arbiter
CAGiversary!
This is a work in progress, so feel free to propose changes.
I have friends at work ask me what it would take to build a decent gaming computer without breaking the bank. I started thinking about it and figured some CAG's might be able to use the same info.
So I sat down today and priced out the cheapest gaming PC that I think would be reliable and powerful enough to play most of the games out today with decent graphic settings, and be upgradeable for all the future eye candy.
I do have to give credit to Extremetech and Tomshardware articles, but they're both a bit dated, and did leave out some parts. (Like the OS and case)
The $500 gaming machine(Tom's Hardware)
The $800 gaming PC. (Extremetech)
Here is the list I came up with. All part numbers and prices are from Newegg.com:
CAGputer - version1.0:
Albatron K8SLi Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813170147 $69.99
(expandibility: Supports SLi graphics and Athlon X2 dual cores)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103537 $113.00
(This is a retail box, so you get the 3-year warranty and a stock cpu cooler in the box. This is just a basic single core cpu that's fast enough for gaming. If you have the cash or need more power later look at a faster Athlon64, or an X2 dual core)
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GB400C3 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145505 $78.99
(1GB in matched 512mb DIMMS for dual channel memory support with the motherboard)
ASUS EN6600/TD/128 Geforce 6600 128MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814121180 $78.99
(this should give you decent DX9 gaming on the cheap. Add a second for SLi or replace with a better card in the future. If you have the cash, check out a 6600GT or 6800GT instead)
SAMSUNG Combo Drive Black IDE Model SH-M522C/BEBN - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151086 $24.99
(The bare minimum, burn CD-R's, read CD & DVD's, if you have the cash get a $35 DVDRW instead)
HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380(0A30356) 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822145082 $46
(7200 RPM SATA on the cheap. You'll want for more space eventually, get another drive then)
Rosewill R103A Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811147010 $29.99
(Not fancy, but it'll do the job. The power supply probably would need upgraded for an SLi setup. If you want something flashy, check out the Aspire X-Dreamer II or a good Antec case)
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
Item #: N82E16837102059 $84.99
(if you are a student, go to your university and see if you qualify to purchase an academic copy of XP instead. I know students in our area can get XP Pro for around $35 through the campus bookstore)
We'll assume you have a keyboard / mouse / monitor handy that you can use for this build.
So you're talking just over $525 + shipping and your time to build this.
Hope this helps...feel free to post if you have suggestions or questions.
(disclaimer: advice in this post is based on my own experience. Building a PC is not for everyone. Do your own research before building or buying. This list is what I believe will work, and should work, but I have no way to guarantuee performance or compatibility without building this machine myself...so YMMV.)
I have friends at work ask me what it would take to build a decent gaming computer without breaking the bank. I started thinking about it and figured some CAG's might be able to use the same info.
So I sat down today and priced out the cheapest gaming PC that I think would be reliable and powerful enough to play most of the games out today with decent graphic settings, and be upgradeable for all the future eye candy.
I do have to give credit to Extremetech and Tomshardware articles, but they're both a bit dated, and did leave out some parts. (Like the OS and case)
The $500 gaming machine(Tom's Hardware)
The $800 gaming PC. (Extremetech)
Here is the list I came up with. All part numbers and prices are from Newegg.com:
CAGputer - version1.0:
Albatron K8SLi Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Item #: N82E16813170147 $69.99
(expandibility: Supports SLi graphics and Athlon X2 dual cores)
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3000BPBOX - Retail
Item #: N82E16819103537 $113.00
(This is a retail box, so you get the 3-year warranty and a stock cpu cooler in the box. This is just a basic single core cpu that's fast enough for gaming. If you have the cash or need more power later look at a faster Athlon64, or an X2 dual core)
CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered System Memory Model VS1GB400C3 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820145505 $78.99
(1GB in matched 512mb DIMMS for dual channel memory support with the motherboard)
ASUS EN6600/TD/128 Geforce 6600 128MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814121180 $78.99
(this should give you decent DX9 gaming on the cheap. Add a second for SLi or replace with a better card in the future. If you have the cash, check out a 6600GT or 6800GT instead)
SAMSUNG Combo Drive Black IDE Model SH-M522C/BEBN - OEM
Item #: N82E16827151086 $24.99
(The bare minimum, burn CD-R's, read CD & DVD's, if you have the cash get a $35 DVDRW instead)
HITACHI Deskstar 7K80 HDS728080PLA380(0A30356) 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Item #: N82E16822145082 $46
(7200 RPM SATA on the cheap. You'll want for more space eventually, get another drive then)
Rosewill R103A Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 350W Power Supply - Retail
Item #: N82E16811147010 $29.99
(Not fancy, but it'll do the job. The power supply probably would need upgraded for an SLi setup. If you want something flashy, check out the Aspire X-Dreamer II or a good Antec case)
Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2 - OEM
Item #: N82E16837102059 $84.99
(if you are a student, go to your university and see if you qualify to purchase an academic copy of XP instead. I know students in our area can get XP Pro for around $35 through the campus bookstore)
We'll assume you have a keyboard / mouse / monitor handy that you can use for this build.
So you're talking just over $525 + shipping and your time to build this.
Hope this helps...feel free to post if you have suggestions or questions.
(disclaimer: advice in this post is based on my own experience. Building a PC is not for everyone. Do your own research before building or buying. This list is what I believe will work, and should work, but I have no way to guarantuee performance or compatibility without building this machine myself...so YMMV.)