Cheaper than Rob's

[lorizzle]

Hello again :p

I need some parts advice...

I like Rob's setup, but it's very expensive. I was wondering if there were a few things I could tweak that would still allow me to play Sims 2 and some FPSs like Half-Life 2 really well?

Thanks!

[Jamie Nixx]

Whats your budget mate.

[Rob]

Here are some ideas.

http://www.mysuperpc.com/cheap_computer.shtml

[lorizzle]

I would like my budget to be no more than $700, sorry. And Rob-I'm totally buying your book :cool:

[Jamie Nixx]

Right, $700 can build a great gaming/everything machine.

Firstly, Intel are way ahead of AMD, as i am sure Rob will and almost everyone will agree, so Core 2 duo is the way to go.

I often price (and build) gaming computers for people, i have also priced a lot of computers for people on this site as well.

Would you like me to price a computer that is the best bang for your buck ;) :D

[lorizzle]

Yes please! I'm very serious about doing this! Thank you :D :D :D

[Jamie Nixx]

Ok here goes, this is the same computer i have priced for numerous people on this site, the components are for gaming and i have had a lot of good feedback.

Motherboard, Asus P5N-E SLi

This motherboard is one of the best on Intel no question, the chipset is pretty old now, but still excellent, i have one myself.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131142

Processor, Intel core 2 duo E6750

Put quite simply, a stunning super fast processor, and well worth the money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115029&Tpk=e6750

Ram, Corsair XMS2 2GB

One of the best gaming rams available, period.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145590

Graphics card, Leadtech 7900GS

The 7900GS is an excellent mid range card, and will play anything out now on high, including Bioshock.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814122010

This little lot comes to $547.00 and that is without this rebate business, i can't work that out as i am here in the UK, you will have to add a case, PSU, Harddrive and optical drive, that will prob set you back the rest of your budget.

You will have a computer capable of playing anything, the processor is actually better than the AMD 6000 Rob has and the the Corsair will give Crucial and run for its money anyday. The only thing Robs super computer had over this is the GPU which is an 8800GTS and an extra 2GB of ram(which is overkill imo;) )

Hope this helps, if this is overkill for your needs tell me and i can downgrade certain components to save money.

[lorizzle]

That price range is MUCH better, thank you!

I have a couple of questions, though...um...what's a PSU and optical drive? And does it matter what kind of hard drive I have? I'm flying pretty blind LOL :rolleyes:

[acidfire]

PSU: Power Supply Unit
Optical Drive: CD/DVD Drive/Floppy Drive
Hard Drive: I would go with a sata drive, most motherboards come with sata hook up but make sure before you buy the motherboard. If you decide to get the Asus P5N-E SLi suggested by Jamie Nixx you will have sata hook up for sure. I have always used Western Digital hard drive myself with no problems. I have heard good news about seagate also but the choose is yours.

[Jamie Nixx]

The Asus P5N-E sli has 4 SATA ports on it.

Check out the Rosewill cases, they often come with PSU's.

Theres no point getting an IDE HD, Sata's are faster and the same price, pretty much the norm now.

Westerns are quite expensive, seagate barracudas and maxtor diamondbacks are excellent.

[lorizzle]

Awesome, thanks!

I guess it's Newegg time...:cool:

[lorizzle]

Oh, one more thing...do I need a sound card?

[acidfire]

It all depends on you. Most motherboards come with built in audio and it works but some gamers like to have sound card handle the sound because the sound will sound better. My brothers computer I built for him only using the motherboard sound for playing games and he has no problem with the audio. You can always try the motherboard built in audio and if you don't like it buy a sound card.
If you need help picking parts I would suggest post what you are thinking of buying and the forum members can let you know if everything will work together and let you know if there are better chooses.
Good luck finding your parts :)

[Jamie Nixx]

The built in realtech audio is pretty good so you should be fine.