between models. Higher price boards simply give 00:01:11.440 --> 00:01:17.440 you more IO, more features, and perhaps more overclocking headroom. But for a $600 build, 00:01:17.440 --> 00:01:22.160 there's nothing wrong with spending around 75 bucks on a simple motherboard from a reputable 00:01:22.160 --> 00:01:26.320 manufacturer, especially as you can always connect more powerful components to it later. 00:01:26.960 --> 00:01:32.080 Just make sure it's compatible with your CPU. But how much RAM should you pair with your bank 00:01:32.080 --> 00:01:37.120 for the buck CPU and motherboard? Although it's becoming more common to see 16 gigabytes recommended 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:43.600 as a sweet spot for mid-range builds, 8 is enough if you're trying to save some money. Although you 00:01:43.600 --> 00:01:48.560 won't be doing any extreme multitasking with 8 gigabytes, it's enough for most games and seeing 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:54.160 how it's possible to find 8 gigs of RAM for only about 40 bucks, it's a great starting point for a 00:01:54.160 --> 00:01:58.960 cheaper build. Additionally, even though there's been a lot of chatter lately about how AMD processors 00:01:58.960 --> 00:02:05.760 specifically can benefit from higher RAM speeds, the difference isn't huge. So don't feel compelled 00:02:05.760 --> 00:02:11.440 to go out and blow more money on a faster RAM kit if you went with a CPU from Team Red. Now, 00:02:11.440 --> 00:02:17.760 let's get to the most costly item, your graphics card. The shortage of current gen GPUs has driven 00:02:17.760 --> 00:02:22.880 up the costs and constraints apply for even older cards, as many people are scrambling just to get 00:02:22.880 --> 00:02:27.440 something to game on. But this doesn't mean that you're out of luck, as supply for more 00:02:27.440 --> 00:02:32.480 mid-tier products can still be had. As of the time of this writing, you can still get a GTX 00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:39.280 1050 Ti for about 200 bucks, and you can even find RTX 570s and 580s on the AMD side for around the 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:45.040 same price if you're willing to buy used. Although you won't be setting any 4K benchmarking records 00:02:45.040 --> 00:02:50.960 with these cards, they can play in most modern titles at smooth frame rates at 1080p on high 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:56.880 settings. So if you've been keeping score at home, we're up to 435 bucks now, meaning there's not much 00:02:56.880 --> 00:03:01.440 room left to play with, but still some components to buy. So let's look at how we can get the most 00:03:01.440 --> 00:03:06.880 value for money out of the last few parts. In terms of storage, we wouldn't want to salve you with a 00:03:06.880 --> 00:03:12.720 clunky old mechanical hard drive even at this price point. But fortunately, there are plenty of good 00:03:12.720 --> 00:03:18.800 SSDs that will hold around half a terabyte for 50 bucks, and you can even find an NVMe model for only 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:23.680 five or ten dollars more if you have large files to move around frequently. But if you're trying to 00:03:23.680 --> 00:03:29.520 save every penny, a good old SATA SSD won't slow you down appreciably when you're gaming or doing 00:03:29.520 --> 00:03:36.240 typical tasks in Windows. Next up, a power supply. You've probably heard horror stories about how 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:41.920 cheapo, no-name power supplies can do lovely things like give off sparks and damage your components, 00:03:41.920 --> 00:03:46.640 but the good news is that you don't have to spend too much more to get something reliable. 00:03:46.640 --> 00:03:52.480 Look for a power supply with an 80 plus bronze certification from a manufacturer you recognize. 00:03:52.480 --> 00:03:57.600 Such a unit will set you back around 45 bucks. Don't worry too much about wattage as the components 00:03:57.600 --> 00:04:03.040 we're recommending in this video won't come close to pushing your PSU to max capacity. 00:04:03.040 --> 00:04:08.720 And finally, you'll need a case to hold it all together unless you just want to expose it to 00:04:08.720 --> 00:04:13.840 the elements and the dust. Budget cases are actually the nicest they've ever been, as it's 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:19.280 possible to find painted interiors, cable management grommets, a basement to hide all the mess from 00:04:19.280 --> 00:04:24.960 your budget power supply, and even tempered glass and RGB for 60 bucks. Although you'll want to read 00:04:24.960 --> 00:04:30.240 reviews and make sure the case you want has good airflow, you won't need the kind of high-end fan 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:35.120 setup that you might see in builds with pricier components that generate more heat. And that's 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:42.880 it. For 590 bucks, you've got yourself a very capable home PC and gaming machine, even in this 00:04:42.880 --> 00:04:49.760 economy. But unfortunately, there wasn't room in the budget to squeeze in a built-in chicken chamber, 00:04:49.760 --> 00:04:55.040 so the kernel still wins on that one. So thanks for watching guys. If you liked this video, 00:04:55.040 --> 00:04:59.920 give us a thumbs up, hit that like button, and go to the comment section with your peers to tell 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:03.440 us your ideas for topics that we should cover in the future.