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$1,000 max + four year lifespan

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APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: This weekend

BUDGET RANGE: No budget, but trying to stay as cheap as possible

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: All parts required

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: AMD/ATI for CPU/GPU, rest doesn't matter

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: If needed

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080/1200

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Computers will be for a gaming cafe. Planning on a four year life cycle, upgrading the GPU halfway. Needs to run 2012 games ( Diablo III, Guild Wars II, etc ) at 90% or better graphical settings ( no AA/AF required ). CPU will need to handle 2014 games, which shouldn't be much of an issue... but probably excludes X3s and the likes.

I have a vague parts list in my head which is as follows:

Case: Antec 300
PSU: ?
CPU: ? (Possibly Phenom x4 965 BE)
Mobo: ?
HDD: 1TB
RAM: 4GB
GPU: ? (Possibly 5770)
OS: Windows 7
Keyboard/Mouse: Cheap Logitech combo
Headset: ?
Monitor: ? (Something between 22-24" probably. Mostly it just needs to run 1920x1080/1200)

Mostly I'm trying to decide what the cheapest AMD CPU that could handle games in four years would be, and what the cheapest ATI card that will handle 1920x1080/1200 at max or near max settings in two years would be.

I've looked around at a lot of parts on Newegg, and I've thrown a few combinations together, but ultimately I've fallen behind on current CPU/GPU abilities and thus am unable to make an educated guess at whether or not they will suffice in 2-4 years time.

Again, I have no strict budget for this but I will be purchasing about 50 of these, so the lower the cost is the better. I definitely don't want to get more than I will need. I will try to post a better product list in a few hours after I sort through the ones I have so far, but until then any input would be greatly appreciated.

More about : 000 max year lifespan

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Update on parts.



I feel I should be able to cut costs somewhere... maybe a cheaper mobo. I need a mouse suited for gaming, so if there's a cheaper option than the Logitech one that would cut down on price as well. The case doesn't really need to be $100, either, though I'm still up in the air on this. If you went to a cyber cafe, would you care what the computers looked like? I don't know.

Also, the monitor. 24" might be too big from what I've read on reviews. I'm really not sure. I sit about a foot from my 17" at the house and it looks a tad small... but 24" seems like it would be way too big.

On the other hand, I have a 60" tv in my living room that I watch from 8 feet away and it feels small, and a 55" in my bedroom that is also about 8 feet away, and that feels gigantic. Considering this will be in a larger building, perhaps the size will feel smaller than it really is.

So basically I'm missing a GPU, CPU, and PSU from this. Any tweaks to my current items, and recommendations on the missing parts?

EDIT: Also a cheap, but quality headset.

Looks like a good start.
CPU -AMD Phenom II X4 955
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
RAM - Faster CAS 7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submi...
Case- both are better for various reasons
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submi...
Another very good deal on a case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
PSU-I have no idea what your budget is for a psu but these are all good units that would handle present and future needs
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submi...
MOBO-I think your board is a good choice but i'll link another with usbb3 and sata 3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submi...
GPU-SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100283VX-2L Radeon HD 5770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
btw you won't find a better mouse then the MX-518 at that pricepoint or lower

The good news is

I could help as i had been approached before for gaming cafe DIY so my $0.02

One must 1st differentiate
a. Builds one would personally own
b. Builds which are most cost effective, results oriented and most importantly decrease start up costs (w/o the impression of an inferior product)

With that out of the way

Peeps won't be looking if u have Full HD , bad ass GPUs IMO so go with a 20" 1600 x 900 and a GTS 250/HD 4850

The previous person stated real estate being a premium so i suggested mATX casings but may not be applicable to ya ^^

A $780AR full config


When games (remember @ 1600 x 900 no AA/AF) become too taxing for that HD 4850, swap out and a 80+ 600w is all u need for a single GPU set up
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batuchka said:
The good news is

I could help as i had been approached before for gaming cafe DIY so my $0.02

One must 1st differentiate
a. Builds one would personally own
b. Builds which are most cost effective, results oriented and most importantly decrease start up costs (w/o the impression of an inferior product)

With that out of the way

Peeps won't be looking if u have Full HD , bad ass GPUs IMO so go with a 20" 1600 x 900 and a GTS 250/HD 4850

The previous person stated real estate being a premium so i suggested mATX casings but may not be applicable to ya ^^

A $780AR full config
http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q205/batuchka/Untitled-691.jpg

When games (remember @ 1600 x 900 no AA/AF) become too taxing for that HD 4850, swap out and a 80+ 600w is all u need for a single GPU set up


My reasoning for having higher end graphics is that it would bring in more business in two ways;

a) I also build/sell custom computers, so players might be more inclined to buy one they've played on if it ran everything at visually high settings, and

b) If I owned a comp at the house that could run games the same as the cafe could, I'd be less inclined to go. However, if the cafe comps could run games at max that I couldn't on my own computer, I'd be more willing to pay to use them.

Those are both personal stances on the matter, and I'm definitely not objected to using a cheaper build to cut costs, so thanks for the suggestions both of you! I'll probably make 3-4 different builds using various recommendations and decide which one fits my budget the best later :p 

Anyone else have input? ~_~

EDIT: Forgot to mention, I think, that since this is a bulk purchase I don't quality for rebates.

EDIT 2: Also Batuchka, and anyone else providing input; Mouse HAS to be precise enough for competitive gaming. If you feel your recommendation works, I'd love to hear info on that. Otherwise from personal experiences, the MX518 has been the cheapest I could find that works well.

Secondly, HDD will have to be at least 1TB. Each computer will have anywhere from 400-500 games on it, so 500GB is just too small =/

Those two things are set in stone for the most part. Just felt I should clarify >.<

batuchka said:
I know others beg to differ but having tried both ends of the market i dun see a "gamer mouse" worth that much more than a standard wired USB one


As somebody who's played competitive games for about ten years, I can notice a huge difference between a gaming mouse and a standard one. I simply cannot play FPS or RTS on a normal mouse. They're not precise enough for higher levels of play. That being said, I'm sure the large majority of people using the computers will not be at a high enough competitive level (ie tournaments and whatnot) for a gaming mouse to really matter.

Four any inhouse tournaments, people could bring their own mice anyway... so maybe I could purchase a few gaming mice on the side, and set the computers up with standard mice for every day use.

I'll pick up a couple different normal mice this weekend and see how they feel. I'd love to be able to cut ~$40 off the price of each comp, but I'm just not sure I can as all the normal mice I've ever used have been too unresponsive for me.
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