Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Intel Gaming machine for under a Grand!

Ok, Here's the Intel configuration I promised. It was tough to get it under $1k, but I managed it. This system is based on another BioStar motherboard - the Tforce TP35D2-A7. This motherboard uses the latest P35 chipset from Intel. This board features 1333 mhz FSB support for the new 45 nm Penryn CPU's coming in the next month or two. This board combined with the Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 should give us performance at least as good (maybe better) as the AMD Athlon 64X2 4600+ CPU used in my previous build.

BioStar Tforce TP35D2-A7 motherboard - $116.12
Intel Core 2 Duo E6320 Processor - 165.5 (free shipping)

Because I don't care for stock CPU coolers, lets toss an Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7 on top of that Intel CPU to keep it nice and frosty. I like the Freezer Pro series because they allow for proper airflow for the most effective cooling. They point straight back at the rear case fan and this creates a nice linear flow from the front intake vents, across the drives and then the CPU cooler and then exiting out the back.

Arctic cooling Freezer Pro 7 - $40.63

Next we need some good RAM. For this one I chose the Corsair XMS2 2GB dual pack DDR2-800 RAM. Newegg has this RAM for a measly $113 with a $30 mail in rebate. Good RAM is a must for any performance build. I have seen way too many performance machines ruined by cheap RAM, that it just makes no sense to skimp on it.

Corsair XMS2 DDR-800 RAM 2 GB dual pack - 113.00 (free shipping)

We'll use the same hard drive and DVD burner from the previous build. The Seagate drive has a five year warranty, a SATA 3.0 Gb interface and a 16 MB cache. I've used LiteOn optical drives for years and I've never had a problem with them.

Seagate 250 GB SATA 3.0 Gb hard drive - $69.99 (free shipping)
Liteon 20X DVD burner - $33.63

For this build we're going to use a different Video card - its a little less money than the Geforce card on the AMD build, but it benchmarks better. This one is a Radeon X1950GT from Sapphire with 256 MB RAM. Its a great buy at $129.99!

Sapphire Radeon X1950GT w/256 MB RAM - $135.63

Ok, we've got the basics of the machine and we're still under $700 - looking good!

Now we install all of this hardware in the same case we used before - the NSK 4400 from Antec. Antec makes some of the best cases you'll ever find. They are sturdy and well built, roomy without being oversized, and this particular model comes with an excellent 380W power supply and a 120 mm rear tri-speed fan

Antec NSK-4400 (B Stock) - $65.00

And now a keyboard, mouse and speakers from Apevia:

Apevia KIS-Combo BK Keyboard, mouse and speakers - $29.93

And top it all of with this sweet deal on a 19" monitor from newegg:

Sceptre X9-g Naga 19" 8 ms LCD Monitor - $174.97

This gives us a grand total of $944.40 - only slightly higher than my previous AMD based build!

Forbidden PC

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