PC Buyer's Guide for Gaming Enthusiasts, August, 2011 - Page 2

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB 2 x 4GB kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8)
Current Price:  $78

For each of our builds, we went with the CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8 8GB (2 x 4GB) kit from Corsair. This kit populates half of the available memory slots, leaving you room to grow in the future.

 Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB SATA (Bare Drive)
Current Price: $149
Crucial RealSSD C300 2.5” 64GB
Current Price: $110

This time around, we decided to up the storage space by going with Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB (WD2002FAEX) drive. As with the 1TB model we previously recommended, this drive offers quite a bit of performance and storage space for the money. Sporting a 64MB data cache, this drive supports the SATA 6GB/s interface, runs at 7200rpm, and is backed by a five year warranty.

We’ve once again paired that larger storage drive with a 64GB SSD from Crucial. Pairing the Crucial RealSSD C300 64GB drive (CT064M4SSD2) with the WD Caviar Black, you’ll end up with a combination of storage and speed that will more than meet most users’ needs.

Optical Drive:  LITE-ON iHBS112 12x BDR 2x BD-RE SATA (OEM)
Current Price: $110

With an 8MB cache and SATA interface, the LITE-ON iHBS112 drive remains our choice for the enthusiast build. It can burn BD-R discs at 12x, BD-RE at 2x, and DVD+R at 12x.

Video Card: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560
Current Price: $185

Changing gears a bit, we decided to go with a GTX 560 video card from EVGA this time around. At $185, this card offers a while lot of bang for your buck. Sporting 1GB of GDDR5 memory, this card offers a mini HDMI port and 2 DVI ports.

LCD: ASUS VE247H 23.6” LCD
Current Price: $190

For our display recommendation, we stuck the ASUS VE247H 23.6” LCD monitor. This TN display offers a 2ms response time, LED-backlighting, a native 1920x1080 resolution, and integrated speakers. Connections include one analog port, one DVI, and one HDMI. And for those who want more flexibility than the included stand offers, VESA 100x100m mounting holes gives you plenty of options.

Sound Card: Integrated
Current Price:  $0
Logitech Speaker System Z623
Current Price: $129

Once again, we’re sticking with the integrated sound options offered by the two recommended motherboards. Paired with the Logitech Z623 2.1 speaker system that once again appears in this guide, this solution should still be able to satisfy the needs of most gamers and enthusiasts.

Mouse:  Logitech G9x Wired Laser Gaming Mouse
Current Price: $60
Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5 Wired USB Gaming Keyboard
Current Price: $39

For our mouse, we once again stuck with the Logitech G9x gaming mouse and the Saitek Cyborg V5 keyboard in the current issue of the guide. This offers a great combination of performance and style.

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-pack for System Builders
Current price: $140

And finally, Windows 7 64-bit remains our best option for an operating system. The time will eventually come when this selection will change… but it won’t be any time soon.

Price Roundup

AMD Phenom II X6 System
Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP Full Tower - $139
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 - $144
Processor: Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition (3.3GHz) - $195
CPU Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - $41
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair IV Formula (890FX) - $210
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB 2 x 4GB kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8) - $78
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB (WD2002FAEX) - $149
SSD: Crucial RealSSD C300 (CT064M4SSD2) - $110
Optical Drive: LITE-ON iHBS112 12x BDR 2x BD-RE SATA - $110
Video Card: EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1461-KR GeForce GTX 560 - $185
Monitor: ASUS VE247H Black 23.6"- $190
Sound Card: Integrated - $0
Speakers: Logitech Speaker System Z623 - $129
Mouse: Logitech G9x Wired Laser Gaming Mouse - $60
Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5 - $39
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit - $140
Total Price: $1,919