Funds are usually an issue when purchasing a new computer. Most companies that package computers subsidize the cost of the hardware and software by installing different software and trials on the machine. They are also able to keep expenses down by using Celeron processors and other low-grade hardware. Many people walk away from buying a new low-cost machine feeling great about their purchase until a month goes by and the crap-ware that was preinstalled coupled with the processor and little RAM start slowing things way down. As we speak, I am working on a co-workers PC that he purchased from a well-know manufacturer that has: a Celeron processor, 1 GB of Ram, integrated video and a whole mess of pre-loaded crap-ware that was giving him problems. The alternative to this fiasco is to build your own low-end system using decent parts and keeping the cost down. You will be surprised with what kind of system you can build spending less than a prepackaged system from a major retailer.
Keep in mind that most any PC is outdated from the moment you purchase it, so it is not my intention, in this article, to equip you with a high-end machine. Rather, to give an average user a more powerful PC for their money, that can run many game titles on decent settings.
Here is a system that I put together for less than $400, with Windows 7 for the Student discount:
Motherboard
BIOSTAR TForce TA770A2+SE AM2+/AM2 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard $74.99
Processor
AMD Athlon X2 5000+ 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2+ 65W Dual-Core Processor $65.99
This processor rates well among users and has the ability to take advantage of the multi-core benefits in Windows 7. It’s dated, but we are trying to build a low cost machine, so this processor will do fine.
Video
XFX PVT95GZAFG GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $59.99
The video card is the most important aspect of a gaming system, so this may be an area that you’ll want to spend the money. This particular card will do nicely for many games on low-medium settings, but will struggle at higher resolutions and high detail.
Memory
Kingston HyperX NVIDIA SLI-Ready 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) $65.49
Hard Drive
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD2500AAKS 250GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ $47.99
Case
Cooler Master Elite 330 Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with Front USB and Audio Ports $49.99
Expansion Drives
SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA CD/DVD Burner $26.99
Total: $381.44
While you may not want to storm the beaches in Crysis on the highest settings with this setup, you will certainly get your money’s worth for a sub-$400 gaming system. Not ideal if you are an intensive gamer, but this rig should easily play any game on medium to high settings and lower resolutions with a decent FPS. Windows 7 should handle beautifully and startup and shutdown times should be minimal. Aero should have no hiccups running on the dedicated 9500GT and the 2GB of RAM should be fine for a 32-bit installation of Windows 7. Of course, mix and matching the components in this system will drop the price even lower, but this should give you a good idea as to what you can do for your Windows 7 gaming system with less than $400.
Next up: I’ll go over the specs for my mid-level gaming system which I built for myself for just under $700.
