if i was to biuld a pc for gaming on a modest budget, what bits would i need to build one?

Answer 1

I agree with the first poster- he pretty much nailed it, so I'll just elaborate a bit.

The main component for building a gaming machine is the video card- that's where 95% of most machines hit performance bootlenecks for gaming. In most cases, real-world limits on fps are determined by what your GPU can handle, not your CPU. So generally, you're much better off buying the graphics card that's $75 more expensive and taking a slightly less powerful CPU than the other way around.

Since socket 939 is offically done (AMD isn't making any more processors in that format) it's cheap. You can probably get a barebones socket 939 motherboard, X2 3800+ CPU and case for around $300. If you're really on a budget, you could drop down to an Athlon 64 3500+ for closer to $225. The vast majority of current games don't benefit from dual-core yet, although that is slowly changing.

The sweet spot for video cards is around $250 - that's where you want to land, with either a GeForce 7900GT or Radeon X1950 Pro, depending upon whether you prefer ATI or Nvidia. Now obviously you can go higher into the really nice cards, but you said "modest budget".

There are choices slightly higher/lower around that mark, like the Radeon X1950 GT (slightly less expensive than Pro) or the more expensive GeForce 7950GTX, but that's your ballpark. Don't drop below the ATI 1900 or Nvidia 7900 series if possible- there's a significant drop in performance going to the cards in the next category down. You might squeak by with a lesser card like a 7600GT, but's that's absolutely the lowest I'd go.

Definitely build with 1gb of RAM minimum, more if you can but that's not essential- well, except for Vanguard :) Make sure your power supply can handle the load. High-end video cards are power hungry, so get a 450W.

Hold aside 20 bucks for a generic PCI soundcard, and disable the motherboard sound. Surprisingly, having a real soundcard- even a cheap one, boosts performance.

As a last note, consider going with Intel's Core 2 Duo instead of AMD X2. In general, Core 2 Duo outperforms X2 across the board and costs less. But even though the CPUs themselves are less expensive, there aren't as many motherboard choices & the RAM is more expensive, so the overall price creeps up. With the current fire sales on socket 939 stuff, it might be no contest.

Still, check what the AMD build will cost you, then see what a system built around an E6300 or E4300 runs- if the price is about the same, go with that instead!

I've included links to anadtech's latest buyer's guide and a retailer for comparing bare bones systems, although I'd buy parts from NewEgg.

Just remember the video card is where you splurge, then buy as much processor power as your remaining budget allows.

Answer 2

With "modest" budget, you should try upgrading an existing system. New motherboard/CPU, video card, RAM, and hard drive.
The 939 pin board with AMD 64, a 128 MB video card, 1GB RAM, and 150GB hard drive will work for most of the games out there.
I just did it for about $500 and I have a great system running. Much lower in $ than that will not build you much of a gaming system unless you are running lower-end games.
Shop around online for good combination deals. I regularly use Newegg.com and frys.com.
Find a good combination then shop around for the best pricing. It usually doesn't take too long to find a good deal on what you are looking for.

Answer 3

I would check out Maximum PC in the library (their website is limited). They periodically have build it yourself machines designed for various tasks. The December issue also reviews several $2500 gaming machines from vendors to give you an idea of what they are putting in.

You might also check Sharky's Extreme. They do a $1000 budget gaming machine a $2500 high end machine and a $4000 extreme machine.

You can pick and choose based on your budget but focus on the graphics cards and don't scrimp on the power supply.

Good luck.

Answer 4

a million greater ingredient, change to sixty 4-bit Vista for the OS to renowned and use all 4GB of RAM. 32-bit tops out at around 3-25GB. lots of the themes surrounding sixty 4-bit have been fixed by using using warm fixes and others. For P45 vs P43, P45 is greater valuable for overclocking and promises CrossFire help, that's approximately it. on the grounds which you do no longer seem overclocking and are not using an ATI card a P43 could be superb. additionally do you desire Vista superb? top type is many times sufficient for many folk and saves you around $eighty which you would be able to placed right into a far greater valuable pictures card(GTX 260 center 216 or comparable)

Answer 5

first most important is the CPU and Intel have the edge with there Core 2 Duo (40% faster than Core Duo 1)

And its worth going for the ........

E6600 (2.4 GHz)
E6700 (2.67 GHz)

both again run at 1066 MT/s FSB..but these 4 MiB shared L2 cache

you can get the cheaper

E6300 (1.86 GHz)
E6400 (2.13 GHz)

(only 2mb MiB L2 cache)


A PCI x16 Express motherboard

The Graphics Card.....The Nvidia 7600 GT is the best value per performance card out there

1 GB is plently...but if you can max it up to 2GB and you get less lag on high-end games

and any SATA 2 HD is ok

A silent 550 watt power supply keeps everything quiet

Cost £500 to £700

Answer 6

Check out http://www.vidam.co.uk . These guys are at the top of the UK gaming PC market so see what they do and scale down according to your budget.

Answer 7

What do you mean bits? Like hardware? Get a socket 939 motherboard, 3700+ AMD64, 7600gs pci-e, gig of corsair valuselect, 450w pwr supply, atx case, sata hdd.. your looking at about 700$

Answer 8

http://www.autdirect.co.uk/acatalog/
this place does mail order check out the special offers

Answer 9

try www.aria.co.uk