Cheapest Gaming PC WINS

Austin Evans secured the victory in this build competition with a final score of 10, defeating Ken, who finished with a score of 9. While Ken demonstrated superior hardware performance, Austin’s win resulted from his lower spending on the core PC, which allowed him to acquire higher-quality peripherals within the overall budget.

• Base platforms — Both participants began with inexpensive, repurposed pre-built desktop computers and a $1,000 spending limit to assemble functional gaming systems [00:44].
• System modifications —
  • Austin retained the original Dell Optiplex chassis, modifying it to mount a discrete GPU externally and integrating a secondary power supply [07:10].
  • Ken transferred his components into a Lian Li A3 case and installed an aftermarket CPU cooler to improve thermal management [04:03].
• Budget allocation — Austin spent approximately $525 on core components, enabling the purchase of a 240Hz OLED monitor; Ken spent roughly $808, which limited his remaining funds for accessories [05:00].
• Performance metrics — Ken’s system achieved 78 FPS in racing software benchmarks, while Austin’s configuration averaged 45 FPS with rendering instability [19:23].
• Gaming outcomes — Ken demonstrated better gameplay ability in Counter-Strike 2, winning the head-to-head match despite the final judging outcome [21:16].

How did the external mounting of the graphics card impact the thermal operation of the Dell Optiplex? What factors determined the final judging scores for each build?