December 2002 Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Introduction

It's that time again, and we're back with another edition of our Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide. This article asks some important questions, and looks to supply the budget constrained gamer with the best configuration for the money. This scenario is bit different than some of the other buying guides on Sharky Extreme, as we limit the budget to $1,000 in cold, hard cash while the goal remains the same: to assemble a kick-ass gaming system that will play today's hottest games. To do this, we pay special attention to the price-performance of each component, making sure to match them according to their value from an overall system performance standpoint. While not as fast or flashy as the Extreme or High-End Gaming Systems, our Value configuration may actually be the best deal of them all. If you're the type of gamer who counts your pennies before buying any new system, then get ready for an article tailored exactly to you.

Finding the best system components for a value gaming system is more difficult than just picking the very best hardware money can buy, and it entails a great deal of concessions on the part of the buyer. That $1,000 gets eaten up pretty quick, and slapping down the cash for a 21" flat screen monitor or 3.06 GHz Pentium 4 HT would eat it up in very short order. When compiling our Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide, we try and find that happy medium between spending a fortune on a new PC, and being "penny wise/pound stupid" and getting stuck with obsolete hardware. Our value gaming PCs will still allow high-end gameplay, include the CPU and 3D video power necessary to really push the framerates, while keeping an eye on quality and features to boot. Rest assured we don't scour the bargain bins for available hardware, and instead keep to name brand components that offer the best price-performance ratio.

In the time between updates, we've seen a few changes in the hardware marketplace, but as usual, these applied mostly to the upper-end buyer. The Radeon 9500 Pro, Pentium 4-3.06 GHz HT processor and the emergence of the Athlon XP 2700+ (333 MHz) are all excellent releases, but are just slightly out of our budget. We are hoping for more activity in 2003, but for now, the main benefit seems to be in lowering the prices for entry-level and mid-range hardware. This filter-down effect is standard operating procedure for anyone buying at the value end, and in this month's guide, we made use of the lower CPU, motherboard and 3D video prices to squeeze in a few important upgrades. .

As with all of our buyer's guides, we have made every attempt to confirm that the selected hardware is available at one or more of the largest and most popular (with Sharky readers) online retailers. Although the price stated in the guide may not be exactly the same as in a specific online dealer, you can bet on finding a significant percentage of our component list in their catalogues. This factor did not limit our choices, but we do sleep easier with the knowledge that interested buyers can find this same hardware at many of the large online vendors.

Value Gaming PC Budget: $1000

Case: Antec SX630II

In choosing our system case, we're sticking with a robust, though still value-priced model. The Antec SX630II fits this description perfectly, and although it's a few dollars more than a budget case, we feel the long-term benefits are more than worth it. We've also found less and less vendors carrying lower-end case models, and enthusiast shops have moved to a more functional design as a base model. This case also has the added benefit of an Antec SmartPower 300W power supply that is certified for both AMD Athlon XP and Intel Pentium 4 operation.

The case internals of the Antec SX630II are laid out quite well and include enough real estate and expansion bays for future upgrades. The case features 8 drive bays (3 x 3.25" and 5 x 3.5") and space for 3 cooling fans (1 built-in, 2 optional), including one that blows over the removable hard drive bays. Add in a very smart design, along with current case and housing aesthetics, and the Antec SX630II has all the makings of a great value.