Looking for build suggestions

[MorePower!]

My brother wants me to build him a pc. He only has ~350$. I told them I might be able to find a cheap CPU which I could overclock to get better performance (maybe pentium?). And some cheap but not horrible discrete gpu. The goal is to be able to play GTA V on medium.

 

[Tech Tweaker]

Probably looking at used parts, 4+ generations back? Or some used pre-built PC...

Unless someone has ideas on something more recent that actually has somewhat reasonable performance...

 

[Janus67]

With only $350, you won't be building a computer to play many games. As Tech Tweaker said, it may be possible to find a 5+ year old computer for that much, but it likely won't be playing GTA5 on medium settings (you also didn't list a resolution as well).

I assume this $350 is for 100% of a build:
Case
Power Supply
Motherboard
CPU
RAM
Video Card
Hard Drive
OS
Monitor
Speakers/Headset
Keyboard
Mouse


Is there anything that he already has that can be used?

If not, he may be better off buying an XboxOne or PS4 if he just wants to play games.

 

[MorePower!]

Sorry forgot to mention a few things I have (sorry its late and I'm tired): OS , HDD (500gb), monitor, keyboard, mouse, no speakers cuz he's gonna use a headset that he has. I might chip in 50-100$ on top as a chirstmas present if its necessary.

So that leaves PSU, GPU, CPU, case, ram, mobo, cpu cooler.

The resolution on the GTA 5 should be 720 or 1080. If 1080 wasn't possible for this budget then 720p would be acceptable.

He wants the pc cuz I've talked to him about it being better than console.

 

[Zoue]

I think your budget should be OK, although it will be stretched and will need your contribution

I'm not an expert, just an interested amateur, so get a second take on my opinion! But I think with your budget you are probably better off looking at an AMD build, rather than Intel. It's not as cutting edge but still packs good bang for your buck.

A lot depends on what your future needs are, but assuming you don't want Crossfire in the near future I'd suggest you look at 970 boards, rather than 990 based ones, since that will free up some cash. My suggestions are all lifted from Newegg and include rebates where available. I'm in the UK so don't know if you can source the same items cheaper in the US.

CPU: AMD FX-6300 $99.99 + 2.99 shipping.
MB: Gigabyte GA 970A UD3P $64.99 + 2.99 shipping
PSU: EVGA 110-B2 750W Bronze 5 year warranty $59.99 free shipping
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 270x 4GB $169.99 OR Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB $179.99
RAM: G-Skill Ripjaw 2x4GB DDR3 1600 $44.99

Total: $445.93

I haven't included a case as they are much an aesthetic choice as a practical one and can be had for as little as $20 for a mid-tower. Just be sure to get as large as possible for good airflow and with an eye on cooling in the future (some cpu coolers especially are huge) and one which has two fans and front headphone and USB sockets. I also haven't included a CPU cooler as without OC you should be able to run without one and can always add one later. The one that seems to be universally popular is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for $29.99, although I don't think you need it straightaway.

There is room to cut the above budget. For graphics cards you can save quite a bit by going for e.g. the 2GB version of the 270x, but 4GB gives more future proofing. A 2GB version can be had for $129.99, saving $40 which could buy you the case. If you have no ambitions to OC then you could also shave another $10 or so off the MB cost. But it's just to give an idea of what is possible.

If you do want to OC then the FX-6300 is a great choice. It's why I put in a 750W PSU as that together with the R9 270X cards draws a lot of power. You could probably save a bit there too by getting e.g. a 600W version. But don't get a no-brand whatever you do.

Good luck!

 

[Dlaw]

I'd actually consider an APU with Dual Graphics (used to be called Hybrid Crossfire).

A8-7600

R7 250

Board

RAM

PSU

Storage

Left out the case, but that's at $365.94. I don't know if it'll perform at 1080p, and I doubt it'll max much at any resolution. For that price, a console is really the better investment.

 

[bob4933]

Honestly I'd suggest going used. A used amd rig could be feasible for that budget. Perhaps an older intel quad?

 

[bartx]

I'd go for used i5. And rest parts maybe used too. I'm always buying used parts and don't have problems with that. They costs me 60-70% of new ones. Look for parts with warranty is possible.