Let's get this out of the way first: this is about building a new PC that will play games for the next couple of years for as cheap as we can. This thread is not about spending $1500 on a rig, nor is it about getting 3360x2100 resolution and 480 FPS in Bioshock. This rig should remain current (aka "playable") for 2-3 years. As we're cheap bastards, we're looking to build for the now and maybe a year down the line, not to handle what Carmack will want to do 5 years from now.
This thread is for those of us who want to play current and future games on a reasonable budget. My target is probably "midrange" in the market - something that can play stuff like Team Fortress 2/Orangebox games, Bioshock, and upcoming games at a good frame rate and acceptable graphics quality. It's also geared for multi-use with the larger hard drive, DVD burner, and HDMI output on the video card.
EDIT: I will be improving this spec based on reaction from GAF. Keep checking out this first post as I indicate. Together, we shall build a budget PC to last 2-3 years!
Here's what I've got. It's an AMD-centric spec, but let's alter it however we need to for the best machine we can get. I'm not including an operating system in this spec, but it should run XP and Vista just fine.
These are Newegg prices unless indicated. To see the items in detail, go to http://newegg.com and search for the item description I've written here. Alternate items are not counted in the total.
Video: POWERCOLOR X1950PRO512MBAC Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3, $179.99 - $40 rebate [changed 9/30]
- DirectX 9 card
- PCI-E 16x, high-clock GDDR3 RAM
- Higher GPU clock speed than the other 512MB X1950PROs and at the same price
- Alternate: HIS Hightech H195PRF512DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16, $179.99 - $40 rebate [changed 9/30]
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (65W) Windsor 2.2GHz, $79.99
- Retail with stock heatsink/fan
Motherboard: ASUS M2R32-MVP AM2, $119.99
- Crossfire, 2 PCI-E 16x slots, looks well designed
- 7.1 onboard audio, Gigabit Ethernet
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800, $109.99 - $47 rebate
- CAS 4, 4-4-4-12, 2.2V
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5, $49.99 - $20 rebate
Power Supply: Thermaltake W0093RU, $79.99 - $30 rebate
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda SATA 3.0Gb/s 320GB 7200RPM 16MB cache, $79.99
Optical: Lite-ON SATA 20x DVD burner, $31.99
Floppy: Samsung, $6.99
Total: $733.91 before shipping
Total after rebates: $596.91
So, how would GAF improve this spec? I'm most interested in the video card - is it a good midrange choice? Is there a better option on the Nvidia side?
A Note On Operating Systems
I didn't include an OS in this build. Why? Well, my feeling is MS is going to back down from pushing Vista once it becomes clear the market just isn't going to swallow it. Vista is the new ME. Hence, you might as well stick with your old XP license. If you don't have one, check out Provantage. They sell academic packages of Windows on teh cheap. XP Pro for $75! Vista Home Premium for $60! If you must go Vista, you can find it there for cheap.
This thread is for those of us who want to play current and future games on a reasonable budget. My target is probably "midrange" in the market - something that can play stuff like Team Fortress 2/Orangebox games, Bioshock, and upcoming games at a good frame rate and acceptable graphics quality. It's also geared for multi-use with the larger hard drive, DVD burner, and HDMI output on the video card.
EDIT: I will be improving this spec based on reaction from GAF. Keep checking out this first post as I indicate. Together, we shall build a budget PC to last 2-3 years!
Here's what I've got. It's an AMD-centric spec, but let's alter it however we need to for the best machine we can get. I'm not including an operating system in this spec, but it should run XP and Vista just fine.
These are Newegg prices unless indicated. To see the items in detail, go to http://newegg.com and search for the item description I've written here. Alternate items are not counted in the total.
Video: POWERCOLOR X1950PRO512MBAC Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3, $179.99 - $40 rebate [changed 9/30]
- DirectX 9 card
- PCI-E 16x, high-clock GDDR3 RAM
- Higher GPU clock speed than the other 512MB X1950PROs and at the same price
- Alternate: HIS Hightech H195PRF512DDN-R Radeon X1950PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16, $179.99 - $40 rebate [changed 9/30]
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ (65W) Windsor 2.2GHz, $79.99
- Retail with stock heatsink/fan
Motherboard: ASUS M2R32-MVP AM2, $119.99
- Crossfire, 2 PCI-E 16x slots, looks well designed
- 7.1 onboard audio, Gigabit Ethernet
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800, $109.99 - $47 rebate
- CAS 4, 4-4-4-12, 2.2V
Case: COOLER MASTER Centurion 5, $49.99 - $20 rebate
Power Supply: Thermaltake W0093RU, $79.99 - $30 rebate
Hard drive: Seagate Barracuda SATA 3.0Gb/s 320GB 7200RPM 16MB cache, $79.99
Optical: Lite-ON SATA 20x DVD burner, $31.99
Floppy: Samsung, $6.99
Total: $733.91 before shipping
Total after rebates: $596.91
So, how would GAF improve this spec? I'm most interested in the video card - is it a good midrange choice? Is there a better option on the Nvidia side?
A Note On Operating Systems
I didn't include an OS in this build. Why? Well, my feeling is MS is going to back down from pushing Vista once it becomes clear the market just isn't going to swallow it. Vista is the new ME. Hence, you might as well stick with your old XP license. If you don't have one, check out Provantage. They sell academic packages of Windows on teh cheap. XP Pro for $75! Vista Home Premium for $60! If you must go Vista, you can find it there for cheap.