PC Builds
PC Builds
Article: $649 DIY Budget Intel Gaming PC - June, 2013
With our high-end Haswell PC build now officially published and getting assembled by builders everywhere, we figured it was about time to post something more budget-friendly. We're keeping this build short-and-simple: It's targeted toward pure gamers looking to build a system for mid-to-high level of detail in games, so if you don't have much interest in a PC outside...
Article: Analysis: Haswell For Gaming - When Is It Appropriate to Upgrade?
Haswell's officially been out of embargo/NDA for a few days now, TigerDirect has launched its product offerings, and the internet is abuzz about Intel's...
Article: NVIDIA: ShadowPlay Retroactive Recording, Official GTX 780 Specs, More
In an official press conference hosted by nVidia last week, the company made several announcements pertaining to video capture software, frametime optimization, and the GTX 700 series release dates, MSRP, and specs.
Article: $694 Big Picture Gaming HTPC Build - May, 2013
As Cable companies find themselves facing their impending obsolescence, we've seen a surge in interest for living room PCs that double as DVR replacements and gaming consoles; our original $357 gaming HTPC posts proved the affordability of these custom builds, but today we're out to prove their versatility.
Article: New: Budget Rosewill Patriot Gaming Case Specs
Rosewill's been known to silently release budget/mid-range products without major press fanfare -- the Line-M, which we spotted at CES, is a recent example of this. The new Patriot case had no official press release, but is freshly available on Newegg and has been posted to
Article: $508 Cheap Bastard's DIY Gaming PC Build - April, 2013
It's been a while since we've run a proper "Cheap Bastard's gaming PC build," and feeling a bit nostalgic (and bastardly-cheap), we've decided to revisit the topic of a $500-range gaming PC. As always, the parts detailed herein are meant to get you on the ground with a DIY, custom gaming machine for dirt-cheap, and we think we've put together a list of reliable parts at a good price.
Article: Corsair Obsidian 350D M-ATX Mini Gaming Case & Specs
A recent retailer photoshoot of impending Corsair product launches saw leaked photos of an upcoming Micro-ATX case, branded the Obsidian 350D. Some specs for the Corsair Obsidian 350D Micro-ATX case are already confirmed, including cooling/radiator support, cable management, and other features (see below).
Article: $1143 SLI Mid-Range Gaming PC Build - April, 2013
NVidia's GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost was first revealed to us in one of the most straight-forward press events we've attended: It's running on the known GK106 platform, uses nVidia's Boost 1.0 tech (not available on the original 650s), and it wants to dominate AMD in the sub-$200 market. There was only a single question asked by the press corps—"is voltage user-controlled?"—and that was...
Article: PNY XLR8 Modular Liquid Cooling for Video Cards - Create a Custom SLI CLC
The outlook for PC gaming is bright: The enthusiast market sector is steadily growing—as it tends to do leading into a new console generation—and our industry contacts are all in agreement. During meetings with nVidia, Intel, Corsair, and even AMD (who have a vested interest in the new PS4 and Xbox), we were told emphatically that they firmly believe hardware...
Article: NVidia GTX 650 Ti Boost to Compete vs. 7850 in Sub-$200 Market
A few days before all this PAX East craziness, we were able to join nVidia in a press conference about their new mid-range GPU; the news was under embargo until just now, but for all our mid-range and entry-level system builders, now's the time to listen up - your GPU selection may be impacted by the release.
Article: Kingston's Gaming Focus & New HyperX Beast Black PCB Memory - PAX East 2013
One of the most refreshing aspects of covering large gaming/hardware events is the face-to-face interaction with vendors, providing an opportunity to really understand a company's philosophy (discussed here). PAX East 2013 (which just ended - sad face) saw the return of Kingston Technology's oft-packed HyperX gaming booth. Flanked on two sides by crowds of attendees awaiting...
Article: Enermax Previews T40 & T60 Special Edition Coolers; Teases CLCs
A manufacturer of cases, power supplies, coolers, and case fans, Enermax has recently branched out into some new territory in the DIY build market. Enermax’s new landgrabs include fan-less (passive) power supplies, liquid cooling, and even a portable amplifier. We looked at some of their new offerings while at PAX East and were particularly intrigued by some of the features in the Ostrog GT & Hoplite c...
Article: $540 StarCraft 2: HotS Budget Gaming PC - March, 2013
We've seen a lot of Heart of the Swarm machines hit the web lately, but frankly, they're all either overpriced or under-powered. The thing is, StarCraft 2 is already an incredibly optimized game (Blizzard's approach to gaming is to include everyone), so we don't need a 7850 for maximum settings, we don't need an i5-3570k overclocked through the roof, and we don't need a 700W PSU. If your sole purpose in life is to play Heart of the...
Article: $607 DIY Budget Gaming PC Build - February, 2013
Tax refund time is here and there's not much better of a way to reap the benefits of all those hours worked than to build your own gaming PC! I've scoured the interwebs for tax-time sales and, well, let's just say there's a lot out there for us to choose from. For a little over $600, this DIY budget gaming PC build is spec'd to run most games on high settings (or thereabouts) and is packed with goodies that should equip you to...
Article: $1126 High-End Crysis 3 Gaming PC Build - February, 2013
The legacy left by the original Crysis is one of worldwide renown: Shipping at just around the same time as nVidia's 8800-series GPUs—which were ground-breaking in their own right—the game promised to push PC gaming to new heights. It delivered. Well, graphically, at least; Crytek's CryEngine has famously pushed multi-FPU (floating-point-unit) support to better accommodate multi-core chips, and that trend continues with CryEngine...
Article: Mik's Picks: Weekend Hardware Sales - Cases, Laptops, Monitors
Another weekend has come-and-gone, seeing the addition of many hardware sales/deals out there for us to take advantage of. This week we dug up a great variety of sales, including a large hard drive, laptop, monitor, and a couple of sweet gaming cases. Let's jump straight into this weekend's best sales we found:
Article: Rosewill Armor Evolution Gaming Case Benchmark / Review
UPDATE: Rosewill has read our review and is addressing the quality issues in an upcoming "version 2" of the Armor Evolution case. We will review this case once it is complete and in our hands. As noted in our post-CES case round-up, mid-tower and full tower / enthusiast cases were all the rage this year; in a frighteningly unstable desktop PC market—one which s...
Article: $1141 High-End Overclocking/Gaming PC Build - January, 2013
Not all chips are produced as equals: Some bin-out with a higher frequency threshold than others, and K-SKUs (by both AMD and Intel) often have a higher bottom-line than their non-K brethren; these chips are made for overclocking, and we think you should take advantage of that function -- it's a quick way to eek more life out of your system, oh, and it's fun. I love seeing how much I can get out of my system, and with this in mind, we...
Article: The Best Gaming PC Cases of CES - 2013 Case Round-Up
CES 2013 was a killer show for enthusiast and mid-range system builders, and with all of the great new content we've posted in the past week, we decided it's time to write a round-up. This post looks at all of the best gaming PC cases due for release in 2013, as revealed at CES. For those looking for advice on how to choose the best computer case for your needs, view our "How to Choose a...
Article: In-Win's Open-Air D-Frame DIY Gaming PC Case - Build It Yourself
The last day of CES was a magical time: Filled with indelible back pain, a vocal hoarseness unachievable through usual means, and (for the first time all show) a free hour to walk around, we were able to spot some truly innovative designs on the show floor. We first encountered In-Win on the Monday before CES 2013 (when we inadvertently snuck in -- oops), but were not allowed to share their unique new chassis with you until...
