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Advice on a good cheap gaming system

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  #1  
Old 03-23-2006
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Folkestone
Member since: Feb 2004, 170 posts
Advice on a good cheap gaming system

Hello All,
I have been looking to buy a good system for playing games on as ive been playing all games that have been coming out lately on medium-to low settings, and im getting a bit fed up with it.

Well ive been looking around first for web sites i can buy from with cheap prices, and i think i found a good one last night, but this is my problem, i dunno what to look for, for a good gaming system.

Any way, this is what i have so far: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/index.php?page=results

I am looking for a system at around £1000, and what i got there (for £1289) isnt bad.....is it?

Im looking for a system that will be future proof, easy to upgrade, and one that will last me a while in the begginging before i have to upgrade.

So what do you think? Yay Or Nay?

Thanks.
  #2  
Old 03-23-2006
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Folkestone
Member since: Feb 2004, 170 posts
Sorry, just seen that that link dont display properly, hang on ill post all the specs.
  #3  
Old 03-23-2006
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Location: Folkestone
Member since: Feb 2004, 170 posts
CPU
AMD® ATHLON® 64BIT X2 4400 1MB L2 Cache
Memory
2048 MB DDR400 PC3200 WITH LIFETIME WARRANTY! (2x1GB)
Motherboard
ASUS® A8N32-SLI DELUXE: DUAL DDR, S-ATA, 2 x x16 VGA, 3 PCI
USB Options
SIX USB 2.0 PORTS (4 REAR + 2 FRONT)
Hard Drive
SATA II 160 GB HARD DISK @ 7200rpm 8mb cache (Special Offer)
Second Hard Drive
NONE
RAID
NONE
DVD ROM/Combi Drive
16X DVD ROM WITH 48X CD ROM
CD/DVD Writer
4x +R DUAL LYR DVD WRITER (16x +/-R) (& RW) + 40x CD-RW (£24)
Graphics Card 1
512MB RADEON X1900XTX PCI Express + DVI + TV-OUT
Graphics Card 2
NONE
Sound Card
HIGH END ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL SOUND (RECOMMENDED)
Modem
NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Network Facilities
2 x 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORTS ONBOARD
Floppy Drive/Card Reader
1.44MB FLOPPY DISK DRIVE
Case
Stylish Silver X-Plode Case + 2 Front USB
Power Supply & Cooling
500W (Peak) Silent Dual Rail PSU + 120mm fan & quiet CPU Cooler (£45)
Operating System required
NONE
Firewire & Video Editing
1 x FIREWIRE PORT ONBOARD (A8N-SLI DELUXE ONLY)
Monitor
NONE
Keyboard
NONE
Mouse
NONE
Speakers
NONE
Printer
NONE
Anti-Virus
NONE
Office Software
NONE
TV Card
NONE
Warranty
1 Year Return-to-Base Warranty + 1 Month Free Collect & Return
  #4  
Old 03-23-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Get a 10,000 RPM 150GB Raptor. (Hard drive) Other than that, dude that is an awesome gaming system and is future proof. (512MB video memory, 2GB RAM, Dual-core) 10,000 RPM Raptors are currently one of the (If not THE) fastest hard drives because of their 10,000 RPM.
  #5  
Old 03-23-2006
spartanslayer's Avatar
TechSpot Booster
 
Location: San Jose, California
Member since: Nov 2005, 464 posts
I agree, get one of those raptors and you will have a sweet rig. What do you mean cheap? That system costs 4x as much as mine!
  #6  
Old 03-23-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
That is one of the best systems available at the moment. And he calls it "cheap". Pssh that's cheap talk. Maybe that's cheap for rich people like him. The best gaming system possible is not too far from his. He just needs 4GB Corsair XMS, 1TB 10,000RPM hard drive (second) and 10,000RPM 150GB raptor, 2 X1900XTX cards in a crossfire setup, FX-60 etc; But I think his system is VERY good because CrossFire and SLi drains alot of power and is unstable. Some games benefit ALOT from them though. Such as F.E.A.R for SLi (That's what I heard in a trailer)
  #7  
Old 03-24-2006
fimbles's Avatar
TechSpot Addict
 
Location: Liverpool , uk
Member since: Feb 2006, 665 posts
System specs
As a good entry level gaming system.. at a realy cheap price i would reccomend..

At least a 2.6 pentium or a 2.8 celeron.
512 ddr ram
any old hard drive..
radeon 9600/ 9800 256 mb card

Id say total system would cost maybe 100 pounds new.. 50 second hand..

It aint gonna win any 3d mark competitions. but it will run the majority of todays games at a respectable lvl..
  #8  
Old 03-24-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Guys look at fimbles post. I don't think he read the 2nd post. LOL he recommends a 9600/9800 when the guys got a X1900XT 512MB in his hands. He says a 2.8 celeron or a 2.6 P4 when the guy has a X2 4400+ LOL. 512mb ram (come ON!) and any old hard drive...(seriously?!) No offence or anything though. I'm just using the fact that you didn't read his posts and using it to make fun of you.
  #9  
Old 03-24-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Hmm, go a little higher and get this awesome system:

http://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/cfg01.asp?v=d

Switch the parts around and change the power supply to the Antec TPII-550 550W ATX 12V power supply and you should have these:

£1459.00 ex. VAT
(£1714.33 in. VAT)

Case : NZXT Trinity Tower 400W Case w/ Side-panel Window (SILVER Color)
CPU : (939-pin) AMD Athlon™64 X2 4400+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
Motherboard : (Sckt939)Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset SATA RAID PCI-E w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
Memory : 2048 MB (512MBx4) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (Corsair XMS PRO High Performance Memory w/ Heat Spreader & LED Lights)
Video Card : NEW!!! ATI Radeon X1900XTX PCI-E x16 512MB VIDEO CARD
Video Card 2 : NONE
Monitor & LCD : NONE
Hard Drive : Gaming Hard Drive (10,000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM 8MB Cache WD740GD)
Hard Drive 2 : Gaming Hard Drive (10,000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM 8MB Cache WD740GD)
Optical Drive : LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Silver Color)
Optical Drive 2 : NONE
Sound : Creative Labs SB Audigy SE

Awesome don't you think? I even changed the sound card to a good one since you want a gaming system. 2GB of Corsair XMS PRO High-performance memory just kills the game. AMD 4400+ is dual-core and is a good bang-for-bang CPU. The X1900XTX is the killer card so it's there. Don't use the motherboard that's already there. Change it to the one I told you above. 2 74GB 10,000RPM Raptor hard drives just BURNS the challenge man. The optical drive I customized is better than the one there is already. This price might be too high? Lemme get you a cheaper one.

£1312.00 ex. VAT
(£1541.60 in. VAT)

Case : NZXT Trinity Tower 400W Case w/ Side-panel Window (SILVER Color)
CPU : (939-pin) AMD Athlon™64 X2 4400+ Dual-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology
Motherboard : (Sckt939)Asus A8N5X nForce4 Chipset SATA RAID PCI-E w/GbLAN,USB2.0,&7.1Audio
Memory : 2048 MB (512MBx4) PC3200 400MHz Dual Channel DDR MEMORY (Corsair XMS PRO High Performance Memory w/ Heat Spreader & LED Lights)
Video Card : NEW!!! ATI Radeon X1900XTX PCI-E x16 512MB VIDEO CARD
Video Card 2 : NONE
Monitor & LCD : NONE
Hard Drive : Gaming Hard Drive (10,000RPM SATA150) (SATA150 - Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM 8MB Cache WD740GD)
Hard Drive 2 : NONE
Optical Drive : LiteOn SHM-165H6S 16X Double Layer DVD+-RW Super Allwrite + Lightscribe Technology (Silver Color)
Optical Drive 2 : NONE
Sound : HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO

Remember that you're using an X2 processor so you can get a free Nero 7 Ultra Edition.
I think you should get the one that costs more though because it's only about 100 more bucks but the performance you get with the higher-cost one is WAY more than 100$ worth of performance. You'll be able to play every single game out there on highest setttings getting amazing FPS and gameplay.

Last edited by Akifuddin; 03-24-2006 at 06:42 PM..
  #10  
Old 03-24-2006
spartanslayer's Avatar
TechSpot Booster
 
Location: San Jose, California
Member since: Nov 2005, 464 posts
Don't buy from CyberPowerSystems, though! They have a bad reputation, and very lousey customer service. If you are getting a premaid, get Alienware, or if you can afford it, Falcon!
  #11  
Old 03-24-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Alienware charges too much man. Check out the price for the damn 3200+, 512mb ram and 6600.
  #12  
Old 03-25-2006
fimbles's Avatar
TechSpot Addict
 
Location: Liverpool , uk
Member since: Feb 2006, 665 posts
System specs
Yip... i just read.... cheap gaming rig........too expensive... blah de blah.........

Sorry about that i wasnt paying attention..

Therefore i rename my previous post "PCS for the poor"

PS: FIMBLES
newcomer, in training..

PPS.. i have a system pretty much similar to the one in my post.. and i can play all my games on medium to high settings...bf2.. wow..

Weird....

Last edited by fimbles; 03-25-2006 at 06:06 PM..
  #13  
Old 03-25-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Actually fimbles. PCs for the poor would include a 3200+ instead of a Pentium 4. Also, these days, an entry level system that is good for the price includes:

AMD 3200+
1GB Corsair or other company (I prefer Corsair for gaming) (Dual-channel if prefered)
Geforce 6600GT

Anything less is considered "Crap". Hope I made myself clear. CRAP :unch:
  #14  
Old 03-26-2006
spartanslayer's Avatar
TechSpot Booster
 
Location: San Jose, California
Member since: Nov 2005, 464 posts
I pretty much have what you just said, I have a Athlon XP 2400, 1GB Kingston, and 6600GT. And it is an incredible increase over my former system, which I loved!
  #15  
Old 03-26-2006
CrossFire851's Avatar
TechSpot Maniac
 
Location: Cali
Member since: Oct 2005, 1,058 posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Akifuddin
That is one of the best systems available at the moment. And he calls it "cheap". Pssh that's cheap talk. Maybe that's cheap for rich people like him. The best gaming system possible is not too far from his. He just needs 4GB Corsair XMS, 1TB 10,000RPM hard drive (second) and 10,000RPM 150GB raptor, 2 X1900XTX cards in a crossfire setup, FX-60 etc; But I think his system is VERY good because CrossFire and SLi drains alot of power and is unstable. Some games benefit ALOT from them though. Such as F.E.A.R for SLi (That's what I heard in a trailer)

The bigest dive the make is 7.2k rpm 500-700gb


Unless you put hella 10k rpm 150gb in raid, but thats a whole different story...
  #16  
Old 03-26-2006
CrossFire851's Avatar
TechSpot Maniac
 
Location: Cali
Member since: Oct 2005, 1,058 posts
I'll make You desent computer

Won't be more than $800


Unless thats to much or go with perviously stated a Falcon or alienware

Computer
  #17  
Old 03-26-2006
CrossFire851's Avatar
TechSpot Maniac
 
Location: Cali
Member since: Oct 2005, 1,058 posts
Whatever your pick it will be helped!!!




Best of Luck...

Last edited by CrossFire851; 03-26-2006 at 03:36 AM..
  #18  
Old 03-26-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Are you allowed to triple-post in these forums CrossFire851?
  #19  
Old 03-26-2006
MrGaribaldi's Avatar
TechSpot Ambassador
 
Location: Babylon 5, Grid Epsilon
Member since: Feb 2002, 2,802 posts
Questions about what type of posting behaviour is allowed/encouraged/discouraged really should be somewhere else than in a thread about a gaming system.

But to answer the question, and thus leaving the discussion dead:
TechSpot highly discourages double/triple/quadruple posting.

Any further discussion about it can be had in a new thread either in the meeting spot or in Site Feedback and Suggestions.
Any further posts about it in this thread will result in moderator intervention.



As for the original topic, it looks like a great setup.
I'd skip the Raptor though, since the speed increase isn't too large, and the system you're suggesting is already above budget.


[EDIT]
So, he triple posted. You double posted earlier. It's not really a very interesting discussion when you're out to buy a new system... Start a new thread [url=http://www.techspot.com/vb/menu18.html]here[/ur] and discuss it, if you're really keen on discussing it further.

As for your suggestion of more space, he is above budget already. Thus suggesting him adding to the price might not be what he's after.

Lastly, you strike me as a pretty knowledgeable 11 year old...
[/EDIT]

Last edited by MrGaribaldi; 03-26-2006 at 01:15 PM..
  #20  
Old 03-26-2006
Akifuddin's Avatar
TechSpot Enthusiast
 
Member since: Jan 2006, 150 posts
Sorry MrGaribaldi (Btw, you forgot quintuple posting ) And to the thread-starter, if you don't really want a 10,000RPM drive, you can just skip it and get a hard drive or 2 that has ALOT of disk space which would also increase speed due to more disk space remaining. I think. Also, MrGaribaldi, I was asking him because he triple-posted :knock:
Closed Thread
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