What you need for a powerful PC. Building a powerful gaming computer. Do you need an expensive processor?

I have already written several times that the most important thing when assembling a system unit is the selection of components. All subsequent actions are purely mechanical in nature. In 2015, several computer platforms can be considered relevant. Unfortunately (or fortunately), in Lately technological progress has actually slowed down. Therefore, there is no big difference in performance between one generation or another. Of course, the most in a simple way It will be possible to assemble a system unit based on the most modern hardware, but if there is a shortage of funds, the final result may upset you. You don’t have to run far for examples - in difficult times for compatriots, the site launched a series of articles “Computer of the Month”. Unfortunately, even with a budget of 50-60 thousand rubles, you have to seriously limit yourself. What if I tell you that an assembly of comparable performance can be assembled for 30,000 rubles? You probably won't believe it. However, it is quite possible. As part of the article, I will try to clearly explain how to assemble a powerful gaming computer from formally obsolete components.

How to build a powerful gaming computer from outdated hardware

Where can I buy?

“Formally obsolete hardware” is often no longer available in retail stores. computer networks. Therefore, you will have to look for goods either through public flea markets or on Chinese online platforms. In both cases, it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons. The editorial staff created detailed instructions for working with such trading clusters as ebay and AliExpress. I think they will definitely help you.

Ad on AliExpress

As for purchases through private advertisements (for example, on Avito.ru), ask the seller to check the functionality of the computer device or the Money-back function. Just don't take a person's word for it. In this case, it will not hurt to provide a receipt and a photocopy of your passport. I have often heard stories in which, after a verbal agreement to return the money, a person was sold a non-working used product. As a result, the “victim” only has a number from his contacts mobile phone, but in reality it turns out that the SIM card has long been thrown into the trash bin after the treacherous transaction was completed. In fact, this receipt is not very useful, but in most cases it affects a swindler like an aspen stake on a vampire. He will stupidly refuse to deal with you.

In general, there are a lot of options for “extracting” the necessary iron. You just need to do right choice and don’t make a fool of yourself.

Private ad on Avito.ru

PC platform

As I already said, computer hardware Nowadays it is progressing extremely slowly. Especially it concerns central processing units. In an article devoted to choosing a “stone” for a gaming computer, it was empirically proven that in modern games the architecture does not have such a significant impact on performance. The main thing is the frequency and number of cores. For greater clarity, let's look at the results of testing several Intel central processors in GTA V - the most processor-dependent game of our time. Used in the stand NVIDIA video card GeForce GTX 980. Graphics quality settings are far from the highest. As you can see, the Core i7-2600K, introduced in 2011, turned out to be slower than the Core i7-6700K, released at the end of summer, by only 7%. Seven percent, Karl! At the same time, the Core i7-2600K is equipped with an unlocked multiplier. Therefore, this difference can be leveled out by overclocking.

Results of testing processors of different generations in games ( NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980)

Interestingly, in other applications, representatives of the Sandy Bridge architecture do not look like whipping boys, although in x86 computing the difference between the Core i5-2500K and Core i5-6600K can reach 40%. This lag can again be easily reduced by overclocking.

Results of testing processors of various generations

As an example, I was able to find several advertisements for the Core i5-2500K model. On average, this “pebble” is sold for 8,000-9,000 rubles. On AliExpress you can purchase a “crust” without traces of installation for 10,000 rubles. For clarity: the Core i5-6600K model retails for about 17-18 thousand rubles. But you still need to purchase a modern motherboard and a kit of DDR4 memory for it. But if there is no difference in games, then why pay more?

However, the Core i5-2500K processor is not a panacea. There are plenty of cheaper models on sale that belong to the same family. But there are still solutions based on architecture Ivy Bridge. They are a little more expensive. As you can see, even among formally outdated hardware there is room to roam.

With AMD processors things are even simpler. There is a top platform AM3+. It was introduced back in 2011 and was intended for FX series processors built on the Bulldozer architecture. Then the line of chips was updated to the Piledriver architecture (this event happened in 2012). That's it, FX processors have not changed since then. With the release of new models, only the frequencies increased. But taking into account the fact that the entire family has a free multiplier, reaching the “reference” 4500 MHz will not be difficult. In this case, instead of some AMD FX-8370 (Vishera, 4 GHz, 15,000 rubles), you can purchase the FX-8100 (Zambezi, 2.8 GHz, 8,000 rubles on AliExpress) or FX-8120. According to statistics from hwbot.org, in the air it can easily reach 4300-4500 MHz.

We buy a processor from a private seller on Avito.ru

It’s better not to get into the “architectural jungle” in particular. When assembling a computer from outdated hardware, it is necessary that its performance level will last at least another 2-3 years. Therefore, below I have provided the current table of architectures with all hyperlinks. In my opinion, it is better not to pay attention to chips released before 2011.

Gold processor lots: Core i5-2400, Core i5-2500K, Core i5-3570K, Core i5-3550, FX-6300, FX-8100, FX-8120

After purchasing a central processor, it is worth selecting a motherboard and RAM. The functionality of modern solutions is not much different from models 3-4 years ago. All main interfaces are present. Modern boards support NVMe and M.2/U.2/USB 3.1 ports, but it is quite possible to survive without them for several more years.

Budget models for AMD and Intel chips can be found in retail sales even today. For example, it sells for 3,000 rubles ASUS board M5A78L-M LX3. It will make friends with any processor of the Bulldozer family. Just keep in mind that with such a board it will be quite problematic to overclock an 8-core processor. The component base is rather weak. If you still plan to overclock, then it is better to take a more serious motherboard. For example, on AMD chipset 970.

Also available for Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors budget solutions. For overclocking you will already need a high-quality board based on the Z77 Express logic. Here you will have to turn to the Chinese for help. So, at the time of writing this article, the MSI Z77A-G41 model was on sale on AliExpress, costing 5,000 rubles. You can no longer find one like this in Russian retail.

Cheap motherboards for outdated processors can still be found in retail stores

All platforms presented in the table above work with DDR3 RAM. The reality is that RAM manufacturers themselves sell goods almost at cost. DDR3 is the most common standard today. So there are plenty of offers in retail. It makes sense to look for whales of “brains” at all kinds of flea markets only if a really, very lucrative offer comes to hand.

If you do not plan to overclock the processor, then it is more profitable to take a budget motherboard. Today there are still similar devices in retail. If planned, then it is necessary to look for a better solution through alternative channels

Video card

The performance of video cards from generation to generation is growing more noticeably than can be seen in the central processor market. However, recently AMD and NVIDIA have not been shy about releasing the same product, but with a new name. This is especially true for the Reds. For example, the line of Radeon R7/R9 300 video cards presented this summer consists entirely of renamed 3D accelerators. Such manipulations are called rebranding. They are aimed at warming up the public’s interest in themselves and increasing sales from “new” devices. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this. It's better than not releasing anything at all. In addition, video cards from the new line, as a rule, receive higher frequencies, but at the same time consume less electricity. For those who want to save on buying a video card, it makes sense to look not at the past, but even the generation before last, of graphics adapters.

I repeat, AMD has distinguished itself the brightest this year. For example, the Radeon R7 370 is an overclocked version of the Radeon R7 265. But if you dig deeper, it turns out that this is actually the Radeon HD 7850, introduced back in 2012. “Three hundred and seventieth” with 2 GB of video memory can be found in Moscow retail for an average of 12,000 rubles. The Radeon HD 7850 has not yet disappeared from store shelves, but it costs 8,000 rubles. At the same time, according to statistics, the device easily runs up to 1000 MHz for the chip and 1400 (5600) MHz for the memory.

In my opinion, the best deals among AMD video cards today are the purchase of a Radeon HD 7970 or Radeon HD 7950. Even in 2015, they are capable of running all modern games in Full HD resolution. Their improved versions are the Radeon R9 280X and Radeon R9 380, respectively. The Radeon R9 380X should go on sale very soon, meaning the rebranding of super-successful cards will continue. So, Radeon HD 7970 (depending on the vendor) can be purchased for 8000-9000 rubles on Avito or for 10-11 thousand rubles on AliExpress. Competitive solutions - Radeon R9 280X and GeForce GTX 960 with 4 GB of memory - are noticeably more expensive.


	AMD Radeon R9 380	AMD Radeon R9 285	AMD Radeon HD 7950	AMD Radeon R9 280X	AMD Radeon HD 7970
	970 MHz	918 MHz	800 MHz	1000 MHz	925 MHz
Memory	GDDR5, 2/4 GB, 1425 (5700) MHz	GDDR5, 2 GB, 1375 (5500) MHz		GDDR5, 3 GB, 1500 (6000) MHz	GDDR5, 3 GB, 1250 (5000) MHz
	190 W	190 W	200 W	250 W	250 W

Finally, in the High-end segment there was also a rebranding. A Radeon R9 290 4 GB model with “mileage” can be purchased at computer flea markets for 14,000 rubles.


	AMD Radeon R9 390	AMD Radeon R9 290	AMD Radeon R9 390X	AMD Radeon R9 290X
GPU frequency	1000 MHz	947 MHz	1050 MHz	1000 MHz
Memory			GDDR5, 8 GB, 1500 (6000) MHz	GDDR5, 4/8 GB, 1250 (5000) MHz
Maximum power consumption	275 W	290 W	275 W	290 W

NVIDIA last rebranded with GeForce video card GTX 770, which in fact turned out to be an overclocked version of the GeForce GTX 680. Both solutions are well suited for modern games in Full HD resolution. But then the “green” ones released their productive solutions based on the Maxwell architecture. They operate at high frequencies and consume noticeably less electricity. However, in terms of performance, these solutions (with the exception of the top ones) differ little from each other. Thus, the performance of the GeForce GTX 970 is comparable to the GeForce GTX 780, and the speed of the GeForce GTX 980 is approximately equal to the GeForce GTX 780 Ti. On the other hand, NVIDIA actively cooperates with many game developers. Therefore, in some games the superiority of the modern Maxwell architecture over the outdated Kepler turns out to be very significant. For example, in The Witcher 3: wild Hunt", as well as in applications that consume more than 3 GB of video memory.

Computer configurator with compatibility check allows you to quickly assemble system unit with the user's needs technical characteristics. Using our online designer, you can easily assemble a reliable office machine, a home multimedia system unit, or a powerful gaming setup.

Computer assembly online

Nowadays, like many years before, assembling a computer from independently selected components is popular. This is a good opportunity to choose what you want. Nothing limits you; there are hundreds of options available for assembly, among which there is sure to be one you like.

Our online store offers the opportunity to assemble a computer online through the configurator. In him this process presented in the form of component categories, from processor to power supply. Each category contains an expanded range of models with descriptions of characteristics for ease of selection.

To simplify the selection of components, the configurator has a compatibility filter for the main components of the assembly. For example, by selecting a specific processor, the following components are automatically filtered by compatibility. Also, you will be presented with a choice to install operating system. After completing the assembly process, you receive the final result based on three parameters: price, technical data, rendered image. After placing an order and confirming it by phone, our specialists assemble this kit and check its functionality.

The advantage of this method of purchasing a system unit is that you not only choose the components you want, but also have the opportunity to choose the brand or manufacturer of the part.

Having assembled a certain configuration and completed by pressing the assemble/buy buttons, the assembly is assigned a specific serial number, by typing it in the product search bar, you can find this PC and send a link to it to friends or acquaintances for consultation or recommending them for purchase.

An important feature of our configurator is the “get an expert’s opinion” function by sending your request via this form, You will receive a detailed answer with a recommendation for email, specified by you.

Try it and see for yourself - assembling a computer online is easy and simple! In case of difficulties, you can always get advice from our specialists on all issues that interest you.

Modern powerful solutions for game lovers are not affordable for everyone. Corporations that produce PC components make super-profits, but they don't care about the average user. Therefore, the question of assembling a gaming or simply powerful computer for adequate money arises. Who wants to feed a pack of unscrupulous world-class producers? So, our question can be formulated something like this: “How to collect the most cheap computer for gaming without sacrificing too much performance?" That's what we're talking about.

What is it for?

First of all, you should look at the cost of components for any PC, and you can easily answer this question. Your hair will stand on end when you find out how many percentages manufacturers mark up on their products. Record holders in this regard - Apple company. When the cost of iPhones is $216, they sell them for $900. What is the markup percentage? Manufacturers of computer components do the same. The cheapest computer, assembled from components from well-known brands, will cost about 25,000 rubles. And this is a basic configuration PC.

That is why the question of assembling a PC on your own using the cheapest components arises. They are exactly the same in quality, but there is no increase in price “for the brand”. And if there is no difference, then why pay more? The cheapest computer components behave no worse than their “pedigree” counterparts. So let's talk about selecting the “right” components.

Component #1: Motherboard

This is the basis of any computer. His alpha and omega. It is she who decides what your PC will be capable of. Saving on a motherboard is bad form. But even here you can find cheaper options. For example, a board from MSI called H110M Pro VD. It costs about 3,500 rubles, but has all the characteristics expected of a gaming motherboard. Support for high-speed SATA interface and modern video cards is present. The cheapest computer deserves a much more modest foundation. But why not take this one if finances allow?

There is another good option, but it will cost a little more. The motherboard is from the same company, but with improved characteristics. More powerful components can be placed on its base. True, it will cost more. So in terms of savings, it’s better to stick with the first option. The best one will work perfectly with this motherboard.

Component #2: Processor

Another important element of any course is to use “stones” from Intel. They are more productive and reliable. But products from AMD are much cheaper. As a compromise, you can choose Intel Skylake. This is a processor from the latest generation of Intel. So it works as expected. It will cost approximately 3,500 rubles. Quite a normal device for the money. The cheapest computer could have been equipped with something simpler.

In the camp of analogues from AMD, oddly enough, there is no adequate replacement for this “Intel”. All comparable models are either an order of magnitude weaker, or, having comparable power, are much more expensive. Therefore, Intel is the most preferable option, based on practicality considerations.

Component #3: RAM

There is much more variety here. But we need a cheap and productive product. You need to install at least one 8 GB stick. For games you can't do less. And even better - two 8 RAMs - that's something. The Kingston HX421C14FB can be considered as a RAM. One 8 GB stick will cost you 3,600 rubles (approximately). So it’s quite possible to take two at once. It is important that both strips are from the same manufacturer. Otherwise, conflicts may occur.

RAM greatly affects the performance of the entire system as a whole. That's why there's never too much here. For games, it is very important to have a decent number of gigabytes in RAM, because all textures are loaded there.

Component #4: Video Card

It is impossible to imagine a gaming PC without a discrete graphics card. Usually, graphics adapter- the most expensive computer component. But you can save money here too. For example, an ASUS Radeon R7 360 with two gigabytes of RAM will cost approximately 8,000 rubles. With such a card you can easily play all modern games. The path is not even at maximum settings.

If you don't want to pay for a video chip, then the selected processor has a built-in graphics chip that can handle some games like Dota or CS Go. But count on good performance And beautiful graphics in that case it's not worth it.

Other components

The remaining components of a PC do not have such a strong impact on its price and performance. So here you can find your way around. Moreover, the remaining components are usually presented in a very wide range.

Conclusion

So, the above computer configuration (including the components that we ignored) will cost somewhere around 15-20 thousand rubles. Now you know how much the cheapest gaming PC costs, and don't let manufacturers and retailers fool you. Collect everything yourself and you will always be in the black.

Let's first determine the amount of the budget for the PC we are building, and also clarify that this budget applies to what will be placed in the system unit - this amount does not take into account the monitor, keyboard and mouse, since these components are the subject of a separate discussion.

And in this article, when talking about an inexpensive computer, we will mean a budget for assembling a PC “from scratch” of no more than 30,000 rubles. For assembly we need the following components:

CPU;
Motherboard;
HDD;
System case with power supply;
Video card;
Optical drive for CD/DVD discs.

Microprocessor selection

The computer processor is the main center of the computer's computing capabilities, and recently the graphics core has also been transferred to its substrate, so the assembly can exist without an external video card. However, in our case we are talking about a powerful PC, so we need an external video card.

The choice of processor will determine the base platform of our PC. Today the most popular remain Intel platforms and AMD. We will build on the Intel platform, since processors from the computer giant Intel are considered more efficient and economical, although they are inferior in graphic capabilities to their AMD counterparts.

There is no need to save on a microprocessor, as we want powerful computer. We will also provide for the purchase of a boxed version of the microprocessor, which comes with a heat sink unit. Our choice will be a microprocessor with an LGA 1150 socket, which is by far the most common. The cost of this component should not exceed $100, and therefore good decision in this case it will be Pentium G3220 or G3240. Its cost will not even exceed $90.

Motherboard

What we should save on is when choosing a motherboard, but even here the savings should be within reasonable limits. By selecting a microprocessor, we have significantly narrowed down our motherboard options, as we now only need to choose from those that provide the LGA 1150 socket.

Savings in choosing a motherboard concern its layout. We don't need to buy a motherboard equipped with connectors that will never be used - this applies, for example, to RAID arrays. And the more connectors and “wider” wiring, the more expensive the motherboard. For our needs, it is enough that the motherboard has USB, SATA and one PCI-Express connectors for connecting a video card. Moreover, almost everything modern solutions have a built-in LAN port and VGA connector. In our budget case, we shouldn’t choose from full-size ATX, but mATX is quite suitable. Let's choose a motherboard from GigaByte - this is the GA-B85M-D2V board. It costs about $80, so we've already spent $170. Its connectors and ports are sufficient not only to connect internal PC components, but also to connect all the necessary computer peripherals.

The motherboard we selected has two slots for DIMM memory sticks of the DDR3 type. At the same time, the supported frequency is 1333-1600 MHz, and the memory capacity is up to 16 GB. In our case, at first 4 GB will be enough - we will fill only one slot. It is necessary, however, to understand that in 32-bit Windows user A little less than 4 “gigs” will be available. A smaller amount of memory cannot place a modern PC in the category of powerful ones, since the same operating system Windows environment 8 (64-bit version) already requires 2 GB of memory, and modern applications are also very demanding in this matter. Therefore, our choice will be on Kingston DDR3 4Gb 1600 MHz memory. Its cost is about 50 dollars, and therefore the total amount of our purchase has already reached 220 dollars.

Video card

This is a component that you shouldn’t skimp on either, since it is the video card that is responsible for generating and outputting the computer’s graphics. The higher the memory capacity of the graphics card, the higher the monitor resolution your PC can support, and the higher its bit depth, the faster graphics can be generated and displayed. In our case, we will need a budget option with a 64-bit bus and 2 GB GDDR3 memory. Let's choose a video card from the company Sapphire worth 80 dollars. In the future, it can be easily replaced with a more powerful one. Thus, the total amount of our purchase grows to $300, and we still have to choose a system unit, an optical drive and a hard drive.

HDD

Now we don’t need to purchase external hard drives in bulk, we need an internal HDD - we’ll stop our choice on a classic hard drive and won’t consider solid state drives. The most common average hard drive size today is 500 GB, but some “terabytes” are only $10 more expensive. If we come across an IDE interface, then we skip such an HDD and pay attention to the SATA interface. In our case, for example, hard from Western Digital WD10EZEX. The volume of this HDD is 1 TB, and the spindle speed is 7200 rpm. Also, it has a 64 MB cache and SATA interface 3, which is supported by our system board. The hard one we chose cost about $85, bringing our total purchase to $385.

System unit

To combine all the purchased components, we will need an inexpensive system unit with a 400 W power supply - this power is enough to service the purchased components. Since we chose a motherboard of the micro-ATX form factor, it is enough for us that this case supports motherboards of this particular form factor. But in the future, the computer user may want to upgrade it, and therefore we will choose a case that also supports motherboards of the full-size ATX form factor. In this case, a case, for example, from Logicpower with a built-in power supply for $30, is perfect. Thus, our amount increased to $415.

Optical drive

For full-fledged work, we also need an inexpensive optical drive that can play the contents of CDs and DVDs. We will need a drive with a SATA interface that costs no more than $25.

Our purchase did not exceed $500, but we assembled a fairly powerful computer with good technical performance and the ability to further modernize it. The motherboard, for example, allows you to add another memory stick and a number of expansion cards. The video card can be replaced with a more powerful one, and the case supports the ability to replace the motherboard itself with a full-size ATX version. In addition, the cooling system in the case can be improved by installing an additional case cooler. At the same time, we invested less than $450-500. It should also be taken into account that you will have to spend money on two data cables for hard drive And optical drive, however, their cost is incomparably less than the amount spent on assembly.

This article will be relevant for those who want to most profitably assemble an inexpensive computer for work or study. SHOP MANIAKS know several ways to build an inexpensive but very productive PC.

We offer a choice of several of the most optimal options - a ready-made used system unit, PC assembly based on Intel processor or AMD with both new and used components. Naturally, all the proposed options will not have a full-fledged video card, since for 99% of tasks it is not needed, and the cost of video cards is this moment very overpriced. Integrated graphics are responsible for displaying images in these assemblies.

Ready assembly - cheap and cheerful

The easiest and most budget option to purchase an inexpensive computer for work or school is to search at flea markets for ready-made used assemblies at Core processors 2 Duo. At the moment there are quite a lot of offers of ready-made assemblies from HP and Dell.

Interesting specimens cost approximately 100-120 dollars, such as the HP 7800 Core 2 Duo E8400 and Dell 780 Core 2 Duo E8400. These computers run on an outdated but still powerful processor - Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0 GHz, 2 cores).

Read also:

Main advantage finished assembly- it's very cheap full-fledged computer, which can be upgraded. General characteristics The presented models are identical: the same processors, 4 GB of DDR3 RAM, which can be easily increased to 8 GB. If you wish, you can even connect discrete video card, but everything works great on the integrated one. This is the most profitable and simple solution when a task needs to be completed in the shortest possible time with a limited budget.

The disadvantages of such a system include relatively weak performance, which is enough to perform entry-level tasks. Although if you look at it from the other side, your employees definitely won’t be able to play games instead of working. The same logic works with students who need a computer for studying.

The advantages include d cheapness, g original branded assembly, tocompact body and upgradeability. The disadvantages are relatively low performance and an outdated platform.

Used assemblies on Intel

Perhaps the best option for those who like to save a couple of tens of dollars and get a fairly powerful PC. On the Aliexpress site you can buy relatively old motherboards for the LGA 1156 socket (first generation), and at the OLX and Avito flea markets, processors are sometimes sold for even 10-15 bucks. And these, for a second, are dual-core, four-thread stones, which will be significantly more productive than the Core 2 Duo E8400.

Cheap RAM sold on Aliexpress, everything else can be bought on a used market in your city or on the same OLX and Avito. We do not recommend saving on the hard drive in this assembly. At flea markets you can get a 250 GB HDD for about $20, but it’s better to add and buy new SSDs.

It turns out something like this:

Processor: ($15);

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A68M-DG3+ ($50);

RAM: Dimm DDR3-1600 4096MB PC-12800 ($34);

Memory: ($45);

(for the budget conscious - 250 GB HDD for $20);

Power unit: Aerocool VX-500 500W ($10);

The cheapest used case ($3).

Total - $155 (130).

The advantages of this assembly are high performance for reasonable money. The disadvantage is obvious - used components, for which the warranty, if any, is minimal. Most of the components can be ordered cheaply on Aliexpress with free shipping. Catch links to reliable sellers:

New builds on Intel and AMD

The most expensive of the proposed assembly options. Allows you to assemble the most modern and productive system. Moreover, new components usually come with a warranty of up to 3 years. It is worth noting that in all proposed assemblies we

Our assembly options are very economical, yet quite productive.

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The subjective favorite here is the assembly based on AMD processors A-series. For example, the AMD Richland A4-6300 has excellent performance and, most importantly, a fairly fast graphics core - AMD Radeon HD8370D. This processor is not new, but it can easily be found in online stores for ridiculous money - about 25 dollars. It is dual-core and runs at 3.7 GHz motherboards for socket FM2/FM2+ cost from $30. In combination with 4/8 GB of RAM and other components necessary for operation, a ready-made system unit can be assembled for about 185 bucks.