Build an $800 Gaming PC
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| Component | Product (with review link) | Price | Summary |
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CPU |
Athlon 64 3000+ (socket 939) | $143 (
check) | Great for games, but down the line you’re going to want to move to a dual-core CPU. |
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Motherboard |
MSI K8N Neo4-F | $85 (
check) | Gets you into nForce 4 on the cheap, and is ready for dual-core CPUs later on. |
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Memory |
1GB Kingston PC3200 (512MB x2) | $82 (
check) | Not very low latency and not much overclocking headroom, but these DIMMs will give you 1GB without breaking the bank. |
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Graphics |
XFX GeForce 6600GT 128MB | $163 (
check) | You’ll definitely want to upgrade this as the mid-range cards using the next generation of PC graphics chips hits the market, but for now it’s a great deal. |
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|
Sound card |
Sound Blaster Audigy 2 Value | $50 (
check) | If you’re into games, it’s a sound investment (pardon the pun). We wouldn’t recommend it for home recording and the like, though. |
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|
Keyboard |
Microsoft Natural Multimedia | $20 (
check) | Microsoft makes reliable and comfortable keyboards with good software. The large media keys are more useful than you think. |
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Mouse |
Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical | $15 (
check) | It's not a cutting-edge 1600 DPI gaming mouse, but it's reliable and responsive, good for left or right-handed users, and includes side buttons. |
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|
Hard drive |
Hitachi Deskstar 7K80 80GB | $58 (
check) | Storage is like money – more is always better. You’ll probably grow beyond 80GB before long. For now, the performance and price are great. |
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Optical drive |
Lite-On SOHD-167T | $30 (
check) | It’s a cheap optical drive with pretty good performance, but it’s certainly worth it to spend more for a CD or DVD burner. |
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|
Case |
Antec Performance TX 640B with SmartPower 2.0 400W | $95 (
check) | This isn’t Antec’s most handsome case, nor its quietest, nor the most full-featured. But it’s solid, priced well, and includes a decent 400-watt power supply. |
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Operating system |
Windows XP Home | $74 (
check) | If you're into games, you want Windows XP. The Home Edition gives you everything you need, and costs a lot less than Pro. |
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| Total |
| $815 |
|
Okay, so the final price did creep over the $800 mark, but just barely. In a couple weeks, some of these components will drop in price even more. Note that these prices don't include tax or shipping—trying to predict that when every location has different tax rates and laws and will be ordering from different vendors, is an exercise in frustration.
Also note that, as is our way with the $800 Gaming PC build, we didn't include the cost of monitor and speakers. Most users looking to replace their gaming PC on the cheap have already got those and will continue to use them with their new system. Now let's take a look at the individual components.
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