Linus Tech Tips - You Can’t Build a Better $69 Gaming PC
The video demonstrates how to build a gaming PC for just $69.50 using secondhand parts, emphasizing the importance of flexibility and patience in sourcing components. The process involves purchasing an old pre-built PC or workstation, which provides a base with essential components like a four-core CPU and 8GB of RAM. The video highlights the challenges of using such systems, including limited space for upgrades and compatibility issues, particularly with power supplies. To overcome these, the video suggests using a secondary power supply and making physical modifications to fit components.
The video also discusses selecting a suitable graphics card, recommending spending between $30 to $50 on a card like the RX 570 or RX 580, and stresses the importance of negotiating prices. The build includes a $14 SSD for faster boot times and reuses a 500GB hard drive for storage. The final build is tested with games like Counter-Strike 2 and Baldur's Gate 3, showing that while performance is not top-tier, the system is capable of running modern games at playable frame rates. The video concludes by suggesting potential upgrades, such as a better GPU or more RAM, to improve performance further.
Key Points:
- Build a gaming PC for $69.50 using secondhand parts.
- Start with an old pre-built PC with a four-core CPU and 8GB RAM.
- Use a secondary power supply to handle GPU power needs.
- Select a graphics card like RX 570 or RX 580, spending $30-$50.
- Consider future upgrades like more RAM or a better GPU for improved performance.
Details:
1. 💸 Building a Gaming PC on a Budget
- A gaming PC can be built for the price of a single AAA game, offering significant cost savings.
- The PC is capable of running demanding titles like Cyberpunk and Baldur's Gate 3 at playable frame rates, demonstrating its performance capabilities.
- Previous builds of $69 gaming PCs have been successful, with the current build surpassing them in performance and affordability.
- Key components for achieving this include selecting cost-effective but powerful hardware such as budget CPUs, GPUs, and efficient RAM.
- Strategies for saving costs include buying second-hand parts, utilizing sales and discounts, and prioritizing component upgrades based on performance impact.
2. 🔄 Embracing Secondhand Parts for Cost Efficiency
- Flexibility is key in parts selection for secondhand PCs, as specific brands may not always be available.
- Purchasing components in bundles often yields better deals than buying individually.
- Setting up search term notifications on secondary markets can uncover the best deals.
- Start with an old pre-built PC or workstation to cover many parts needs, especially for core components.
- For modern gaming, a four-core CPU and 8GB of RAM are essential minimum specifications.
- Older pre-built PCs with these specs are now more accessible due to advancements in CPU standards.
- Newer CPUs generally provide better performance and upgrade potential.
- Tom's Hardware offers a tier list for legacy CPUs to aid selection.
- Evaluate the condition of secondhand parts carefully to ensure reliability.
- Consider the specific requirements for components like GPUs and storage to align with performance needs.
3. 🖥️ Core Components: Finding and Fitting
- An HP office PC is available for $17.50, featuring an Intel Core i5 2500s processor, suitable for basic computing tasks and office work.
- The PC includes 8 GB of DDR3 1600 MT/s memory, which is adequate for multitasking with standard office applications.
- A 500 GB hard drive provides moderate storage capacity, sufficient for documents and software typical in office environments.
- The inclusion of a CD/DVD drive supports legacy media use, which may be relevant for certain office settings.
- The cooler is included but not described as noteworthy, indicating standard cooling performance for this setup.
- There is no space for future upgrades in the PC's current configuration, which limits expandability and long-term versatility.
4. 🔧 Tackling Pre-built System Challenges
4.1. Challenges with Pre-built Systems
4.2. Alternatives to Pre-built Systems
5. ⚙️ Power Supply and Compatibility Solutions
- To achieve optimal performance on a budget, consider using older mass market machines, which offer the best price-to-performance ratio.
- Pre-built PCs often lack the necessary 8 pin PCIe connectors for GPUs, which can be a significant hurdle.
- A cost-effective solution involves purchasing a $10, 400W power supply to meet power requirements.
- Implementing a dual power supply setup can be an innovative way to power different components, but it may cause instability.
- Instead of dual PSUs, using an adapter cable priced between $5 to $10 is recommended for stability and budget management.
- Two options for GPU fitting were evaluated: a $5 solution involving minor modifications, and a free, more challenging method.
- Successfully fitting a GPU may require physical modifications, such as cutting a hole for clearance, ensuring compatibility.
- For improved GPU performance, replacing old thermal paste with PTM 7950 is highly recommended.
6. 🎮 Choosing and Installing a Graphics Card
6.1. Graphics Card Selection Insights
6.2. Graphics Card Installation Tips
7. 💾 Upgrading Storage: SSDs for Performance
- Upgrading to SSDs is essential to meet modern performance demands, as traditional hard drives are insufficient for current needs.
- The choice of SATA SSDs over faster M.2 drives was due to the motherboard's lack of an M.2 slot, highlighting a strategic decision based on hardware constraints.
- The Patriot P210 SSD was selected for its affordability at $14, making it a cost-effective solution for a boot drive.
- Reusing an existing 500GB hard drive for bulk storage optimizes costs, leveraging existing resources effectively.
- The gaming PC was constructed with a total cost of $69.50, demonstrating strategic budget management comparable to the price of a single AAA game.
- Upgrading to SSDs is expected to significantly reduce load times and improve system responsiveness, providing a tangible performance boost over traditional drives.
8. 📊 Performance Test: Gaming on a Budget Build
- The gaming performance on a budget build showed that using a 4 GB VRAM card resulted in lower performance compared to an 8 GB card, especially in 1% low frame rates.
- Upgrading the GPU to a model with more VRAM (8 GB) is recommended for an additional $6 to improve performance.
- Adjusting settings like FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) can help regain some performance.
- A core i5 3570 CPU can be a substantial upgrade for only 5 Canadian dollars, offering better performance due to its lower wattage and higher turbo capabilities.
- Despite being a budget build, the system is still capable of running modern titles, although not at the highest settings.
- Loading times are notably slow due to reliance on HDD storage, suggesting an SSD upgrade would enhance performance.
- The budget build's cost-effectiveness is highlighted by the ability to access a wide library of older games, providing a viable gaming experience despite limitations with newer titles.
- Upgrading RAM and storage could significantly improve performance, with DDR3 RAM upgrades costing about $10 to $15.
- The cost of a more substantial GPU upgrade (from a 588 GB) can be significant, suggesting saving for a more robust investment in a GPU ($150 to $200) could be more beneficial.
- Overall, the budget gaming build demonstrates that incremental upgrades in GPU, CPU, and storage can significantly enhance the gaming experience.