Low-cost gaming PC for FIFA 22, Forza Horizon 5 and Tales of Arise

Intel Core i3-10100F is the most affordable processor that can be called an initial gaming one. The "F" index means that there is no iGPU, so it was not so much affected by the price increase due to the shortage of discrete graphics cards. A small cooler is supplied with the proc, but for fans of silent PC assemblies, it is still better to buy a tower.

Intel Core i3-10100F has four Comet Lake architecture physical cores and eight Hyper-Threading virtual threads. Its base frequency is 3.6 GHz, while Turbo Boost auto-acceleration by one core can reach 4.3 GHz. Most of the time, the processor runs at an average frequency of 3.9 GHz.

The volume of the cache of the first, second and third levels of the Core i3-10100F is 256 KB, 1 MB and 6 MB, respectively. In addition, Intel processors traditionally have a faster memory controller than AMD — a third lower latency. And the maximum supported amount of DDR4 RAM can reach 128 GB (4x32 GB).

And moreover, for about a hundred dollars we get a well-balanced processor, the optimal pair for which will be a Radeon RX 550, RX 560 or GeForce GTX 750 Ti, 1050 Ti graphics card. And considering that the 11th generation of Intel prots starts with significantly more expensive Core i5, the i3-10100F will continue to be the king of low-cost assemblies.

be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 is a relatively tall, but very narrow CPU cooler. The height of 161 mm should be taken into account when choosing a PC case. But the thickness of 74 mm allows you to install RAM without any restrictions, even with high radiators. The weight of the cooler is 690 grams.

The Shadow Rock Slim 2 radiator consists of fifty aluminium plates and four copper heat pipes with a diameter of 6 mm. All this provides a heat sink of up to 160 watts. Decorative caps cover the ugly sealed ends of the tubes, and the logo "be quiet!" is emblazoned on the top plate. The tubes have a natural red colour, that is, they are devoid of nickel coating.

The contact of the tubes with the processor is direct, the heat distribution plate is not provided. This is better for CPUs with a single large chip, like Core, but slightly worse for Ryzen with multiple chiplets. The kit includes a tube of branded thermal paste be quiet!, as well as fasteners for all kinds of Intel and AMD sockets: LGA 1200, 1151, AM4, AM3, etc.

The fan with a diameter of 135 mm is built on a threaded bearing. This is not hydrodynamics yet, but it is much more durable than a conventional sliding bearing — up to 80K operating hours. The noise level at a half speed of 700 rpm is generally indistinguishable by ear 12 dB, and at a maximum of 1400 rpm — still quiet 24 dB.

Biostar H510MH/E 2.0 is one of the most affordable motherboards based on the Intel H510 chipset. Compared to the previous H410, it supports both 10 and 11-generation Intel Core processors. And it even has partial support for the high-speed PCI-E 4.0 interface: the x16 slot for the graphics card is fast, but M.2 for the old generation 3.0 SSD.

There are two DIMM RAM slots, but with support for modules with a volume of up to 32 GB and with a frequency of up to 3200 MHz. There are six SATA 3 connectors, while there is only one PCI-E x1 slot. But there is a second M.2 Key-E slot for installing a Wi-Fi wireless adapter. Even a couple of antennas are provided.

On the rear interface panel of the Biostar H510MH/E 2.0, there was a place for two video outputs (digital HDMI and analogue VGA), provided that the processor has a built-in graphics core. Of the six USB ports, only two are fast 3.1 Gen 1 (5 Gbps). The sound is represented by a 7.1-channel Realtek ALC897 controller, and the wired Internet is represented by a gigabit Intel I219V.

The power subsystem of the Biostar H510MH/E 2.0 is eight-phase: six phases power the processor cores, and two more memory controller and iGPU. There is no radiator on mosfets, however, it is not used on other motherboards on the low-cost H510 chipset. With entry-level processors, such as i3-10100 and i5-11400, there will definitely be no problems.

Patriot Viper Elite II DDR4 is an updated version of the inexpensive overclocker RAM of the American brand. Overclocking is usually called RAM, which supports the automatic overclocking function of XMP. That is, it works at lower timings than the official JEDEC specification suggests for this frequency.

So, the Patriot Viper Elite II DDR4 version with a volume of 8 GB and a frequency of 3200 MHz has a timing formula of 18-22-22-42 at 1.35 volts (voltage up to 1.4 V inclusive is considered completely safe). For comparison, JEDEC 3200 MHz implies higher timings (more worse) — 22-22-22-52, but at a reduced voltage of 1.2 V.

With CL18 timings, Patriot Viper Elite II memory is guaranteed to start even on relatively capricious Ryzen 1000 and 2000-series processors. On newer generations of AMD chips, as well as Intel Core, you can experiment with manual overclocking: increase the frequency to 3600 MHz or reduce the timings to 16-18-18-38.

The Patriot Viper Elite II is based with a frequency of 3200 MHz on Hynix C-die chips. The chips are cooled by red metal radiators made in a militaristic-futuristic style (they resemble a blaster pistol). There is no backlight, but it would, firstly, increase the cost of memory, and, secondly, worsen the overclocking potential.

Arktek GeForce GTX 750 Ti is the most affordable graphics card that can be called an initial gaming one. Due to the global shortage of 8-nanometer GTX 1650 chips, NVIDIA first put the 14-nm GTX 1050 Ti back on sale, and then the 28-nm GTX 750 Ti. Fortunately, it now supports smart smoothing FidelityFX Super Resolution, which allows you to double the FPS in games by pressing one button.

In games running on the DirectX 11 engine, the GeForce GTX 750 Ti noticeably exceeds the competing Radeon RX 550 in frame rate, which costs more. Whereas in games on DX12 and Vulkan, there is approximately parity between these video cards. At first, Assassin's Creed Valhalla did not launch on the GTX 750 Ti, complaining about incomplete support for DX12. But folk craftsmen quickly solved this problem with patches.

Unlike the functionally stripped-down GeForce GT 1030, the GTX 750 Ti is suitable for video editing and streaming on Twitch or YouTube (NVENC technology). NVIDIA CUDA is also supported for photo processing and 3D modeling. A trio of VGA, DVI and HDMI video outputs allow you to connect monitors with a resolution of up to 4K, or FullHD with an increased refresh rate of 120+ Hz.

The Arktek company is a relatively young, but already officially presented in the east european retail brand of computer components from China. He equipped his GTX 750 Ti modification with, one might say, even excessively efficient cooling. A wide ribbed radiator and two large fans dissipate 75 watts of heat without unnecessary noise.

Patriot Burst Elite is one of the most affordable solid—state drives on the market. It is made in the classic 2.5-inch format with a SATA 3 interface, which makes it suitable for both assembling a new and upgrading an old PC. It is made of metal, which contributes to an efficient heat sink — even under prolonged load, it warms up no higher than 45 °C.

The SM2259XT controller is hiding under the hood of the Patriot Burst Elite. This is the latest Silicon Motion SATA solution with support for both the old three-bit TLC flash memory and the new four-bit QLC. And the XT index means the inability to work with an external operational buffer, but the presence of a small integrated cache.

The type of flash memory used in Patriot Burst Elite, like other low-cost SSDs, may vary. In small volume models (120 – 480 GB) with only one chip, exceptionally fast TLC is used. Whereas in the 960 GB and 1.92 TB versions, both TLC and, theoretically, slow QLC can be used due to parallelization of writing to several chips.

In fact, the speed of the Patriot Burst Elite is even higher than that stated by the manufacturer. Instead of sequential reads and writes of 450 and 320 Mbps, we get 550 and 470 Mbps, respectively. The volume of the virtual SLC array is approximately 25% of the free disk space. After its one-time overflow, the disk needs time to recover.

SeaSonic S12III-550 is an inexpensive power supply with quite modern technical characteristics. Voltage stabilization on low—voltage lines — progressive separate DC-DC. SeaSonic company was the first among the PS manufacturers to completely abandon the obsolete group stabilization.

In addition, all SeaSonic power supplies, without exception, pass an external independent 80 PLUS energy efficiency certification. So, the SeaSonic S12III-550 model has earned a "bronze medal", which implies an efficiency of 85 percent. Moreover, this is far from the lowest reward — below in the hierarchy is 80 PLUS White with an efficiency of 80%.

The cables of SeaSonic S12III-550 are not removable, but they are flat and pliable, which contributes to accurate cable management. In addition, the non-modular design made this PSU very compact by the standards of the ATX standard — only 14 cm in length. It will surely fit into any, even an old or low-cost PC case, without any problems.

On the main line +12V SeaSonic S12III-550 outputs 546 watts, that is, the total power on all lines (+5V and 3.3 V) is even higher than the stated. Simply put, the 550-watt SeaSonic meets the requirements of other brands' PSUs at 600-650 watts. The savings, perhaps, only affected the fan — it is quiet, but on a conventional sliding bearing. However, the five-year warranty allows you not to worry even about this.

Aerocool Atomic is a medium—sized Mini-Tower computer case for Mini-ITX and Micro-ATX motherboards, but at the same time roomy and perfectly blown. The front panel is made of mesh and is equipped with a large fan with a diameter of 200 mm. In addition, it has an ARGB backlight that is synchronized with the motherboard.

The second fan of the already familiar 120 mm diameter, also ARGB, is located on the back panel of the Aerocool Atomic. There are seats on top for two more 140 mm fans or a two-section 240 mm water cooling system. The side panel is made of tinted glass and, thanks to the hinges and handle, opens like a door.

The Aerocool Atomic turned out to be quite deep: you can install a tower processor cooler up to 184 mm high, or vertically a graphics card up to 347 mm long. In the second case, the height of the tower will be limited to 104 mm. The size of the power supply unit, including cables, is allowed up to 191 mm. Simply put, any, even the most oversized PC components fit.

Aerocool Atomic has 24 mm of space for laying cables behind the motherboard tray. There are slots for two 3.5-inch HDD or four 2.5-inch SSD. Two USB 3.0 ports of the classic Type-A format are displayed on the interface panel (alas, there is no newfangled Type-C). But there are three separate buttons: Power, Reset and ARGB control.

GameSir T1s is a cross—platform gamepad that is equally well suited for desktop PCs and laptops running Windows, as well as smartphones, tablets and smart TVs with Android. In addition, an old, but still popular PlayStation 3 console is supported. The material of the gamepad case is a grasping textured plastic.

Externally, the GameSir T1s most resembles the original PlayStation 4 controller. The sticks are arranged symmetrically, the crosspiece is separate, the bumpers are small and pressed quietly. Triggers are also able to read the pressing force, which allows you to simulate the gas pedal in car racing.

GameSir T1s can be connected in three ways: via Bluetooth, via 2.4GHz radio communication using a bundled dongle (reception range up to 10 m), or via a micro-USB cable. The wired connection option, although the least convenient, is completely devoid of input delay, which is important in multiplayer games.

A 600 mAh lithium battery is built into the GameSir T1s, which lasts up to 18 hours of operation without recharging. In addition, there is a retractable mount for a smartphone. Officially claimed compatibility with phones up to 6" diagonal. But we are talking about devices with an outdated aspect ratio of 16:9. Whereas how modern 20:9 fit up to 6.6".