PC Build: Gaming PC $3000 CDN
This is a top of the line gaming machine, pure and simple. We gather the best pieces within a $3000 framework and build the best. This used to be a $5000 machine but it’s amazing what can be had within the lowered budget.
This is the fastest quad core CPU with a reasonable price: after this comes the extreme units with crazy prices. The Q9450 has four cores running at 2.66 GHz on a 1333 MHz bus. Yes that’s basically the same as the Q6700 which retails for about $270, but with less cache and a 1066 MHz bus. Another way to go is the E8500 which has two cores running at 3.16 GHz for $280.
Cooling: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
Arctic Cooling has consistently impressed me with their high performance and low cost units. I’m tempted by massive towers of copper and aluminum but the price scares me off.
Motherboard: Asus P5N-D Nvidia 750i SLI
This is not the top of the heap Nvidia chipset as the 790i motherboards go for about $320, or more than double of the P5N-D. The 750i chipset gets the job done with PCI-E 2.0 SLI, 1333 MHz bus support, passively cooled and DDR2 support. It’s full featured and a decent overclocker.
RAM: Patriot PDC24G6400LLK 2x 2GB PC2-6400 EPP
DDR2 RAM pricing is ridiculously cheap and one of the main reasons I went with the P5N-D motherboard: 4 GB of RAM for $85. Go crazy and get two if you can afford it. This Patriot kit is stable, uses EPP for Nvidia motherboard automatic overclocking and is cooled with decent heatsinks.
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750 GB
Hard drives are another item that gets cheaper by the day: price to storage ratio puts 750 GB at the sweet spot. The HD753LJ has won a ton of awards for it’s performance made possible by its high platter density. I’ve been a big fan of Samsung’s drives since they introduced SATA models and this one is a winner.
Optical Drive: LG GGC-H20L and Samsung SH-S203S
Two optical drives for our gaming rig. The LG GGC-H20L is here for it’s Blu-ray and HD-DVD playing abilities. The Samsung SH-S203S is a full featured DVD rewriter with Lightscribe.
Removable Storage: Mitsumi FA404M
The Mitsumi reads all flash storage and has a 3.5″ floppy drive built in: I just can’t let go for some reason.
Video Card: BFG GeForce GTX 280 and Hauppauge WinTV-HVR 1800
The GTX 280 is the new king of video cards: the BFG was the cheapest I could find, and $640 sure isn’t cheap. If you need to cut corners get a 9800GTX+ for $220, or get two and still save. The WinTV-HVR 1800 is a dual tuner model that will handle your TV fix.
Monitor: Samsung SyncMaster 245T
For this price range 24″ was the biggest I could go, and that makes the 245T the top dog. It’s S-PVA panel displays 97% of the colour gamut and displays rich blacks and lush colours. Full motion on the stand is a real plus. The Dell 2408WFP has the same panel and is an excellent choice if can get it on sale.
Sound: Creative Sound Blaster X-FI Xtreme Gamer
The Creative X-FI Xtreme Gamer is on the low end of the X-FI line but delivers what we want: perfect sound and full EAX support.
Speakers: Logitech Z-5500 Digital
These are consistently rated the top PC speakers with amazing sound, THX certified and good connections and ease of use. Tiger Direct keeps putting them on sale: they’re $240 right now and were $200 earlier in the year.
Chassis: Antec Performance One P182 and Antec TruPower Trio 650
The housing of choice is the new Antec P182 tower case. Very slick design with lockable front and side panels. Loads of room for hard drives and cooling, but without breaking the bank on a “boutique” case. Front mounted USB ports to boot. Best of all it’s designed for quiet operation. Added to it is the Antec TruPower Trio 650 power supply; quiet and 650 watts.
Input: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3200 and Microsoft Media Center Remote and Receiver
Input is handled by Logitech via the Cordless Desktop MX3200; a very nice combination of feature rich keyboard and gaming cordless mouse. This is one of the most personal areas of a PC build, so best to try out as many models and designs as you can at a good shop before making a decision. The Microsoft Media Center remote and IR receiver let you take advantage of Vista’s multimedia GUI from a distance.
Operating System: Microsoft Vista Home Premium (64 bit)
Windows Vista Home Premium is the star of the show, with full multimedia capabilities via the GUI, getting everything you need done without paying the crazy premium for Vista Ultimate. To take full advantage of all that RAM get the 64 bit version: all hardware in this build has 64 bit Vista drivers. As well take a look at eBabble’s free software bundle.
UPS: Tripp Lite 1000LCD SmartPro 1000VA
Last but not least is a basic UPS (uninterruptible power supply); nothing like losing power and seeing open files disappear. Don’t run any mission critical PC without a UPS in place. The SmartPro 1000VA is a compact model with USB connectivity and shutdown software for your PC. This will last you a few systems so if you already have one spend the money saved on extra RAM.
