P { MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.08in } H3 { MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.08in } @page {margin: 0.79in; } P { MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.08in } H3 { MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0.08in } A:link { so-language: zxx }
Target Resolution: 1280x720 to 1600x1200
Guru3D's guide will only cover the box. Monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers are not included. I do this for brevity's sake, as the monitor alone would require its own guide, especially if I were to cover LCD monitors.
Since this site is called "Guru3D" this guide will target a system intended for gaming primarily while not spending heaps of money. So what sort of criteria do I take into account when deciding what parts to recommend?
For those wondering about "Target Resolution," instead of listing a particular price point (since price will vary somewhat with vendor/e-tailer) I have listed here what type of resolutions you can expect to be playing most of today's games (with AA and AF on of course) on such a rig, both standard and widescreen resolutions were taken into consideration.
Phenom II X3 710 AM3 or Intel Core 2 Duo E7400
AMD makes it back to the list thanks to their latest Phenom II processors. Much more competitive clock for clock with the Core 2 Duo's then their predecessors, AMD has made a number of improvements over the Phenom architecture, including a shrink to the 45nm process and significantly more L3 cache. If you want to know more about the changes/improvements the Phenom II brings to the table I suggest you check out our review.
Check out these Guru3D related reviews:
For the Intel platform we stick with the latest Wolfdale core. The Wolfdale core includes a shrink to the 45nm manufacturing process, additional SSE 4.1 instructions and increased cache. The E7400 represents the latest entry level offering for the Wolfdale family, replacing the E7300 I recommended in my previous guide and anyone on a budget will love this processor and its overclocking potential.
Zalman CNPS9500
The stock HSF will provide ample cooling power for your Core 2 Duo or Phenom II, but you want to treat your CPU right don't you??? The Zalman CNPS9500 series offers versions for either AMD or Intel processors, offering high quality air cooling while remaining extremely quiet. And it can do it in style with an LED fan and unique copper finned design.
This is what to look for when buying a motherboard, regardless of chipset or processor it supports:
Editor's Choice AMD: A motherboard based on the AMD 790X chipset. My personal choice is the Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P. Wide support for various AMD processors (AM3, AM2+ and AM2) Crossfire support, 8+2 phase power design, good chipset cooling and all the features you would expect from a mid-range motherboard. For those of you not interested in Crossfire support you can save some bucks and go for the Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3P we reviewed here.
Editor's Choice Intel: A motherboard based on the Intel P45 chipset. My personal choice is the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P. Very clean layout, Crossfire support, good chipset cooling and stacked with more features then you would expect from a mid-range motherboard.
Editor's Note: While I give my recommendation with only a single drive in mind there are many configurations available. Here's a list:
Remember that DDR2 latencies are much higher than DDR. So always take advantage of lower latency memory. Lower latency modules will have timings in the range of CAS 4-4-4-12. Keep an eye on the default voltage for the module, the default for DDR2 is 1.8v, if the default is higher (and on 800 MHz DDR2 RAM or higher it likely is) then make sure your motherboard can support it. Don't forget to buy that RAM in matched pairs so you can take advantage of dual channel for a slight boost to performance, most memory makers now sell match pairs for your convenience.
Editor's Choice: Corsair XMS2 or OCZ HPC Reaper series. Excellent brands, excellent sticks of RAM and very good price.
Check out Guru3D related reviews:
For NVIDIA fans, my recommendation remains the same... although NVIDIA has pulled a completely unnecessary name change on the 9800 GTX+ to the GTS 250. Still it offers great performance and a low price.
Check out Guru3D related reviews:
Vista has left the audio card market wide open by removing direct hardware access, thus taking away Creative's long enjoyed performance advantage thanks to EAX. Into the fray comes Asus with an excellent card for those looking for an alternative. Whatever the choice, you can at last bid farewell to PCI as both these cards are PCI-Express 1x.
Our own audiophile Brann Mitchel: Speaking of fearsome, it took all of 5 seconds of listening to the Xonar D2X to know that it is our new reference sound card. This unseats the Auzentech X-Fi Prelude at the high end (not that we really keep track of these things) as our favorite all-around card to game, listen to music, and watch movies with.
Check out Guru3D related reviews:
I have a few suggestions when looking for a case. Aluminum is a definite plus; it will make your computer significantly lighter. 120mm fans are the way to go as well, ensuring good airflow in your case while maintaining a minimum of noise. A removable motherboard tray is particularly useful in cramped cases.
For a frame of reference: NVIDIA recommends 550 Watts with 40A on the 12V rail for the GeForce GTX 280. Just remember: don't try and buy a cheap generic brand to save some cash, just because it says 1000 Watts (or whatever the number is) doesn't mean it can actually handle that (sadly). Quality counts big, be sure to get a quality power supply or you can face any number of problems.
Check out some of our many power supply reviews here.
Onwards to the next page please where we look at the mid-range gaming PC of our choice.