The Official Budget-Conscious Dream Machine!

to take the chance xD

if it turns good, ill be happy, if not its only £30

 

RECOMMENDED BUDGET-CONSCIOUS GAMING BUILD - USA:

E2180 CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116052
GA-P35-DS3L Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128059
2GB Corsair RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034
500GB WD Hard drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
XFX Geforce 9600GT Graphics http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150277
Corsair VX 450W PSU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003
NZXT Apollo case http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146025
Pioneer 20x DVD RW http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827129018
SB Audigy SE Sound card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102003

Comes to c. $600 after rebates. This PC build will run any current game to an adequate detail level.

 

gotta love that rig bro!

you really love NZXT case, anyway is Coolermaster CM 690 a good case???

which one will win, P182 or CM690?

 

WIN!


its not a race m8.

id go for the p182, but caus the CM-690 is under £50, if your on a budget, id go for that.

 

The RC-690 Dominator and P182 are both superb cases, but have different roles. RC-690 for cooling, P182 for quietness.

 

i like that idea sam.

UK £400 budget

 

I really like P182, it looks "clean" or "neat" and it's quiet, but the cooling is ok/moderate. But it's not that cheap!

CM-690 is different, it's cheap and awesome cooling but it doesn't look as good as P182.

i need good cooling, buying good silent fans might lower the noise

@shaffaaf
you forgot about the power supply.

that case is ok, motherboard i prefer GA-P35-DS3L, gpu 9600GT is much better, i don't think E2200 is needed, E2180 is really enough plus with GA-P35-DS3L one can OC it over 3GHz np!

 

The cooling on the P182 is still good, let's not forget that. it's just not quite as good as the RC-690, but realistically, that's never going to be an issue unless you use multiple passive graphics cards.

 

the motherboard is a good OCer aswell.

and the E2200 was added to add the extra multi, for more OCing as the same FBS.

the case comes with a PSU (and a very stable and 80+ one at that)

and for £400 adding the 9600GT is hard.

the 3850 OCed to 3870 speeds with a Vmod, so its the same at a 9600GT anywasy with a bit of OCing

 

NEVER vmod a graphics card. I've seen several people do it and every one of them has destroyed their graphics card. On the upside though, the HD3850 is not dissimilar from the 9600GT in performance anyway, you probably won't notice the difference.

 

i destoryed my x1900XT by Vmod

but i was a reckless 15 year old then.

ad yeah, with a budget lie that, firstly one one be playing crysis, and one will be playing on 1280x1024 or less. in which case, the 3850 will be more than adequate. even the 256 one.

 

Indeedy, the HD3850 can manage most games except Crysis at 1280x1024 full detail.

 

most cards cant handle crysis at that res on dx10 very high EVERYTHING either, tbh.

and no one would get a £400 comp for crysis.

 

Most cards won't need to, because most people will be using XP and therefore DX9. An HD3870 can make 1280x1024 High, and two 3870s can do 1680x1050.

 

quite true! then theres no need to buy 9600GT...

i'll go for CM690 over P182, i'm on an extremely tight budget

 

Well that's it, that's the logical choice, because good though the P182 is, it's not inexpensive.

 

If you want a cheap but quality case, get the Cooler Master Centurion. I used one for my parents' build and they even like the looks of it. Fits even bigger cards well and cools nicely. Fully rolled edges, open mesh front with a dust filter, very quiet with the right PSU...

I just saw a 9600GT in action. They're about equal to an HD3870 and faster than an HD3850 by far. Sometimes matching the 8800GT. That and they're only $20 more than the HD3850 at newegg Maybe it's already been said, but what kind of prices do you have in the UK? Is the 9600GT also cheaper than the HD3870?

And the HD3850 256MB won't play most games nearly as well, even OC'd. Don't vMod it if you get it, that'll kill it quick. The 9600GT will really matter in Crysis. So if that's what you want to play, get the 9600GT. Anything else you can probably max at 1280 res with the 3850, even CoD 4 and Oblivion(very rare case where the HD3850 does as well as other cards).

The HD3850 is a good card either way. I just feel that the 9600GT is faster for the money. I might even get one for my parents in the months ahead if I save my money.

 

Hey what's your opinion on COOLER MASTER RC-690 VS Antec 900.

 

I'm a Cooler Master fan right now. The Antec 900 is a bit more extreme and aggressive. The Cooler Master 690 is more elegant and streamlined. They're both awesome cases. It comes down to preference.

 

How about cooling performance? I like the side fans on the CM so the GPU gets air directly from the outside. Also I HATE clear side panels now and LED fans. The light annoys me and I wont like see my computers wire clutter through the clear panels.