There’s never been a better time to build your own souped-up gaming PC than now.

Many of the exclusive games from Xbox One are also available on Windows Store. And if that wasn’t enough, some of the exclusive titles from PlayStation 4 are also playable (via streaming) on your PC thanks to PS Now.

Plus, a gaming PC is great for many other things be it for streaming, video editing, socializing with crazy good discounts on games on Steam.

For this guide, we will be listing all components for your PC within a budget of Rs. 50,000. You too can build a 1080p gaming rig (with brand new parts) and can run all current games at 1080p resolution on high/medium graphics (depending on how optimized the game is).

New parts are a better investment compared to used ones, but still for the sake of those who don’t know, here are a couple of reasons why we recommend going for them:

Everything is under warranty and can be replaced if it stops working.

The new parts are more likely to last longer than the used ones.

So lets get started.

1. Casing

We don’t recommend going for a really cheap cardboard for your PC casing here. Not only do you want your PC to look sleek, but you also need one that works perfectly in Pakistan.

Things you should keep in mind when buying a Chassis/casing:

It needs to have good ventilation so your PC doesn’t heat up too much in the summer.

Dust filters should be installed near the intake fans.

Casing Recommendation: Thermal Take Versa N26 (Rs. 4,800)

This full-sized steel ATX case is a modern, PSU-on-bottom design. Versa n26 comes with a sleek design aimed directly for gamers who want a budget casing without sacrificing the wow-factor. You can even install RGB lights in it to make it look cooler.

This casing is available on CZone for Rs. 4,800.

Why we recommend this:

In this budget the chassis mentioned above provides you with a single 120-mm exhaust fan, but the best part is that it includes room for two more 120-mm fans in the top and two in the front. The top vent can house a 240-mm fan, and the rear fan can be removed to fit an additional 120-mm fan. So in this budget you have a casing that can provide you with perfect ventilation to keep all your components cool.

It’s designed for gamers through and through, with the black metal meshed front panel that delivers a stylish look. The heightened foot-stands at the bottom help enhance airflow, and a transparent side window offers a direct view of the inner system.

2. Power Supply Unit/PSU

A few things to keep in mind when buying a PSU (power supply):

Make sure it has a overvoltage/undervoltage protection and resilience against power loss. Don’t overspend on a power supply by buying the best looking one, since it’s just going to hide behind a case. Buy power supplies from “Dany” at your own risk. Just because they are cheaper doesn’t mean they are reliable. They can fry your build easily. A PSU never outputs 100% of its listed power therefore a 500W supply will at most get you 450W of power.

Our recommendation: Thermaltake Litepower Series 550W (Rs.4,400)

Thermaltake’s Litepower series is one of the most reliable ones on a budget. It offers protection against all of the problems mentioned above and it’s 100 rupees cheaper than the last time we recommended it.

This PSU is currently available for Rs. 4,400 at Computer Zone

Why we recommend this:

This is an excellent entry-level power supply, with efficiency between 84% and 85% if you pull between 40% and 80% from its maximum load.

This is a terrific buy for building a mainstream gaming PC since it is not too hard on your electricity bill.

3. Motherboard

Motherboard Recommendation: Gigabyte -H110M-H (Rs. 6,600)

Keep in mind that you should go for the DDR4 variant of this motherboard. Even though DDR4 currently offers the same performance as DDR3, DDR4 is future proof for now.

This motherboard is available on CZone for Rs. 6,600

Why we recommend this:

This board is very compact with the perfect number of slots. Plenty of USB connectors on the back and enough for the front of the case as well. Furthermore, it supports several SATA 3.0 cables for plenty of drives. It’s a good budget motherboard, compatible with Skylake processors for upgrading in the future.

4. Processor

Processor Recommendation: Pentium G4400 (Rs. 6950)

In this build we recommend Pentium G4400 because it strikes a superb balance between power and price. It’s roughly half the cost of the cheapest Core i3 processor. The CPU can handle basic everyday tasks without frustrating slowdowns— which is exactly what you want from a cheap PC.

The Pentium G4400 also provides a solid upgrade. Since it’s built using Intel’s 14nm Skylake architecture, it gives you the ability to swap in a Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 Skylake chip.

It is available on CZone for Rs. 6950.

Why we recommend this:

If you are on a tight budget, the Intel Pentium G4400 will do the job. For a low cost processor, its specifications are pretty decent for the average user.

It is a dual core processor that can handle 2 threads at a time at 3.3GHz with a TDP of 54W. Beyond that, it has many of the features of other Skylake processors such as support for up to 64GB of DDR4 or DDR3L memory in dual channels.

5. RAM

RAM Recommendation: Kingston 8 GB DDR4 2133 (Rs. 6,500)

The motherboard we recommended earlier has 2 RAM slots. You can double your RAM if you think its not enough in the long run.

This RAM stick is available on Galaxy for Rs. 6500.

Why we recommend this:

It just doesn’t get better than this for budget PC builds.

5. Storage

Storage Recommendation: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD (Rs. 5,499)

As mentioned earlier, this HDD offers a middle ground for storage enthusiasts and frugal (in terms of storage) users. This is a very basic hard drive and is the cheapest one available right now.

This HDD is available on Daraz for Rs. 5,499

Why we recommend this:

Seagate’s 1TB Barracuda 7200.12 uses just two 500 GB platters, whereas other 1TB disks typically use three 333 GB platters, thus squeezing more data onto fewer platters. It has fast read/write speeds and offers great value per gigabyte when you consider its price.

6. Graphics card

Graphics Card Recommendation: Gigabyte GTX 1050 G1 (Rs. 15,500)

The reason why we went with the 1050 is because we wanted to keep power consumption as low as possible, while getting the best possible performance for your gaming sessions in this build.

Marketed as a Full HD Esports gaming card. The GTX 1050 G1 is capable of playing the latest games at Full HD if you’re willing to dial back your settings just a little while staying in the 1080p range.

Having 640 CUDA cores, 1,354MHz core clock and 75W of power consumption, the GTX 1050 doesn’t require an external power connector as well.

The only issue is its 2 GB memory, which limits its potential for future game releases. Not to mention that a lot of AAA current gen games require a lot of memory to work with.

This card is available on CZone for Rs. 15,500.

Why we recommend this:

It has great build quality, virtually silent performance and is a trusted brand name. Its competitive price makes the 1050 G1 Gaming an appealing option for the budget conscious eSports loving gamers or those that just want an entry level 1080p experience. Its definitely one of the best budget friendly cards on the market today.

Benchmarks:

Far Cry 4 (55 FPS average @1080p)

GTA V (45 FPS @1080p)

Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (50 FPS @1080p)

The Surge (52 FPS @1080p)

Conclusion

To sum it all up this build is an entry level, budget 1080p gaming rig that can perform far better than consoles maxing out at 1080p on medium graphics settings and some games on high settings.

Sure it’s not 1080p with 60 FPS (although it comes close), it does perform better than most console games which have a 30 FPS limit. Plus its Rs. 10,000 cheaper than our previous guide last year.

If this build is still expensive for you, then you have the option to buy all these components second hand. This may drop the price point from Rs 51,000 to Rs 30-35,000 in ideal cases, but we recommend that you don’t buy used parts as they usually don’t have a warranty.

Note: The prices for the PC we are recommending are among the cheapest that we could find online at the time of writing this article. If you find a better deal, please let us know in the comments below.