On the cheap gaming rig...

[indybigfoot]

After 2 years of not having a desktop and having a cruddy Radeon Mobility x1400 laptop, I've finally decided to build a new gaming rig. But, I have space and budget restrictions. It's going to have to be a Micro ATX case, and I only have about $125 a month(plus whatever cash I want to use for the really cheap stuff) to spend the next 4 months. So I have to choose wisely. Going to also hook up my Xbox 360 and PS2 to the monitor. Not necessarily looking to overclock this rig.

Here's the plan so far:

I've got the following so far:
- Memory (Crucial Ballistix 2x1GB)
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Vista Ultimate (thanks to my wife being a student)

August:
- ASUS P5E-VM HDMI mATX motherboard
- DVD Burner (w/ cash)

September:
- C2D E7200
- Cooler Master Elite 340 case (w/ cash)

October:
- Hard drive for about $60 or so
- Antec Earthpower 430W
(I can test the rig at this point)

November:
- 4850 or 8800GT - depends on how much they'll be around this time

December:
- Samsung T220HD as an Xmas present (I hope)


Any holes or am I missing anything? Heck of a lot cheaper than a laptop with a decent video card. Any other video cards coming out later in the year in the $125 range?

 

[DSF]

Really don't recommend buying this way for two main reasons:

1) You won't know if your motherboard, CPU and RAM work or not until December or January, which will be outside the vendor's return period. That means you'll have to go directly through the manufacturer for any warranty support, which tends to be more of a hassle.

2) Because computer components lose value quickly, you're getting poor value for your dollar on the parts you buy early on.

Put the money in a bank account as you're saving it up, and then spend it all at once when you're ready to build.

Edit: I see you saying you'll test in October, but that will still be too late for your motherboard and RAM.

 

[Roguestar]

Save it all for 4 months from now.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

i don't really understand your strategy of spreading out the time of purchase.
just wait until you have the $ towards the end and you'll likely have to spend less money in the long run.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: DSF
Really don't recommend buying this way for two main reasons:

I completely agree! Also, there may be some deals to be had right after Thanksgiving, so if you can't get all the parts until then anyways, just save the money.