PC Gaming Rigs
By Le Chupacabra
Ever wanted to invest in a PC that truly gives exciting gaming experiences? Tired of having to play old games over and over again until you can practically go through each level blindfolded? We’re here to help.
After quite a bit of research, we’ve collected and assimilated information for the needs of you, the PC gamer. We’ve rated each of these four Gaming PCs much like the difficulty selection in a videogame. Starting with the workhorse-like Easy to the Medium powerhouse we go on towards the elite Hard model and the ultimate beast: the Extreme Gaming PC. Note that prices are updated as of printing and are subject to change. They’re merely there to give you a rough idea of how much it’s going to dent your wallet. Also, these PCs have been designed with the PC gamer in mind, so obviously they’ll be pricier than more normal models, innit?
Level: Easy
| Particulars | Details | Price+ |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz | 8, 950/= |
| Motherboard | Intel Desktop Board 865GBF | 6, 350/= |
| RAM | 512 MB DDR1 (333 Bus) | 3, 400/= |
| HDD | Maxtor 80GB ATA (7200rpm) | 4, 100/= |
| Graphics | Radeon 9600 Pro 256MB AGP8x | 8, 000/= |
| Sound Card | Built-in 6-channel Audio | |
| Display | Samsung 17” Flat CRT | 7, 750/= |
| Speakers | Altec Lansing ATP3 2.1 | 4, 800/= |
| FDD | Panasonic 1.44 MB | 400/= |
| Optical Drive | Gigabyte/Sony DVD-ROM 16x | 2, 450/= |
| Keyboard | Multimedia | 450/= |
| Mouse | Optical Scroll | 450/= |
| Casing | ATX 350V | 1, 700/= |
| LAN Card | SureCom 10/100-Base | 250/= |
| | TOTAL | 49, 050/= |
| Misc. Options | ASUS/Imation CD-RW Burner 52x32x52x (add-on) | 2, 050/= |
| | nVidia GeForce FX5700 256MB AGP8x* | 8, 500/= |
| | MicroLab X4 5.1 | 6, 000/= |
(add-on): Another option to add onto your PC to take advantage of improved performance.
*: Consider it a suitable alternative to the relevant product mentioned in the main list.
+: Prices are updated as of printing and are ALWAYS subject to change.
This is your basic, no-frills, bare-bones Gaming PC. General tasks such as DVD-ripping, movie viewing, standard office applications and media editing will be handled quite well with this model, so expect suitable performance increments in the other models. Since we are dealing with game performance I decided to keep a 256MB video-card even for this the lowest-end model. Also, note the Flat CRT monitor which offers crisp, clean visuals at a more affordable price than an LCD monitor. 17” is a minimum requirement for enjoying your PC games (and movie experiences). Since prices are now relatively cheap, I’ve kept a DVD-ROM since most games are more readily available on the medium as well. Altec Lansing speakers are generally the best available. You’re getting greater sound fidelity and quality as opposed to the MicroLab model, despite the ATP3 being 2.1. The ATP3 is pretty much a value buy, in this case. Also, Altec Lansing speakers are quite stylish in design and really complement a high-tech gaming set-up. This ATI card isn’t something you’ll hear people rave about, but its cheap price belies the actual level of performance you’ll be receiving! The nVidia substitute for those interested has been listed in the Misc. Options section. Also note that since there are many Product Partners for the graphics cards, you’ll only have to make sure you’re getting the correct chipset. Names like Sparkle, Gigabyte, et al mean nothing: as long it’s an nVidia or a Radeon chipset it’s all that matters! A LAN card is essential for perusing the InterWeb or for LAN/Online gaming if your connection is good enough. Also note that I’ve mentioned either ASUS or Imation for the writable optical drive. Once again it’s a matter of preference. I’ve used an Imation CD-RW drive for about 3½ years now and it’s still running strong with the same great performance it gave me while it was new. However, if you prefer ASUS, go ahead and make the purchase. Also, for the DVD-ROMs I’ve recommended both Sony and Gigabyte. Most people say Sony is excellent, and personal experience tells me a Gigabyte DVD-ROM drive is rather good too. Avoid ASUS DVD-ROM drives like the plague since they burn out easily. This applies for the next few models as well.
Level: Medium
| Particulars | Details | Price+ |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz w/ HT | 19, 500/= |
| Motherboard | Intel Desktop Board 915GAV | |
| RAM | 1.0 GB DDR1 (400 Bus) | 6, 800/= |
| HDD | Maxtor 80GB SATA | 4, 700/= |
| Graphics | Radeon X600 Pro 256MB PCI-E | 11, 500/= |
| Sound Card | Creative SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 | 1, 900/= |
| Display | 17” Samsung Flat CRT | 7, 750/= |
| Speakers | MicroLab X4 5.1 | 6,000/= |
| FDD | Panasonic 1.44 MB | 400/= |
| Optical Drive | Gigabyte/Sony DVD-ROM 16x | 2, 450/= |
| Keyboard | Multimedia | 450/= |
| Mouse | Optical Scroll | 450/= |
| Casing | ATX 400V | 2, 000/= |
| LAN Card | On-board 10/100-base | |
| | TOTAL | 63, 900/= |
| Misc. Options | ASUS/Imation CD-RW Burner 52x32x52x (add-on) | 2, 100/= |
| | Radeon X700 256MB PCI-I* | 13, 100/= |
(add-on): Another option to add onto your PC to take advantage of improved performance.
*: Consider it a suitable alternative to the relevant product mentioned in the main list.
+: Prices are updated as of printing and are ALWAYS subject to change.
Now we’ve moved onto the higher-end Intel motherboard which supports the new PCI-Express graphics format. PCI-Express offers much faster performance than AGP8x, but the products aren’t as widespread. Even then, you should really take advantage of this new technology to up the ante of gaming performance even further! Here we use a HT processor but you shouldn’t a big deal of it because the average BD gamer has no such need. Notice the jump to the SATA HDD. While the same size as the previous offering, the SATA transfer-rates are roughly 10x faster than the normal ATA drives. It’s a rather huge jump in performance and something that’s instantly noticeable. All subsequent models will use SATA drives as well. I’ve also moved up to ATI’s X series of graphics cards which are currently market leaders. The other items follow suit.
Level: Hard
| Particulars | Details | Price+ |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz w/ HT | 22, 500/= |
| Motherboard | Intel Desktop Board 915GAV | |
| RAM | 1.5 GB DDR1 (400 Bus) | 10, 200/= |
| HDD | Maxtor 120GB SATA | 6, 800/= |
| Graphics | nVidia 6600 GT 256MB PCI-E | 17, 000/= |
| Sound Card | Creative Audigy 2 ZS | 6, 800/= |
| Display | Samsung 17” LCD | 22, 000/= |
| Speakers | Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 | 7, 500/= |
| FDD | Panasonic 1.44 MB | 400/= |
| Optical Drive 1 | Gigabyte/Sony DVD-ROM 16x | 2, 450/= |
| Optical Drive 2 | ASUS/Imation CD-RW Burner 52x32x52x | 2, 050/= |
| Keyboard | Multimedia | 450/= |
| Mouse | Optical Scroll | 450/= |
| Casing | ATX 400V Thermal (w/ display) | 2, 000/= |
| LAN Card | On-board 10/100-base | |
| | TOTAL | 100, 600/= |
| Misc. Options | ASUS/Imation DVD±RW 16x8x8x40x24x* | 6, 500/= |
| | Radeon X700 Pro 256MB PCI-E* | 17, 000/= |
| | LG 19” Flatron CRT | 16, 500/= |
| | Altec Lansing 5100 5.1 | 12, 500/= |
(add-on): Another option to add onto your PC to take advantage of improved performance.
*: Consider it a suitable alternative to the relevant product mentioned in the main list.
+: Prices are updated as of printing and are ALWAYS subject to change.
As you can see from the specs, this is a rather powerful machine, so I’ve added a few more things to really get the best out of it. The nVidia 6600 GT offers brilliant performance, although the Radeon offering is equally brilliant. We’ve also got an upgrade to a 17” LCD screen. The quality is nothing short of breathtaking and your games will tend to look rather amazing. If you want to save some cash, I’ve also included a downgrade to the 19” LG Flatron CRT. While it’s not LCD, it still looks awesome and the extra screen size makes up for it in spades. I’ve stuck with the Audigy sound card since it offers an amazing sound experience regardless of the speakers! We’ve also got a nice little update to the Creative Inspire T7700 7.1 system; with 6 directional speakers and a central speaker you can experience true surround sound like never before! Also included are two optical drives as opposed to one. A DVD-ROM is a natural choice and the CD-RW drive really comes in handy when making back-ups, burning music CDs and what-have-you. I’ve also decided that with these components, a Thermal casing is a better choice and the monitor-display gives your casing a sophisticated ‘tech’ look. You can also do one thing: replace both optical drives with one DVD±RW drive since they’re rather economically priced now. However, I recommend that you retain your DVD-ROM drive. Why? Because reading pirated discs on the DVD±RW drive will burn it out faster so you’re better off relegating reading tasks to the ROM drive.
Level: Extreme (for now)
| Particulars | Details | Price+ |
| Processor | AMD Athlon64 3400+ 64-bit | 14, 200/= |
| Motherboard | ASUS K8NV nForce3 Motherboard | 6, 100/= |
| RAM | 2.0 GB DDR1 (400 Bus) | 14, 800/= |
| HDD | Samsung 160 GB SATA | 7, 500/= |
| Graphics | nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra 256MB AGP8x | 38, 000/= |
| Sound Card | Creative Audigy Platinum Pro | 15, 500/= |
| Display | Samsung 19” LCD | 42, 000/= |
| Speakers | Creative Inspire GD580 5.1 Home Theatre | 13, 500/= |
| FDD | Panasonic 1.44 MB | 400/= |
| Optical Drive 1 | Plextor DVD±RW 16x8x8x40x24x | 10, 500/= |
| Optical Drive 2 | Gigabyte/Sony DVD-ROM 16x | 2, 450/= |
| Keyboard | Multimedia | 450/= |
| Mouse | A4 Tech Optical Wireless | 1, 500/= |
| Casing | Server ATX 600V Thermal (w/ display) | 4, 500/= |
| LAN Card | D.Link 10/100-Base | 450/= |
| | TOTAL | 171, 850/= |
| Misc. Options | Radeon X800 XT Platinum 256MB AGP8x* | 30, 000/= |
| | AverMedia TV-Tuner (add-on) | 4, 200/= |
| | Creative Inspire T7700 7.1* | 7, 500/= |
(add-on): Another option to add onto your PC to take advantage of improved performance.
*: Consider it a suitable alternative to the relevant product mentioned in the main list.
+: Prices are updated as of printing and are ALWAYS subject to change.
Now, if you’re a nutter with no concept of money, then this machine is what you need. Since we’re looking for optimal gaming experiences, out goes the P4 processor and in comes the scarily powerful AMD Athlon64 64-bit processor (the P4 is a 32-bit processor). However, don’t expect double the level of performance if that’s what you’re thinking. Nonetheless, you will notice a significant jump. Unfortunately, the motherboard doesn’t support PCI-Express, so I tagged on the most powerful AGP graphics card you can find here: the nVidia 6800 Ultra. It is sh*t powerful. The X800 offering is also the best Radeon card you’ll be able to buy as well. Coupled with the Athlon64 processor, you’ll be in true gaming nirvana. For the best sound processor, I’ve chosen Creative’s indomitable Audigy Platinum series which offers the richest, cleanest and sharpest 24-bit sound around. The added expansion bay also allows you to attach all manner of Auxiliary (aka Composite), S/P-DIF Digital and Optical connections to take advantage of Dolby Digital and Dolby Pro Logic II processing. A gargantuan 19” LCD will make the viewing experience even sweeter! For the speaker set-up I went with the GD580, which is Creative’s brilliant 5.1 surround offering. True it’s not 7.1, but the GD580 offers hardware-based real-time Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Pro Logic II processing. And man, unless you’ve heard true Dolby, you don’t know what you’re missing! I’ve upgraded the DVD±RW drive brand as well. Plextor offers absolutely superior performance for the premium price you’re paying. Like I stated before, it’s better to have a secondary DVD-ROM drive along with the DVD±RW drive. This is to make sure your RW drive doesn’t get burned out from reading too many pirated discs. For the LAN card, I’ve gone with the expensive D.Link offering since their networking products offer unmatched performance. You’ll definitely need a Server 600V ATX Thermal casing to make sure this beast gets enough power! Buy a few additional fans to make sure you’re on the safe side with this one. And make sure it’s a good-looking chassis, or you won’t do the specs any justice!
Also as a side note, you may want to consider an alternate version:
| Components | Details | Price+ |
| Processor | Intel Pentium 4 3.4 GHz HT | 21, 000/= |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-8N-SLi Pro nVidia nForce4 Board | 13, 000/= |
| RAM | 2.0 GB DDR2 (533 Bus) | 15, 000/= |
| Graphics 1 | nVidia 6600 GT SLi 256MB PCI-E | 34, 000/= |
| Graphics 2 | nVidia 6600 GT SLi 256MB PCI-E | |
| | TOTAL | 182, 750/= |
| Misc. Graphics | ATI Radeon X850 XT Platinum 512MB PCI-E* | 40, 000/= |
| | nVidia GeForce 6800 GT SLi 256MB PCI-E* x2 | 66, 000/= |
| | nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra SLi 512MB PCI-E* x2 | 78, 000/= |
Here, I’ve nixed the Athlon64 for the conventional P4. As of printing, there were no PCI-Express AMD Motherboards so in order to take advantage of the extreme speeds of PCI-E cards, I’ve found this bloody sweet (and brand new) motherboard: the Gigabyte GA-8N-SLi Pro nVidia nForce4 Board (say that 10 times, fast). As you can see, the nVidia CPU chipset used is the brand new nForce4 SLi as opposed to the ASUS one’s nForce3. And, for graphics whores, you’ll be extremely pleased to know that this particular board supports nVidia’s proprietary SLi technology. What does that mean? It means that you can simultaneously connect TWO SLi-supported nVidia graphics cards for TWICE the performance as opposed to a single card! (Thus, the Graphics 1 and 2 options.) So connect up to two 6600 GT SLi’s for 512MB of VRAM and an insane level of graphical prowess! If you can wing it, then go for TWO GeForce 6800 GT SLi’s! For reference, note that the Xbox 360 graphics processor is better than two GeForce 6800 GTs(!!!!) while that of the PS3 surpasses two GeForce 6800 ULTRAs(even more !!!!s) [the ULTRA is more powerful than the GT] working in tandem!!! And lastly, I’ve given a RAM upgrade to the much faster DDR2 RAM which runs at an insanely fast 533MHz Bus speed. This combined with the P4 3.4GHz HT processor, MORE than makes up for the loss of the AMD Athlon64’s 64-bit game crunching action! All other things remain as per the main list, so I’ve only taken the new stuff into consideration for the new total. As always, Misc. Options are not included in the total. I’d like to add that this combination of the GigaByte GA-8N-SLi Pro nForce4 SLi Motherboard and TWO GeForce 6600 GTs running on PCI-E buses, with DDR2 memory for RAM is probably the most powerful configuration and I recommend this version without any reservation whatsoever! The motherboard itself is extremely feature-laden; it’s a gaming freak’s dream come true! The large leeway it offers when it comes to overclocking abilities also gives it an unprecedented level of flexibility when compared to other board solutions!
NOTES:
- Like Caprice Bourett wrote in her letter to me, I must also emphasize the importance of a reliable cooling system for your gaming rig. You should definitely buy a large casing so that all your internal peripherals have breathing space. This also prevents wires and such from getting cluttered up. That will only contribute to the build-up of heat. If possible you can use those detachable little white plastic rings to keep things grouped together - both inside and outside. Even the Easy model should have atleast one extra Casing Fan to keep the temperature down. I recommend 1-2 extra fans for the Easy model, 2-3 for the Medium, 3 for the Hard and 3-4 for the Extreme. You should definitely go for casings with Thermal displays for the Hard and Extreme and only if you have the cash, for the Easy and Medium as well. This way you can keep track of the temperature; it's particularly useful when overclocking comes into play. You should note that extra fans also add a lot to system noise. If you don't mind it, then good - however, it’s still preferred that you search around for 'silent' fans at the very least. These are more expensive but usually worth it. And do not forget, a Server Casing is simply a must for the Extreme model and if you have the cash, it'll be better that you get one for the Medium model as well.
- It is essential that the Extreme and Hard models are used with a 1200VA UPS or else if the electricity dies, you'll have saaaaaaaaaaaaaay.... um 2 minutes before your PC says bye-bye. Repeated occurrences like that will KILL your PC. So yeah, definitely go for a 1200VA UPS and no less, for the aforementioned models.
- For ALL models: A UPS must be purchased for your PC and if it doesn't have a built-in voltage stabilizer/surge protector, then that too must be bought. Having a UPS and a Voltage Stabilizer/Surge Protector is as important as your warranty for protecting your investment. Micro UPSs are usually darn good although I've currently been using this brand called iNeat (supplied by a retailer called ECSAS). It's given me some great performance. However, in the end, your choice is your own and if you wish, you can ask your preferred vendor for their recommendations.
- URGENT: As you should know, the IDB Bhaban IT Fair will be held around the first to second week of this December, 2005. You can take advantage of discounted prices and newer hardware then. I recommend you buy your rig at that time.
- LAST WORD: Once again, this entire article is a rough guide that should merely help you gain a better idea for your dream rig. The prices always fluctuate, so you should always be prepared. Note that, on an average, the prices will increase/decrease by about 100-200TK. from the listings giving here.
By Le Chupacabra
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