How to Build a $500 Gaming Machine 305
bacterial_pus writes "Tom's Hardware has a very interesting article on how to build a $500 gaming rig. 'Instead of the newest killer rig from Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Voodoo, etc... how about a system for the rest of us with a realistic budget starting from scratch? We set out to build a reasonable gaming system that will get you through today's game titles without breaking the bank for around $500.'"
the punchline (Score:5, Informative)
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $146
Motherboard: ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 $69
Memory: Corsair Value Select 512 MB (2x 256 MB) $52
VGA: eVGA 256-A8-N340-TX Geforce 6600 256 MB $113
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80 GB $57.50
Optical Drive LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM $19.99
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12-330 ATX12V 330W $59.00
Total: $516.49
Re:Calling all whores (Score:2, Informative)
OS not included in the price (Score:1, Informative)
Does anybody read the article anymore before posting, or FP is more important?
Link to the conclusion, if you don't have the attention span to read a 400 word article.
http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20051014/the_50
Dell Coupons (Score:3, Informative)
I wanted a Dell 24inch LCD, Dell had a dual core 2.8ghz system with 24 LCD for 1199. So, basically I got the computer for a 2-3 hundred above a 24 inch on sale. Or free on normal prices. (160 HD, Dual DVD/DVR, ATI 300, system)
I picked up a 7800 GT/OC for 350, almost 7000 3dmark, every game can run 1900x1200 or 1600x1200 with AA/AF on. And it included Call of Duty 2.
Figured I can always build an AMD X2 system later and put the GFX card in it, and bump upto 8500-9000 3dmark, next year when the prices drop.
I missed running dual core, since my dual P3-800, so nice.
Re:Pirates! (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Corners have been cut (Score:3, Informative)
- Greg
www.sharkyextreme.com (Score:2, Informative)
Ars Technica (Score:5, Informative)
Their Budget Box [arstechnica.com] is comparable to the one Tom's built, and actually includes all the necessary parts in the price.
Can anyone read? It's an UPGRADE (Score:1, Informative)
keyboard
mouse
speakers
case
cables
Don't read this article, please. (Score:2, Informative)
SRock 939Dual-SATA2 $69
orsair Value Select 512 MB (2x 256 MB) $52
Geforce 6600 256 MB $113
Western Digital Caviar SE WD800JD 80 GB $57.50
LITE-ON Black 16X DVD-ROM $19.99
SeaSonic S12-330 ATX12V 330W $59.00
Total $516.49
There's the article, without a bunch of bullshit.
Dunno wtf they expect you to do without a case though.
3 gamer computer guides for 3 budgets (Score:5, Informative)
Value Gaming System Buyer's Guide ($1000 budget) [sharkyextreme.com]
High-end System Buyer's Guide ($2,500 budget) [sharkyextreme.com]
Extreme Gaming PC Buyer's Guide ($4,000 budget) [sharkyextreme.com]
Re:Can anyone read? It's an UPGRADE (Score:3, Informative)
It clearly says "Instead of the newest killer rig from Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Voodoo, etc... how about a system for the rest of us with a realistic budget starting from scratch?" on the very first page.
Re:And then there's how to game for $500 (Score:3, Informative)
FPS sucks on consoles. Halo 2 has sold a lot of copies because it's the best FPS available for a console. This does not in anyway negate the suckage of FPS on consoles.
Re:And then there's how to game for $500 (Score:4, Informative)
Yes, it did. It really shows if you've ever played an FPS on a PC prior to playing Goldeneye. Goldeneye feels like you're stuck in molasses.
In addition to Goldeneye being so freaking slow, the mouse is much better at turning and aiming than a gamepad is. There's no noticable limitation on how fast you can turn with a mouse.
I know someone is going to bring Halo up, so I'll beat you to the punch:
Source: Gamespot Article Halo PC Update [gamespot.com], emphasis mine.
Exactly what did they change?
Source: Eurogamer Halo PC Preview [eurogamer.net]Re:Pirates! (Score:3, Informative)
They have all their software and accessories but they just dont have enough muscle for the newest stuff so they need new internals and nothing else.
Re:Pirates! (Score:2, Informative)
I'm probably running on my last version of this setup (939 board) and that's because this mobo doesn't have a PCI-E slot. It's a great machine, it's just not upgradable for the future.
I don't think it's wise to build a new machine that you don't think you'll be able to upgrade at least once. Also the idea of budget game machines makes me think of those people who'd come into my shop needing upgrades for the newest Sims. Gag I swear the Sims caused more computer upgrades than newer versions of Windows.
Re:Thoughts on sub-$150 Graphics? (Score:2, Informative)
Why pay retail? (Score:2, Informative)
CPU: AMD Athlon64 3000+ Venice core, $139 at Newegg.
Motherboard: Foxconn NF4K8AC-RS-1.0, $65 at Newegg, and with the processor, $5 off, taking it to $199.
RAM: Buffalo Select 512MB DDR 400, $32.25 after rebate at Newegg.
Video Card: Connect3D Radeon X700, $70 after rebate at TigerDirect. Or, if you're Nvidia, try the XFX Geforce 6600 256MB, $102 at Newegg.
Hard Drive: Seagate 250GB 7200RPM 8MB, $70 after rebate at TigerDirect.
Optical drive: NEC 3540A DVD+/- DL, $39 at Newegg.
Power Supply: Antec SmartPower 2.0 400W, $55 at Newegg, and it won't catch fire when you put something else in that system, unlike their power supply.
Now, with the Nvidia card you're at $497.25 after all rebates and before shipping. With the ATI, $465.25, leaving enough for another 512 MB of RAM so FEAR will actually run.
So we have 250 GB of hard drive space, a DVD burner, more RAM, and a real power supply, all for under $500, leaving you that $15 they went over for a cheap case. Enjoy.