A lot of people have been asking me what computer to buy. In this topic, I will make a list of the best low-budget, mid-range and high-end computers, based on performance in general and gaming in specific. On all three of these computers, you are able to play the newest games without any problems, though you will have to lower the resolution and detail if you have the low-budget system.
The CPU
As the new Core2Duo 45nm Wolfdale processors have been introduced, these become the best processors, with a larger L2 cache of 6mb, less power usage and a slightly higher clock rate, while still costing the same as their predecessors. All these advantages makes me choose these processors.
Low-budget: Intel Core2Duo E8200 (€160)
Mid-range: Intel Core2Duo E8400 (€175)
High-end: Intel Core2Duo E8500 (€250)
The Video Card
This month, the Radeon HD3870 X2's prices has strongly been reduced, making this card very attractive. It's solid performance and very reasonable prices makes it the perfect video card for the high-end system. For the low-budget system, I would choose the Radeon HD 3850-256mb, but if I could change one thing about the low-budget system, I would swap the HD 3850-256mb for the HD3850-512mb or the GeFore 8800GT-512mb, because 512mb of video memory will soon become the new standard requirement for games.
For the mid-range system, I choose the GeForce 8800GT-512mb, which currently has the best price/quality proportion.
Low-budget: Radeon HD 3850-256mb (€155)
Mid-range: Asus GeForce EN8800GT-512mb (€250)
High-range: Radeon HD 3870 X2 (€380)
The Motherboard
The Asus P5K for all systems.
Low-budget: Asus P5K (€105)
Mid-range: Asus P5K (€105)
High-end: Asus P5k-E (€135)
The Hard Disk
The Seagate Barracuda disks are currently the best offer there is. Attention: In the high-end system, the two disks have to be configured in raid.
Low-budget: Seagate 250 GB 7200.10 SATA-300 (€70)
Mid-range: Seagate 320 GB 7200.10 SATA-300 (€80)
High-end: Seagate 500 GB 7200.10 SATA-300, 2 pieces (€210)
The Memory
There's a lot of rumble on the memory market these days. This caused the price for 2GB of memory to drop strongly. Same for all systems.
Low-budget: 2048MB Corsair Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 (€62)
Mid-range: 2048MB Corsair Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 (€62)
High-end: 2048MB Corsair Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 (€62)
The Rest
Not much to say about the other parts of your computer (computer case with power supply, DVD-player, keyboard and mouse). One thing you should pay attention to: a power supply of at least 400Watt, which can be bought for around €90. Also make sure your case is large enough if you want to buy the 8800GTX. You shouldn't spend more than €25 on you DVD-player either. A mouse and keyboard can be bought for €30, but if you want those with special design or wireless, you will easily be paying over €100. But that's just about taste.
Conclusion
Here I will compare the configuration with that of the previous month. As this is the first month, I can't do that now. So see you next month!
This months configurations |
| Low-budget: -Intel Core2Duo E8200 -Asus P5K -Radeon HD 3850 -Seagate 7200.10 SATA 250 GB -2048MB Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 -case, keyboard, dvd Total: €697 | Mid-range: -Intel Core2Duo E8400 -Asus P5K -Asus GeForce 8800GT-512MB -Seagate 7200.10 SATA 320 GB - 2048MB Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 -case,keyboard,dvd Total: €817 | High-end: -Intel Core2Duo E8500 -Asus P5K-E -Radeon HD 3870 X2 -Seagate 7200.10 500GB, two pieces -2048MB Twin2x DDR2 C4 6400 -case,keyboard,dvd Total: €1182 |
Note: As I'm from Europe, all prices are in euros. Converting them would be too much work and since the euro/dollar course is doing weird, it would also not be correct. Still, the systems listed here are the best to buy, though their price may vary in dollars.
