Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

DIY 4 GHz Dual Core Gaming Rig For $720

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the not-for-long dept.

Tom's Hardware has posted the detailed results of their recent quest to build a beefy gaming rig without a visit to the poorhouse. The trick it seems is to find a processor with 'cores designed for a much faster clock than their nominal rating at a speed of up to 4 GHz without problems.' They provide shopping lists for both a 'budget version' and a 'top flight version'.

8 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Perfect! by dubmun · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now minesweeper will REALLY rock!

    --
    (end of post)
  2. Already outdated by Hrodvitnir · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Before you even get past the first component they mention that you can't get it at the price they got it anymore.

    "we purchased a stock processor at the prevailing retail price. Since then, demand for this CPU has spiked, and prices have also gone up."

    I always see these "Build a super system for no money!" articles, but when *I* try to price the components, it never seems to add up.

    --
    "There are more important things than stopping terrorism. Upholding the Constitution is one of them." - Ars Forumer.
    1. Re:Already outdated by AstrumPreliator · · Score: 5, Informative

      According to newegg the Intel Pentium D 805 2.66GHz CPU is $118.99 (free shipping). That's about $3 less than the article states.

  3. No visit to the poorhouse by sharkey · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just a
    .
    *next*
    .
    visit to
    .
    *next*
    .
    the mother-
    .
    *next*
    .
    fucking adhouse.

    --

    --
    "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  4. print url by porsche922 · · Score: 5, Informative

    for those who dont want to browse through n pages http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/06/12/your_diy_ga ming_rig_for_720/print.html

  5. The $710 dollar one was not the overclocked one by wpmegee · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Okay, notice on the first page, there are 2 systems, a cheap one and a $1200 one. The $1200 one was what they actually built and OC'd. Several things here will limit their OC. First, cheap "550W" power supply that puts out ~350w at the most and likely has unstable rails. All power supplies that come with cases are shit unless they're Antec Enlight Enermax or Fortron. Second, noname motherboard. Bad, bad, bad idea if you want a anywhere near stable system. For the more expensive system,who in their right mind would pick Gigabyte for an overclocking mobo? DFI, Asus, or MSI would all be far better choices.

    Next, that X1300 is godawful. Lastly, I disagree with water cooling. A thermalright XP-120 with a ~80 CFM fan and decent thermal grease would provide very similar thermal performance, albeit louder.

  6. Yeah, sure, only $720 for the machine... by koreth · · Score: 5, Insightful

    but if you read their article on overclocking the Intel chip in question, you'll see that the thing draws over half a kilowatt at full load, and around 300W idle. Yikes! You will get a bargain on the machine and pay through the nose on your electricity bills over the subsequent months.

  7. Quality Quantity by foamrotreturns · · Score: 5, Insightful

    4GHz means virtually nothing to me these days. All it says is that the CPU is cycling at 4 billion times per second, but it doesn't say how much work is being done per cycle. Comparing GHz is apples and oranges. Real life testing is where it's at. Give me hard data.