Having seen numerous post of a budget gaming rig inquiries here in the hardware section I was INSPIRED to build one for my kids but have limited the cost of the CPU to only 20k. This project is just a guide and not the best 20K gaming rig out there but I have tried my best to weigh in performance vs cost during the process. I have also made some decision in choosing a component to give flexibility for future upgrades without having to buy a new motherboard. The second part of the project is to build an AMD platform using the same exact components and see how it fare with an intel platform keeping in mind the lucky number- 20K.
A. The Recipe
1. Motherboard: Gigabyte GAG31 Es2c - Php 2,500.00
I told myself from the beginning of this project that I will only be spending 2.5k for the motherboard and with that in mind I don't have the financial luxury for a P45 or a P35 platform. Next in line (going down) on the intel hierarchy is the G31. This chipset fits perfectly to my budget! I googled to several offerings from Asus, MSI, XFX and was more impressed with Gigabyte's G31M-Es2c feature- dual bios, fsb up to 1600, DDR2 up to 1066, solid caps in CPU VRM and 7.1 Audio.
2. Processor:Intel E5300 2.6 GHZ - Php 3,300.00
I was really itching for an Intel Core2 Duo for this build but with a budget constraint of only 20k for the CPU I have to look elsewhere. I've had an E5200 before that was paired with Abit IP35-Pro and with this combination I was able to hit 4 ghz on air with ease.This experience with Pentium Dual Core sealed the deal in my decision to using the E5300 for the powerhouse. PDC's are relatively cheap and are known to give higher headroom for overclock so they are just perfect specimen for my low funded gaming rig.
3. Memory: Patriot Extreme DDR2 800 mhz - Php 2.650.00
64 bit OS is going mainstream nowadays and you need at least 4 Gb or RAM to fully take advantage, problem is that I don't have 5-6k to spare for a 2 x 2 GB RAM. Although it's not advisable and against my will I have to concede to a single channel setup using single stick of 2 Gb memory module. Some might ask, why not go dual channel with a 2 x 1 Gb and get another set of that same memory later? because most of these inexpensive boards ut there and the G31M-Es2c is not an exception is that manufacturers only give you a pair of DIMM sockets. This is such an inconvenience because it doesn't give you flexibility to upgrade to 4 sticks of memory. Getting single stick of 2 Gb memory gives me the flexibility to go 4 Gb dual channel in the future.I have to live with this at the moment, at least for now or until DDR2'spricing will make sense.
4. Casing: Blade Series - Php 1,200.00
I was prepared to pay 1 to 1.5k for a casing with or without PSU. Dmelsie recommended the Blade series mini atx case and I liked it instantly as soon as he showed it to me. What I liked about it obviously is the PRICE and the interior has been painted black. I always like black interiors because they will make the cables somewhat disappear and they look neat. This extra feature also saves me a trip to the powder coating shop. The side panel had acrylic window and an 80 mm fan is installed wherein it is blowing cool air towards the the processor HSF and NB heatsink. I will be overclcoking the processor but I don't have a budget for an aftermarket cooler so this reallay helps in taming down the temperature. I have also installed an additional 120mm intake fan with filter on the bottom part of the casing to supply cool air to the video card and the hard drive and another 120 mm exhaust fan on top of the casing to help exit hot air that is building up inside the case during extended period of gaming.
5. PSu: Gigabyte Superb 550 @ Php 2,650.00 - 400.00 (cost to sell the generic PSU) = Php 2,250.00
I have narrowed down my choices to Gigabyte Superb and HEC. The HEC is slightly cheaper but I ended up shelling a little extra for the Superb 550W. If I have the luxury to extend my budget for another gran, I would definitely get the Silverstone Modular ST506f.
6. Hard Drive: Seagate 500 GB - Php 2,805.00
This was an easy decision to make. I could have saved few extra bucks by opting for lower capacity 250 GB or 320GB but I felt that I needed the extra space to store my music, pictures, HD movies and back up games. However I was surprised that the price went up from 2.3k to 2.85k in a period of 2 months. Arghhh I ended up paying Php 550.00 more.
7. Video Card : Inno 3D Gts 250 512 mb- Php 5,300.00
With the above purchases I am now left with only over 5k to spare on a video card. I felt like I'm heading the same pitfall that most first time gaming pc builders do! skimp on the most important aspect of a gaming rig because there was not enough cash anymore to spend for a decent video card. Inno 3D GTS 250 512 MB was looking good for the Green team as far as my budget is concern as well as the PowerColor HD5750 512 MB for the Red faction. Although the 5750 costs over than 6k I was prepared again to bleed out more blood and sweat to have it. I was also convinced that the DX11 was worth it for future proofing. But by the time the video card came at the store from the supplier, dmelsie screwed the whole plan by ordering a 1 Gb version instead of the 512 MB that we have agreed. Bad news is that price for 1 GB version was around 8k! It was already way off my budget and have to pull back and settled with the GTS 250 512 MB instead. I have not totally given up on the 5750 512 mb yet, once I have it I will compare game benchmark against the gts 250 512 mb and can see for myself that the increase in fps (if any) is worth the extra penny.
8. Optical Drive - None
Reason for not having it, saves me Php 1,000.00 which I can use to buy keyboard and mouse
9. Keyboard, Mouse and Headset - Php 1,350.00
a. A4tech X7 G600 - Php 600.00
b. a4tech Ak47 - Php 600.00
c. CDR-King Headset - Php 150.00
10. Display: Samsung 933NW - Php 6,900.00 (Not included on the 20k budget)
I was really planning on getting the Samsung 933SN and it costs Php 7,400.00 but then I saw this 19" LG and it was really tempting because of the Php 6,400.00 price tag. I'm a happy Samsung LCD owner so I went with the Samsung brand but I made a compromise though and got the NW version instead. The NW's is 500 pesos cheaper with aspect ratio of 16:9 and resolution of 1360 x 768 vs SN's 16:10 ratio and resolution of 1440 x 900.The NW's wider screen might be better for watching HD movies and the slightly lower resolution may help increase fps in some games. Although I encountered some games during the tests that does not support this resolution and the image will likely to be stretched. IMO,this really is not a big issue and can live with it. The more pesos I can save the better for my pocket to finance the next AMD rig.
Total Cost:
1. Motherboard - Php 2,500.00
2. Processor - Php 3,300.00
3. Memory - Php 2.650.00
4. Casing - Php 1,200.00
5. PSU - Php 2,805.00
6. Hard Drive - Php 2,805.00
7. Video Card - Php 5,300.00
8. Keyboard - Php 600.00
9. Mouse - Php 600.00
10.Headset - Php 150.00
---------------
Php 21,955.00 for CPU only
Php 28,895.00 (cpu and 19" lcd display)
After I tallied all the receipts from the purchases, it came out that I did not hit the 20k goal. However, if I purchased all the PC components 3 months earlier I could have come closer but nothing to worry about because a 20k gaming rig is still possible all I have to do is downgrade the graphics to a GeForce 9800 GT or a Radeon 4830 or 4850 or 4770 and 250 Gb hard drive instead of 500 Gb then I will hit the mark.
Assembled the thing, installed the OS/games that my kids like to play and downloaded all the benchmark tools that are available on the net. Now I am ready to test the system and see if I made a good decision in choosing parts for a 20k low budget gaming rig. I may have went a little over the budget but I am hoping that it's worth it and the rig will score a decent or playable fps.
The finish project:
My 20k Budget Gaming Project
and 3.1 should be enough for gaming, 3.2 ghz would be the optimal but I have to live with 3.1 ghz for now.
Originally Posted by DanDan_vallesfin
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