February Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Introduction

Valentine's Day is almost upon us and what better gift could you receive than a new gaming system? Maybe that's hoping for a bit too much, but our Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide is tailored for the budget-minded buyer, and delivers the performance you want at a price that won't break the bank. The overall 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.

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" LCD or 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition 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", and getting stuck with obsolete hardware. Our value gaming PCs will still allow high-end gameplay, contains 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 Rest assured we don't scour the bargain bins for out-of-date or low-end hardware, and instead stick to a name brand component mix that offers the best overall value.

The first step is to determine the exact mix of components that delivers the best bang for the buck, and this time out, we've managed to upgrade a few core components. Our main goal is to emulate a real-world system buy, and make the hard calls between both AMD and Intel configurations. At times, this means we diverge between base components and allocate the budget according to individual AMD and Intel system requirements. In this edition, we've managed to upgrade the AMD processor, along changing up our video card and giving the Intel side some of the gravy that AMD buyers have been enjoying, all the while maintaining our goal of hitting that perfect mix of components on both the AMD and Intel systems.

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 match that of a specific online dealer, you can bet on finding a significant percentage of our component list in their catalogues and at similar price levels. The availability factor did not limit our choices, but we do sleep easier with the knowledge that interested buyers can find the same hardware selection at most of the large online vendors.

Value Gaming PC Budget: $1000

Case: Aspire X-Dreamer II (with 350W PSU)

Current Cost: $54
Months on list: 3
Price Change: -$5

No matter if you're assembling a high-end speed demon or an entry-level system, the choice of PC case is still an important one. We started off 2004 by moving from the exceptional, though quite sedate Antec SX630II model, and upgraded to a newer model with a more current look and feel. The Aspire X-Dreamer II definitely has the good looks that catch your eye, but its features, expandability and overall design means it's far more than just another pretty face.

The Aspire X-Dreamer II looks more expensive than it is, and maintains very nice visuals, but also brings a lot of other features to the table. The X-Dreamer II includes a metallic outer housing, but looks just as good on the inside as well. The internals are very well designed, and its 4x5.25", 2x3.5" (external), and 4x3.5"(internal) expansion bays are very nice for a mid-tower unit, and allows a lot of room for future upgrades. The X-Dreamer II's outer housing gives a lot of bang for the buck, and includes USB and audio jacks, automatic drop-down doors, a see-through window, blue LED case fans, 6 LED indicator lights, and as for the hardcore cooling crowd, a temperature display LCD.

Obviously, Aspire offers a lot of system case for the money, and there is also an Intel Pentium 4/AMD compatible 350W power supply. The Aspire X-Dreamer II hits on all cylinders, and it's truly amazing that such a killer package can be had for such a low price. This month, the case dropped a few more dollars, making a great value even better. And if that wasn't enough, Aspire produces the X-Dreamer II in a multitude of colors, so you're not stuck with just silver or black.