Build Guide | 20K Budget Intel Gaming PC | Q2 2017

20K Budget Gaming PC Build

The Intel G4560 is a 3.5 GHz 2 Core / 4 Threads budget CPU. It’s practically untouchable since its release, featuring performance that is enough for most gamer’s requirements. Building a PC based on that CPU should be one of your considerations if budget is truly a constraint. Now if you have 20000 Pesos or just about $400 lying around, then consider your budget gaming PC build done with this guide.

The prices you’ll see here are definitely not final, as fluctuations do occur naturally. The prices and items listed are mostly taken from PCHub, TipidPC and other local retailers.

While Amazon pricing are also taken into consideration, this guide is built for the SEA Region so pricing and components will vary. Now without further ado, let us check out the list.

CPU: INTEL PENTIUM G4560 | 2890 Pesos / Amazon Link 

The Intel Pentium G4560 is a budget oriented LGA 1551 based 2-core / 4-thread CPU running at 3.5 GHz with 3MB of cache. It’s not a monster, but it has the extra muscle for multi-tasking and multi-threaded optimized games.

The G4560 is no powerhouse but it is affordable and capable enough to win this place on this list. Get it while it is hot.

MOTHERBOARD: ASRock H110M-HDV | 3150 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

The ASRock H110M-HDV might be an entry level board but it has the feature set for its given market price. The board for an instance, is capable of overclocking memory kits and has a 5+1 power phase in spite of its relatively low price.

On top of those, this board has 4 USB 3.0 ports – 2 rear and 2 front panel. The board also comes with 100% solid capacitors, has 4x SATA III ports and looks rather robust with an included VRM cooling.

Make sure to get a DDR4 H110 board with an updated BIOS. This is to ensure that it will recognize the Pentium G4560. Otherwise, have the store representative to flash the firmware for you.

RAM: KINGSTON KVR 4GB 2133 MHZ DDR4 | 3180 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

It has become harder to recommend a flashy high frequency kit this time of the year especially when the DRAM prices are sky high. There isn’t much to choose from here so we decided to go with the Kingston Value RAM 4GB 2133 MHz DDR4 module at 1590 Pesos. It is the cheapest single stick of 4GB RAM we could find at the market.

4GB wont really cut it on today’s games and applications so get two at 3180 Pesos. Back in 2016 you could get these at 1800 Pesos a pair!

VGA: Palit GTX 1050 StormX 2GB | 5650 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

Since the GTX 1050 (review here) dropped significantly over the past few months, it is now my choice over the GTX 750 Ti and the GTX 950. The GTX 1050 even though has a 2GB buffer, is not a deterrent factor.

Card of choice is the cheapest one we could find, while the Amazon alternative is the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1050.

STORAGE #1: WD Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EZEX | 2350 Pesos / Amazon Link

The Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EZEX is an excellent 1TB mechanical drive. It comes with a 7200 RPM motor so speed should be decent enough for basic needs.

The Caviar Blue 1TB is a good option if you are willing to sacrifice speed for capacity. If speed is what you need though, get an SSD.

STORAGE #2: Kingston V300 120GB SSD | 2190 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

Our second option is the Kingston SSDNow 300 at 120GB. It’s not the fastest but it is one of the best SSDs we could find to fit the bill.

The Amazon Alternative is the PNY CS1311. We did a review of that solid state drive here. A nice option I must say.

PSU: Corsair VS450 | 1690 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

The HEXA+ 450 is our initial choice, but the current market pricing of PSUs allowed us to extend to the Corsair VS450’s range.

The VS450 is a solid choice here, offering 450W of total power with a 3 year warranty. Our Amazon Alternative is the EVGA 500 W1.

CASE: Deepcool SMARTER | 1250 Pesos / Amazon Alternative

The case is least of our concern for this build but it is hard to waver the Deepcool SMARTER at 1250 Pesos. The SMARTER has a roomy interior, has a rather good cable management option and is just solid for the price.

The case comes with a USB 3.0 header too which is a plus. Another candidate here is the Deep Cool Wave v2 if you’re into a simpler looking case.

BUILD SUMMARY:

The total for this build with the SSD option is exactly 20000 Pesos, while our Amazon equivalent is just around $399. This build guide does not account for the OS, the display and peripherals so keep that in mind.

TIPS AND RESOURCES:

If you’re in the Philippines or if you happen to visit a brick and mortar store then you could possibly haggle for freebies. A simple mice and keyboard bundle will do. It works in the South East Asia, but I’m not sure if that is possible outside our region. It is worth the try though and please be kind when asking for such.

• Actual 20K Gaming PC Build Guide
• Nvidia Control Panel Guide and Optimization
• WD HDD Colors Explained
• Find your Windows Product Key

EXPECTED PERFORMANCE & CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Testing Games at Youtube provided us a great insight on how the sub $400 system performs. Games tested are Grand Theft Auto V, Watch Dogs 2 and The Witcher 3 to name a few.

ComputerBase rates the G4560 as a better performer than the i3-4330. It even bested the FX-6300 and is just a few percentages away from the i3-6100.

Our 20K budget gaming PC build is good enough for esport titles, while it can also drive AAA games at favorable frame rates.

That covers our 20K build guide for this quarter of 2017. Let me know if you have suggestions. This is not a perfect guide anyway.