Ishmael’s Blog

I recently built my first computer, which was quite an undertaking for me. Prior to doing so, I hadn’t really done more than upgrade memory or change a hard drive inside of a computer. I haven’t had too much of an interest in the hardware, but I learned SO much in such a short amount of time when I priced out and pieced together my new rig.

I wouldn’t call myself an expert in the least when it comes to computer hardware and compatibility, but I managed to do the research necessary to get a running computer on my first shot. I had to bargain shop for EVERYTHING because I was building on a budget (under $600) , and despite what quite a few people believe, I was able to build an entry level gaming computer for under $400 (after a significant amount of special deals). Sure, there are a few things I wish I would have done differently, but I got the important stuff right, the system is upgradeable, I can run the games I’ve been itching to play, and it booted up straight away when I plugged everything in.

If I were to give any advice, I would say the following:

• Keep it upgradeable. Go with a newer CPU socket (I did AM2) and a sufficient PSU (I did 500W, but I would recommend more), otherwise, you will have to buy a new everything later on.
• Read about what the PSU specs mean. Check out this PSU buyer’s guide. It had a lot of useful information, although some topics need to be googled and read up on a bit more. You will also want to make sure that your PSU has the cables you need for the devices you wish to put into your case.
• Check that the memory voltage is compatible with your motherboard. I nearly overlooked this and bought memory modules that wouldn’t have worked. Compatible memory isn’t hard to buy if you do your research.
• If you’re on a budget, you will have to cheap out on some things, but there is a difference between cheaping out and finding a good bargain. Read reviews (decent products on Newegg tend to have plenty).

For anyone interested in my system setup, here it is. It’s not a system worth bragging about, but it’s a low end gaming machine, fit for a casual gamer. Most of the links are to Newegg product pages, although not all items were purchases through them (I wish. They’re the best online company I’ve ever done business with. No lie.)

• Case: Thermaltake Xaser V Damier
• PSU: MSI TurboStream 500W
• MOBO: Foxconn AM2 Nvidia nForce 570 SLI
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.4GHz
• GPU: Foxconn GeForce 8500GT 256MB PCIe
• RAM: A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 SDRAM (PC2 6400)
• … plus a cheap DVD-ROM drive and HDD

No, those prices wont add up to under $400, but I had 3 big mail in rebates, and a handful of other good deals. Also, you will need an operating system, which I didn’t include because you can get Linux for free, although I use Windows XP for my gaming.

I haven’t yet played any new (as in 2007 release) games, but I have downloaded a couple demos I will try out soon (BioShock & Crysis). I’ve been playing Oblivion and GRAW on medium/high settings without a problem, and I prefer smooth gameplay over visuals.

Update: I played the demos. With Crysis, I can use low/medium settings (low with maybe half the advanced graphic items set to medium). BioShock ran smooth on medium settings (if I remember correctly). By smooth, I mean about 25-30 FPS. If it is noticeably sketchy, I won’t play it.

P.s. I can see how Crysis can be an extremely demanding game, graphically. It seems like a cool game, even despite the fact that I’m not a big FPS fan (I prefer tactical). I couldn’t set the graphics all to medium, or enable AA at all. Things would either run slow or look weird (pre-crash sorta weird). Things look so great even without upping the graphics, although you can see by the screenshots how awesome it CAN look.