Building a low cost Gaming Box for -Older- Games

[mparthas]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Most of the time : Reading PDF, surfing, watching youtube, programming
But it should be capable of playing a year old games
Running linux 20-50% of the time

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Up to 400 euro

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

buying the parts in Frankfurt, Germany

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.

AMD Fanboy
ATI Fanboy IF they have a good linux driver, neutral otherwise

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I only need CPU, Mobo, Case and maybe Graphic Card
I do have an old Nvidia 6600 GT which I might use for a while

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Most of the threads have budgets way over mine :-(

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Not really unless the speed increase is real good

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

If I can get some good input from the hardware gurus here, I plan to get the money from ATM tonight then going to the hardware store tommorow.

Currently, I am using this guide from Ars Technica.

AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 65nm 2x2.5GH 61 euro
ASUS M2A-VM HDMI RS690G 57 euro
2048MB OCZ PC2-6400 CL5 KIT Special Ops 42 euro
Case+Power 60 euro

For the Case, Ars recommends the "In-Win C589T" but they dont have it here in Frankfurt. So I am just gonna pick one that looks good.

I am likely to hold on buying a graphic card and use the old NV 6600GT for a while because I heard there's going to be another round of graphic card release in just a few weeks and prices are going to drop.
But feel free to recommend me one !

Thanks in advance for all your help

 

[Sharkie13]

All I have to say is avoid AMD. Intel/Nvidia options are the best at this point in time, especially processors. Instead of that X2, get a core 2 duo, and get a cheap intel-based motherboard.

 

[Foxery]

Originally posted by: mparthas

Currently, I am using this guide from Ars Technica.

AMD Athlon64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 65nm 2x2.5GH 61 euro
ASUS M2A-VM HDMI RS690G 57 euro
2048MB OCZ PC2-6400 CL5 KIT Special Ops 42 euro
Case+Power 60 euro

For the Case, Ars recommends the "In-Win C589T" but they dont have it here in Frankfurt. So I am just gonna pick one that looks good.

I am likely to hold on buying a graphic card and use the old NV 6600GT for a while because I heard there's going to be another round of graphic card release in just a few weeks and prices are going to drop.
But feel free to recommend me one !

Thanks in advance for all your help

Hmm, usually Ars includes both an AMD and an Intel version. If you pick up an Intel-based system, say, P35 chipset for the motherboard and one of the older Core2Duos like the 2000 or 4000 series, you'll get similar or better performance plus the ability to significantly upgrade your CPU if you have a few extra bucks in the future.

Video card - Your 6600GT is getting a bit outdated, but isn't too bad. (Is it PCI-Express or AGP?) If you decide you want more power, see if the ATI Radeon 3650 or nVidia's 8600 are in your price range. (And check again in a few weeks after the new series are released.)