The Bit - The Entry Level Build

The Bit - The Entry Level Build

The Bit system is meant for those gamers who have a limited budget and would like to get the most out of their buck. This means that the target resolution would be around 720p (1280x720 HD Ready) with a decent amount of eye candy enabled in the game. Of course, this isn't a hard and fast rule since it varies from game to game. If you would like to seek out game specific optimizations, head on over to our game forum.

CPU - AMD Athlon II X4 860K

For entry-level systems it goes without saying that AMD has an advantage in the budget section. Now we could use an APU, but you can spot that a 75 EURO costing quad core processor running at 3.7 GHz (with an up to 4.00 GHz with Turbo) called the AMD Athlon II X4 860K. This processor is very sufficient and suitable for your budget gaming needs.

Also if you can find a cheap enough Z97 motherboard, have a peek (Review)! The 3.2 GHz Pentium 20th Anniversary G3258 Processor has two fully fetched Intel Haswell cores, without added voltage you can run them both at 4 GHz easily. And that will run the latest games pretty good if you look at them from a CPU point of view, just another alternative to consider as these puppies cost only 70 EURO. Remember though, some games require four cores these days.

CPU Cooler - Optional

Since our budget is on a diet, the packaged cooler would meet the basic needs. However, if you are living in a hot climate and notice that your CPU is constantly running hot, it would be advisable to invest into a third-party cooling system, a good one would be Cooler Master Hyper 212 which is an excellent heat pipe based cooler at a very reasonable price.

Graphics card - AMD Radeon R7-250

Remember we start at BUDGET level - Now we could recommend a Asus Radeon R7 360, but these start at 125 EURO. We are building these Guru3D systems "always" with gaming in mind. While it might be a diminutive GPU, the AMD Radeon R7-250 at 75 EURO is still fully available and does pack value when gaming at 720p (HD). Since there are a variety of vendors selling different variations of the same model, you will have to see what is available locally and then decide. Moreover, here are some other GPUs which you can consider depending on how flexible your limited budget is. 

• Nvidia GeForce GT 730 (~55 EURO)
• AMD Radeon R7-360 (~110 EURO)
• Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti (~120 EURO)

With nice up-to 720P performance the R7-260X has features like AMD TrueAudio Technology, and 2 GB of memory

Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-HD3

This is by far, one of the most critical hardware piece in the system since all other components are connected to this. Thus, choosing the right motherboard for your needs is essential. Moreover, you have to make sure that all other components are compatible with it and that no major bugs are present in it. Luckily, if you stick with reputable brands, you are far less likely to encounter issues then choosing a nameless brand. In our case, the GA-F2A88XM-HD3 is an excellent piece of hardware that packs a lot of value into a Micro ATX size, this recommendation is based on our primary choice of CPU, the Athlon II X4 860K. The price for this motherbaord, just under 55 EURO... value people, value.

System Memory (RAM) - DDR3 4 GB (2x 2 GB) @ 1,333 MHz

When it comes to RAM, always make it a point to check with the motherboard if the RAM is compatible or not (assuming that the vendor does provide this service). It is much cheaper and quicker for you to find the right product by browsing through the supported memory list on the motherboard site than buying the kit and later learning that it is incompatible. Do note that frequencies higher than 1600 MHz have a somewhat limited performance gain in the real world so a higher frequency doesn't necessarily translates to better real world performance. Brands we stick to are Corsair and G.Skill. If you go with an APU, have a peek at AMD's own Radeon branded memory for very nicely tweaked and compatible DIMMs.

Storage - 120 GB SSD

A few years ago, an SSD would never have made it into a budget system. Luckily for us, the prices have dropped down significantly over the last few years thanks to the advancements in technology and now, having a SSD in a system is something that is taken for granted. I do have to warn you that once you make the shift towards the boot drive being a SSD, it will never be the same with the HDD being a boot drive! There are quite a few companies offering 120 GB SSD which are of great value. Do note that if you have plenty of data, it is advisable to only keep the OS and main applications on the SSD while storing the rest of your data on a larger capacity HDD which nowadays are really cheap. Thus, it is not uncommon to have systems with multiple disks. With an overall "entry level" system, an SSD will speed up your PC greatly. A 120 GB SSD like Sandisk Ultra II, OCZ ARC/Trion, Plextor M6 Corsair Force LS, Kingston SSDNow V300 and Sandisk Ultra II can be spotted for just 45 to 55 EURO already! We have reviewed them all, have a peek here.

PSU - 300 Watts To 450 Watts

This component is usually overlooked by many first-timers which is a big mistake. Having the right PSU can make a difference between a functioning system or one that is toast! Thus, make sure that you always purchase a PSU from reputable brands like Corsair, OCZ, Antec, Seasonic, etc. Moreover, it is common for a PSU to be re-used when building a new system so having one with some extra wattage isn't a bad idea. Just make sure that you are getting a high efficiency one which will help you reduce your power bill in the long run. Also, if you plan to overclock say the graphics card and/or processor, be sure to get a bit more wattage as overclocking requires higher voltages and this may increase your power consumption significantly. Here is the list of PSUs we have reviewed over the years (Details).

Odds & Ends

So, now that you are familiar with the guts of The Bit, here are some other components for you to think about:

1. Chassis: Always ensure that the chassis can support all your components and is of the right size. Moreover, a well ventilated chassis helps increase the life-span of the components. A good place to start is here were we have reviewed some of the chassis over the years (Details).
2. Sound card: Many may opt for the on board sound card and are happy for it. However, getting a decent sound card can make all the difference between life and death... in the game, of course.

If you want something with a decent amount of horsepower, head over to the next page to check out, The Nibble...