friend wants to build a budget gaming pc

[Tylerrought]

$450 limit max... would perfer $400

he doesnt need a moniter or a keyboard or a mouse. he wants it to play doom 3, half-life 2, and unreal tournament 2004 smoothly. he would like it to be upgradeble in the future.

thanks and pleace keep all items from NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/index.asp)

wow something went seirously wrong with that last topic

[clocker]

Your friend is dreaming.
When you say "gaming machine" what you are really saying is "video monster" and your budget doesn't even cover the cost of the cards, much less the future upgradable platform on which they sit.

Figure on spending at least a grand to get what he wants.

[GepperRankins]

what components does he already have? i reckon my mobo, CPU and graphics card would add up to $400, my card is quickly going out of date though it does play new games on medium settings.

i reckon a mobo, budget CPU and a mid range graphics card is all you'll get. possibly 512 RAM too



so if he has hard-drive, case, dvd drive and the other stuff i can't remember, it may be possible

[Peerzy]

$400 is £200 which is about the price of a Graphic card, some ram, and maybe a budget CPU.

That leaves him without;

Motherboard
PSU & Case
DVD-Writer
Hard Drive
Sound Card


and a few other bits and bobs.

I wonder why people seem to believe the mith that a high spec gaming beast can be achived on a budget of less than £500-£600 ($1000-$1200)

[clocker]

I wonder why people seem to believe the mith that a high spec gaming beast can be achived on a budget of less than £500-£600 ($1000-$1200)
Every day I try to bridge the Great Divide between "Here's what I want" and " Here's what I want to pay".

For many customers this effort involves the great life lesson "Just because you want something doesn't mean you will get it".

I thought parents were supposed to impart this wisdom but apparently they do not.

Unsurprisingly, most of these customers also believe in astrology and Bigfoot.

There must be a connection.

[Formula1]

if he wants a 'good' middle ground gaming computer he must spend atleast 650$-700$. At Peerzy, things are cheaper in the US compared to the value of the pound.

Tyler , tell your friend tocheck out newegg.com if he wants to get the lowest cost on computer hardwares..

[Peerzy]

if he wants a 'good' middle ground gaming computer he must spend atleast 650$-700$. At Peerzy, things are cheaper in the US compared to the value of the pound.

Tyler , tell your friend tocheck out newegg.com if he wants to get the lowest cost on computer hardwares..

My conversions were rough estimates at a £1 to $2 scheme. The real rate is something like £1 to $1.86 or something like that.

[clocker]

Tyler , tell your friend tocheck out newegg.com if he wants to get the lowest cost on computer hardwares..
Newegg is hardly the lowest priced outlet for parts, but they are very reputable and have excellent shipping/paperwork.

[Virtualbody1234]

Mid Tower Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811200001
Socket A Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813135143
AMD Sempron 2600+ CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819104212
Western Digital 80GB HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822144122
Crucial 512 MB DDR400 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820146541
NEC 16x DVD Burner: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827152039
Geforce 6200 256MB Video Card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814127186

$398.36

But not very upgradeable.

This may not be the best way to go but it's under $400. :) Maybe starting with a barebone system would be better. :unsure:

[Peerzy]

Cheap PSU tho, and for a gaming rid 1GB is starting to be needed for Battlefield 2 and such. Also like you said not very upgradeable and the CPU is a low end model. Would be ideal for an office computer (minus the graphics card ofcourse) but he won't get the quality he wants for his budget.

[clocker]

...but he won't get the quality he wants for his budget.
That's because he can't get the quality he wants on his budget.

Either one of two scenarios has to occur:

A) Budget>Gaming

or...watch it coming....

B) Gaming>Budget

This very specific "either/or" calculation is part of Einstein's Unified Theory of the Universe.

You can look it up.

[silent h3ro]

Tell him to get a job then buy a good computer, thats what I did and I'm greatful I did. :)

[clocker]

As are oui all.

[ApacNTS]

forget it, i tried to come up with a cheap way out, was gonna go with an intel celeron d 3.02 cpu, followed by a gig of ram, foxcon mobo, foxcon case, 80gb drive, dvdrw, have to buy an OS, followed witha new sound card, and mother of all game powers, the video card. adds up over 500 real quick. only to find that a celeron d wont do shit for games but piss me off. glad i caught that for i starting buying. :D

[Virtualbody1234]

forget it, i tried to come up with a cheap way out, was gonna go with an intel celeron d 3.02 cpu, followed by a gig of ram, foxcon mobo, foxcon case, 80gb drive, dvdrw, have to buy an OS, followed witha new sound card, , and mother of all game powers, the video card. adds up over 500 real quick. only to find that a celeron d wont do shit for games but piss me off. glad i caught that for i starting buying. :D
If you have to buy an OS then that will bust the budget.

Doesn't the motherboard have sound onboard?

[ApacNTS]

yes, but mobo sound cards arent exactly so great. they'll do for the time being. in my mind the sound card was more of an accesory, but for a gaming console sound is key.

i know, OS are expesnive, i only have a windows 95 disc that i accidently forgot to give back to someone. was trying to build a pc for the new game F.E.A.R. and counter strike source mostly.

[Duffman]

Well, sorry about my cold, by why coughdon'tyouuseatorrentcoughwhopaysforwindowsxpcoughcoughcough

[Virtualbody1234]

Exactlycoughcough.

And onboard sound is a lot better than it used to be.

[ApacNTS]

aa aa acthankyou :D think you passed it on :P

thanks for the heads up about newer sound mobo's. im in the stone age with this thing.

[Duffman]

/me puts a box of tissues on the table.

[maebach]

/me puts a box of tissues on the table.

better be kleenex or scotties. cheap ones make my nose hurt.

[clocker]

better be kleenex or scotties. cheap ones make my nose hurt.
Pirates prefer Kleenex?
How disappointing.

I always envisioned you using the cloth ripped from bodies of slain MS coders/programmers.

Aaarggghhh!

[lynx]

Maybe they should use Klinux. :rolleyes:

[clocker]

Then they would have to figure out how to mount their noses.

Could be tricky.

[Virtualbody1234]

Then they would have to figure out how to mount their noses.

Could be tricky.
Ask a pro... Michael Jackson.

[clocker]

I hear he writes for Anandtech these days.

[ooo]

parts arent exactly very upgradable after u keep it for 3 years lol, i bought my com 2 yrs ago 2.66ghz 512mb ram, ati all in wonder 9000 pro for bout 1.2k, i need a new mobo to upgrade, cause most cards r pci express now a days, but i forgot what I was going to ask, oh yea whats the point of a good psu? Don't psus all work bout the same? I'm using the one that came w/ my case and its fine eno problems for 2 years

[clocker]

i forgot what I was going to ask, oh yea whats the point of a good psu? Don't psus all work bout the same?
Seriously now.
I realize it's Saturday night and you may already be half in the bag, but reaaallllly.....

All of those shiny, expensive, fast components you bought depend on a steady and unwavering supply of clean power to perform well (or at all) and generic PSUs (typically supplied with cases) just don't cut it.

You have been fortunate, count your lucky stars...but would you be willing to risk a pair of 7800 GTXs in SLI (retail over $1000) to a cheap no-name PSU?

Didn't think so.

[Duffman]

Its like buying a brand new fast car, that cost you and arm and a leg, and then putting shitty gas in it.

[ooo]

does it really make a differnece in speed? I never tested it, I've always used the generic psus and they seem to be working fine w/ me, i never had problems w/ lag or anything, everythings always running smooth

[clocker]

Difference in speed?
Prolly not till you approach the bleeding edge of your CPU's performance.

But...
Install a pair of 6800 GTs in SLI, add in a couple of HDDs and optical drives, oh, don't forget fans, pumps and what have you and speed won't be your concern- just passing POST will be.