brain_stew
Member
****Please take time to read through all of this post, you will find a lot of helpful general PC gaming and building advice linked or explained towards the bottom of this post. This includes benchmarks that help demonstrate what these machines are capable of.***
As some of you might know I spend most of my time here, helping out fellow GAFers with their PC hardware problems and queries. Well as many of you may not be aware there's been a seismic shift in the PC hardware market in the last year (particularly on the GPU side) with hardware prices falling through the floor whilst performance continues its march forward.
The incredible position we're in now, with gaming grade PC hardware at the lowest its ever been means that, possibly for the first time ever, $500/£400/$650CAD can buy you a gaming class rig that will run every game (yes, including Crysis) at high or max settings at 1680x1050 with very good framerates, quite often in the 60fps range. As such, I've put together configs for UK, US and Canadian GAFers that I feel use the absolute best value components on the market, each and every component is from a highly regarded manufacturer and is chosen for the great value they offer. These configs are at the absolute peak of the "price
erformance" curve as far as PC gamers should be concerned, not a single penny is wasted.
Whilst these configs will play many games at 1080p just fine, the GPUs chosen weren't built for extreme high resolution play, so instead I've offered some suggested upgrades for players that would prefer to play their games at a native 1080p resolution. This is all in the spirit of offering you the best performance for your money afterall, and making the suggested changes ensures that you stay at the peak of that priceerformance curve even though you're playing at 1080p. The GPU upgrades suggested are a great place to spend any extra cash, I highly recommend them, but these rigs are great even without them.
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***** CLICK HERE FOR GAF'S ULTIMATE $800/£600/$1000 CAD HIGH END GAMING RIGS. Must See. *****
OS and Windows 7 section
Windows 7 RC is free to use for another 9 months and is fully featured, it is highly recommended to GAFers putting together a new build at this moment in time.
For a limited time you can preorder Windows 7 at half price, which can bring it down to as little as $49. Details here, this is strictly time limited so I encourage anyone looking to upgrade to Windows 7 to snap up this great offer.
Students:
You may be able to get a free copy of Windows (and other Microsoft software) see Firestorm's post for details. Linky.
If you do not qualify for a free copy you can still get hold of Windows for a cut down price at the Ultimate Steal. Currently £41 for Vista Ultimate in the UK and $65 for Vista Ultimate in the US. Its expected that this offer will encompass Windows 7 shortly after release.
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Total: $592.93 + $55 MIR =$537.93
I'm aware that the price of this machine has slipped above the original $500 target but the offers in the next price bracket were just too good to ignore. You're getting a monster rig here, much better than I had ever originally planned for, this will tear through absolutely anything you throw at it @ 1080p, gaming or otherwise. You're getting a top of the line gaming machine with a full quad core running at 3ghz for your $550 here, no half measures.
Now as a bonus, here's a superb $400 machine that is all you need to play all the latest games at high settings with absolute minimum cost. I absolutely recommend the previous rig first and foremost, but on a really tight budget, you'll be delighted with this machine:
[/B]
Optional 1080p monitor:
ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200 +$20 rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig with 1080p monitor = $803.93 +$85 MIR = $718.93
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UK GAF'S ULTIMATE £400 GAMING RIG.
Just like the rig for US posters, I've put together a config that uses the absolute best "bang for buck" components whilst sticking to a strict £400 budget. The basic components are similar but I've used parts that are better priced at Ebuyer in order in come in on budget.
[Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66)
[CPU (Athlon ii X3 435 2.9ghz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176043 (65.67)
[RAM (Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333mhz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463 (£80.79)
[GPU (XFX HD 4870 512MB)]:http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169206 (£91.20)
[DVD (22X Sony DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/170014 (£15.89)
[Case/PSU (Coolermaster Elite 330 and Coolermaster eXtreme Power Plus 460w PSU)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135101 (£54.99)
[HDD (Samsung F3 500GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252 (£42.54)
Total cost = £400.74 delivered
Optional monitor:
22" 1680X1050 DVI-D/VGA LG: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152124#
Total cost with monitor = £412.97.91 + £119.98 = £532.95
Recommended upgrades for 1080p gaming
[GPU (XFX 4890 1GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167969 (£140.73)
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig = £453.70
Optional 1080P monitor:
Samsung 1080p Gloss Black DVI/VGA (£163.04): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158382
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig + 1080p monitor = £616.74
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Unlocking the mysteries of triple buffering; this is essential reading for any PC gamer, and following this guide can be the equivalent of a free GPU upgrade for many.
Half Life 2: Episode 2 CPU benchmark (notice how the $100 550 wipes the floor with the Core i7 920? ):
GPU performance benchmarks to demonstrate the excellent performance of the 4870 512MB used in these rigs (note these use a different CPU but since we're in a GPU limited situation performance will be very similar):
*Yes, that's right, a solid 30fps at 1680x1050 in Crysis with max DX10 shaders can be yours for just $500, these days!*
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Unlocking the extra two cores of your Phenom ii X2 550 (note this is not guaranteed, but worth trying anyway, who doesn't want a $100 quad core? ):
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_15.html#sect0
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Handy "how to build a PC" video. This is a much watch for any new PC builder, I recommend reading a few guides as well, though motherboard manuals (and motherboards themselves) are packed with helpful information these days. Its a lot easier than you'd imagine.
Nice guide here at Tech Report as well: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671
And here at the Ebuyer forums (signup to see the images): http://forums.ebuyer.com/showthread.php?t=19603
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now now you know the hardware is cheaper than ever, what about the games? Check out
Adrian Werner's excellent PC games list to see what you've been missing out on and what's to come then get ready for your backlog to increase tenfold.
2007's ultimate PC games list.
2008's ultimate PC games list.
2009 ultiamte PC Games list.
2010 ultimate PC Games list
See the astonishing visuals these rigs can pull off in the PC screenshot thread.
As some of you might know I spend most of my time here, helping out fellow GAFers with their PC hardware problems and queries. Well as many of you may not be aware there's been a seismic shift in the PC hardware market in the last year (particularly on the GPU side) with hardware prices falling through the floor whilst performance continues its march forward.
The incredible position we're in now, with gaming grade PC hardware at the lowest its ever been means that, possibly for the first time ever, $500/£400/$650CAD can buy you a gaming class rig that will run every game (yes, including Crysis) at high or max settings at 1680x1050 with very good framerates, quite often in the 60fps range. As such, I've put together configs for UK, US and Canadian GAFers that I feel use the absolute best value components on the market, each and every component is from a highly regarded manufacturer and is chosen for the great value they offer. These configs are at the absolute peak of the "price
erformance" curve as far as PC gamers should be concerned, not a single penny is wasted.Whilst these configs will play many games at 1080p just fine, the GPUs chosen weren't built for extreme high resolution play, so instead I've offered some suggested upgrades for players that would prefer to play their games at a native 1080p resolution. This is all in the spirit of offering you the best performance for your money afterall, and making the suggested changes ensures that you stay at the peak of that price
erformance curve even though you're playing at 1080p. The GPU upgrades suggested are a great place to spend any extra cash, I highly recommend them, but these rigs are great even without them.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
***** CLICK HERE FOR GAF'S ULTIMATE $800/£600/$1000 CAD HIGH END GAMING RIGS. Must See. *****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------High end rig post said:
OS and Windows 7 section
Windows 7 RC is free to use for another 9 months and is fully featured, it is highly recommended to GAFers putting together a new build at this moment in time.
For a limited time you can preorder Windows 7 at half price, which can bring it down to as little as $49. Details here, this is strictly time limited so I encourage anyone looking to upgrade to Windows 7 to snap up this great offer.
Students:
You may be able to get a free copy of Windows (and other Microsoft software) see Firestorm's post for details. Linky.
If you do not qualify for a free copy you can still get hold of Windows for a cut down price at the Ultimate Steal. Currently £41 for Vista Ultimate in the UK and $65 for Vista Ultimate in the US. Its expected that this offer will encompass Windows 7 shortly after release.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ME said:
Total: $592.93 + $55 MIR =$537.93
I'm aware that the price of this machine has slipped above the original $500 target but the offers in the next price bracket were just too good to ignore. You're getting a monster rig here, much better than I had ever originally planned for, this will tear through absolutely anything you throw at it @ 1080p, gaming or otherwise. You're getting a top of the line gaming machine with a full quad core running at 3ghz for your $550 here, no half measures.
Now as a bonus, here's a superb $400 machine that is all you need to play all the latest games at high settings with absolute minimum cost. I absolutely recommend the previous rig first and foremost, but on a really tight budget, you'll be delighted with this machine:
ME said:
[/B]
Optional 1080p monitor:
ASUS 1080P VGA/DVI-D/HDMI Glossy black ($200 +$20 rebates): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig with 1080p monitor = $803.93 +$85 MIR = $718.93
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UK GAF'S ULTIMATE £400 GAMING RIG.
Just like the rig for US posters, I've put together a config that uses the absolute best "bang for buck" components whilst sticking to a strict £400 budget. The basic components are similar but I've used parts that are better priced at Ebuyer in order in come in on budget.
[Motherboard (MSI 770 AM3 DDR3)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/165438 (£49.66)
[CPU (Athlon ii X3 435 2.9ghz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176043 (65.67)
[RAM (Corsair 4GB DDR3 1333mhz)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/166463 (£80.79)
[GPU (XFX HD 4870 512MB)]:http://www.ebuyer.com/product/169206 (£91.20)
[DVD (22X Sony DVDRW)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/170014 (£15.89)
[Case/PSU (Coolermaster Elite 330 and Coolermaster eXtreme Power Plus 460w PSU)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135101 (£54.99)
[HDD (Samsung F3 500GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/146252 (£42.54)
Total cost = £400.74 delivered
Optional monitor:
22" 1680X1050 DVI-D/VGA LG: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152124#
Total cost with monitor = £412.97.91 + £119.98 = £532.95
Recommended upgrades for 1080p gaming
[GPU (XFX 4890 1GB)]: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/167969 (£140.73)
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig = £453.70
Optional 1080P monitor:
Samsung 1080p Gloss Black DVI/VGA (£163.04): http://www.ebuyer.com/product/158382
Total cost of 1080p gaming rig + 1080p monitor = £616.74
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Firestorm said:
Unlocking the mysteries of triple buffering; this is essential reading for any PC gamer, and following this guide can be the equivalent of a free GPU upgrade for many.
Half Life 2: Episode 2 CPU benchmark (notice how the $100 550 wipes the floor with the Core i7 920?
):
GPU performance benchmarks to demonstrate the excellent performance of the 4870 512MB used in these rigs (note these use a different CPU but since we're in a GPU limited situation performance will be very similar):
*Yes, that's right, a solid 30fps at 1680x1050 in Crysis with max DX10 shaders can be yours for just $500, these days!*
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlocking the extra two cores of your Phenom ii X2 550 (note this is not guaranteed, but worth trying anyway, who doesn't want a $100 quad core?
):http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/phenom-athlon-ii-x2_15.html#sect0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Handy "how to build a PC" video. This is a much watch for any new PC builder, I recommend reading a few guides as well, though motherboard manuals (and motherboards themselves) are packed with helpful information these days. Its a lot easier than you'd imagine.
Nice guide here at Tech Report as well: http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671
And here at the Ebuyer forums (signup to see the images): http://forums.ebuyer.com/showthread.php?t=19603
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now now you know the hardware is cheaper than ever, what about the games? Check out
Adrian Werner's excellent PC games list to see what you've been missing out on and what's to come then get ready for your backlog to increase tenfold.
2007's ultimate PC games list.
2008's ultimate PC games list.
2009 ultiamte PC Games list.
2010 ultimate PC Games list
See the astonishing visuals these rigs can pull off in the PC screenshot thread.
