[GUIDE] Computer Parts Guide June 01, 2009

i'm going to restart this guide, but with a few changes. instead of a weekly update that i can't really keep up, i'm going to update at the first monday of each month. this means that exact pricing can change during the time between each updates. i'm also going to stop counting mail in rebates entirely, because that changes far too quickly for me to keep track of. lastly, i'll also add monitor recommendations for each system. all this means, is that prices will appear to be higher.

NOTE: operating systems and peripherals will not be included in the prices. all prices are in USD. you don't have to use the exact monitor listed, but what you should take away is the resolution used and base your purchases on that.

The Econobox

for those who wants to play GW at max settings (1680x1050 resolution, AAx4, AF16) for as little money as possible

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103300 $59.99
motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128342 $49.99
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231087 $30.99
case+PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811147030 $64.99
hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136075 $41.99
optical drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151171 $24.99
video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121317 $99.99
display: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009126 $139.99

final: $512.92

quite possibly the cheapest computer to ever be considered a "gaming" computer, this setup nevertheless packs quite a punch. guildwars should have no issue running on it, and it can even handle most modern games fairly well at that resolution. the HD4770 is also a very strong overclocker, so don't be shy about cranking it up a few notches.

entry gamer

for those who are on a tight budget, and want as much game as possible.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103648 $119
motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157162 $89.99
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231219 $49.99
case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042 $58.95
hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073 $59.99
optical drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151171 $24.99
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371004 $59.99
video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161268 $169.99
display: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824009175 $169.99

final: $802.88

who'd thought that an "entry" level gaming setup can drive a 1080p display? despite its low price, this system should be able to handle almost all modern games at that resolution, with everything turned up.

mainstream gamer

everything you'll need for gaming beyond 1080p

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103675 $225.00
motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136067 $169.99
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231142 $84.99
case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129042 $58.95
hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136073 $59.99
optical drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151171 $24.99
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371015 $89.99
video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150368 $259.99
display: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001309 $299.99

final: $1274.88

excellent performance combined with excellent value. it should easily handle almost any game out there at that resolution.

high end system

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115202 $279.99
motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131386 $209.99
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231223 $89.99
case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119138 $189.99
hard drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136319 $74.99
optical drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151171 $24.99
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371026 $139.99
video: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814143167 $529.99
display: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824001309 $299.99

final: $1839.91

this setup cuts no corners and tries to provide as much performance as possible. unfortunately, an "affordable" 30" monitor does not exist at this time, so it shall use the same monitor as the previous setup.

version history
06/01/09: updated parts and prices
05/22/09: first version of revised guide

Econobox - £407.42
AMD X2 Dual Core AM2 Athlon 64 7750 Black Edition 2.7GHz £48.99
Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H Motherboard AMD Phenom FX Socket AM2+/AM2 AMD 740G Micro ATX RAID £50.59
Corsair XMS2 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C4 800MHz £26.44
Novatech Corona Micro ATX Tower Case With a 450w PSU £29.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 160GB 8MB Cache Hard Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm £34.37
Samsung S223F 22x DVD+/-RW 8x £21.56
XFX ATI Radeon HD 4770 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI PCI-Express £86.24
Novatech 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor £109.24

Cheap - £688.06
AMD Phenom II X3 Tri Core 710 2.6GHz Socket AM3 £103.50
DFI LAN Party DK 790FXB-M2RSH - Socket AM2+ -AMD 790FX-Raid-SATA-Gigabit Lan-ATX £126.49
Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 800MHz £41.39
Antec Three Hundred Case - Black - No Psu £45.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500Gb 16MB Cache Hard Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm £43.67
Samsung S223F 22x DVD+/-RW 8x £21.56
ThermalTake TR2 550Watt PSU £44.84
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD4870 512MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI HDMI PCI-Express £103.49
Asus VH222H 22" Widescreen True HD LCD Monitor - Black £157.13

Mid - £982.50
AMD Phenom II X4 Quad Core 945 3.0GHz Socket AM3 £194.35
DFI LAN Party DK 790FXB-M2RSH-Socket AM2+-AMD 790FX-Raid-SATA-Gigabit Lan-ATX £126.49
Kingston 2GB DDR3 1600MHz Non-ECC CL9 (kit of 2 x 1GB) 9-9-9-27 1.9V £70.15
Antec Three Hundred Case - Black - No Psu £45.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500Gb 16MB Cache Hard Drive SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm £43.67
Samsung S223F 22x DVD+/-RW 8x £21.56
Antec TruePower New Modular 650W Power Supply £80.49
XFX ATI Radeon 4890 1024MB GDDR5 (PCI-Express) Graphics Card (850MHz - not o'clocked) £172.49
Samsung SM-2433BW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £227.31

High end - £1349.09
Intel Core i7 920 "D0 Stepping" 2.66Ghz (Nehalem) (Socket LGA1366) £229.99
Asus P6T SE Intel X58 (Socket 1366) PCI-Express DDR3 Motherboard £160.99
Kingston 3GB 1800MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 (kit of 3 - 1GB) 9-9-9-27 1.65v £139.15
ThermalTake Khandalf With Liquid Cooling System Black Case :P £167.45
Western Digital Caviar Black 640GB 32Mb Cache HDD SATAII 300MB/s <8.9ms 7200rpm £55.19
Samsung S223F 22x DVD+/-RW 8x £21.56
ThermalTake Toughpower 750Watt PSU £91.99
EVGA GeForce GTX 295 SLI 1792MB GDDR3 55nm TV-Out/Dual DVI PCI Express £422.91
Samsung SM-2433BW 24" Widescreen LCD Monitor - Glossy Black £227.31

Usual disparity with trans-Atlantic pricing. Agree with the comment about 30" monitors though - Dell Ultrasharp 3008WFP 30" Widescreen LCD Flat Panel Monitor £1124.45

(Oh, and apologies for the Kingston RAM - bit lacking in options there )