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Gaming Machine
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Deanodriver (Talk | contribs) (→$2000 Core 2 Duo) |
Deanodriver (Talk | contribs) (→$2250 Core 2 Duo) |
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| − | | [http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/index.htm Core 2 Duo E6600] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=E6600 | + | | [http://www.intel.com/products/processor/core2duo/index.htm Core 2 Duo E6600] || [http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=E6600 419] |
| rowspan="12" | [[Image:Armor_Jr.jpg|right|Thermaltake Armor Jr.]] | | rowspan="12" | [[Image:Armor_Jr.jpg|right|Thermaltake Armor Jr.]] | ||
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Revision as of 15:34, 13 April 2007
Contents |
$750 AM2
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ | 136 |  |
| Motherboard | ASUS M2N-MX | 85 | |
| RAM | 2x512MB Generic DDR2 | 68 | |
| Hard Drive | 250GB Samsung SP2504C | 88 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 256MB nVidia GeForce 7900GS | 198 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | Foxconn TSAA805 | 49 | |
| Power Supply | 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power | 48 | |
| Cooling | - | - | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 722 + Postage |
This system, despite its low price is a viable ticket to entry level gaming. It features a reasonable sized hard drive (250GB) sufficient for most users, and a 7900GS (capable of pulling reasonable frames for most of today's games I believe). You could also replace the 7900GS with a 7600GS DDR3 and go for 2GB of RAM if you please.
$1000 AM2
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane Core | 159 |  |
| Motherboard | ASUS M2N | 89 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 667 | 165 | |
| Hard Drive | 250GB Samsung SP2504C | 88 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 256MB GeForce 7950GT | 288 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-BB | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power | 48 | |
| Cooling | - | - | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 958 + Postage |
I believe this system is the sweet spot for bang for buck computing. It features a decent CPU, plenty of RAM, a large hard drive, and a decent graphics card. The case is pretty good looking too. This system would be appropriate for moderate to frequent gaming.
$1000 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E4400 | 211 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-S3 | 148 | |
| RAM | 2x1GB Generic DDR2 667 | 138 | |
| Hard Drive | 250GB Samsung SP2504C | 88 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 256MB nVidia GeForce 7900GS | 198 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power | 48 | |
| Cooling | - | - | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 953 + Postage |
At a touch under $1000 the Core 2 Duo system is quite impressive. The RAM, CPU and Board will allow for some nice overclocking, whilst the 7900GS is not too bad either. For $1000, this system would be very quick and well suited for demanding office applications.
$1250 AM2
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ | 242 | |
| Motherboard | ASUS M2N | 89 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 667 | 165 | |
| Hard Drive | 250GB Samsung SP2504C | 88 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 320MB nVidia 8800GTS | 406 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 500W Super Flower Black Diamond | 95 | |
| Cooling | - | - | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1207 + Postage |
This machine is designed to focus this more on stock performance than overclocking, since the Core 2 Duo systems are typically the way to go for the overclockers. However, with a 5600+, Geforce 8800GTS and 2GB of RAM, for the money, this system is a bargain beast!
$1250 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E4400 | 211 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 800 | 197 | |
| Hard Drive | 250GB Samsung SP2504C | 88 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 256MB nVidia 7950GT | 288 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 430W Coolermaster Extreme Power | 48 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1174 + Postage |
This machine is similarly specced to the AM2 system, however with the aftermarket HSF and the E4400 CPU, probably better suited to overclocking rather than sheer gaming. However, if overclocking isn't your thing, you could omit the aftermarket HSF and purchase an E6420 instead of the E4400 :)
$1500 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6420 | 274 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 667 | 165 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 320MB nVidia 8800GTS | 406 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W | 121 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1433 + Postage |
Sub $1500 Core 2 system with 8800GTS in the house!
$1750 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6600 | 419 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA Vitesta DDR2 800 | 197 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 320MB nVidia 8800GTS | 406 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | SilverStone Strider ST56F 560W | 121 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1610 + Postage |
$2000 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6600 | 419 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 667 | 165 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 768MB GeForce 8800GTX | 769 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 600W OCZ GameXStream | 165 | |
| Cooling | - | - | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1923 + Postage |
This is a $2000 system with an emphasis on stock performance (for those who do not plan to overclock), so it eschews the aftermarket HSF and high-end RAM in favour of a quicker CPU. It is still a hell of a machine, though!
$2000 Core 2 Duo (overclocking)
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6420 | 274 | |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA Vitesta DDR2 800 | 197 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 768MB GeForce 8800GTX | 769 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | iCute S901-4GA-SS | 72 | |
| Power Supply | 600W OCZ GameXStream | 165 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 1872 + Postage |
2K system designed for overclocking, hence the E6420 but DDR2 800 RAM and the trusty 1333 FSB of the 965P-DS3 V3.3
$2250 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6600 | 419 |  |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte 965P-DS3 V3.3 | 158 | |
| RAM | 2GB A-DATA DDR2 800 | 197 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 768MB GeForce 8800GTX | 769 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | Thermaltake Armor Jr. | 165 | |
| Power Supply | 700W OCZ GameXStream | 199 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 2144 + Postage |
$2500 Core 2 Duo
| Part | Model | Price | Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Core 2 Duo E6600 | 424 | |
| Motherboard | ASUS P5N32-E SLI PLUS | 285 | |
| RAM | 2GB G.Skill F2-6400PHU2-2GBHZ | 381 | |
| Hard Drive | 320GB Western Digital Caviar SE16 | 125 | |
| Optical Drive | 18x Pioneer DVR-212D SATA | 50 | |
| Graphics Card | 768MB GeForce 8800GTX | 769 | |
| Sound Card | Onboard from motherboard | - | |
| Case | Thermaltake Armor Jr. | 165 | |
| Power Supply | 700W OCZ GameXStream | 199 | |
| Cooling | Thermaltake BigTyp 120 | 62 | |
| Additional | - | - | |
| Total Cost | - | 2460 + Postage |
After this stage, you get to the area of diminishing returns. This machine is not so much faster than the $2250 system, more a better platform for going crazy with even more high end upgrades, such as two 8800s in SLi or quad core CPUs. However, after this stage, you will get to the stage of spending hundreds of dollars for a small improvement in performance.