High Performance Gaming Computers

If you are a PC gamer, you will know how important it can be to have a high end gaming computer. Being able to play games on their highest graphical settings will draw you into the game more and - naturally along with great gameplay - will result in a better gaming experience.

Whilst purchasing a high performance gaming computer sounds like a good option, this can be fairly expensive - for example, for $2,000 you could build a brilliant gaming system which could play probably all of today's games on their highest settings.

Whereas if you wanted to buy a system with the same components from a manufacturer such as Dell, you'd probably have to pay at least $2,800 - around 40% more. In our opinion, it is better to purchase the components yourself and then build the computer yourself or pay someone to build it for you. This will still work out cheaper.

Below is a list of components which we feel will give the best value for money and still result in a very high end gaming computer. The total cost of this system would be $2,000 (assuming you shop around online for the best deal for each component):

  • CPU: Intel Core i7-930 (2.8 Ghz) - $290 - The Core i7 range is still the best CPU range out there today, and this CPU offers great performance - along with high overclocking potential - for under $300. A bargain buy considering the massive performance it gives.
  • Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E - $240 - This motherboard was designed with performance in mind. It performs well in numerous tests, and it comes with a easy-to-use BIOS, on-board overclocking features and a good number of power-saving features. The Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R is also a good system although this Asus is - in our opinion - a better buy.
  • Memory: 6GB 1,600MHz DDR3 - $150 - Any 6GB of 1,600 Mhz RAM from a reputable manufacturer (e.g. Crucial) should be fine here. This system is naturally quite powerful hence why we suggest it has 6GB (and not just 4GB) of memory, although at the same time we don't feel that this system would need more than 6GB.
  • Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 5870 - $400 - Whilst there are better graphics cards out there, the 5870 is the only card in the $400-$500 range which will perform this well. Quite simply, the 5870 is a power-house which can easily handle pretty much all of today's games on high graphic levels.
  • PSU: XFX Black Edition P1-750B-NLG9 - $190 - XFX power supply units have been getting great reviews recently, and this strong 750W PSU is no different. It's the best sub-$200 750W PSU which is available on the market.
  • Storage: 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F3 and OCZ Vertex 2E 120GB - $400 - The OCZ SSD is a very speedy SSD and is perfect for a boot drive, whereas the F3 remains one of the fastest mechanical hard-drives on the market hence we continue to suggest its use as the primary data storage device.
  • Other: Thermaltake Frio cooler, Cooler Master ATCS 840 case, standard SATA DVD-RW drive and Asus Xonar DX sound card - $330 - these components are really up to you, although we feel that they are the best components at their respective price points.
A similar system to the above
Screenshot from Dell.com website, correct as at 27th August 2010

This system will offer brilliant, high end gaming performance for $2,000. To put this price into perspective: we headed over to Dell to configure a system to be as close to the above configuration as possible.

We were able to match it very closely; on all apart key components apart from the following:

  • The Dell system comes with Windows 7. Our custom system doesn't. Windows 7 retails at around $100.
  • The Dell system does not have a SSD (whilst our custom system does). This is because Dell's SSDs start at $500. The SSD in our system costs $320.

Hence when you factor in the two above changes, the Dell system would cost $2,574 - $100 + $320 = $2,794 which is a massive $794 or 39.7% more expensive than building this system yourself (or paying someone a small amount to build the system for you after you buy the components).

As a result, we would suggest that you buy all the components yourself. Then you have two options available:

  • Build the system yourself. We came across this guide and found it very useful. It has lots of helpful information and then a step-by-step guide with pictures.
  • OR pay someone to build the system for you. This might only cost you $100-$150, which is a substantial saving on the $2,794 that you would have to pay if you purchased the system from a retailer

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