Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Best Gaming PC Money Can Buy

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the more-bang-for-your-stimulus dept.

SlappingOysters writes "Gameplayer has gone live with their best PC hardware configurations for Q3 2008. They've broken it into three tiers depending on the investor's budget. And while the prices are regional, it is comparative across the globe. 'In order to play these slices of gaming goodness, you're going to need a decent rig, and we sent our PC hardware guru in search of maximum frames in maximum detail, but at a minimum cost. We have three tiers for the three levels of PC gamers out there and all the detail you could possibly want on where, why and what to buy. So choose your poison and get amongst it.'"

85 of 417 comments (clear)

  1. Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    What kind of telnet programs do they come with for mudding?

    1. Re:Yes, but... by Tragedy4u · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If you're running Vista, none (at least by default). Seriously it's not in the default install, you have to add it later.

    2. Re:Yes, but... by Bacon+Bits · · Score: 5, Insightful

      You say that like it's a bad thing. If I need telnet I'll just get PuTTY anyways. The only thing telnet is good for anymore is checking to make sure SMTP traffic works and configuring devices that won't talk with anything else. Otherwise you *don't* use it any more that you use rsh or rcp.

      Frankly, I'm more irritated that Windows doesn't ship with a built-in ssh and sshd. And no, remote desktop does not count.

      --
      The road to tyranny has always been paved with claims of necessity.
  2. oh christ by nimbius · · Score: 5, Funny

    and i just closed the newegg tab...

    looks like ramen again this month

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
    1. Re:oh christ by Opportunist · · Score: 4, Funny

      What do you mean, "this month"? Priorities, man, food or bleedin' edge hardware, pick one!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    2. Re:oh christ by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 2, Funny

      What do you mean, "this month"? Priorities, man, food or bleedin' edge hardware, pick one!

      If he ain't starving yet, he needs to turn in his geek card. Now.

      --
      My blog
    3. Re:oh christ by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Funny

      You don't need to starve, brother. There's a lot of fiber in newspaper and if you flush it down with some coke, you even have the essential dose of caffeine for the day. You can grind and dissolve stale bread in (lots of) water and drink the slurry (again, coke makes things interesting here, too!) to fill your stomach...

      Can you tell I just spent 2k on a new monitor system? :)

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    4. Re:oh christ by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Informative

      IIRC, I think Opportunist here is a musician of sorts. I'm guessing a 'monitor system' may consist audio monitors, not video monitors.

      --
      My blog
    5. Re:oh christ by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Funny

      As a transplanted Floridian, I heartily recommend the palmetto bugs. You can put them on a stick and roast them over an open flame or just fry 'em up in a pan.

      Mmmmm....Crunchy.

      Up North, I hear you can do much the same with various small rodents.

      --
      My blog
  3. The investor's budget? by llamalad · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Buying a pc is an investment now?

    1. Re:The investor's budget? by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yes, an investment in planned obsolescence.

    2. Re:The investor's budget? by ivan256 · · Score: 5, Insightful

        investment
                    n 1: the act of investing; laying out money or capital in an
                              enterprise with the expectation of profit

      No. No it is not. And every computer and used car salesman that refers to the purchase of something guaranteed to decrease in value over time should be sued for false advertising.

    3. Re:The investor's budget? by Atlantis-Rising · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Are you telling me that as a computer geek, when you lay out money to purchase a computer you do not expect profit to arise from it?

      I think that's a very dangerous statement. Everyone who uses their computer for work 'invests' in it. Everyone who uses their second-hand car to drive to work 'invests' in it.

      It is not solely necessary for the capital expense to appreciate for it to be an investment.

      --
      "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
    4. Re:The investor's budget? by POTSandPANS · · Score: 3, Insightful
      I agree. A friend of mine had bought a Mustang GT in 2005, which was the first year of the current body style. The salesman's words: "This car might even go up in value someday because it's the first year of this body style!"

      I wish I were joking

    5. Re:The investor's budget? by Lumpy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      They also think that cars and electronics are "investments" as well, typically nobody knows what the word "investment" means anymore.

      I guess it sounds better in marketing than saying...

      "Our new PC's are awesome! Get a liability in one today!"

      --
      Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
    6. Re:The investor's budget? by orclevegam · · Score: 2, Interesting

      You could write it off as a business expense?

      --
      Curiosity was framed, Ignorance killed the cat.
    7. Re:The investor's budget? by Sancho · · Score: 2, Informative

      How many colons and right parentheses does a $5000 gaming rig get you?

    8. Re:The investor's budget? by Atlantis-Rising · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That's a complicated question. There are basically three answers:

      1: It may make your work faster and more efficient.
      2: It may require less maintenance than your old computer.
      3: It won't, but that's not necessary; it's like asking a workman whether a new hammer would make his job any more profitable. That doesn't mean it's not an investment anyway.

      --
      "It is possible to commit no errors and still lose. That is not a weakness. That is life." -Peak Performance
    9. Re:The investor's budget? by Anarke_Incarnate · · Score: 3, Informative
      Somebody should then explain to you how "Write offs" work. You can only deduct the money spent from taxable income. You save ~30% of the cost or you can amortize it over a multi year cycle depending on certain criteria. Doing so does not save you more money than the new computer costs.

      The issues with a new computer cost more than the outlay cost as the migration of data, new software (as needed) as well as configuration cost time and money. However, over the course of a computer's life cycle, older systems often become more problematic and cause unplanned work interruptions, which can especially, over the course of time, cost more than the outlay for new equipment as well as the configuration, if planned appropriately.

    10. Re:The investor's budget? by andy9701 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      The computer I use at work has a 2.4 GHz P4 and 1.5 Gb of RAM. It's surely not the fastest thing around, but it runs my IDE just fine and my work gets done without a hitch.

      Apparently someone doesn't run Visual Studio 2005 with a moderately large C++ solution. ;)

      Seriously though, your work computer is nearly identical to mine, except I have 2GB of RAM. While I got the RAM upgrade earlier this year (from 1GB), and it helped quite a bit, I'm still amazed at Visual Studio's need to peg my CPU at 100% on a frequent basis. How much I hate to see "Updating Intellisense"....

    11. Re:The investor's budget? by jonaskoelker · · Score: 4, Funny

      guaranteed to decrease in value over time

      True and stated: Whenever you buy a computer C at time t0, there's a time t1 > t0 such that val(t0, C) < val(t1, C).

      Possible and not stated: there is a time t2 >> t1, such that val(t2, C) > val(t0, C), due to num(t2, C) << num(t0, C).

      That is, your old Amiga 500 might become a collectors item some day :)

    12. Re:The investor's budget? by ivan256 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      As we move further from the time where computers were new, rare, and novel, the chance of your second theorem becoming true for a new system approaches zero. I would argue that the probability for any system currently manufactured is already sufficiently small as to be insignificant.

    13. Re:The investor's budget? by Tanktalus · · Score: 5, Funny

      Apparently, it's worth twice as much with a full tank as with an empty one.

    14. Re:The investor's budget? by p0tat03 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How would buying a screaming fast computer for work make my job any more profitable?

      Depends on what you do. For a 3D artist, for example, a faster machine means shorter rendering times. This creates less downtime, moves the design-render-refine cycle faster, and also opens more possibilities to allow the client to tweak the final product with you.

      For a coder who's working on a massive code base, we're looking at shorter compile times. Cutting compiles from 4 hours to 1 is a pretty significant gain that will likewise see a rise in productivity. Having a blazing server-class workstation also allows you to test your code in conditions that are more similar to what your code would be running once deployed.

      For an artist, a massively fast computer (or really just one with an assload of RAM) allows more multitasking. Having Photoshop, Illustrator, a compositing app, etc etc, open all at once is great for productivity, and it allows you to bounce between apps without huge downtime.

      But a few examples of why speed is still important in computing.

    15. Re:The investor's budget? by Fael · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think the assumption implicit in such a statement ("you could write it off") is that the fiscal alternative is buying porn, funding a drug habit, collecting Hot Wheels, or what have you - rather than saving or investing it. In such a case, you are, in fact, "saving" yourself money by channeling the insatiable need for consumption into something at least partially tax-deductible.

    16. Re:The investor's budget? by rgviza · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The PC I bought my wife to do her work on, paid for itself in 30 days. We laid out money for a new PC for her work, with the expectation that she would use it to make money.

      It was a good investment since she successfully used it to find and sell homes to buyers, and recouped the cost in less time than it took to depreciate. Now that it's paid for it's proving to be an excellent investment, since her old one was slow and she spilled soup into the keyboard (it was a laptop from 2000) which started causing problems and impacted her productivity.

      Same deal for a car you use to drive to work. You profit from your salary so when you buy a car for commuting, it's an investment, even if it's a Mustang GT, though these days a smarter investment would be a Prius. However the prius offers less emotional return on investment so whether or not a hotrod is a good investment is subjective.

      If blowing off steam by testing the reported 0-60MPH acceleration times causes a stress relief that helps you live longer, the Mustang is a damn good investment, despite the fuel cost. This value is immeasurable.

      You can't take it with you and it pays to be giddy a few times a day, as irrational as that might be, it's simply good for you ;) Sometimes investing in your happiness is a good thing. You can see increased salary as well as work productivity when you are happy which is an indirect monetary gain, though the profit doesn't need to be monetary.

      Merriam-Webster's defines profit as:
      1: a valuable return : gain
      2: the excess of returns over expenditure in a transaction or series of transactions; especially : the excess of the selling price of goods over their cost
      3: net income usually for a given period of time
      4: the ratio of profit for a given year to the amount of capital invested or to the value of sales
      5: the compensation accruing to entrepreneurs for the assumption of risk in business enterprise as distinguished from wages or rent

      I think happiness fits definition 1 (as long as you consider happiness valuable) and can be had with a 1337 gaming rig or car whether or not you use it to make money directly.

      -Viz

      --
      Don't kid yourself. It's the size of the regexp AND how you use it that counts.
    17. Re:The investor's budget? by Scarletdown · · Score: 2, Funny

      Gas prices are not yet to the point where a full 8 gallon tank is $2000, which would make the car's value $4000.

      --
      This space unintentionally left blank.
    18. Re:The investor's budget? by The+Iso · · Score: 3, Informative

      It doesn't need to be "screaming fast," but scrap that Pentium and get a modern CPU.

      http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000867.html

      --
      "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." - Bob Dylan
    19. Re:The investor's budget? by aztracker1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I find that dual monitors are probably the single most useful thing in programming, at least for me. This is mainly web based applications.. but even then having email/im etc open on a secondary screen helps a lot in maximizing workspace/flow. And monitors really get used for the life of said monitor, unlike a lot of other hardware. As to more ram, that is usually second most important, at least 2-4GB (4+ if you run VMs)... CPU, GPU etc depend on your uses... but that's just me, and again, monitors will generally get a long life.. and ram tends to extend the usable life of a computer in general... Beyond that, depending on what you are using, you can often get something faster pretty cheap... Hell, a new MSI Wind barebones is almost as fast as that 3Ghz P4, for really cheap... Today's cheaper desktops are reasonably powerful for day to day use over most 4+ year old hardware, for a minimal hardware investment.

      I just point this out as it doesn't even have to come down to your examples, or the idea of laying out cash for something that expires right away.

      --
      Michael J. Ryan - tracker1.info
    20. Re:The investor's budget? by daveime · · Score: 2, Funny

      Your mum does not count as "lots", get back in the basement !

    21. Re:The investor's budget? by amnezick · · Score: 2, Insightful

      what the??? offtopic? geez...
      someone in their right mind please give Sancho what he deserves

      --
      mov ax,4c00h
      int 21h
    22. Re:The investor's budget? by mjwx · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Mac OSX is useless for multitasking, the global menu bar alone means that you can realistically only work on one app at a time. Plus its a pain to resize windows and I am yet to see a "tile windows Horizontally/Vertically" function like you get in windows (this is a great help when taking info from one program into another or when reading response messages in real-time as you make changes). lack of a task bar means I cant tell what programs I have open and if any of them require my attention (under Windows the task bar item flashes), under Mac OSX I need to alt tab or do that F11 thing to figure out what's open which takes my full attention away from what I am doing.

      Mac OS X displays everything in icons with no text, it takes the human mind 2 to 5 times as long to decipher icons (pictures, hieroglyphics, etc..) than it does to read text, also icons under OS X take up more room (we gave up on hieroglyphs and started using a letter based alphabet for a good reason), lack of a proper file tree under the default file browser makes browsing for multiple files under different directories a pain (search takes longer when I already know what I am looking for). All of this increases information overload (too much information being displayed at once making it difficult to maintain attention), this kicks in under OS X long before Windows and Windows is nowhere near as efficient at displaying information as Linux (I find text based configs far more ergonomic than the GUI pop ups under Windows and OSX, the downside is that you need to know the commands and syntax). Linux has the advantage of having multiple desktops for separating out works, IM/Email client and browser in one desktop, some logs "tail -f"ing in another, text editors and terminals in the other two. Having everything on screen at once is not a good thing as this just leads to information overload, grouping work items work items increases the amount of information that can be readily accessed. After I make a change and restart a service I just move to the desktop with the logs already set up in a way that is easy to read, at this time the logs require my full attention and I don't want a IM client or browser to annoy me.

      On a 30" display at work I can have IM, email, code, debugger, everything visible at once. Good luck doing that on windows.

      If you have trouble doing that on windows I suggest you unplug your computer and return it to the store, IT is not for you. on a screen that size managing windows will be easy, its when you are working on a 19" is where it gets difficult (except when using multiple desktops, see the Linux point above). Every time I use OS X I get the impression it was never designed for anyone to do more than one thing at a time.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  4. $10K US for a gaming rig? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Only a fool would spend that much money on something that will cost 1/3 that in 18 months.

    1. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by jgarra23 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't forget, you're talking about the same kind of people who will spend months clacking away on a fake guitar with the goal of making a digital crowd cheer when they could be practicing with a REAL guitar, get REAL cheers and likely get laid for REAL too.

    2. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      and likely get laid for REAL too

      Holy shit, I'm buying a guitar right fucking now!

    3. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by CambodiaSam · · Score: 3, Insightful

      There are a LOT of people out there willing to shell out vast sums of money on things that will evaporate in value. Just take a look at the entire luxury and exotic car segments. Everyone knows that cars drop 20% per year in value, but they keep rolling off the line.

      Admit it, if you had US $10k lying around with nothing better to do, you would be salivating over the FedEx Next Day Tracking Number. I know I would.

    4. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by turgid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Sarcasm aside, it works. Trust me. When I was 16 I put my computers aside and bought a bass guitar.

      --
      Stick Men
    5. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      And yet...here you are posting about it on Slashdot.

    6. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by Naqamel · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'll second what Turgid said. Guitar = Chick Magnet.

      I was at a Sam Goody store which happened to have a Guitar Hero game set up. It also had a guitar / amp package they were selling set up. Crappy guitar, worse amp... but whatever.

      Some dork was trying to play Guitar Hero and impress 3 girls. Song: Bark at the Moon.

      So I pick up the real guitar, and start playing Bark at the Moon on the real guitar.

      You've never seen three heads whip around like that. Poor guy. I got all his attention.

    7. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by Grey+Ninja · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Just like you can spend months clacking away on a mouse when you can join the REAL army, and kill REAL people right?

      Or spinning a plastic wheel and driving 200km/h when you can be REALLY going that fast in a REAL car, right?

      I learned to play Guitar Hero fairly well over the course of a week. I've been playing real guitar for about 4 or 5 months now. I can play most Rock Band songs on expert, and I can play most of Neil Young's Heart of Gold on real guitar.

      There's a very large difference between a video game and a musical instrument. A video game can be learned quickly and easily, without a huge time commitment. An instrument takes years to learn how to play. Now in my case, I also thought my hands were too small to play guitar, but Guitar Hero convinced me that I might be able to do it. I don't think I'll ever be able to play an F chord, but I can play a lot of songs anyway. I'm good at Guitar Hero/Rock Band. I'll likely never be as good at real guitar.

    8. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The learning curve is way steeper with the real instrument, no questions there. When you play some easy level song, where you have to click just a note every now and then to create some chords, it sure is easier than trying to figure out where all those fingers go on that instrument. And then striking the chord just right, too!

      But then again, when I look at the time some people spend on those games, where weeks turn into months of them playing for hours, I start to wonder whether in the long run, they couldn't have learned the real instrument in almost the same time they need to master one of those super nasty hardcore badass songs in the game.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    9. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by TheLink · · Score: 2, Informative

      Some even gain value.

      1) There are very few of them made, they are luxury and collector items
      2) People who collect lots of money tend to collect stuff as well, and some of them choose to collect cars.

      So if someone else ever totally destroys their car, the other cars become more valuable.

      --
    10. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by c_jonescc · · Score: 2, Funny

      "I'm actually trying to sleep with your girlfriend" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dyeHESSjQM

      --
      Getting diabetes AND salmonella would be a bad weekend.
    11. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by jollyreaper · · Score: 5, Funny

      Don't forget, you're talking about the same kind of people who will spend months clacking away on a fake guitar with the goal of making a digital crowd cheer when they could be practicing with a REAL guitar, get REAL cheers and likely get laid for REAL too.

      Funny you should mention that, they're working on Masturbation Hero. You'll get a load out of the controller for that game.

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    12. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by afabbro · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can play most of Neil Young's Heart of Gold on real guitar.

      That's the kind of risk you take when you decide to learn to play guitar.

      --
      Advice: on VPS providers
    13. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by tyrantking31 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Right, but it is $10K US, so not nearly as much as it sounds.

      --
      We willna be fooled again!
    14. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by UncleTogie · · Score: 2, Informative

      A salary well in to the six figures and a giant retirement fund will get you even more chicks. I'll take my geeky computers over a "real" guitar any day.

      ...and usually a higher class of female, too.

      I worked with a number of bands {mostly local, a few national} as crew. Would you REALLY want a chick that shags anyone with an instrument?? It's a great way to catch diseases, especially if she gets passed around the band. Trust me, looking for a discrete doctor for your band will take all the fun out of it.

      Been there, done that... and thank God for penicillin!

      --
      Don't tell me to get a life. I'm a gamer; I have LOTS of lives!
    15. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by schklerg · · Score: 5, Funny

      In my experience (bass player), girls go in this order - singer, lead guitar, drums, backup guitar, keyboards, triangle, roadie, drunk passed out fan, then bassist. Of course, hideous disfigurations can alter this order.

      --
      Be Excellent To Each Other
    16. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by KGIII · · Score: 2, Informative

      Practice your E-shape Grand Barre chords, an Fm7th is pretty much similar enough so you can fudge it in most cases.

      While doing so practice just getting clean tones from the F chord. When you get good fingering down you can then work on SLOWLY moving to a different chord. You might as well learn the B chord while you're at it. It takes a lot of practice but eventually you'll get your fingers to remember.

      Many of Young's songs rely heavily on the Em, Am, D, and G chords as do many other musicians. Toss in a C and learn the majors and you'll be all set.

      As for scales, learn the Pentatonic Minor and you'll be a blues musician in a few years. :)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    17. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by kent_eh · · Score: 2, Informative

      When started teaching myself guitar, I discovered a site called Guitarnoise, which helped me immensely, both with their lessons, and Q&A on the forums.
      The sort of advise you just got from KGIII (which is very good advice, BTW) is typical of what you find in the Guitarnoise forums.

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
    18. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by KGIII · · Score: 2, Informative

      I have been at it for about twenty years now including some time giving lessons. When I was much younger I went to UMA and majored in Drinking and minored in Failing but my real major was Music Theory and I minored in Improvisational Jazz Guitar. Needless to say, I only lasted a few semesters.

      I typically recommend people learning tabliture later in their educational process as it is a flawed way to learn. Learning to read tab means you're not learning how to play but, rather, that you're learning what to play.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb5_DEhmDAM
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-c66SJPuUI
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByGsHTlKmWk
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foXSXOAfB4U

      Merry Christmas. Now go put that stuff away and learn some guitar. ;)

      --
      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    19. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by ari_j · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're right, I'd much rather have a girl who is sleeping with me for my money instead of because she's attracted to my talent.

    20. Re:$10K US for a gaming rig? by crossmr · · Score: 2, Insightful

      She isn't attracted to your talent. She's attracted to you for the money/fame you might get..
      it is no different.

  5. Very useful guides by ubrgeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I used one of their last ones to build a middle-of-the-road gaming machine. I'd never built a box before (well, other than a headless fileserver) and the parts they recommended were almost all available on Newegg. I read/used the article around 3-4 months after it first came out so the parts they had in the article were actually a bit below what they had them listed as. All-in-all it was an interesting experience and the box turned out really well (in terms of gaming.) Being a Mac guy it gave me a chance to try some games I'd otherwise not be able to play and the performance is at least as good (if not better) than I had expected.

    --
    Bark less. Wag more.
    1. Re:Very useful guides by AuMatar · · Score: 4, Informative

      No, these are horrible horrible guides. Even arstechnica has better ones. I mean really- A $9000 computer? How about a high priced one people would actually buy- something in the mid to upper 2000 range.

      And their budget gaming box? $1000 with no monitor? That's one hell of an overpriced rig. The idea of budget is maximum bang for buck, not lets get as close to a certain dollar figure as possible. I just put together a true budget gaming rig for about 60% of that. Here, I'll share the details:

      CPU: E7200- $125. Intel introduced this model to compete with the AMD triple core offerings. Its a dual core, but with single core performance greater than AMDs triple core offering. Stock at 2.5 GHz, easily overclockable to 3.0 with reports of 3.5. I can confirm no problems at 3.0 with stock cooling and some room to grow.

      Mobo: Quite frankly anything in the $100 range is good enough. I went with a gigabyte EP43 for $90

      Ram: 3 GB if you want to go with a 32 bit OS. 4 GB otherwise. About $100

      GPU: BFG Nvidia 9600GT. SLI is not worth it, its broken on many games and it makes a minor performance increase when it does. Going for a 9800 isn't worth it, the extra price is far more than the extra performance. $130

      PSU: Any 450W ps will work. I went slightly upscale to 600W expecting it to last me 2-3 computers, but 450 is good enough. About $50. Their $60 suggestion is fine, if you like the brand the trust is worth $10

      Case: 25 bucks will get you a decent case. They overpaid.

      Hard drive: Unless you need the space, a 250GB drive goes for 60. Save yourself 30 bucks on space you're unlikely to use. And truthfully if you do need it in a year or two, buy it then when it's cheaper.

      optical drive: $30 is about right.

      total: $615, almost 40% less than their budget box

      This computer, despite being 40% less, will get within 10% of their performance. The real sad thing is the people who buy the $2K box. In 2 years, you'll be feeling slow. So buy this now for $600, and replace with a new $600 (or less, save the case, optical drive, hard drive and PSU if you can) computer every 2 years. He'll be replacing his in 4 years tops (probably 3, lets face it his type want to stay at the top of the spec list). You'll have a slightly less powerful computer than him for a while (probably a more powerful one for the last 2 years of his box) and save an assload of cash to boot.

      Its just not worth buying top level power that will be half price in 6 months. Go for best bang/buck, and replace every 2-3 years.

      optical: their choice is fine, $30

      --
      I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?
  6. luv 2 brag by Saint+Stephen · · Score: 2, Funny

    I bought a new computer, so I love to brag about the deal I got.

    e8500, 4gb ddr2 1066, p5q-3, 4870, freezer 7 pro, rosewill case, 250 gb hd = $1050
    had vista64 for free

    plays crysis at high "near 60 fps" and everything else to the max

    no microstuttering

    me = happy

    1. Re:luv 2 brag by truthsearch · · Score: 5, Funny

      I feel really old right now because I don't understand a single thing you wrote.

      --
      Developers: We can use your help.
    2. Re:luv 2 brag by gfxguy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Vista 64 was free, huh?

      --
      Stupid sexy Flanders.
    3. Re:luv 2 brag by turgid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Vista 64 is only free if your time has no value.

      --
      Stick Men
    4. Re:luv 2 brag by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      250 gb hd

      What, they still make computers with such a pittance of space?! Or was the 250gb drive just something you found discarded in a dumpster?

    5. Re:luv 2 brag by powerlord · · Score: 4, Funny

      I feel really old right now because I don't understand a single thing you wrote.

      Allow me to try and explain ...
      He said:

      e8500, 4gb ddr2 1066, p5q-3, 4870, freezer 7 pro, rosewill case, 250 gb hd = $1050

      e8500 ... hmmm maybe its a new eMachine that he used as a base to build on?
      4gb ddr2 1066 ... ah! he picked up "Four "Gnarly-Bro" Dance Dance Revolution 2 pads. "1066" you'll notice is 42 more than 1024, so 1066 is just a "Really Cool" in binary.
      freezer 7 pro ... well ... CPUs are hot nowadays so he bought an air conditioner to cool the room down. Quite sensible.
      rosewill case ... hmmm must be one of those cases with alien eyes on it or something. I guess he'll pull the guts out of the e8500 and put them in there so it looks cool?
      250 gb hd ... ah. He also picked up 250 "Gnarly-Bro" HighDensity floppies. Must be to back up his save games and make "backup" copies for friends.

      Sounds like a neat gaming rig ...

      Then again maybe it was l33t speak? ... or not ;)

      --
      This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
    6. Re:luv 2 brag by jollyreaper · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I feel really old right now because I don't understand a single thing you wrote.

      Ok, I'll translate.

      I bought a new computer, so I love to brag about the deal I got.

      "I'm the kind of weenie you always wanted to smack out of sheer jealousy."

      e8500, 4gb ddr2 1066, p5q-3, 4870, freezer 7 pro, rosewill case, 250 gb hd = $1050
      had vista64 for free

      "e8500, that's just random numbers to sound important. 4gb, more random letters and numbers. DDR2 is the second Dance Dance Revolution game, I guess he enjoys playing it. 1066, that's the IRS form he has to fill out to cover the purchase of the thing. 4870, that's an IBM dumb terminal, not sure why that's involved. Freezer 7 pro, I guess he's wanting to make smoothies. Rosewill case, that's a knockoff of the Roswell design Alienware puts out. And Vista64, that's gay slang for a massive ass-pounding sans lube."

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  7. Just another hardware guide by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So hardware guides are post worthy now?

    Then let me submit the Ars System Guide ... every time they update it!

  8. games? by larry+bagina · · Score: 2, Funny

    tuxracer runs just fine on my $200 linux machine.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  9. Sharky's buyers' guides by gregbaker · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm reminded of Sharky Extreme's Value and High-end Gaming Buyers' Guides. If you're buying, it would probably be interesting to compare them.

    I'm sure I have seen other similar guides, but can't find them now.

  10. Give a hoot! Recycle! by RingDev · · Score: 4, Insightful

    More so Reuse!

    I usually run a 2 year cycle.

    Year 1, I build a new PC. Although, I already have a nice monitor, a nice case, a large hard drive, an optical drive, and all the other fixings. So all a new PC is, is a CPU, motherboard, memory and graphics card. No need to replace everything else.

    Year 2 I upgrade my existing PC. Add a bit of memory, get a larger hard drive, get the latest generation of graphic card. All for a budget well under $500.

    Next year I give my now 'old' PC to my wife (mounting all the components into her perfectly fine case) and buy myself a new pile.

    Sure, I'm not going bleeding edge with my stuff. But I just priced out a new PC for this fall. A Core 2 Duo @ 3ghz, 2Gigs of 1200 memory, new mobo, and an NVidia 8800GT. With tax and shipping it comes in right at $500, and will be more than enough machine to handle the next generation of games. Although I think I'll try to hold out just a hair longer for one last price cut on the Core 2 Duo chip. But the Wife's machine is going to need an upgrade for the next set of titles coming out.

    -Rick

    --
    "Most people in the U.S. wouldn't know they live in a tyrannical state if it walked up and grabbed their junk." - MyFirs
    1. Re:Give a hoot! Recycle! by nawcom · · Score: 3, Funny

      maybe you should mount your wife's box more often?

      Her box is way too huge, and you can tell that lots of things have been taken in and lots of things pulled out that it looks a little bruised. Plus, it just looks too old, and it's always making noises. You learn to ignore it. These days MicroATX boxes are the thing; smaller, tighter, and they're portable - so it doesn't matter where you go, you can always bring along the box to play with.

      You can make a bloody mess if you try to stick your peripheral in that kind of box when it just doesn't fit.

      yes, nawcom knows he is twisted and sick.

  11. Buying guide... by geogob · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should come up with a set of configurations for the best /.-proof PC servers for 2008 as well.

  12. Lame by steeleye_brad · · Score: 5, Informative

    That site is a slow as shit...here's a summary:
    Under $1000AU
    CPU: Intel E8500 - $200
    RAM: DDR2 4GB 800MHz RAM - $100v
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 - $130
    GPU: ATI 4870 - $300
    PSU: Silverstone Strider ST50F 500W - $80
    Case: Antec NSK4000 - $65
    Optical: Pioneer 215BK SATA - $30
    HDD: Western Digital 640GB - $93
    Total Price: $998

    Midrange
    CPU: Intel E8600 - $300
    RAM: DDR2 4GB 1066MHz - $150
    Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 - $240
    GPU: ATI 4870x2 - $655
    PSU: Corsair HX620 - $160
    Case: Cooler Master Cosmos S RC-1100 - $285
    Optical Drive: Pioneer DVR-215D SATA 20x - $30
    Storage: Western Digital 640GB - $93
    Cooling: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme & Scythe Slipstream - $85
    Total: $1,998

    High end (aka completely retarded)
    CPU: Intel QX9770 - $1,600 (eXXXXXXtreeeeeeeeme!!!!)
    RAM: 2 x 2GB Mushkin DDR3 XP3-14400 - $550 (A +$10,000 system with only 4GB of RAM, hah)
    Motherboard: Foxconn Blackops X48 - $450 (what)
    GPU: 2 x 4870x2 - $1320
    PSU: Corsair HX1000 - $320
    Case: Lian-Li PC-X2000 - $580
    Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-202BK - $390
    Storage: 2 x 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor - $700 (no, just no)
    Cooling: Frozen SS Vapour Phase Change - $1,100 (hahahaha)
    OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM - $130
    Monitor: Dell UltraSharp 3008WFP 30" - $2,000
    Mouse: Razer Lachesis - $63
    Keyboard: Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard or Optimus Maximus - $95 or $1,900 (also hahahahaha)
    Sound Card : Auzentech X-Fi Prelude - $230
    Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 - $320
    Total: $9,848 or $11,653 (with Optimus Maximus)

    Only the high-end configuration includes the operating system! Kind of a stupid article, their budget system should be capable of just about any game you throw at it, unless you want to play shit at native resolution on a 30" LCD. When it comes to picking out hardware for a custom build, I've always preferred The Tech Report's system guide. Very detailed, and they have alternate setups for various budgets. http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/15009

  13. furthering the myth of expensive PCs... by Grokmoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    I hate these articles. They merely further the myth that you have to spend thousands on a PC to get decent gaming performance.

    In reality, you could spend $500 on a PC (not including monitor) and get something that will play Crysis on high or very high depending on what resolution you are running.

    You can put together what would in reasonable circles be considered high end for under $1000, yet that price is basically relegated to be "bargain basement" in this article.

    1. Re:furthering the myth of expensive PCs... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Your argument might make sense if people paid 2-3x as much for a new 2009 Aston Martin as a new 2008. But they don't and they would be stupid to do it.

      Did you fail the SAT? Let's try a sample analogy:

      A $10,000 high-end PC is to a $1,000 mid-range PC as...

      1. The Batman is to the Joker
      2. A new 2009 Aston Martin is to a new 2008 Aston Martin
      3. A new 2009 Aston Martin is to a new 2009 Nissan Sentra

      Hint: The answer isn't (2)

      Can you run the games that are out now at the same detail, resolution, and frame rate on the $1000 computer that you can on the $10,000 computer

      Can the $1000 play blu-ray movies?

      Can you accelerate at roughly the same rate on a Sentra that you can on an Aston Martin?

      Can you accelerate at roughly the same rate on a 2008 Aston Martin that you can on a 2009 Aston Martin? Holy shit, could it be that you're comparing a $10,000 computer to another $10,000 computer?

      Will the features of the Aston Martin eventually be in the budget Nissan cars? Hint, check out in which class of cars remote locking systems, air bags, and cd-players came out in first.

      If you didn't earn enough during the last week to buy a Sentra, would you even consider buying an Aston Martin? If you have enough money to buy an Aston Martin, would you ever consider buying a Sentra?

      Conclusion: If you're buying a $10,000 PC, you have money to burn. You won't miss the $10,000, and you'll have more fun with it than you would with the $1,000 computer. There's nothing wrong with that anymore than there's something wrong with having your own private jet instead of buying a coach ticket.

    2. Re:furthering the myth of expensive PCs... by nasor · · Score: 2, Interesting

      If you look at their "high end" system it's clear that they were just going out of their way to spend as much money as possible. It included a $1100 cooling system and a $580 case - both of which are laughable prices. There's also $550 for 4GB of RAM, which earns a giant WTF.

  14. The Best Gaming "PC Money" Can Buy by maestroX · · Score: 3, Insightful

    easy, try a wii or ps3.

  15. He writes lyrics too by Ethanol-fueled · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's only beacuse he didn't buy a REAL guitar/
    and all he can play is Come as you are

    Real rock stars are not on Slashdot/
    Playing a bass makes a guitar player not.

    1. Re:He writes lyrics too by turgid · · Score: 3, Informative

      The guitar and bass guitar are tuned in 4ths. The exception is the B string on the guitar which is a major 3rd above the G string below it.

      The violin, viola and cello are tuned in 5ths. The odd one out is the double bass which is a member of the viol family (a relic from 300 years ago) and is tuned the same as the bass guitar.

      --
      Stick Men
  16. Website is terrible, relevant info here by ProlificLurker · · Score: 3, Informative

    Um. Ok. Raiding some kids Newegg 3 tiered I-wonder-how-much-I'll-get-for-my-bar-mitzpah wishlist doesn't belong here. I highly doubt anybody here needs any advice on what gaming rig to buy. But in case you do, hear is the info in USD.

    861.430 USD

            * CPU: Intel E8500 - $200
            * RAM: DDR2 4GB 800MHz RAM - $100v
            * Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3 - $130
            * GPU: ATI 4870 - $300
            * PSU: Silverstone Strider ST50F 500W - $80
            * Case: Antec NSK4000 - $65
            * Optical: Pioneer 215BK SATA - $30
            * HDD: Western Digital 640GB - $93

    1,724.59 USD

            * CPU: Intel E8600 - $300
            * RAM: DDR2 4GB 1066MHz - $150
            * Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X48-DS4 - $240
            * GPU: ATI 4870x2 - $655
            * PSU: Corsair HX620 - $160
            * Case: Cooler Master Cosmos S RC-1100 - $285
            * Optical Drive: Pioneer DVR-215D SATA 20x - $30
            * Storage: Western Digital 640GB - $93
            * Cooling: Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme & Scythe Slipstream - $85

    8,499.13 USD
            * CPU: Intel QX9770 - $1,600
            * RAM: 2 x 2GB Mushkin DDR3 XP3-14400 - $550
            * Motherboard: Foxconn Blackops X48 - $450
            * GPU: 2 x 4870x2 - $1320
            * PSU: Corsair HX1000 - $320
            * Case: Lian-Li PC-X2000 - $580
            * Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-202BK - $390
            * Storage: 2 x 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor - $700
            * Cooling: Frozen SS Vapour Phase Change - $1,100
            * OS: Vista Home Premium 64bit OEM - $130
            * Monitor: Dell UltraSharpâ 3008WFP 30" - $2,000
            * Mouse: Razer Lachesis - $63
            * Keyboard: Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard-$95
            * Sound Card : Auzentech X-Fi Prelude - $230
            * Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 - $320

    1. Re:Website is terrible, relevant info here by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That 8,5k rig smells a lot of "we wanted some shock effect, so we simply dumped the most expensive components together". Some of the things don't even remotely make sense for a gaming rig.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  17. Re:Bad Suggestions for 1000-2000$ by Notquitecajun · · Score: 2, Funny

    The funny thing is, you could have made all your numbers and names up and those of us who don't care as much would know the difference.

  18. 1 GB / $ HD? by FireIron · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are hard drives down to 1GB per dollar yet? I remember when they hit 1MB per dollar, and it was a big deal at the time. I had an onion tied to my belt...

  19. Re:Forget the hardware. by Opportunist · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's not a matter of money, it's a matter of supply. You can't buy what isn't offered.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  20. Vista is Stable, Secure, and Enjoyable? WOW! by Viduliya · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Your hardware won't function without an OS, so what better choice than Microsoftâ(TM)s latest offering. Despite the constant criticism, Vista is a very stable, secure and enjoyable platform to work with." --

    Agreeably you may need Vista as the OS on your ultimate "GAMING PC" specification only because most games require Windows in one form or another to run with all the uber options enabled.

    I guess we have to take this all with prospective. As in saying something is stable compared to a house of straw in the path of a tornado and secure compared to a wet paper bag.

  21. What levels are these? by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Funny

    We have three tiers for the three levels of PC gamers out there

    From the prices I assume those levels are "lives in own property", "lives with parents", and "purely hypothetical".

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
  22. Re:Vista is Stable, Secure, and Enjoyable? WOW! by Zarf · · Score: 2, Insightful

    "Your hardware won't function without an OS, so what better choice than Microsoftâ(TM)s latest offering. Despite the constant criticism, Vista is a very stable, secure and enjoyable platform to work with." --

    Really? Really? Really?

    Just throws all the other recommendations into question. And Vista as opposed to ... what why even mention it as a choice? There is no choice. It would be like saying back in 1970's we chose the power and convenience of AT&T's phone service... as opposed to what? A can and string?

    It's a gaming PC so of course it runs Vista or XP. Something like "We chose Vista for newer Direct X" pretending otherwise is an insult to the readers.

    --
    [signature]
  23. Re:The Best Gaming "PC Money" Can Buy by tepples · · Score: 2, Informative

    easy, try a wii or ps3.

    And lose the ability to meaningfully play indie games. Wii needs a crack based on the unpatched Twilight Princess disc, and PS3 needs a reboot into a version of Linux without even 2D accelerated graphics.

  24. 3 levels of gaming? That is Nvidia marketing hype. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I don't buy into it.

    I'm one of the most hardcore gamers around. I've flown around the country to compete on LAN and sunk years of my life into competitive online gaming.

    My systems are always good enough to not handicap me in my chosen game. I.E. my maximum potential can be achieved with the hardware I have available to me at any given time.

    I don't give a crap about graphics. I don't need to buy 2x $500 video cards. Competitive gamers turn down the graphics as far as possible anyway to remove as much "clutter" from their field of vision as possible.

    If, on the other hand, you are a casual hobbyist gamer that likes bright, shiny, pretty colors then by all means spend 5 or 10 grand on a computer.

    I'll be the one fragging you until you leave the server in tears on my 3 year old PC that cost me about $1,000 at the time.