PhP 18,000 Gaming PC Build Guide – November 2017

We are confident that our Gaming PC Build Guide for November 2017 gives the best value for the money for those who want to play the latest PC games without spending too much. However, PhP 26,000 is still out of reach for gamers on a very tight budget. Platform upgrade path had to be sacrificed to be able to go below PhP 20,000 but we can guarantee that this build guide will still enable a smooth 1080p gaming experience in selected games.

Update: Php15,000 Budget Gaming PC Build Guide December 2018 (Athlon 200GE)

The Components

Just some REMINDERS:

• The prices are based on the item listing of retailers in Metro Manila. Price may change without prior notice so call the store to verify the updated price on your day of purchase.
• Consider purchasing or looking for used or second-hand PC components to better achieve your desired Gaming Setup.
• For the monitor, we recommend the ASUS VC239H as starting point since it’s a 1080p 60-Hz monitor with an IPS panel and can be had for under PhP 10,000.

G. Skill Ripjaws V 4GBx1 DDR4 2400
(F4-2400C17S-4GVR)
Memory Type – DDR4
Memory Amount – 4GB
Speed – 2,400 MHz
Voltage – 1.20 V
Timings – 17-17-17-39

Inno3D GT 1030 2GB
GPU – NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030
Number of Cores – 384
GPU Base Speed – 1,227 MHz
GPU Turbo Speed – 1,468 MHz
Memory – 2GB GDDR5 @ 6 GHz
PCI-E Power Cable Requirement – none
Graphics Card Length – 167 mm
Display Outputs – DVI-D, HDMI 2.0b

Corsair VS450
Rated Capacity – 450 watts
Tested Max. Capacity – 498 watts
Form Factor – ATX
PCI-E Power Cables – 2x 6+2 pin
Input Voltage – 100 V to 240 V
Input Frequency – 50 Hz to 60 Hz
Modular Cables – No
80PLUS Rating – Bronze

Build Summary

Gaming Performance

Gamers in this budget range probably won’t be concerned with frame rate graphs and what really matters are the games that can be enjoyed on a budget GPU such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030. We’ve prepared a list of games wherein GeForce GT 1030 can provide a smooth gaming experience at 1080p using medium image quality.

OS for First-time Builders

Ubuntu MATE is a free and easy-to-use OS (operating system) that can accommodate the needs of a PC gamer. The games we listed above are just some of the great games you can play on Linux. More high-quality games are coming to Linux every year and it made using Linux for gaming more viable. If you want to know more about playing games on a free OS, read this.

Besides being free and easy-to-use, another great thing about Ubuntu MATE is you are in control of the system updates. You choose when and what to download and there are no forced system updates when restarting the PC.

Conclusion

If you really want an affordable gaming PC and cannot wait anymore for the new AMD APU’s on AM4 platform, Intel Pentium G4560 paired with NVIDIA GeForce GT 1030 is your only option right now. The big downside to this build is we had to sacrifice platform upgrade path. The fastest CPU you can upgrade to in the future is the Intel Core i7 7700K.

The screenshot above was from a PC equipped with Core i7 7700 paired with Radeon RX 480. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided was released in August 2016 and expect upcoming games to be more demanding on the CPU. Once you upgrade to a faster GPU in the future, you will have to switch to AMD Ryzen or to the upcoming Intel Cannon Lake in 2018. Overall, the build we presented is good for gaming but you just have to keep in mind its shortcomings.