Help me build a gaming PC ($1000 budget):

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

jread

Senior member
Jan 20, 2005
544
0
0
Ok, I've got a budget of $1000 to build a gaming PC from the ground up. I know it's not a ton of money and is not going to get me the top of the line, but it will be used mainly for Blizzard games: World of Warcraft and Starcraft II when it comes out (I think they use the same graphics engine).

Anyway, I know how to assemble a PC but I'm not very up to date on the latest and greatest. If any of you would like to help me with the parts list, I would appreciate it very much. There will be no preexisting parts (monitor, keyboard, mouse) so it will literally be from scratch:

- Monitor (flat panel but doesn't have to be huge)

- Case

- PSU

- Motherboard

- Processor (I'm figuring a dual core here)

- RAM (I'm thinking 2-gigs)

- DVD/CD-ROM Drive

- Hard drive (nothing big needed here... 80-gigs would do)

- Keyboard (can be a cheapo)

- Mouse (same as keyboard)

- Video Card (something decent)

- Sound Card (same as video card)

- OS (I do have a Vista disk but well... you know. A cheap XP disk would be good.)


Well, that's about it for now. If any of you would like to point me in the right direction I'd appreciate it very much!

Thanks :)
 
M

MegaVovaN

Diamond Member
May 20, 2005
4,131
0
0
IMO Starcraft 2 will use far more demanding gfx engine than WoW. Screenshots of SC2 are amazingly high quality (google them).

As for parts, try reading other threads on here and coming up with your own list, then post it here so we can tell you what's good, whats bad. Don't rely JUST on our opinion, do some research yourself!

edit: I am going to see if I can put something together for $1k


edit2: any budget system will run WoW very smooth though, that game isn't very demanding.

EDIT3:
Here is a very approximate list that goes OVER your budget. something will need to be downgraded or/and parts bought from places different than Newegg. This runs $1041.34 shipped - $25 MIR = ~$1015 without mobo, kb and mouse. Look for special deals and also members here can work from this list.

$25 DVD any DVD drive will work, I had this for a few weeks, it's fine.
$40 Case (recently bought it myself, good case!)
$80 - 80gb WD SATA HDD
$230 - Acer 22" monitor note: I've seen deals of 22" monitor for $200.
$290 - EVGA 8800GT video card. $290 for a 8800GT is pricey! There is a deal floating around here where you can buy GALAXY 8800GT for like $240 or even 220AR. 8800GT is close to high end of graphic cards.
$70 - Seasonic 500W PSU PSU from best maker in the business
$43 - 2x1 GB A-DATA RAM A-DATA is the new player on the market. There is a deal where you can buy 2 gb stick of SUPERTALENT RAM for $35 + ship. Consider 4 gb RAM.
$190 - e6750 CPU as far as dual core CPU go, this pretty much top of the line. Consider cheaper CPU.
$90 - WinXP Home OEM

As for keyboard+mouse, you can get a cheap keyboard, but get a decent gaming mouse for sake of enjoying your rig. ~$30-40 mouse will change the feel of your computer drastically compared to $10 mouse.

For motherboard, there are several options. Add about $80-90 for a good motherboard.

oh and sound card - you'll be fine with onboard sound on motherboard. Especially on tight budget.

edit4: motherboard options:
GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L
ABIT IP35-E
there are still more motherboards.

Also, you don't have to buy everything from Newegg, they don't always have best price (even counting combined shipping you can get a better deal buying from different sites) and sometimes stuff is out of stock (example: 8800GT video card. Due to high demand they either have them out of stock or at artifically inflated prices).

I recently ordered parts for my upgrade and I bought PSU and Video card from ZipZoomFly, motherboard and CPU from Newegg, and RAM from eWiz.



edit5: to give you idea of how latest and greatest yet not insanely expensive PC looks, it would look like this:
E6750 or Q6600
8800GT or 8800GTS v2 512
4 gb RAM
respectable mobo for $90-120, maybe more

as you can see, the list I made is very close.

edit6: In HOT DEALS section there is a huge thread with HP RAM for $6 (yes, six dollars) per gigabyte after $20 (or 25?) rebate. No excuse not to get 4 gb even though 32bit OS will use only ~3.2 gb of it. WinXP 64 bit sucks to put it mildly, so you will use 32bit.
 
C

CitizenSnips

Member
Dec 31, 2007
51
0
0
I'm still pretty new to the hardware stuff, but from personal experience I'd recommend the Acer 22" monitor Mega posted. It's a great monitor, I picked up mine for under $200 during a Thanksgiving sale online (though I'm still waiting for the stupid rebate) and I've been very happy with it. It's certainly not perfect, you get a little backlight burn along the edges of it against black images, and the color saturation is a bit off, some bright blues have a little purplish tint, and mine had one dead pixel, but they're minor flaws, and I think for the price it's about the best monitor you could find, unless you snag one on sale somewhere. And the few flaws of the Acer aside, I love it for gaming, it's big and bright and sharp, so I'd still recommend it.

Also agreeing with Mega on the mouse issue, and recommending this one in particular: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...8&Tpk=logitech%2bmx518

I've had my MX518 for years now and never once had a problem with it, and found it to be the best mouse I've ever used. I'm a heavy FPS gamer, so it's survived countless rapid clicks over the years and never hiccuped or had a stuck button or feedback issues. I really don't see the point of skimping on the piece of hardware you'll pretty much use the most extensively, especially with RTS games like Starcraft 2, and with the longevity the 518 has unless you beat it with a hammer it'll run strong for quite some time.
 
M

MegaVovaN

Diamond Member
May 20, 2005
4,131
0
0
Another vote for MX518 - I played at friend's place with it for a while, it is light, accurate and durable mouse.
Myself I use heavy MX700 mouse I got 4 years ago. It is wireless and old, I would hesitate to recommend it.
Myself I use CHIMEI 22" monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824252008
That I got on black Friday for $300 in 2006.
 
C

CitizenSnips

Member
Dec 31, 2007
51
0
0
I've never much been a fan of wireless mice for desktops personally. You get problems with lag and connection sometimes, plus it's a pain with batteries, or always having to stick it in the cradle to charge, and they're usually heavier than corded mice. For gaming in particular you'll want to stick with a corded mouse, simple cord management makes sure it's never a problem.
 
Denithor

Denithor

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2004
6,298
23
81
Looks like a good parts list overall. Just a few tweaks here and there.

You can find a DVD burner on Newegg for $25 with free shipping if you look for a minute or two.

Go for the HP memory, the rebate is good as gold (I've gotten it twice for a total of $400 back on 10GB of DDR2). Go for a full 4GB, it's totally worth it even in XP.

Spend an extra $20 and get Vista 64, with 4GB of memory and an e6750 it will fly and if you have to spend cash on an OS at least get one that will be supported for the next 5-10 years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom