How to Build a Monster PC in 2011 (Without Spending Millions) GameFront

GameFront, "While investing in a long-term, moderately powerful computer makes the most sense financially, every diehard PC gamer needs to splurge on a monster gaming rig at least once in their life — ideally, during that sweet spot after they’ve gotten a steady job and can afford it, but before they have a wife who will scream at them to no end for “wasting so much money on toys.” So for you, the unwed PC gamer who has decided to make the leap and buy a monster rig, as well the married gamer with balls of steel, we put together the following system for approximately $1500. It may not have all the pretty bells and whistles of more ridiculously-priced systems, but in terms of raw gaming power, it’s tough to beat."

[BeAGamer]

don't think any person has ever spent millions on a gaming rig

[Farsendor1]

console gamers act like they cost millions

[BiggCMan]

Nice of you to make such a generalized statement. I am a console gamer who just bought and built a PC. I've always known that it never costed "millions" or an insane amount of money. However, it's not as cheap as some PC elitists will have you believe either. I spent 1700 dollars on my setup, and it's not the best you can get, but still very good.

[Transporter47]

you can build a computer in between 700 to 800 dollars n u can run everything on max settings of course not like 16xaa but u don't really need that n yeah i'm talking about 1080p but i run 1200p so w.e

[reynod]

People seem to forget consoles may initially cost cheaper however, games on console tend to cost alot more then PC versions and often stay at higher prices for longer periods of time.

Even if someone was to get a 1000usd PC in a matter of 2-3 years it will turn out to be cheaper. Hell 1-2 Steam discounts is all thats needed. Lets not forget PC doesnt only play games it does alot mroe then that.

[slayorofgods]

This build is a bit of overkill, and definitely not the best build for someone wants to save money.

As far as pc gaming goes go AMD quad core. Most people don't even need/use the extra horse power of the pricey i7's.

[thebudgetgamer]

oh literal BeAgamer.

[zero_gamer]

Ever heard of a hyperbole before?

Anyway, this article suggests parts for a 1267-1859 dollar budget range. Not bad for a monster of a gaming rig. Assuming you don't need the highest end PC you can easily enjoy all your games on a budget rig of ranging around $650 and still outperform console versions while enjoying the exclusives like Red Orchestra 2, Civilian V, Diablo III, Starcraft II, etc.

And whenever you're ready for max settings glory you can just throw in a GPU upgrade you find on sale and for the most part that is all you need as long as you picked a good enough CPU from the beginning. The beauty of PC gaming is you design your machine however you want according to your budget. PC gaming can be expensive but the games can be cheaper by the mile and compensating much of the cost. One of the reasons why Steam is popular is because of their ridiculous sales. All it really takes is some bargain hunting, really.

[awi5951]

This is a stupid rig those parts are too high where are these guys buying their parts.

[shockdude]

GTX 580's in SLI are overkill for the average gamer. One HD 6970 will do it at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 while maintaining a solid 60 fps, maxed out. Using an SLI setup is only for those enthusiasts who have multiple 2560x1600 monitors, which will, unfortunately, cost you another whopping $800-1000 per monitor.

[Johnny_Cojones]

I've built my own rigs for years. If I was gaming on a 1080p monitor, like your average person about to build a good gaming rig will be, I'd go with an Intel Core i5 2500k, a motherboard that supports SLI and/or Crossfire, and either an Nvidia GTX 570 or an AMD Radeon 6950 2GB. Very few games will push these cards too hard even at completely maxed settings.

SSDs are nice, but they really don't make that much of a difference if you're only using them as an OS drive. If you were going to get a large SSD & install all of your games on it that would be a different story. Get a nice, big Western Digital Sata III 7200 RPM HDD. Plenty fast enough, & relatively inexpensive.

A blu-ray burner, really? I don't know many people who even burn DVDs anymore, in the age of streaming video & torrent sites.

You can build a great gaming PC that will blow any current console, & very likely next gen's lineup too, for well under $1000.

I will say that many of the components the author chose are very nice, though, & if money isn't too big an issue they'd make for an amazing rig.

[BiggCMan]

"You can build a great gaming PC that will blow any current console, & very likely next gen's lineup too, for well under $1000."

No you can't, a processor and graphics card alone can get pretty close to that price if you get a 2500k and maybe a 580. Then you have everything else to add. You can't build a really good rig for under $1000 anymore.

[Farsendor1]

a great rig does not mean elite rig

http://www.gamingpcbuilds.c...

[radphil]

.....The article just had a GTX560 and 2600k for $500. >_>

You somewhat killed your own statement there.

[Johnny_Cojones]

@ BiggCMan- I disagree, bud. You can't build a rig that maxes out Metro 2033 in DX11 with Advanced PhysX, etc, for under $1000, but I'm not talking about building a monster.

Most people have no clue what it's like to game on a high end PC, so even what you might turn your nose up at would be a massive improvement over their experience with Xbox 360 or PS3.
Not everyone thinks you need to push every slider all the way to the right, with every piece of debris having a soft shadow, & have x32 Anti Aliasing, yadda yadda.

[thebudgetgamer]

that's some good info, thanks.

[Farsendor1]

well lets see it from this point of view

console gamer: all pc guys are elitest

pc gamer: console gamers are kids

console gamer: pc cost too much

pc gamer: pc has more graphics

thats how most comments end up and my comment was aimed at those guys that do bring pc cost into consideration in the argument that consoles are better.

did you really think that my comment meant i was talking about every console gamer? that would have been ridiculous. i did re read my comment and it does seem like i was directing it at all console gamers but no i was not

[thebudgetgamer]

well i think their are some pc elitists around but never considered you one. in fact i find your posts on the subject are well informed, and provide good info for those of us that lack that knowledge.

[Farsendor1]

im more like half i like the latest technology but im not going to put someone down for having less.

consoles have their worth
pc have their worth

i have had bad experiences with consoles this generation so ill say some things about the consoles of today but i don't hate a piece of hardware.

[girevik]

Now I love my consoles but I did just get a gaming rig for $750 and can play everything maxed at 1080p. It just takes shopping around and it always helps to network and find people that can hook you up :)

my PC
AMD 1090T OC @ 3.8ghz
8gb ram
GTX 465 sli

[DigitalAnalog]

Not only would they be cheap, the DD4 RAM chips should be out by then. MY C2D is really bottlenecking my 560ti.

-End statement

[thereapersson]

I have that exact Cooler Master case. For the money it is the best case I've ever used, and there's a crap-ton of ventilation ports.

[chrisgay]

The reason the PC is not only the best but the cheapest gaming platform isn't just lower game prices. There is the simple fact that practically every gamer, especially those here on N4G- spreading false information about the true cost of gaming PCs and their supposed need for alarmingly regular upgrades- require a computer in their day to day life. For a small investment, a stick of RAM and a dedicated graphics card will turn any modern everyday PC into a gaming rig capable of outshining the consoles no problem.

[Bladesfist]

And your CPU will bottleneck your fps like crap unless you got a decent quad core. But yes it will outshine the consoles

[Johnny_Cojones]

It's a good way for people to get their feet wet. For about $100-$150 you can turn any decent modern desktop PC into a passable gaming rig.

Especially if you get a used GPU on Ebay, like a Radeon 5770 or GTX 260.

Only thing holding most people back would be the weak power supplies that come in most PCs.