Building A Gaming System

[warswicked]

Hey everyone Im still stuck in the AGP age and ready to jump into the newer . . Im looking to build a Gaming system with 1 gaming video card and really dont know where to start , If you guys could what would be the hot ticket as far as Motherboard , Chipset , Video Card . . etc , I dont want to go to outrageous on price maybe $600 tops w everything minus memory. Something that will run top end first person shooters

 

[shortstuff_mt]

The best options for a gaming computer right now are:

Intel CPU
Intel P45 chipset motherboard

Here's a build in your price range:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Wolfdale 2.66GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115132 $119.99

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128359&Tpk=ga-ep45-ud3r $119.99 - $15.00 MIR

Corsair VX450W ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply - CMPSU-450VX
http://www.buy.com/prod/corsair-450w-vx-series-12v-atx-80-plus-certified-power-supply-corsair/q/loc/101/205466485.html $69.99 - $10.00 MIR

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008688&prodlist=celebros $68.99

ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121272 $159.99 - $30.00 MIR

Antec Three Hundred Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042 $49.95

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X DVD±R DVD Burner - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171 $24.99

Total = $613.89 - $55.00 MIR's = $558.89

If you can squeeze it in, upgrade the CPU to the E8400.

You also said you don't need RAM. Do you already have some quality DDR2 RAM? I would highly recommend this RAM:

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146731 $49.99 - $20.00 MIR

Mushkin makes high-quality RAM. The above kit is cheap, has tight timings, and runs at the standard 1.8v.

I'd also recommend a 64-bit OS so you can use all 4GB of RAM.

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit English for System Builders 1pk DSP OEI DVD - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488 $99.99

 

[Riggs-]

Defiantly try to squeeze in that E8400. They are very good CPU's for the price and also OC well too. I know a couple of people getting 4.5Ghz on air. RAM is supper cheap now also so get the best bang for you buck, that 4GB mushkin set is a nice deal.


Riggs-