Why drop $1500 on a crisp gaming rig when you can get something for 1/3 the price and similar power? This machine will last gamers a minimum of two years, and after that, you can always drop another 6GB of memory on it and a new GPU.
Note: Our wishlist is still being accepted on Newegg, so we've instead linked each item to its proper location on Newegg.
The Macro:
Core:
ASRock A780LM
Palit GT240 1GB
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Brisbane 2.9GHz
G.Skill 2GB (2x1) DDR2 1000 (PC 8000)
Apevia 500W ATX PSU
Drives/Adapters:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner
Samsung 320GB 7200RPM 16mb cache HDD
Exterior/Cooling:
Broadway Com Corp Sonic Case
The Micro:
Motherboard:
ASRock A780LM Motherboard Link
$55
For those of us on a budget this motherboard cannot be beaten: PCI-Express 2.0 x16, USB 2.0, plenty of SATA ports, and support for up to 8GBs of DDR2 memory all for an easy $55 from the offspring of ASUS.
Video Card:
Palit GT240 1GB Link
$90
Cost-to-performance, there is no card out there that can match this one's ratio. This baby can hold its own with cards $30 above its price with a core clock of 575 MHz and a shader clock of 1400 MHz, based on the renowned 8800, the 240 has similar architecture and lifespan. A little bit of overclocking, and you're good to go.
CPU:
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Brisbane 2.9GHz Link
$55
CPU's have come a long way in the past few years, and I couldn't believe it when I saw this 2.9GHz Dual-Core for $55. We may be going for budget here, but quality is not something easily forgotten, don't pass this one up.
Memory:
G.Skill 2GB (2x1) DDR2 1000 (PC 8000) Link
$53
2GB of RAM will be plenty for the gamer on a budget, considering at any given time you won't be running more than one game/high-end program. For $50, you get 2GB of 1066MHz memory with a CAS of 5-5-5-15.
Power Supply:
APEVIA 500W ATX Power Supply Link
$35 - $20 MIR = $15
As shown on our budget overclocking build, the $15 this power supply simply cannot be beaten. We suggest you take advantage of this deal as soon as you can!
Optical drive:
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Link
$26
With above par speeds, a cheap price tag, and a reliable brand this optical drive is simply a no-brainer.
Speeds: DVD+R 8X, DVD+RW 12X, DVD+R DL 24X, DVD-R 6X, DVD-RW 12X, DVD-RAM 16X, DVD-ROM 48X, CD-R 32X, CD-RW 48X.
Hard Drive:
Samsung 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache HDD Link
$50 + Free Shipping
A 320GB capacity will handle all the games a budget gamer needs to worry about, and it still retains a strong operating speed of 7200 RPM. For $50, you get 16MB of cache - better than most of the other similarly priced HDDs out there right now.
Case:
Broadway Com Corp Sonic Case Link
$60 - $30 Instant = $30
No gamer wants his PC to melt, and this case will prevent just that. With two 120mm front and back fans as well as a single 180mm fan on the side, your computer will keep cool and running at top speeds during even the most demanding games.
Grand Total:
$393
~Brant "The_Bob" Armstrong
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner
Samsung 320GB 7200RPM 16mb cache HDD