May Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Introduction

Spring is a perfect time to head out shopping for a new PC, and it's also a great opportunity for another edition of our Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide. In this guide, we're looking for the best value gaming PC, and trying to find the optimum configuration for the budget-minded gamer. The scenario is bit different than some of the other buyer's 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 and have some power in reserve for tomorrow's.

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 right up your alley.

Finding the best system components for a value gaming system is more difficult than simply picking the very best hardware money can buy, and it entails a great deal of concession on the part of the buyer. The $1,000 budget gets eaten up pretty quick, and slapping down the cash for a 21" flat screen monitor or 3.0C GHz Pentium 4 HT would take care of it 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", then getting stuck with obsolete hardware. Our value gaming PCs will still allow high-end gameplay, has the CPU and 3D video power necessary to really push the framerates, and keeps a close 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.

As usual, we sat down to figure out exactly what mix of components delivers the best bang for the buck, and went through the different system designs with a fine tooth comb. This resulted in many standard components making a repeat performance, but also a few very important changes to the hardware mix. This time out, we've taken a close look at our last guide, and found that in both cases, the processor needed an upgrade. This is especially true of the Pentium 4, which has been mired at 1.8 GHz for months. Both AMD and Intel systems have been duly improved, and there is no doubt that our current value gaming system recommendations may have a few hardcore users green with envy.

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

No matter if you're assembling a high-end monster PC or an entry-level computer, the choice of system case remains an important one. For our value gaming system, the Antec SX630II offers a lot of bang for the buck, and remains one of the most popular entry-level cases. The Antec SX630II is definitely a quality piece of hardware, but also comes with an amazingly low sticker price. Best of all, it is packages an Antec SmartPower 300W power supply, 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. This amounts to a very smart design, along with current case and housing aesthetics, making the Antec SX630II an exceptional value.