Gaming is cheaper than ever, unless your platform of choice is a PC. PC gaming has always cost more and this is because of the latest and greatest parts that come out on a frequent basis. A computer can/will always do more than your home console could. So why not bite the bullet and plunk down some cash on something that has “Bang for your Buck”? This will not include OS, Keyboard/Mouse, speakers or a monitor to keep it as cost effect as possible. However We still will give some suggestions for monitors for even the biggest gaming buff, at the end of the post!
First, one of the most important parts…
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3-3.7GHz Turbo Unlocked Multiplier – $220
Look I am NOT looking to start a fanboy flamewar but AMD processors are cheaper and therefore are the best option when on a budget… usually. In this case we have found a good, fair-priced Intel CPU. This processor is midranged and recommended thoroughly. If you can stretch your budget a little further, I recommend Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4-3.8GHz Turbo Unlocked Multiplier – $315
Next we need something to control all this stuff…
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TZ68A+ LGA1155 Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX – $100
This motherboard has some USB 2.0/3.0 ports and even an HDMI port built right in and it even supports Sata 6 gb/s!. Its prices competitively and even comes highly recommended on Newegg. If you have a larger budget then the ASUS P8P67 DELUXE B3 P67 SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 CF/SLI ATX – $225 comes highly recommended.
It’s like your computer’s muscle and now a days you need a lot of it…
RAM : Patriot 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz – $60
I love Patriot RAM, it’s solid and if you do have a problem it is covered by a lifetime warrantee! What else could you ask for. Not much else to say here besides if you have money to buy 2 sets of these for 16GB RAM or better yet look at Kingston 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz – $125, which is made by another great manufacturer.
Next up is the heart of your new gaming PC…
GPU (Video Card) : EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked – $240
This one is hard. You could spend more for more performance but in terms of solid “Bang for your Buck” this card will do solid work and costs under $250, which is near unbeatable. If you can afford 2 then buy all means do it but another good two card option is Two Sapphire Radeon HD 6870 in Crossfire – $350
Here comes storage and you are gonna need a couple to handle this job…
Storage: Crucial M4 2.5? 64GB SATA III Solid State Drive (SSD for OS) – $120 AND Samsung F3 1TB SATA II 3.0Gb/s(HDD for Storage) – $50
I know, some people don’t see the need for a solid state drive and I was in the same boat until I saw the incredible performance differences. The best part about having the a second 1TB drive is that you can store all your movies, music and pictures and have tons of future proofing space, to boot. I dont really have a bigger budget recommendation besides maybe a larger SSD drive.
On to a dying but not quite dead medium….
Optical Drive: ASUS Black 12X BD-ROM SATA Blu-ray – $69
If you feel like you don’t need a blu-ray by all means go with a simple DVD-RW but for under $70 bucks now is as good of time as ever to get a blu-ray rom. Not much else to say besides go with a burner if you feel you need it.
Always be over not under when it comes to…
Power Supply : Antec HCG 750W SLI/CF/80 PLUS BRONZE Certified – $90
When it comes to power supply more is often unnecessary. So go with this 750 watt PSU and forget about it.
When coming into the home strectch all you need is something to hold all this crap Stuff…..
Case: COOLER MASTER CM690 II Advanced 2x 140mm 1 x 120mm – $90
Not the most important thing, not the least, but you still need a case to hold everything and make sure airflow isnt at a premium. This case will do just fine.
Now that is it. The total running price is 1039 prices fluxuate and you are gonna want some thermal paste and these prices do not include shipping but for under 1100 bucks you can build one hell of a computer.
I said I would give a monitor suggestion and here it is:
ASUS VH242H Black 23.6″ 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers. The speakers arent great but they get fairly loud. This is the monitor I use everyday and it works great.
