$2000 Gaming PC Buyer's Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts for April 2009
Posted 04/15/09 at 10:00:00 PM by Norman Chan
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Case
NZXT Tempest
$100, www.nzxt.com
In the issue we just shipped, editor Nathan Edwards sang the praises of Silverstone's Fortress FT01-B mid-tower case. But this new king of mid-towers retails for $220, more than twice the cost of the previous favorite NZXT Tempest. So back to the $100 NZXT it is. Once again, from our review: "We experienced no difficulties whatsoever installing a modern-day system into this no-nonsense chassis. There was plenty of room to manage cables around our huge 8800 GTX card, and the case’s eight hard drive bays come with screwless rails preinstalled—you pop them off, attach them to a drive, and slide the whole deal into place. The two 12cm front-panel fans take care of the cooling efforts." But if you have an extra $120 to spend, you can't go wrong with the Silverstone Fortress -- and look for our official review in the June issue.
Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB
$120, www.seagate.com
Yes, we're aware that some users of the Barracuda line have suffered drive failures due to firmware issues. We're also aware that Western Digital has a 2TB drive for sale, which we've evaluated. But the Seagate 7200.11 1.5TB is still our favorite "capacity" hard drive. None of the 7200.11s we have in the office have failed, and Seagate has fixed all the firmware bugs (which were related to the controller board) on new shipments of this model. As we state in our review, the 1.5TB is just as fast as the speediest terabyte drives, and edges out comparable models from Western Digital and Samsung. We actually considered using a Velociraptor 10,000rpm drive, but with a max capacity of 300GB, we couldn't justify the relatively high price. Keep in mind that when we reviewed the 7200.11, it MSRPed for $180. It sells now for $120. Done deal.
Optical Drive
Samsung SH-S223F
$25, www.samsung.com
The Samsung SH-223 is a minor upgrade from its predecessor, the SH-203, but it’s our new favorite. The burner has 22x DVD +/-R and though a majority of the specifications mirrored that of the older model, the SH-223 is seconds speedier. In fact, in our April issue's DVD rip challenge, the SH-S223 outperformed its nearest competitor by over 2 minutes when ripping a 7.18GB disc (after applying the newest firmware). And don't worry if you can't find it listed on Samsung's website -- this drive is still very much alive and in production. Since its last appearance in our $1500 gaming PC price guide, the S223F has gone up in price by $3.
Operating System
Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
$100, www.microsoft.com
We actually included the price of an OS in this pricing guide, since our build left us with more than $100 to spend. If you're still wary of running 64-bit Windows, man up and have some faith. 64-bit Vista may have been a mess when it first launched, the Microsoft has hotfixed and patched the vast majority of compatibility problems with its soon-to-be-suceded OS. Trust us: 64-bit Vista stable, and it'll let you use all 6 GB of memory you bought for this rig.
Price Breakdown
We knew going into our build that $2000 could get us a lot, and we were right about that. $660 spent just on GPUs may be a bit exorbitant, but you're going to get a whole lot of performance for that investment. Plus, the rebates available for several of our chosen components make the total price even more attractive. Compared to our $1500 build, we spent a higher percentage of our budget on GPU (34% compared to 27%), and the addition of the OS and CPU Cooler helped balance out the rest of the funds. The motherboard we chose was a bit pricier than the one in the $1500 PC as well, even though they're both solid X58 boards. And that's the point of a $2000 system: you can afford to splurge a little on premium parts to reach claim that extra bit of performance. Are those extra frames per second worth the $500 difference? Probably not for most people. But since this is Maximum PC, we want to give you the option anyway.
|
Part: |
Model: |
Price: |
(Price after rebate) |
Newegg Link |
| Motherboard | Asus P6T | $240 | Link | |
| CPU | Intel Core i7 920 | $289 | Link | |
| CPU Cooler | Zalman CNPS 9900NT | $60 | Link | |
| Memory | OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 | $91 | $81 | Link |
| Video Card | 2x BFG Geforce GTX 285 | $660 | $600 | Link |
| Power Supply | Corsair HX1000W | $260 | $240 | Link |
| Case | NZXT Tempest | $100 | $80 | Link |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB | $130 | Link | |
| Optical Drive | Samsung SH-S223F | $25 | Link | |
| OS | Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit | $100 | Link | |
Total: $1,955 ($1,845 after rebates)
Nice
Submitted by tomastaz on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 4:42pm
Nice, I'm getting that, as soon as the retail version of Windows 7 comes out, because I personally dislike vista.
Submitted by tomastaz on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 4:51pm
I look forward to more lists on $2000 pcs in the future
My New Work PC
Submitted by SPasse on Sat, 04/18/2009 - 2:55pm
My New Work PC
I spend 8+ hours at work using a PC so I wanted a killer PC for business applications. I am also my company’s hardware architect so I wanted a PC that was a “conversation piece”.
I chose with an Antec Skeleton Case so I could show off the hardware.
I went with the EVGA X58 motherboard, the 920 i7 processor, and 6GB of RAM.
I chose 2 10,000 RPM 300GB Western Digital VelociRaptor hard drives, configured as a RAID 1 array. These drives are pretty much as fast as SCSI drives. I have more or less unlimited network attached storage for file storage so "only" 300GB is not a limiting factor. Having really fast local storage (for the apps) was what I was after.
I bought two GeForce 9500 GT as “place holder” graphics cards until I could decide what graphics cards that I would ultimately go with. I run a 3 monitor system with a 24” monitor in the center, flanked by two 19” monitors to the right and the left.
As the 9500s don’t pull all that much power, I went with a 680 watt power supply. I chose the APEVIA ICEBERG as this supply looks especially cool in the Skeleton case. If I upgrade to better graphics cards in the future, I may have to upgrade to a 1000 watt power supply.
I had an issue with the 1st motherboard being DOA and I also had an issue with some unstable drivers. But after I corrected the driver issue and flashed the motherboard with the latest BIOS, my system is rock stable.
When I initially bought this system, I was thinking about overclocking but all my apps are running so fast (even Autodesk Inventor 2009) that I am not sure I am going to explore overclocking.
My total system came in at around $1500.00. (Not including the monitors)
Submitted by Pball1224 on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 4:59pm
I can vouch for most of that setup!
I don't do much gaming, so I got a video card off a friend thats a couple years old. That then allowed me to use a Corsair 650W Power Supply for $99, which is still strong enough for a moderate video card upgrade should I ever decide I need it. I also got a slightly lower priced case, the Cooler Master Centurion 590 for $69. Other than those 3 substitutions, I am now using said machine OC'd to 3.6 Ghz, and it's unreal!
Very close to mine
Submitted by digital demon on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 10:11am
That's very similar to the build I have in my Newegg wish list right now. Only differences are the mobo (EVGA X58), video card (one 285), hard drive (WD 1TB...still leery of Seagates even though I'm a fan), cooler (Noctua NH-U12P SE1366...still researching coolers), case (Silverstone FT-01) and I've got a power supply (Thermaltake 750), burner (Plextor 716SA) and sound card (X-Fi Elite) already.
Like someone else said, I'm gonna wait for DX11 cards to hit the market before I really consider buying anything. I'm also waiting to see what the Core i7 revision is going to look like price/performance wise.
Submitted by Kaldor on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 6:42am
Decent system. A few things though
Good:
6 gigs of ram - I prefer Corsair or Mushkin but OCZ is fine. 6 gigs is plenty at this time.
Corsair 1kw PSU- I own one of these, its rock solid. I do wish PCP&C would build a nice 1kw PSU for around $250 though.
Vista 64 - People need to dump the crap 32 bit OS crutch and move forward
Bad:
Mobo - Im kind of meh toward ASUS anymore. They are not nearly
the leader they were 3 years ago. I Gigabyte makes a far nicer board
and IIRC Gigabyte outsold ASUS last year.Video - 2 285's? A par of Nvidia 275s or ATI 4890s would be a much better choice for less money. They will give near the same performance at common resolutions like 1680X1050 or 1920X1200.
Case - If you are building something this nice why use such a cheap case. Invest in a nice Coolermaster, Silverstone, Lian Li or something. Spend a couple hundred for a nice case.
CPU Cooler - Why do you guys keep recommending the Zalman coolers? 3 years ago they we great, now they are average. Look at a TRUE, Prolimatech Megalems, Thermolab BARAM, Coolermaster V8, Xigmatech 1283/84, or any number of choices that are FAR superior.
The rest:
Intel 920 - standard
Seagate HD - Now that Seagate has the bugs worked out, no issues there
DVD Burner - I like Pioneer drives. Just glad you didnt recommend Plextor. All 3 of the Plextors Ive boughten have died an early death. Will never buy another from them again.
You guys need to start looking beyond hardware that you review for your sources for stuff like this. Its a very narrow scope you use when you do that when there are far better options out there then what your suggesting.
Submitted by AzMonguse on Sat, 04/18/2009 - 11:09am
Well I spent somewhaere around $200 - $300 for my case about 4 years ago and it is an all aluminum and hold 6 interanel drive and has room for 4 externat dvd, etc and a place for 2 3.5" devices and has 7 case fans. I have upgrade twice now and this case is stillworking just fine - it did come with a 650W p/s as well. At this time I am thinking of spending $599.00 for a new case that is a newer full tower case like mine but comes with water cooling.. In my view a good case is never a waste and for $69.00 that is a junk case in my view. My current case and the one I'm looking at are made by Thermail Take. Good cases in my view. And if that $69.00 case has a p/s installed it was at most a 350W one and I'd bet a low-end one that I would not want to trust with my stuff.
Submitted by Pball1224 on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 5:10pm
Can someone please explain why so many of you insist on spending so much money on a case? This is the first time I've seen MPC reccomend a case that under $150 and even still I think it's way too much to spend on a case! I begrudgingly spent $69 and feel like I got an excelent case.
Submitted by Kaldor on Fri, 04/17/2009 - 6:42am
Because its the kind of thing where you buy one case and you use that case thru several builds. Some people, myself included, are constantly tinkering, whether its overclocking, changing parts, adding water cooling, and the list goes on.
If your spending $2k why not buy a nicer case?
Very good system, wish I had one.
Submitted by joeyjr on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 8:11pm
joeyjr
Since this is a guide or template to buid a 2000 dollar Gaming PC, I have started to tweek the specks a little for my own needs. I already have a few parts that I can reuse from other builds leftovers. Such as an Antec 900 case (which is a real pane but has great cooling), 2 300G raptors (unused), 1TB WD Black HD(unused), old DVD RW. and a few others I have been working on a new design it since the 1000 dollar budget came out. I was hopping you would pick the ASUS motherboard. I like the ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 model for 289.99 which has a bunch of combo deals right now on Newegg. If you check the support page at ASUS http://support.asus.com/PowerSupplyCalculator/PSCalculator.aspx?SLanguage=en-us. This can help with the power supply minimum requirements for the configuration you might use or have in mind to upgrade too. Beleive it or not for this 2000 $ PC this is a good place to be with a 1000w model. Just remember that a power supply shouldn't be max'ed out and 70 - 80 % usage is better (check miths about PS at PC Power & Cooling Web site. I might get the newer version of the 285 with the 55 nm process, but its 50 70 $ more I think, but only get one for now. 12g OCZ Platinum 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 for 109.99 per set, which also has part of the combo deals. ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler - Retail $60 now if I was to over clock it. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail for $90. Maybe even a Blue Ray ROM combo drive for a $110 or so. when I am finished I will post
Nice build!
Submitted by vistageek on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 7:53pm
By the way, it is 1920x1200 not 1900x1200.
Submitted by fspikec on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 6:23pm
Not bad. Going with anything other than 920 no matter your price range is just silly. The overclock-ability of it makes it #1.
But Seagate? Really? Sorry, but I won't use a Seagate hard drive again even if it is free.
I've got two Seagate 7200.11
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 10:25pm
I've got two Seagate 7200.11 drives a 1.5tb and a 500gb drive. Both have been rock steady. You just gotta quit hating.
Submitted by fspikec on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 12:11pm
Quit hating? I quit hating when they stop releasing garbage. They are as bad as maxtor. Heck they even bought maxtor.
why P6T?
Submitted by 457R4L on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 6:16pm
I would use a Rampage II GENE, same price and better onboard audio. As far as the video seems like overkill. should've left out the SLI and put a display monitor choice. Personnally I don't think the time is right to build right now... motherboard, processors, and memory are all great but if I were going to build, I would want a graphic card that had full dx11 support and windows 7. just my 2 cents.
need a reference
Submitted by Bender2000 on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 5:54pm
So how does this compare to the Max PC Zero Point system? It looks a lot like the Gateway PC in last issue, so I guess it performs similarly. I'd like to know how much we're gaining relative to the lower cost builds. Is this the PC Nathan ordered in the podcast?
Submitted by MRSENDER38 on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 5:40pm
I'm buiding a similar gaming pc with the VelociRaptor and one NVIDIA 285. It"ll be easier (and cheaper) to add another 285 later rather than the harddrive. Isn't a 1.5TB just too big for the main harddrive?
Submitted by devin3627 on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 5:36pm
what if you dont want to go with the most expensive ddr3? would waiting for 2gb video cards be better?
.....mistakes?
Submitted by maniacm0nk3y on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 5:29pm
With a $2000 price point, this is the first build I am very surprised and almost disappointed.
I would go with the Deluxe version-and it DOES NOT support 3X SLI. Only 3X Crossfire with single cards.
The CPU, and Zalman are on par.
Memory should be more along the lines of 1333MHz, but still hold the 6GB. Only $50 more, with a decent performance boost.
The GPUs are always a hot topic...I would go with a single 285 or even a single 295.
Drop the PSU to a 750 PCP&C or other respectable brand. Maybe go up to 850W.
The case..with this type of hardware I would of expected a full-tower, not like a Silverstone or Lian-Li but maybe a Cooler Master or something else like that.
Hard drive could stay, or maybe just go with a 1TB. I still don't trust Seagate with their TB drives, but it's just a personal opinion.
Optical drive and OS are standard fare.
It's a decent build, but I feel you guys could do better.
Submitted by hentaiboi on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 5:27pm
personal changes to the list above:
additional ram 6GB = 12GB
additional 1.5 TB seagate raid 0
sound card creative X-fi titanium pro fatality
Submitted by Keith E. Whisman on Thu, 04/16/2009 - 12:04am
Actually I've heard that the 1.5Tb HDD's don't do to good in a raid array. Because of their shear size or something. It may have been that stupid firmware problem and they actually do fine in Raid. I haven't heard anything bad about 1.5TB in raid lately. Maybe it was just the firmware issue.
I doubt that PC needs a 1
Submitted by MAXPCreader07 on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 4:16pm
I doubt that PC needs a 1 kilowatt PSU.
Submitted by mlee19 on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 4:25pm
Yes, but the extra head room is always nice.
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