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Desktops: Building a "Budget" Gaming PC
Building a "Budget" Gaming PC
by drbenner - 6/26/08 10:47 AMHey everyone,
I havent built a gaming desktop in a while, and I'm a little rusty on exactly what to put into a box to get a fast PC w/ out having to shell out tons of $$. (The last computer i built was an Athlon 2000 XP, with 512MB ram and a Geforce 3. And it was a fast computer back then too. lol.) From what ive read, Core 2 Duos the way to go with the processor (a friend built a gaming PC a year ago and put a E6700 in it i think, but im sure the technology/chipset has improved since then). I was just hoping to get some good component levels to shoot for if i want a good PC for gaming/dvd encoding.
If you want, feel free to just list the specs of what you are using - or if you feel theres a pre purchase computer that would be in the sam e price range and perform well (ie XPS or what not) feel free to list that too.
I've got dvd drives and peripherals, but im pretty sure i need a new hard drive too (how much faster is the new connection method vs. the old parallel?)
Thank you all ahead of time.
what's your budget?
by ramarc - 6/26/08 1:22 PM In reply to: Building a "Budget" Gaming PC by drbenneryou can add your own optical drive, speakers, monitor, keyboard/mouse to complete this $750 (before $40 rebates) build.
case: antec sonta 3 w/500w power supply, $120 http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-sonata-iii-super-mini-tower-w-earthwatts-500w-power-supply/q/loc/101/204559259.html
mobo: biostar tforce p43, $85, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138122
cpu: intel core2duo e7200 2.5ghz, $130, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052
ram: corsair 2x2gb ddr2-800, $87 before $20 rebate, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184
video: biostar geforce 9600gt $142 before $20 rebate, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814141073
hard drive: western digital 500gb, $80, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
vista premium, $100, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116485
unconstrained
by squirtlewa - 6/26/08 1:34 PM In reply to: Building a "Budget" Gaming PC by drbennerI think the question is a bit too broad to really have a definitive answer.
I can say confidently that there exist ready-made computers that will suit those needs at a variety of price points.
The advantage of DIY is you make it just the way you want. If you've not strong feelings about which components go into it, then the economy of scale of big manufacturers means it's truly comparable in price to buy ready-made, especially if things like warranty, service, etc. are considered, to say nothing of your time.
On the flip side, for many of us, messing with all the bits is part of the fun. I would never build my own at any job I've had, as it's just not a good investment of my employers wages, but at home it's a fun project.
For a cheap-ish system I made recently:
E8400 Intel Core 2 duo
Gigabyte EP35C-DS3R mobo
2x2 GB RAM, I forget the brand right now, but I got it cuz it was $95 and had a nice rebate (which of course I've not received because it's only been a couple of months :p)
I got a WD Raptor 150 GB and a bigger WD Caviar SATA II HD, a DVD/CD optical drive, and a front panel card-reader, cuz they're cheap thru my work.
PSU: Earthwatts 500W Antec
Graphics: 8800GT (BFG brand)
For CPU cooler I got an aftermarket ZEROtherm. You could do ok with the one that comes with the CPU, but mine is prettier, quieter, and more effective.
I sprung for a new case for it and I'm glad I did: Antec 900.
I reused an old audio system, monitor, and printer.
Vista Home Premium x64, I also put another OS on there that I can't mention here, but it sounds like "Oh Essex"
I had a free copy of Kaspersky for AV (I'm liking it). That's the basics for a system.
I didn't pay retail for a lot of that, but I'm guessing it's about $1300-1400 retail, assuming you buy just one OS.
You could go to any Best Buy/Circuit City/etc and find systems that would do what you want for a wide range of prices.
little bit more detail
by drbenner - 6/26/08 2:51 PM In reply to: unconstrained by squirtlewaThanks for the quick posts
I know the question was broad, as actually doing this is probably a few months away. We'll say for tenative terms though that the budget is about $1000 and needs to include:
Case and PS
Mobo
CPU
Ram
Video Card
Fans + nething extra needed to complete the build
Assume i have everything else needed. On a side note, would today's basic mid range video cards be able to do video capture? (as in if for a side project i decided to turn my computer into a do it yourself DVR system) obviously id need to add a tuner/capture card, but i know back in the day; 1: the technology was no where as good 2: you really needed a video card designed for that - correct me if im wrong on any of this.
and
by drbenner - 6/26/08 2:55 PM In reply to: little bit more detail by drbennerand..
hard drive. my PATA 300GB Maxtor will probably have to be turned into an external hard drive
the $750 build detailed earlier does all that you ask
by ramarc - 6/26/08 6:57 PM In reply to: little bit more detail by drbennerno need to start looking now if you're not going to purchase for a few months. you'll be able to get a better video card and better cpu for the same money in september.
for a dvr, just add a tuner such as a hauppauge card or a pinnacle pctv hd stick.
good places to look for good deals on computer parts
by DComander1 - 6/27/08 7:27 PM In reply to: the $750 build detailed earlier does all that you ask by ramarca good place to look for cheap computer parts is a local computer show, as i found a good deal on a cheap Intel Processor- Intel Pentium Dual Core E2160 and a cheap Nvidia socket 775 motherboard from my local computer show, and i also looked on directron.com for DDR2 memory, since my old computer, a Sony Vaio Desktop with a Pentium 4 and DDR1 memory, the memory sticks were not compatible, as DDR1 and DDR2 are made to be incompatible with each other, and i also found a cheap Processor Fan on directron.com as well, and it serves its purpose, and everything else i reused from my various upgrades and replacements from my Sony desktop.
answer
by repete_smile - 6/28/08 8:07 AM In reply to: Building a "Budget" Gaming PC by drbennerI'd reccomend an AMD processor
look here for why
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-8.html?tag=lnav
Athlon X2 4200+, $63 on AMD website, overclock it
Gigabyte GA-M52S-S3P, $90
4 gigabytes of DDR2 RAM, $150
win vista, $200 you'll want DirectX10
A refurbished case, $10-$60
nVidia GeForce 6600, $40
choose other parts yourself
use google shopping, you can get good prices there (hint:use the price filter to get lower prices)
I would reccomend an Intel Processor over AMD Processor
by DComander1 - 6/28/08 10:42 AM In reply to: answer by repete_smilei would, since Intel Chips run cooler and faster, and are as cheap or cheaper than their AMD Counterparts, thats why Intel is at the top of the market, and AMD is struggling to keep up with Intel.
AMD are easy too overclock
by repete_smile - 6/29/08 10:03 AM In reply to: I would reccomend an Intel Processor over AMD Processor by DComander1AMDs are easier to overclock most of the time, but I haven't tried overclocking an Athlon X2 4200+.
DirectX 10?
by martinintenerife - 6/28/08 1:50 PM In reply to: answer by repete_smile"win vista, $200 you'll want DirectX10
nVidia GeForce 6600, $40"
All well & good, but it's pointless having a DirectX 10 OS if you're gonna tell him to buy a DirectX 9 Graphics Card (GeForce 6600)!
Suggestions
by brn80 - 6/28/08 7:18 PM In reply to: answer by repete_smile"I'd reccomend an AMD processor
look here for why
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10442_7-6389077-8.html?tag=lnav
Athlon X2 4200+, $63 on AMD website, overclock it:"
The article you're quoting is from 2005. It's currently 2008, and Intel is currently (at least in my opinion) spanking AMD in the value/performance department. There's no real reason to go the AMD route if you're building a machine from scratch.
As far as processor, there's a lot of good ones quoted in this post. I would get a 2xxx series if you're not into heavy gaming. They're great overclockers. If you do game a bit, the Intel E8400 @ 3.0Ghz is the sweet spot in the 45nm dual core series. The 6MB L2 really helps in gaming.
RAM is dirt cheap these days, you can get decent 2x2GB DDR2 800 RAM for around the 89-120 mark, decent quality ones too. Unless you want to OC them a bit and get tighter timings etc, then you may have to shell out a bit more dough. As far as motherboard, there's quite a few out there, all depends on what specs/form factor/features you need. Gigabyte usually make high quality ones.
I have no opinions on Hard Drives, I used to own two raptors in Raid 0 and they were great, but real world usage, you would only see significant benefits on anything that is heavily access based, like level loading before games. Some of the high capacity drives like the Samsung F1 are said to be just as fast, or the new WD drives with higher density platters, I think the AAKS series.
Vid card options are quite varied too. To be honest I would actually get a 8800GT over a 9600GT, they're around the same price point depending on what you get. I would stick with XFX or eVGA brands unless you get some great deal. However, recently ATI released the 4xxx series of vid cards, and apparently is going to give Nvidia a run for its money, so the 4850 from ATI might be something to look out for, if it's at the $150 price point. If you can afford it, I'd get the G92 series 8800GTS (512MB variants) As of now, they offer the best value/high performance. The 9800GX2's are kind of too expensive.
As far as where to buy from, I feel newegg.com is THE place to get stuff from, fast shipping, good policies etc. The prices are usually cheap, but if they're more expensive, it's usually by a small amount, and to me the premium is worth it.
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