$150 Gaming PC Build! A PC Just As Powerful As A PS4

The word 'budget' is thrown around in the PC building community very loosely nowadays. Its used synonymously with cheap and affordable, yet they stick some large number after it ($400, $500) and say 'see you can game for less!'  usually with mediocre settings and frame rates and rationalizing that its playable. But its ok because its  in a shiny new case that costs more than the processor. Bullshit.

So I've come up with a build for people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. For the price of a used playstation 4, you can build a gaming PC that is more powerful than a playstation 4.

There are different way to approach this build. Depending on your budget and time you can spend anywhere between $140-$180. It just depends on how valuable your time is. If you have the time and patience to wait for a deal on prebuilt sytem, then you'll pay less than $150. But, if you don't want to wait, this video will guide you through sourcing the components individually. 

This is what your going to look for. 

• We are going with a X5450. Yes a Xeon Chip. It will suit our needs perfectly for this build.
• For the CPU Cooler- Any socket 775 CPU cooler will do here , but I happen to have a Hyper T4 laying around. Note: the Vostro 230 and 410 use the dell propietary cooler. You cannot use any 755 compatible cooler with the 230 and 410. 
• I used Dell Vostro 220 G45M03. Its the cheapest socket 775 motherboard that supports the processor (after modding) that were going to use. 
• Standard DDR2 PC2-6400 Ram
• 250gb is all were going to need. Feel free to use whatever you like.
• I went with the LOGISYS Computer CS206BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer SOHO Case with a 480W Power Supply. The only reason I went with it is because of the inexpensive case/power supply combo and has the a 6 pin pci express power cable which may be required depending on what graphics card you get.  Feel free to get whatever your heart desires, as long as you meet the minimum power requirment.
• Not only did the GTX 1060 and rx 380  hearold the begining of affordable gaming with their mid $200 price tag, it also bumped down the prices of previous generation cards like the Nvidia 700 series, and the AMD R7 and R9 series.  The GTX 750 TI and R9 270X suits our needs perfectly for this build. It reaches all the targeted benchmark results i've set to match and even exceed the playstation 4's graphics capabilities. I don't recommend paying more than $70 for either of these cards. If your pateint enough, you can even get for less than that. I found that Craigslist is the best place to source videocards, as there are no fees associated with the exchange and the seller is always willing to negotiate even if they say they aren't.  
• There are two other things were going to need here. The mod sticker for the CPU and the esata-6pin converter to power the graphics card as the power supply in my case didn't have it. 

This build could cost you anywhere between $150 to $200

Benchmarks:

750 TI

Firestrike 3919

Unreal Haven 49.6   1250

GTA5 30fps 1080p ps4 settings

Sh of mordor 52.95

Cineblend CPU 326

 References:
Socket 775-771 Modding
http://www.delidded.com/

GTAV Settings reference http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dig...

Witcher 3 Settings Reference
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dig...

Ebay Links to Components

CPU- Xeon X5450
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=...

Motherboard- G45M03
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=...

Ram- DDR2 6400
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?Brand=...

Case and Power Supply
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hc3Rs...

Graphics Card- GTX 750TI 2GB
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=...

CPU Cooler
http://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu-...

Sticker Mod- 775 to 771
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sop=1...

Modding 755 to 711 video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRIr8...