March Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide

Introduction

Spring is just around the corner, and at this time of year, a young man's fancy turns to... computers? Okay, maybe not, but it is a great time to buy, especially as we've revamped the guide somewhat, and really tried to squeeze every dollar and pinch every penny in search of higher performance. But don't worry, our Value Gaming PC Buyer's Guide is still 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 Rest assured we don't scour the bargain bins for out-of-date or low-end hardware, and instead stick to a name brand component mix that offers the best overall value.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 we've concentrated on upgrading one very important component. It became apparent that if we could just save a few dollars or get a much needed price break on a few components, then a higher-end video card could be ours. We didn't want to lose any performance or features while pursuing this goal, but the price differential between the mid-range and high-end video cards shrinks on a daily basis. Check out our final system configurations and let us know how we did.

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: $50
Months on list: 4
Price Change: -$4

Regardless of the system budget, the case is a very important part of the buying decision. Sure, we get a few more bucks to play with for our High-end and Extreme Buyer's Guides, but even an entry-level system shouldn't be left with a bargain basement enclosure. For this selection, we balance overall cost with look-and-feel, expansion space and overall features, and we believe our current choice represents the best of all possible worlds. The Aspire X-Dreamer II has a definite high-end look that will turn some heads, as well as more than covering off the important facets such features, expandability and overall design.

The Aspire X-Dreamer II has an outward appearance that looks more expensive than it is, but this model is far more than just another pretty face. The X-Dreamer II features a metallic outer housing, but the internal features and real estate are also top-notch for this price range. It includes 4x5.25", 2x3.5" (external), and 4x3.5"(internal) expansion bays, which is quite a few for an entry-level mid-tower case and leaves a ton of room for future upgrades. The X-Dreamer II's outer housing may look great, but there are also quite a few onboard options. These include USB and audio jacks, automatic drop-down doors, a see-through side window, blue LED case fans, 6 LED indicator lights, and for the hardcore cooling crowd, a temperature display LCD.

Obviously, Aspire gives you a lot of system case for the money, and best of all, the price just keeps getting lower each month. Amazingly, the package also features an Intel Pentium 4/AMD compatible 350W power supply, which is on par with competitive entry-level units and a great value for our system. The Aspire X-Dreamer II also comes in a wide range of colors, so you're not just choosing between silver and black.