Hey there Jawas! We get a ton of questions about build guides or PC recs for a certain game with a certain budget, so we decided to start a series to help answer all your questions. We'll kick it off with a question from a young gamer in Minnesota who asked us for a build list for his first PC.
Budget: $500. Games: Big Fortnite player. Ok let's go!
This is no surprise to us - Fortnite remains a titan in the world of gaming, consistently topping the list of games players are eager to experience in the best possible way. Understanding the importance of accessibility and affordability, we're excited to guide you through creating a budget-friendly gaming PC specifically tailored for Fortnite enthusiasts. With this guide you can dive into the immersive world of PC gaming without spending a fortune.
With a focus around a $500 budget, we'll explore how to build a PC using both new and second-hand components. This approach not only makes PC gaming more accessible but also promotes a sustainable practice by giving new life to pre-owned parts. Whether you're a newcomer to PC gaming or looking to upgrade your setup economically, we'll help you assemble a Fortnite-ready PC that balances performance with affordability.
For our build guide today we are going to be following the outline of a Zach's Tech Turf PC build with what we can find available on Jawa.
Here is our parts list:
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU & Heatsink | i3 10100 with Heatsink | $60.00 |
| Motherboard | B460 | $70.00 |
| Memory/RAM | Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 RAM 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz CL16 | $30.00 |
| Power Supply(PSU) | New Open Box Bitfenix BFG Gold 750w | $52.00 |
| Storage(SSD) | SABRENT 1TB Rocket Nvme PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 SSD | $60.00 |
| Case | GAMDIAS - Talos E3 White Compact Mid Tower PC Case | $65.00 |
| Graphics Card (GPU) | Zotac 1080ti Blower Style | $220.00 |
| Total | $557.00 | |
| Generated by PCPartPicker |
Admittedly we went a little over budget based on with what is in stock right now, but you can easily save some money on your CPU and Motherboard combo depending on what you can find (Zach's recommended 3600 am4 combo is a great option). Of course you can also always submit offers to sellers on Jawa to see if you can score an even better deal and stay in budget.
Our build starts with an Intel I3 10100 bundled with a Coolermaster heatsink which will allow the system to run cooler than the stock heatsink would. We paired this with a b460 board. The Corsair RAM kit is a great pickup at the price but there are also plenty of other options especially since the b460 can't run the memory at its full speed, Another reason to check the availability of options like the Ryzen 5 3600 and AM4 motherboards is it has no such restrictions on RAM speeds.
For a GPU there are plenty of good options, I choose a GTX 1080 Ti because even though it is an older card it still has plenty of performance in most games at 1080p and it has 11 GB of VRAM to keep up with the ever-increasing demands for VRAM from games. I also considered this RTX 2070 Super Hybrid card for $230 ,but for the money the GTX 1080 Ti is a bit higher-performing if you don't care about Raytracing or DLSS.
The Sabrent 1tb Rocket NVME will provide plenty of fast storage for Fortnite and other games. In this system the drive will be limited to PCIE 3.0 speeds, but still will be very fast. If you pick up a different motherboard/CPU configuration you can unlock its full PCIE 4.0 speeds but for most tasks it will not be a massive improvement.
The case, the Gamdias Talos E3 provides plenty of airflow with 3 included ARGB Fans while also showing off your components well with its tempered glass front and side pannels.
Lastly, I picked this Open box 750w PSU because for the money it is hard to beat and even though there may be cheaper options that will supply enough power for this build, a good PSU is a component that can last you many builds and allows you to easily upgrade down the road.
Now for actually assembling the PC I would point you towards one of my all-time favorite build guides, LTT's First Person Point of View guide which shows you exactly what it's like to build from a first-person perspective.
Now after all this in case you aren't feeling up to building it yourself there are plenty of great options around this budget for Custom Gaming PCs from our awesome builders on Jawa. In fact, Zach just highlighted a fantastic $500 prebuilt in his latest blog post for us.
