BUILDING A MONSTER PC and blowing the budget sure is fun, but for most of us, the more realistic challenge right now is constructing something to a lower price. Whether that’s because you’ve got other purchases to worry about, or you can’t source all of the components right now, you might be holding off building something for work, school or pleasure when you really don’t need to.
So we decided to set ourselves a challenge: could we build something we’d be proud to have on our desk to a $600 budget? Something that would not only offer bang-for-buck performance, but also use quality components that will stand the test of time? Something that can handle everyday tasks, while also looking sleek doing it?
In starting our build, we first looked at where we could make obvious savings. We figured that one of the best components to start with would be a CPU that includes an integrated cooler and graphics— in effect, we’re getting three components for the price of one. So, we chose the Intel Core i5-10400 with Intel UHD 630 graphics and a stock cooler. Avoiding the need to pay for an AIO will inevitably save money, leaving a decent chunk of the budget to be allocated to the remaining parts of the build. That’s what we’re aiming for anyway.
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Denne historien er fra March 2022-utgaven av Maximum PC.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Google Gemini vs. ChatGPT
Which LLM currently holds the crown?
Frostpunk 2
Endure a blizzard of tough choices and lasting consequences in the survival city builder sequel
Elgato Facecam Neo
Always sees us in the best light but lacks focus: 8/10 boyfriend, er, camera
Elgato Wave Neo
The Kanye West of mics: Easy to get into, but a little weird
Razer BlackWidow V4 75%
Solid and compact, with hot-swappable switches
Razer Wolverine V3 Pro
Razer's pro controller is even better than Microsoft's
Acer Predator GM712
2008 called, it wants its projector back
AndaSeat Kaiser 4 XL
A chair as big and as comfortable as they come
Gigabyte F027Q2
Speed is of the essence with this OLED screen
Acer Nitro 14
AMD puts on a good show, but it still lacks punch