Hey there everybody i just recently talked my friend in to buying a pc instead of the new consoles. The only problem is the budget is $400. And i need some help with this build...The pc needs to play battlefield 4 at low-med settings with atleast 60+ fps if possible. And a os has to be included. If anybody can help that would be great!
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$400 budget pc build
- Thread starter tna135
- Start date
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2004
You're going to be hard pressed to build a $400 rig that can play BF4 at 60 FPS. If you've already got peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse), that will help, but the fact that you'll need to spend $75 or more on an OS limits you severely.
The parts wagex posted above are a solid build, but I have a tough time believing they'd play BF4 on high at 1080p. Plus, that doesn't include an OS or case, which would put you pretty far over budget. I'd save up a bit more and build a slightly more expensive PC. Spend a little more on a processor (maybe an i5) that will last several years, you can stick with a cheaper GPU and upgrade it as games become more demanding. Linux is a free OS option, but I don't think Origin supports Linux, there may be some hacky ways to get it to work, I'm not sure.
The parts wagex posted above are a solid build, but I have a tough time believing they'd play BF4 on high at 1080p. Plus, that doesn't include an OS or case, which would put you pretty far over budget. I'd save up a bit more and build a slightly more expensive PC. Spend a little more on a processor (maybe an i5) that will last several years, you can stick with a cheaper GPU and upgrade it as games become more demanding. Linux is a free OS option, but I don't think Origin supports Linux, there may be some hacky ways to get it to work, I'm not sure.
- Joined
- Apr 25, 2012
- Location
- La Mesa, Ca (San Diego)
I would suggest finding some used parts to lower the cost on a few items so that you can spen more on others. Thing with warranty are always nice. RAM, CPU, some PSU's and some mobo come with serial based warranties. Even some GPUs.
My backup pc (in sig) cost me about $450 USD and all parts were used. I could have bought a cheaper mobo and gpu so yeah, you could build it. Again find some nice quality used part!
My backup pc (in sig) cost me about $450 USD and all parts were used. I could have bought a cheaper mobo and gpu so yeah, you could build it. Again find some nice quality used part!
I'd look used if you're trying to save that much money. You could also go with 2x2GB of ram instead of 8, total. It hurts to suggest such a thing, but it's not going to help/hurt that much when it comes to in-game performance.
I'd look for:
USED: i5 2500k/mobo combo
2x2GB of 1333/1600Mhz
cheapest sata HDD you can find
NEW: Corsair CX430 (don't get a used power supply, it'll just be a pain in the butt in the end)
cheapest case you can find
750Ti (used prices seem to be pretty similar to new on this card)
Windows, you might need to get creative with. Student version, upgrade version, Windows 9 trial. It'll be tight, but do-able, I think.
I'd look for:
USED: i5 2500k/mobo combo
2x2GB of 1333/1600Mhz
cheapest sata HDD you can find
NEW: Corsair CX430 (don't get a used power supply, it'll just be a pain in the butt in the end)
cheapest case you can find
750Ti (used prices seem to be pretty similar to new on this card)
Windows, you might need to get creative with. Student version, upgrade version, Windows 9 trial. It'll be tight, but do-able, I think.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2013
- Location
- Mesa, Arizona
I was also going to recommend used parts. With a lot of people bailing out of the mining community, parts can be had for fairly cheap these days if you know where/when to look for them.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2007
- Location
- Near Toronto Canada
Nope. Don't be a bad friend. If your buddy only has $400, he needs a PS4. Not a PC. Seriously. games are OPTIMIZED on console, much less so on PC. He'll get higher performance out of a PS4 than he will out of a $400 PC, and that PS4 is guaranteed to run all PS4 software at a respectable framerate. The same can not be said of a $400 PC. If you really want to stomp some consoles, the minimum cost of entry is $800-900 USD in my humble opinion.
I think what we've suggested will perform as well as a PS4, be more versatile, and allow your friend, in a few months when he has another $100-200, to upgrade the GPU and have a "console-stomping" system 
Not to mention, it allows you two to play together.
If by "optimized" you mean run at reduced settings, then yes. You can accomplish the same thing in the Video Settings menu of any PC game.
Not to mention, it allows you two to play together.
If by "optimized" you mean run at reduced settings, then yes. You can accomplish the same thing in the Video Settings menu of any PC game.
It could do 60 fps at 1080 on high. My concern would be the dual core CPU. Don't think that'd hold out. Maybe swap for some cheaper RAM and try and get a quad haswell.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2007
- Location
- Near Toronto Canada
I think what we've suggested will perform as well as a PS4, be more versatile, and allow your friend, in a few months when he has another $100-200, to upgrade the GPU and have a "console-stomping" system
Not to mention, it allows you two to play together.
If by "optimized" you mean run at reduced settings, then yes. You can accomplish the same thing in the Video Settings menu of any PC game.
You're wrong. Games are optimized to run on a console, since every PS4 has the exact same graphical and processing capabilities, the same type of RAM and the same amount of RAM. Games are geared and designed to run on these specific hardware specs. Yes, you can accomplish something similar by turning down settings on PC, but a $400 PC is not going to run the same game and make it look just as good and run just as smooth as a PS4. It's not going to happen. To get the same framerate, resolution, and graphical fidelity as game X on PS4, game X on PC is going to need $600-700 worth of PC components. If you really want to make the game look better than PS4, $800-900 of components will be needed to build your PC.
A game made for a console is designed to run very well at ONE graphical setting, the same for everyone with that console. When they make a game for PC, they have to keep in mind that some people have an HD7770 and some people have a GTX 780Ti, or 3. Some people have an A4-5000, some people have a 4790K. Big differences, and the game needs to be able to run on all of them. Therefore, it is not OPTIMIZED for any specific hardware specs.
Case in point- if you took the exact hardware in a PS4 and put it in a PC, and ran the same game at the same resolution, graphical settings, AA/AF, etc, odds are you'd get a few less FPS on the PC than you would on the console. It's always been that way.
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2007
- Location
- Near Toronto Canada
Because the code isn't optimized. Why do games run better on mantle vs DX11 on AMD cards? Because the code is optimized. If you write code for a console, you write that code to optimize for that console's hardware, which will always have the same specs throughout that console's lifetime. When you write for PC, you have to take into account a wide range of hardware with a wide range of capability from the unimpressive to the high powered. This is a well known fact. Research it if you don't believe me, or you need a better explanation.
Also, PC has a lot more background tasks running than console does.
Also, PC has a lot more background tasks running than console does.
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
bf4 is completely playable on my mini itx machine with one of those on ultra granted it is a 1680x1050
