How to build an affordable gamer PC in 2023: all the components, for less than 270,000 pesos

In January 2023, put together with Basic gaming PC to reproduce the current versions cost about 180 thousand pesos. By mid-year, that cost had nearly doubled: with the same components, Already about 270 thousand come out.

With inflation forecast at 9% for May, prices have risen in some cases to double. If we add to this that building a PC can be a real headache, It’s not easy to make decisions. The options for each component can be overwhelming: processor, RAM, memory, video card, motherboard, power supply and cabinet make up a complex puzzle.

However, you can always build a computer with good updated, new components AND economic in relation to the enormous range of possibilities that this world offers.

with a choice “entrance” all of today’s games can be played. Of course, with some compromises: PC video games allow you to change various parameters and play with lower quality or resolution. But keeping the experience of gameplay at an acceptable level.

When we talk about “acceptable” we mean that it runs smoothly and does not affect the gaming experience. That is, a minimum average of 30 frames per second (FPS) in 1080 resolution: According to Steam statistics, as of December 2022, a 64.52% of gamers still play with this monitor setup.

Therefore, to save money, you can choose a processor (CPU) with Integrated graphics -that is, don’t buy a dedicated video card- e save a good amount of money.

And, of course, a big plus of building a gaming PC is that it can be upgraded over time – if you decide to forego integrated graphics and buy a video card later, you can.

The following criteria were considered for this configuration:

• Future updates: some input components can be problematic (like an overly small 120GB SSD). Decisions will be made taking into account future updates.

• “Input” components, but of quality: generic fonts, for example, are dangerous to the general health of the PC. These options will be avoided.

• Approximate and current prices until June 2023: A bunch of well-known PC parts sales pages will be referenced, which doesn’t mean they can’t be gotten cheaper or more expensive (prices vary greatly depending on each site). It is advisable to compare costs on sites such as Precialo, Donde Promo or MercadoTrack.

• Only the PC is considered: Operating system, monitor and peripherals (keyboard, mouse, headset, etc.) are not included. This is because many aspiring PC gamers already have one and want to take it up a notch so they can play and be able to reuse these components or used to very good prices.

Processor: $113,999

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the chip that executes the instructions that come from the programs, that is, it executes what the user requests. It is the first component to choose and what conditions much of the rig: more powerful, logically, more expensive.

“The Ryzen 5000 G series incorporates radeon graphics High performance, over 100 FPS in eSports gaming and high-speed content creation without the need to add a discrete graphics card and without sacrificing fluidity”, explains Clarín Pablo Ance, from AMD Argentina. Those FPS depend, of course, on the user settings.

This CPU is, strictly speaking, a APU extension (Accelerated Processing Unit), which includes GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). Like everyone, they have different generations. “When we compare them to the highly sought-after Ryzen 3 3200G and Ryzen 5 3400G, we can see a significant difference in various aspects, energy efficiency, gaming performance and productivity performance. This is thanks to the advantages offered by the Zen architecture 3 under the manufacturing process 7nm“, he argues.

In this area, AMD has better options than Intel’s integrated graphics, and it also comes with an integrated (cooler) thermal solution, so you don’t need to buy a separate one for cooling.

For this reason, a good option to “protect” yourself for the future (what is called “future-proofing”) is to choose this generation. “When the user needs to enhance their gaming experience, whether they want to play at higher frames per second or at higher resolutions, the Ryzen 5000 G Series processors They are ready to take full advantage of any graphics card”.

Motherboard: $52,220

Although the motherboard is the part of the PC where the rest of the components are inserted, most of those offered by current brands in their input range are more than enough to build a gaming PC.

The most important thing is that it has RAM sockets DDR4 (DDR5 is still very new and makes the final price much more expensive) as well as having a port m2 to be able to install the fastest solid drives available today (see next section).

To take into account: the one we have chosen has not Wifiwith which, if you don’t intend to connect to the internet via a network cable (which is the most convenient for playing online), you must evaluate the purchase of an external receiver (there are about 5 thousand pesos).

Storage: $20,990

To “lift” the computer, that is, to turn it on, it is better to have a solid state drive (SSD).

Solid State Drives greatly improve the performance of computers, making them between 10 and 15 times faster than traditional disks, i.e. hard disks (HDD, Hard Disk Drive) that work mechanically with a pin that reads a hard disk.

the choice of 480GB it is because those of 120 are very low and, currently, even those of 240 could be insufficient: some games (such as Call of Duty Warzone) already weigh more than 200GB.

The fastest optionsthat exist today are the Nvme format, M2. They also leave the SATA ports free for adding another drive in the future.

Of course you can now add a mechanical disc for more storage as well, but this can be left for later as with the 480 you can install some games at the same time, although you will need to uninstall it to play when it’s full.

RAM Memory: $34,880

“Average memory usage in general is around 10-12GB, which the current standard is 16 gigabytes. The recommendation is to opt for 16 and if there are budget constraints, it’s fine to start with 8 but with the aim already of bringing it to 16 as soon as possible”, explains José Luis Fernández, Technology Manager of Kingston for Latin America.

Undoubtedly, for gaming the current standard is already 16GB and the best configuration is 2 sticks to take advantage of the dual channel, a system that increases the transfer speed of communications between CPU and RAM.

A speed of 3200MHz because the selected mother guarantees that speed.

Source: $23,300

The source is one of the components more sensitive than a computer: a bad choice can damage the rest of the components.

For this reason it is essential to buy one certified source: “The fact that the PSU is certified means that it undergoes rigorous consumer testing, which assures users that the product has an energy conversion efficiency of more than 80% when the load is 20%, 50% and 100% % of its nominal capacity”, explains Alejandro Espinoza, Sales Manager for the Southern Cone.

“The 80 Plus certification promotes greater energy efficiency in products to take care of electricity consumption and the environment,” he adds.

It is a bad idea to buy uncertified sources: “The main point to avoid generic sources is their short-term deterioration with intensive use, these products usually do not have the certifications we mentioned above (80 Plus) which guarantee a conversion of energy efficient, consuming even more than necessary and increasing the electrical consumption of internal components higher temperature”warns.

“Many generic sources usually do not have over-voltage and low-voltage protections, which are usually the main problem of burned out computer components. Over time, these components that increase in temperature also lose their useful life, because the worst enemy of electrical components is heat, likewise it can lead to their deterioration and stop working over time,” he says.

In this sense, Never it is convenient to buy uncertified sources, no matter how cheap they are.

Yes, OK 450w It is one of the lowest wattages, a PC without a video card requires between 115 and 130 watts, depending on the case.

Cabinet: $25,199

Thermaltake V200 tempered glass

The locker doesn’t make much difference. Although many prefer them with (RGB) lights, this usually makes them more expensive without much sense.

It’s true that the more fans (coolers) you have, the better the overall cooling of your equipment will be. But with one input and one output it is more than enough.

Monitor, keyboard and mouse: don’t spend too much

We decided not to include peripherals since, in most cases, those looking for a gaming PC already have a keyboard, monitor and mouse.

With any input it’s more than good to start. Then, later on, you can gradually switch these components – the bulk of the money has to go to the PC.

Also note that most sites that sell computer components deliver the armed servicewhich can vary from one thousand and two thousand pesos.

​The general recommendation is that if a PC was never built, pay that value to avoid putting components at risk.

Approximate total price: $270,588

That way, with these components you can build a gamer PC to play current games at 1080 resolution and low (or medium, in some cases) graphics settings.

Obviously, a PC with these features won’t be able to run Elden Ring or God of War at a stable 60 FPS in high quality – its “entry” range It involves certain sacrifices.

But if what you are looking for is to enter the world of PC gaming to go and play, there is always the possibility of improving the components little by little, over time.

Ultimately, the most important thing is that the PC fits not only the taste, but also in your pocket of the complex Argentine economy.