The $400 gaming desktop
This is the best time to build a gaming desktop. If you already have one, rather, you can upgrade to pull every ounce of performance from it. If you’re in the top 1% club, with all the flagship components, you’re doing great.
If you want to get started with gaming and looking for a budget friendly option, the desktop mentioned in this article, is one of the choices you can make.
Let’s dive straight in the components list.
Processor / AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
Priced under ₹10k or $80, this is the best APU, you can get. It has integrated graphics namely, Vega 8 with 8 GPU compute units in total. As all the AMD Ryzen processors, this is an unlocked APU which means, it can be overclocked to pull more performance than the stock clocks.
Also, you can go with AMD Ryzen 5 2400G which would provide you with more performance.
Specifications:
- # of Cores: 4
- # of Threads: 4
- Base Clock Speed: 3.5GHz
- Boost Clock Speed: 3.7GHz
- L1 Cache: 384KB, L2 Cache: 2MB, L3 Cache: 4MB
- Integrated GPU: Vega 8
- Maximum Memory Speed: 2993MHz
- TDP: 65W
Price: ₹6225 / US $78
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Motherboard / Gigabyte B450M DS3H
Going with the AMD line of processors gives you a lot of freedom for upgradability, down the line. The B450 chipset is that sweet spot which basically, supports¹ all the AMD Ryzen & some newer Athlon processors.
We chose the Gigabyte B450M motherboard. It has all the required modern I/O ports, M.2 slot and many more. The plus point here is, you can upgrade to any Ryzen processor in future and there will be no need for changing the motherboard.
Specifications:
- Form Factor: Micro ATX
- Socket: AM4
- Chipset: AMD B450
- # of RAM Slots: 4
- Max. Memory Support: 64GB
- Max. Memory Speed: 3200MHz
- Memory Type: DDR4
- SATA Ports: 4
- M.2 Slots: 1
- USB 3.0 Header: Yes
Price: ₹6590 / US $60
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Memory / G. Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz
As with every Ryzen processor, a faster memory brings the best performance to the table. The choice here is the 2*8GB configured sticks from G. Skill, clocked at 3200MHz with a CAS latency of 16. At the time of writing, this was the cheapest 16GB dual channel kit available.
Specifications:
- Configuration: 2*8GB
- Type: DDR4
- Speed: 3200MHz (XMP)
- CAS Latency: 16
- CAS Timings: 6–18–18–38
- Voltage: 1.35V
Price: ₹7515 / US $69
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Storage / Western Digital 1TB HDD
To get a plenty of room for all our games and media, we are using 1TB (~950GB usable) HDD from Western Digital. This will be sufficient enough to keep you going.
Down the line, you can add an SATA III SSD as your boot drive or perhaps another 1TB HDD as an expansion.
Here are the benchmarks related to this hard drive.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 1TB (~950GB usable)
- Speed: 7200RPM
- Cache: 64MB
Price: ₹3115 / US $45
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Cabinet / Corsair Carbide 100R
This cabinet is the all time budget choice from Corsair. It has an appreciable amount of cable management support & every gamers delight — the transparent side panel. No fancy RGB lightning or anything chaotic, just a minimal cabinet which looks good & gets the job done.
Specifications:
- Form Factor: Mid tower
- Motherboard support: mATX
- Front I/O Ports: 2 USB 3.0, Audio ports
- Side Panel: Tempered glass
Price: ₹2969 / US $53
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Power Supply / Corsair CX450
For budget constraints, this PSU is one the most affordable out there. It has many plus points like 80+ Bronze certification which guarantees efficient operation under any condition, sleeved cables and more.
Specifications:
- Continuos Power: 450W
- Form Factor: ATX
- 80+ Efficient Rating: Bronze
- Cables Type: Sleeved
- # of SATA Connectors: 4
- # of PATA Connectors: 4
- # of PCIe Connector: 1
- # of EPS 12V Connector: 1
Price: ₹3855 / US $59
You can purchase it from Amazon.
Performance & Benchmark Insights
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G - ₹6225
Gigabyte B450M DS3H - ₹6590
G. Skill Ripjaws V 16GB - ₹7515
Western Digital 1TB HDD - ₹3115
Corsair Carbide 100R - ₹2969
Corsair CX450 - ₹3855
Total: ₹30,300 / US $364
Footnotes
- To use the newer 3rd Generation Ryzen processors, there is a need to perform a BIOS update. There is a handy website by Gigabyte which provides the list of processors supported.
- The prices suffixed are subjected to changes. Refer to your retailer or respective website for accurate pricing details.
- Links redirecting to Amazon are the affiliate links.
