- Feb 26, 2006
- 367
- 0
- 18,780
The Goal: To build a machine with maximum performance and minimum price. This PC build only includes the tower and everything in it. No peripherals or software included. The idea behind the parts I chose is a fairly basic idea, the one year machine. This is the kind of build you buy once a year, so the price is low, and peripherals aren't always replaced. Some times you can save certain hardware for an upgrade, but usually you'll need to buy new next year (Quad cores, DDR3, 2nd gen DX10 cards, etc...) if you want a near top-of-the-line machine. This machine aims for max quality in all games at 1280x1024 at the absolute lowest price.
CASE
CoolerMaster Centurion 5
$39.99 after $10.00 MIR
Summary: In building a budget gaming PC, you need to spend money where it counts. The case isn't one of them. That doesn't mean you need a plain beige box either. The Centurion 5 isn't exactly the best case you can find, but for 30$, it looks sharp, and has very good airflow, due to the front mesh, and rear 120mm fan. Installation is easy, and almost completely tooless, also if you are a fan of windows, their is an available model with just that
Why not spend more?: Well, that might be a good idea actually. It's all based on your needs. If you don't go out on LAN parties, or what not, and your PC just sits underneath your desk, then there is no need for something extravagant. You might want something with better build quality, or thermal properties, such as an aluminum case. While all those things sound nice, it costs money, and your case doesn't effect the performance of your components.
Why not spend less?: The 10$ special cases are cheap, flimsy, and are just pure garbage. They wont last, and it makes your PC look cheap, and most likely it will either be really loud, or really hot. Maybe both.
POWER SUPPLY
FSP Blue Storm II 500watt
$76.99 after $10.00 MIR
Summary: The power supply is the last place anyone should try to save a few bucks on, but this is a budget build, so we have to look for best reliability
rice ratio, and this power supply fits the bill. It can deliver it's 500watts without failure, it's efficiency also sits around 78%, which is considerably high for it's price. It can, unlike most budget power supplies, deliver it's rated wattage. This PSU will have plenty of power for our needs, and leaves some room for future upgrades as well.
Why not spend more?: In fact, I encourage it. The power supply is something you really shouldn't be cheap on. Seasonic and Corsair (re-branded Seasonic PSUs) are excellent choices if you have an extra 50$ to spend.
Why not spend less?: Again, this is one component you don't want to be cheap on. Spending much less on a power supply wont guarentee problems, but it will increase the chances of something going wrong. I rather be safe then sorry.
MOTHERBOARD
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V1.3
$99.99
Summary: The Gigabyte 965P motherboards are legendary for their overclocking. Of course Intel's 965P chipset is fast and stable. This is the perfect choice with overclocking in mind.
Why not spend more?: Sure, crossfire or SLI, heatpipes, 8SATA ports, dual gigabit ethernet, and other extravagant extras sound nice, but how often will you really use them? And these features come at a high price tag, where a top of the line motherboard now costs up to 300$.
Why not spend less?: There isn't many P965 or 650i motherboards that are much cheaper then this guy, and by no means should you ever buy an older chipset. The P965 is tried and true, and it's still one of the most advanced chipsets around.
PROCESSOR
Intel Core2Duo E4300
$114.50
Summary: This CPU is an obvious choice. With a little bit of overclocking, hitting 3.0ghz can be done. With that kind of CPU power, this computer will be lightning fast, plus clock cycles to spare.
Why not spend more?: If overclocking, the E4300 can out perform almost any stock processor, and the extra overclocking potential other conroe CPUs might have, it's not worth the extra 100s of dollars needed. Your better off getting a good HSF.
Why not spend less?: Easy, there is nothing that can compete with this processors performance per dollar. This thing is a monster, and I don't recommend saving money on the CPU.
MEMORY
SuperTalent DDR2 2x1024MB 667MHZ C5
$73.99
Summary: This memory is affordable, and stable. Even though this memory doesn't have the fastest clock speed or tightest timings, it is still more then enough for this system. Even if you decide to overclock, hitting 3ghz on the CPU wont even touch this memory (333x9=3ghz cpu 333x2=667mhz memory). But if you do decide to overclock this system even farther, I've heard this memory can go up and beyond 800mhz.
Why not spend more?: Memory performance is mostly derived from the amount of memory. The clock speed or timings of memory are important, but only give small percentage increase of performance.
Why not spend less?: With Windows Vista, and games like Rainbow Six Vegas, FEAR, STALKER - Shadow of Chernobyl, absolutely must have more then 1GB of memory at high quality. Spending less here will cripple the system, especially this PCs longevity without upgrading.
VIDEO CARD
eVGA 8800GTS 320MB
$269.99 after $20.00 MIR
Summary: The 8800GTS 320MB is on fast card. You should be able to handle any game at 1280x1024, max quality settings. This beast does take in allot of power, and generates quite a bit of heat. But for 260$, you will be getting allot of power.
Why not spend more?: The only reason you might want a better videocard is if you run higher resolutions. If your run 1680x1050 or 1600x1200, then an 8800GTS 640MB would be more appropriate, as those resolutions eat up videomemory quick, and once the 8800GTS 320MB runs out of memory, frames start to drop fast. If you run at 1920x1200, or larger, then your reading the wrong build guide
Why not spend less?: If you need to save more money, this is one place that is possible. Or if you want to wait until DX10 becomes more mainstream, then maybe the Sapphire X1950XT at $179.99 after $20.00 MIR would be a better option if you want to wait. If you need to save even more money, the eVGA 7900GS would be a better option for $129.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate. But the 7900gs will have trouble most new games at max quality even at 1024x768. If you decide to save money, and get the 7900gs, you could also save money on the power supply. The 7900gs uses very little power in comparison to the x1950xt and 8800gts.
HARD DRIVE
Seagate 7200.10 320GB
$79.99
Summary: Not much to talk about when it comes to Hard Drives. It's got all the latest technologies, runs fast and quiet. And at 25 cents per gigabyte, it's one hell of a deal. Comes with a warranty that is longer then most, 5 years.
MEDIA DRIVE
LG DVD Burner
$28.99
Summary: It's a DVD burner. Thats about all there is to say.
Total: ~$711.00 after $40.00 MIR (taxes and shipping not included)
CASE
CoolerMaster Centurion 5
$39.99 after $10.00 MIR
Summary: In building a budget gaming PC, you need to spend money where it counts. The case isn't one of them. That doesn't mean you need a plain beige box either. The Centurion 5 isn't exactly the best case you can find, but for 30$, it looks sharp, and has very good airflow, due to the front mesh, and rear 120mm fan. Installation is easy, and almost completely tooless, also if you are a fan of windows, their is an available model with just that
Why not spend more?: Well, that might be a good idea actually. It's all based on your needs. If you don't go out on LAN parties, or what not, and your PC just sits underneath your desk, then there is no need for something extravagant. You might want something with better build quality, or thermal properties, such as an aluminum case. While all those things sound nice, it costs money, and your case doesn't effect the performance of your components.
Why not spend less?: The 10$ special cases are cheap, flimsy, and are just pure garbage. They wont last, and it makes your PC look cheap, and most likely it will either be really loud, or really hot. Maybe both.
POWER SUPPLY
FSP Blue Storm II 500watt
$76.99 after $10.00 MIR
Summary: The power supply is the last place anyone should try to save a few bucks on, but this is a budget build, so we have to look for best reliability
rice ratio, and this power supply fits the bill. It can deliver it's 500watts without failure, it's efficiency also sits around 78%, which is considerably high for it's price. It can, unlike most budget power supplies, deliver it's rated wattage. This PSU will have plenty of power for our needs, and leaves some room for future upgrades as well.Why not spend more?: In fact, I encourage it. The power supply is something you really shouldn't be cheap on. Seasonic and Corsair (re-branded Seasonic PSUs) are excellent choices if you have an extra 50$ to spend.
Why not spend less?: Again, this is one component you don't want to be cheap on. Spending much less on a power supply wont guarentee problems, but it will increase the chances of something going wrong. I rather be safe then sorry.
MOTHERBOARD
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V1.3
$99.99
Summary: The Gigabyte 965P motherboards are legendary for their overclocking. Of course Intel's 965P chipset is fast and stable. This is the perfect choice with overclocking in mind.
Why not spend more?: Sure, crossfire or SLI, heatpipes, 8SATA ports, dual gigabit ethernet, and other extravagant extras sound nice, but how often will you really use them? And these features come at a high price tag, where a top of the line motherboard now costs up to 300$.
Why not spend less?: There isn't many P965 or 650i motherboards that are much cheaper then this guy, and by no means should you ever buy an older chipset. The P965 is tried and true, and it's still one of the most advanced chipsets around.
PROCESSOR
Intel Core2Duo E4300
$114.50
Summary: This CPU is an obvious choice. With a little bit of overclocking, hitting 3.0ghz can be done. With that kind of CPU power, this computer will be lightning fast, plus clock cycles to spare.
Why not spend more?: If overclocking, the E4300 can out perform almost any stock processor, and the extra overclocking potential other conroe CPUs might have, it's not worth the extra 100s of dollars needed. Your better off getting a good HSF.
Why not spend less?: Easy, there is nothing that can compete with this processors performance per dollar. This thing is a monster, and I don't recommend saving money on the CPU.
MEMORY
SuperTalent DDR2 2x1024MB 667MHZ C5
$73.99
Summary: This memory is affordable, and stable. Even though this memory doesn't have the fastest clock speed or tightest timings, it is still more then enough for this system. Even if you decide to overclock, hitting 3ghz on the CPU wont even touch this memory (333x9=3ghz cpu 333x2=667mhz memory). But if you do decide to overclock this system even farther, I've heard this memory can go up and beyond 800mhz.
Why not spend more?: Memory performance is mostly derived from the amount of memory. The clock speed or timings of memory are important, but only give small percentage increase of performance.
Why not spend less?: With Windows Vista, and games like Rainbow Six Vegas, FEAR, STALKER - Shadow of Chernobyl, absolutely must have more then 1GB of memory at high quality. Spending less here will cripple the system, especially this PCs longevity without upgrading.
VIDEO CARD
eVGA 8800GTS 320MB
$269.99 after $20.00 MIR
Summary: The 8800GTS 320MB is on fast card. You should be able to handle any game at 1280x1024, max quality settings. This beast does take in allot of power, and generates quite a bit of heat. But for 260$, you will be getting allot of power.
Why not spend more?: The only reason you might want a better videocard is if you run higher resolutions. If your run 1680x1050 or 1600x1200, then an 8800GTS 640MB would be more appropriate, as those resolutions eat up videomemory quick, and once the 8800GTS 320MB runs out of memory, frames start to drop fast. If you run at 1920x1200, or larger, then your reading the wrong build guide
Why not spend less?: If you need to save more money, this is one place that is possible. Or if you want to wait until DX10 becomes more mainstream, then maybe the Sapphire X1950XT at $179.99 after $20.00 MIR would be a better option if you want to wait. If you need to save even more money, the eVGA 7900GS would be a better option for $129.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate. But the 7900gs will have trouble most new games at max quality even at 1024x768. If you decide to save money, and get the 7900gs, you could also save money on the power supply. The 7900gs uses very little power in comparison to the x1950xt and 8800gts.
HARD DRIVE
Seagate 7200.10 320GB
$79.99
Summary: Not much to talk about when it comes to Hard Drives. It's got all the latest technologies, runs fast and quiet. And at 25 cents per gigabyte, it's one hell of a deal. Comes with a warranty that is longer then most, 5 years.
MEDIA DRIVE
LG DVD Burner
$28.99
Summary: It's a DVD burner. Thats about all there is to say.
Total: ~$711.00 after $40.00 MIR (taxes and shipping not included)
Agreed,Kingston Value RAM good choice,amazing warranty also,module goes bad and you ship out the old one and receive new one in 4 business days or less all paid for (there and back)by Kingston.
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