So as all of you know, Xi3 has this PC called the [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=59-250-003&cm_mmc=SNC-YouTube-_-NETV-_-hklXhjosGf4-_-59-250-003]Piston[/url]. It is said that it is the first unofficial Steam Box. Whatever you do, do not be fooled, DO NOT BUY THIS!!! You get very little performance and you can only play old, and I mean [i]old[/i] games on it.
So I wanna help you guys who want to get into PC gaming not get ripped off. This thread is for small form factor PCs that can run any modern day PC game. Grant it, these PCs will NOT be as small as the Xi3 Piston, but they will still be very small, and very powerful.
[b]WHAT THESE BUILDS WILL NOT INCLUDE:[/b]
-Operating system - You can use Ubuntu for your OS unless you're going to be using Windows. Steam is compatible for Windows, OS X, and Ubuntu.
-DVD drive - Honestly, think about it, when was the last time you used the DVD drive in your computer? Chances are likely that it's been a long time. Personally, I was able to build my PC and install everything that I needed WITHOUT a DVD drive. If you really want one, you can pick up this [url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0033Z2BAQ/?tag=pcpapi-20]ASUS DVD drive[/url] off of Amazon for around $20.
-Monitors included in budget
-Peripherals (mouse, keyboard, etc.) included in budget
[b]The "I just want a cheap gaming PC" $350 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jlz7]Build[/url] - Unfortunately, do to the motherboard form factor, I was unable to use a small form factor case for this build.
SPECS:
CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($48.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.72 @ Amazon)
Case: Apex TX-381-C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
[b]The "slightly better than his younger brother" $450 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JlLT]Build[/url] - Same problem as previously stated with the case.
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1045T 2.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Value 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Apex TX-381-C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
[b]The "speedy mid-range beast" $550 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JlVs]Build[/url] - Same problem as previously stated with the case.
SPECS:
CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1045T 2.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock N68C-GS FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($44.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: G.Skill Value 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Apex TX-381-C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($50.98 @ Newegg)
[b]The "little brother you wish you had" $650 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jm1u]Build[/url]
SPECS:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2310 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor ($175.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-I R2.0 Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($81.88 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Value 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($50.98 @ Newegg)
[b]The "best big brother ever" $750 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jm6P]Build[/url]
SPECS:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-I R2.0 Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($81.88 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Value 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]The "I would have been your daddy" $850 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jm9W]Build[/url]
SPECS:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.38 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($348.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
[b]The "better than Piston" $950 gaming PC[/b]
[url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Jmdl]Build[/url]
SPECS:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($52.38 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Fractal Design Integra R2 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
I hope that mini-gaming PC guide helped out! If you guys have any questions, please send me a message or ask your question in the comments. If you have a suggested price range for a gaming PC, please state it, and i'll get right to work on it.
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If I go for the budget PC what can I play on it?
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Everybody please keep in mind, that since all of these builds are designed for a small form factor in mind, the parts are a bit more expensive than usual, and therefore some performance is lost because of the higher prices of some parts. If you guys want, I'll make a regular PC building guide tomorrow.
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I've been considering getting into PC gaming for a few months now, and now that I have a job it's becoming more and more of a realistic option. Thread bookmarked for future reference.
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This is amazing