Your DIY 4 GHz Dual Core Gaming Rig For $720

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Shopping List: $720 To $1,224 For A 4 GHz System

To simplify the selection of system components for our readers, we provide two separate, yet viable configurations from which they can choose. The first configuration is geared for users who really want the best possible price/performance ratio, and whose budgets are tight.

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Shopping List - Budget Version
Component	Designation	Price	Remarks
Processor	Intel Pentium D 805 2.66 GHz (Dual-Core)	$122.00	Remains stable even at 4 GHz
Motherboard (7.1 Audio etc,)	Asrock 775Twins-HDTV (Socket 775)	$82.90*	Affordable dual-core motherboard
RAM	2 x 512 MB DDR2-667 Adata Vitesta PC2 5300	$78.55	Also runs at 333 MHz (667)
Hard disk drives	2 x 160 GB Samsung HD160JJ (7200 rpm)	$132.98	RAID 0 configuration
Water cooler	Thermaltake Bigwater SE Cooling Kit	$129.99	Simple water cooler
DVD burner	LG GSA-H10A 16X DVD+/-R 8X DVD+R DL 4X DVD-R DL 8X DVD+RW 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RA	$37.00	Comes in black and beige
Case with built-in PSU	Broadway.com 500W Mid Tower ATX w/OKIA 550 ATX P4 & AMD ready PSU	$67.49	Mid-price PSU option
Graphics card	Asus Radeon X1300 Extreme 128 MB, PCI-e	$66.00-	Row 8 - Cell 3
Total	4 GHz DIY-PC (Budget-VERSION)	$716.42	See Asrock note below
* ASROCK mobo	Not yet available in North America	Row 10 - Cell 2	Price converted from Euros to dollars
Shopping List - Top-flight Configuration
Components	Designation	Price	Remarks
Processor	Intel Pentium D 805 2.66 GHz (Dual-Core)	$122.00	Remains stable even at 4 GHz
Motherboard (7.1 Audio, RAID, Gb LAN etc.)	Gigabyte G1975X (Socket 775)	$246.20	Top-Board for Socket 775
RAM	2 x 512 MB DDR2-667 Adata Vitesta PC2 5300	$78.55	Also runs at 333 MHz (667)
Hard disks	2 x 160 GB Samsung HD160JJ (7200 U/min)	$132.98	320 GB in a RAID 0 array
Water cooling	Koolance Exos AL	$278.98	Very good extreme water-cooling rig
DVD-burner	LG GSA-H10A 16X DVD+/-R 8X DVD+R DL 4X DVD-R DL 8X DVD+RW 6X DVD-RW 5X DVD-RA	$37.00	Row 18 - Cell 3
Case with PSU	Broadway.com 500W Mid Tower ATX w/OKIA 550 ATX P4 & AMD ready PSU	$67.49	Row 19 - Cell 3
Graphics card	Asus EN7600 GT, 256 MB, 350 MHz	$229.99	Fast, affordable graphics card
Total	4 GHz DIY-PC (Top-Flight version)	$1223.16

The second configuration comprises the test system we built for this project. The Koolance cooling rig offers outstanding cooling, which indicates that clock rates above 4 GHz should be possible for such a system (in earlier testing, we achieved stable operation at 4.1 GHz using a different water-cooled system).