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$2000 Gaming PC Buyer's Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts for April 2009

Norman Chan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:00:00 -0500

After pricing out $1000 and $1500 gaming systems, we wanted to go a bit on the high-end and see how we would configure a $2000 gaming PC. $2000 may be more than a lot of you are willing to spend on a new home-built PC, but there are plenty of people out there who spend more than $2000 on custom-designed boutique systems from OEM builders. And for those fat-walleted gamers, this article will show that you can get a whole lot more if you build it yourself (though putting the pieces together is another matter). Just as with the $1500 PC, this build leans heavily on the CPU and GPU side to optimize the rig for high-res gaming, though it'll perform more than admirably with video encoding and other productivity tasks. And as always, we write this with a disclaimer that your own personal configurations and preferences may differ from ours, which does not make them any less valid. In fact, we encourage you to use our guide as a template so you can create your own spreadsheet to swap out the parts we chose with what may suit your needs and budget. Leave your feedback in the comments section to get the conversation started!

All prices found on newegg.com, as of April 15th, and do not include mail-in rebates (unless indicated), tax, or shipping.

Videocard

(2) BFG Geforce GTX 285 Cards
$330 each, $660 total www.bfgtech.com

Of course, we started filling out our Excel sheet by choosing the most important part of any gaming PC: the videocard. In this case, we knew that with a $2000 budget, we could afford more than one videocard, and go the SLI or Crossfire route. Last year's Dream Machine, for example, was outfitted with dual ATI 4870X2's in a Crossfire configuration. The fastest single-slot card available now is Nvidia's GTX 295, but with the cheapest 295 priced at $520, we really didn't want to use half our budget on videocards. So we opted for dual GTX 285s in SLI mode.

The GTX 285 is an updated version of the already speedy GTX 280, and represents the fastest single-GPU graphics card for sale today. Two 285's absolutely stomp the GTX 295 (and dual 4870X2s, for that matter) in performance. BFG is also offering a $30 rebate on their 285s priced at $330, so our decision was simple. Of course, if you wanted to save some cash (and power), a lone GTX 295 will run most games at 1900x1200 with all settings maxed out at 30+ frames per second (yes, even Crysis).

CPU

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
$289, www.intel.com

For a $2000 gaming PC, it's once again a no brainer to go with Intel's Core i7. Nehalem is pretty much the only choice for a top of the line processor, since AMD's Phenom II has been relegated to compete at the mid-range level. The only real decision in this category was which Core i7 SKU to use. We have no qualms going with the 2.66GHz 920 part, even if it represents the "budget" end of the Core i7 lineup. The 920 performs tremendously well compared to even the best Core 2 CPUs, and smashes Phenom in most of our benchmarks. It's also very easy to overclock, so you can stretch your investment a long way. One thing to note: the Core i7 920 has gone up in price since we last recommended it in our $1500 Gaming PC guide, from $280 to $289. Just another example of Keynesian economics at work. When demand is high, prices go up!

Motherboard

Asus P6T
$240, www.asus.com

Since our configuration uses Nvidia SLI, we needed a compatible X58 motherboard. The Asus P6t fits the bill, with both Crossfire and SLI (up to 2 PCI-E cards) support. Earlier X58 boards only supported Crossfire, but most newer (and more pricier) models -- including Intel's own motherboards -- work with the Nvidia multi-GPU standard. The P6T has 3 Dimm slots that with recognize up to 12GB of DDR3 memory, onboard RealTek surround sound audio, and your typical suite of USB, Firewire, and network ports. Asus also sells a Deluxe version of the P6T (reviewed here) for $40 more that is the same as the P6T but offers 3-way SLI support, overclocking tools, as well as better quality on-board sound. Since we don't plan on using 3-way SLI, the vanilla P6T will suit us just fine.

Power Supply

Corsair HX1000 Watt
$260, www.corsair.com

Our dual-GTX 285 setup is going to be very power hungry, so we had to make sure that we chose a power supply that not only could handle the energy demands, but also sported enough PCI-E power connectors to funnel power to our GPUs. A good reference is Nvidia's SLIZone website, which lists approved power supplies for different Nvidia videocard configurations. Luckily, our current go-to PSU, the Corsair HX1000, has been deemed worthy for this setup. Your power supply options greatly diminish if you're going the Tri-SLI route or try to shove two dual-GPU cards in one system. For ATI fans, AMD has set up a similar PSU certification website to list all approved power supplies. And yes, the Corsair HX1000 will work with all the newest ATI cards too.

Memory

OCZ 6GB DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V
$91, www.ocztechnology.com

No surprises here. With RAM prices continuing to stumble, we see no reason why you shouldn't buy 6GB of memory for you next gaming PC. 6GB runs on three dimms in tri-channel mode on X58 motherboards, and OCZ's DDR3 series delivers exactly what you need for gaming at a great price. These sticks run with 7-7-7-20 memory timings, and should be stable at the stock voltage settings. You can go with other brands as well: Corsair, Crucial, and Patriot all make reliable DIMMs and are competitively priced. Of course, you'll need a 64-bit OS to make use of all this memory. We get to that on the next page.

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)

$1500 Gaming PC Buyer's Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts for March 2009

Norman Chan — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 21:00:00 -0500

Time for another price and parts guide! The $1000 parts guide we posted earlier this month garnered much discussion and debate among readers, so we wanted to a better job explaining our choices in this edition. Compared to the pricey decked-out systems from OEM builders like Falcon and Digital Storm, $1500 isstill technically in the "budget" range . But for many people, that's still a lot of money to spend on a PC. We catered this build for gamers, and anchored our picks on the GPU and CPU, while judiciously choosing the other parts and brands to fit into our budget limits. The results were pleasantly surprising, and recent price cuts and rebates across the board really helped. Of course, your own configuration may vary wildly from ours depending your own needs, priorities, or brand allegiances,but we think this is an awesome configuration for something building a new gaming PC.

(All prices found on newegg.com, as of March 23rd, and do not include mail-in rebates, tax, or shipping)

Videocard

PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 X2
$401, www.powercolor.com

We started off this build with the video card, since we wanted something that relatively high-end, and anticipated that it would take up a considerable chunk of our $1500 budget. Initially, we considered options that would give us enough money left for a Core i7 CPU and motherboard. A single Nvidia GTX 280 was the first card we considered, since prices for it have fallen after the release of the ultra high-end GTX 295 and 285 models. The 4850 X2 was also another viable choice, since for $300 it delivers a better price/performance ratio than the top mid-range Nvidia offering. But then we remembered the 4870 X2, which held the title for fastest single-slot solution before the GTX 295 was released. Amazingly, PowerColor sells its 4870 X2 on Newegg for $401, and even clocks it higher than ATI reference boards. At this price, the pick for GPU was a no brainer.

CPU

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
$280, www.intel.com

For a $1500 gaming PC, it would be an insult if we didn't recommend an Intel Core i7 CPU. Nehalem is pretty much the only choice for a top of the line processor, since AMD's Phenom II has been relegated to compete at the mid-range level. The only real decision in this category was which Core i7 SKU to use. We have no qualms going with the 2.66GHz 920 part, even if it represents the "budget" end of the Core i7 lineup. The 920 performs tremendously well compared to even the best Core 2 CPUs, and smashes Phenom in most of our benchmarks. It's also very easy to overclock, so you can stretch your $280 investment a long way.

Motherboard

MSI X58 Pro
$190, www.msicomputer.com

Since we're using a Core i7 CPU, we have to pair it with an X58 LGA 1366 motherboard that supports its socket. Our favorite X58 board is currently the MSI Eclipse, but its no frills companion SKU, the MSI X58 Pro, is just as capable and reliable. In fact, we haven't had issues with any of the X58 boards we've tested so far, so the only big differentiating factors are SLI support and overclocking features. And since we're running an ATI-based 4870 X2 in this build, SLI is unnecessary as an upgrade path -- Crossfire will work fine here. The Eclipse is almost double the price of the X58 Pro at $350, so we're happy with the cost savings we made here. Alternatively, the Asus P6T Deluxe ($290) is also a fine choice, and supports SLI.

Power Supply

Corsair HX1000 Watt
$240, www.corsair.com

We don't review power supplies in the magazine, but we've used enough of them in the lab to have a good feel for what's reliable and trustworthy. PC Power & Cooling is our typical first choice, but we've also recently been very satisfied using Corsair's HX1000 PSU. Modular power cables, six 8-pic PCI-E connectors, and a plethora of SATA power cables ensures that you'll have plenty of opportunity (and power) to upgrade your system with more video cards, optical drives, and hard drives.

Memory

OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V
$97, www.ocztechnology.com

With RAM prices continuing to stumble, we see no reason why you shouldn't buy 6GB of memory for you next gaming PC. 6GB runs on three dimms in tri-channel mode on X58 motherboards, and OCZ's DDR3 series delivers exactly what you need for gaming at a great price. These sticks run with 7-7-7-20 memory timings, and should be stable at the stock voltage settings. Of course, you'll need a 64-bit OS to make use of all this memory.

Case

NZXT Tempest
$100, www.nzxt.com

We're currently testing another batch of mid-tower cases in the lab, but until we find something better, the NZXT Tempest remains our top mid-tower case, as it has for months. The Tempest bests the Antec 900 in a few minor categories (though they're both essentially the same case), but undercuts the 900 in price -- especially after a recent $10 price cut. 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."

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
$120, www.westerndigital.com

We chose Western Digital's Caviar Green for our $1000 Budget configuration, but have picked the 1TB Caviar Black series in this build. The Caviar Black costs about $15 more than its eco-friendly sister model, and uses a tiny bit more power to keep its platter spinning at a constant 7200RPM. This drive also utilizes dual processors to locate, move, and cache data quickly and sports double the cache as the Green model. That means that you'll get faster performance which will come in handy when loading games. We picked the OEM version drive, which saves you a few bucks, but omits the full manufacturer's warranty.

Optical Drive

Samsung SH-S223F
$24, 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. 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 $1000 budget PC price guide, the S223F has gone up in price by $1.

Operating System*

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM*
$100, www.microsoft.com

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 4GB of memory you bought for this rig. We didn't include the operating system in our final price list, partly because we wanted to keep our cost below $1500, and partly because we know many of you have licensed copies of Windows that you can still use (or even the Windows 7 beta!). However, if you take the rebate discounts into consideration, adding the $100 price for Vista 64-bit will still keep you well under $1500!

Price Breakdown

From our pie chart below, you can see that the GPU and CPU -- arguably the two most important components in a PC -- together take up almost half the price of our build (and more than that if you include the motherboard). The videocard itself claims over a quarter of the total price, but that's a smart allocation since it has the biggest impact on gaming performance. 17% (or $240) devoted to the power supply might seem a bit high, but we think the investment is worth it for the upgrading potential. Since our total price still falls under $1500 (not including tax or shipping, nor rebates), you could also opt for a powerful CPU cooler (we like the Zalman CNPS 9900NT) if you plan on overclocking or upgrade to a premium version of our build's motherboard model.

Part:	Model:	Price:	(Price after rebate)	Newegg Link
Motherboard	MSI X58 Pro	$190	$170	Link
CPU	Intel Core i7 920	$280		Link
Memory	OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666	$97	$77	Link
Video Card	PowerColor 4870 X2	$401	$381	Link
Power Supply	Corsair HX1000W	$240	$220	Link
Case	NZXT Tempest	$100	$80	Link
Hard Drive	WD Digital Caviar Black 1TB	$120		Link
Optical Drive	Samsung SH-S223F	$24		Link

Total: $1,452 ($1352 after rebates)

Low Cost, Low Power Gaming PCs Soon to Come From HP

Benson Hong — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:30:36 -0600

When the words “gaming” and “desktop” come to mind, we often associate the words “pricey” and “unaffordable” with them. HP hopes to change that mindset with the launch of their new series of low cost gaming computers. At CES this week, HP will be showcasing not only an inexpensive line of gaming PCs but also a new line of affordable and ultra-light notebooks.

The Firebird desktops will come equipped with a Core 2 Quad, 4GB of DDR2 memory, and dual GeForce 9800 video cards. These desktops will be utilizing energy saving components, usually found in notebooks, to lower power consumption. HP claims the power usage by these desktops will not exceed 350 watts, which is impressive considering your average GeForce 9800 card can consume almost 250 watts under load on their own. With a price tag starting at $1800, consumers will be happy to know they’re saving money both at the register and on their energy bill.

The 3.8 pound HP Pavilion DV2 is said to be less than an inch thick while sporting the new AMD Neo processor, a 12.1 inch screen, 500 gigabyte hard drive, and an ATI Mobility Radeon 3410. The DV2 is said to hit stores this March with a price tag between the $600 and $800 range.

Pro Gaming PC Buyer’s Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts For October 2008

Benson Hong — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:00:00 -0500

For the past few weeks we have presented you with our $1500 Budget Badass and $2500 Power User PC. This week we’re bringing to the table our picks for a $2500 Pro Gaming PC. With significant price cuts since our last Pro Gaming PC build-it guide, we were able to give our gaming PC some extra juice so system lag can no longer be blamed for missing a crucial headshot. Many parts have not changed since the last update, but with new hardware technology coming soon to the computer industry, be prepared for some significant tweaks next month. But for now, here’s what we got.

Videocard

2x BFG Tech Geforce GTX280
$750, www.bfgtech.com

Since the last update back in July, the GTX 280 has stayed atop the GPU powerhouse list. As the fastest single-GPU solution out there, it would only make sense to have two of these running in SLI. Unlike our Power User PC, we're shifting our main focus to the GPU(s) and this is it.

Motherboard

EVGA eForce 790i SLI Ultra
$330, www.evga.com

There were some problems with Nvidia's 680i and 780i chipsets, but the 790i seems to have solved all of them. The board's native PCI-Express 2.0 and spacious layout will be a nice home for your SLI setup. Its price-to-performance ratio is just one reason why we gave this motherboard a kickass verdict.

CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz
$165 (Retail), www.intel.com

While CPU performance is significant to a PC's ability to perform well in games, most current games (with the exception of a couple) are still not utilizing all four cores of a quad core thus leaving us with the option to choose a dual core over a quad. With the E8400, we save some extra money for an upgraded PSU and extra hard drives while keeping gaming performance at its peak.

Memory

OCZ 4GB Reaper HPC DDR3/1600
$250, www.ocztechnology.com

As we've mentioned in our previous build-it guides, 4GB seems to be the new standard nowadays for any performance user. Obviously, gaming is no exception.

Case

NZXT Tempest
$110, www.nxzt.com

We've been featuring this case for every build-it guide so far and we still stand behind it 100%. With plenty of cooling and air flow, this case will house all your components nicely.

Power Supply

OCZ EliteXStream 1000W
$195, www.ocztechnology.com

Some readers suggested in our previous Pro Gaming PC build-it guide that a 750W PC Power & Cooling PSU would not be enough juice for our SLI setup. While we feel the 750W would power the rig just fine, we decided to take the safe route and replace it with an OCZ EliteXStream 1000W as recommended by SLI Zone.

Operating System

Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium
$100 (OEM), www.microsoft.com

Hard Drives

2x Western Digital Velociraptor 150GB 10000RPM
$360, www.wdc.com

We had some extra cash to play with after some recent price cuts so what else is there to do but to add some more horsepower to our rig? We took two Velociraptors and stuck them in RAID 0 for some extra performance boost.

Samsung F1 HD103UJ 1TB
$120, www.samsung.com

We just had to keep the beloved terabyte drive in this rig; it just wouldn't be complete without it.

Optical Drive

Samsung SH-S223F DVD Burner
$26, www.samsung.com

Unlike our Power User rig, we don't see the need for a $300 blu-ray burner for the pro gamer. So we saved some major bucks and brought it down to the basics -- a DVD burner.

Sound Card

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
$86, www.creative.com

Quality sound is important for every gamer. Those subtle footsteps and gunshots from miles away can mean life or death in many scenarios. With the X-FI XtremeGamer, there's no need to worry anymore about those embarrassing behind-the-back stabbings.

CPU Cooler

Zalman CNPS-9300AT SuperFlo
$40, www.zalman.com

Like the power user, gamers need their fair share of cooling, too. While the room may get a little heated from intense game play, your CPU will stay cool with this heatsink from Zalman.

Total: $2,532

Gateway Announces New FX Gaming and LX Series Desktop PCs

Paul Lilly — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:25:20 -0500

Gateway made quite a splash in the mobile gaming community this past summer when it released its P-7811 FX notebook. Packed with gaming goodies usually reserved for high priced boutique OEM offerings, Gateway managed to cram a full blown desktop replacement into a sub-$1500 package (at one point, Best Buy was selling the FX notebook on sale for $1249 plus a free game). Having reintroduced itself back into the enthusiast sector, Gateway this time is focusing on the desktop market with a pair of new models, the FX6710 and LX6200.

The copper color trimmed FX6710-01 ships with an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 processor clocked at 2.66GHz with 6MB of L2 cache on a 1333MHz frontside bus. Not often seen on a value priced desktop (if ever), the new FX boasts 6GB of DDR2 memory. A 750GB SATA II hard drive rounds out the non-volatile storage duties, and an ATI HD 4850 videocard with a 512MB frame buffer provides pixel pushing power on the gaming front. Other specs include an 18x DVD burner, 15-in-1 media card reader, 6 USB 2.0 ports, eSATA port, 2 Firewire ports, 7.1 onboard sound, and Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

On the AMD side of the fence, Gateway's LX6200-01 comes configured with a Phenom X4 9500 quad core processor clocked at 2.2GHz with 2MB of L3 cache. The LX boasts a little more DDR2 RAM at 8GB, while the videocard gets downgraded an integrated ATI HD 3200 graphics.

Both the FX6710 and LX6200 are available now with an MSRP of $1200 and $780 respectively.

Image Credit: Gateway

Falcon Northwest FragBox II

Gordon Mah Ung — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:28:37 -0500

Falcon keeps the FragBox II’s price at $1,500 by using a GeForce 8800 GT and a new Wolfdale Core 2 Duo chip.

Can you get Ferrari performance for the price of a Camaro? That’s the question we asked when we uncrated Falcon Northwest’s small formfactor FragBox II. Falcon, the recognized father of the modern gaming PC, normally throws us lustworthy $9,000 gaming rigs. At $1,500, the FragBox II is no such home wrecker.

That doesn’t make it any less of a machine, though. Inside the solidly constructed aluminum box is Intel’s new Core 2 Duo E8400 dual-core CPU. Code-named Wolfdale, this 45nm chip runs at a stock clock of 3GHz, which Falcon gooses a notch to 3.24GHz. With the Wolfdale capable of much, much higher speeds, why not crank it up even more? Falcon said the FragBox II is designed to be a cool-running, quiet, inexpensive gaming box. Overclocking it further would have upped the noise and thermals too much.

The E8400 is plugged into an Asus P5E-VM DO mobo that’s based on Intel’s Q35 integrated-graphics chipset. The craptacular Intel graphics are switched off and an EVGA GeForce 8800 GT takes command from the board’s single x16 slot; a 500GB Seagate hard drive, a Lite-On DVD burner, and 2GB of RAM round out the package.

Pretty standard fare? Not really. We’re used to Falcon being just about perfect when it comes to system configurations, but we were baffled by this rig’s RAM setup. With four DIMM slots available in the FragBox, Falcon chose to outfit the machine with 2GB in a single slot. Even Mac users know that you need to populate two DIMM slots for dual-channel support. So why would Falcon configure RAM in single-channel mode?

Falcon gave us three reasons for this decision: There’s only a minimal performance advantage to running dual-channel mode with this box; RAM is the second-most-likely component to fail (the GPU is first), so using just one DIMM cuts the chance of failure in half; and three free DIMM slots provides a better upgrade path.

Sure, buddy. Skeptical, we called Falcon’s bluff and populated the rig with two 1GB sticks of DDR2/800 and reran our tests. The results? Pretty much the same. What the hell? We admit that it’s been a few years since we benched dual-channel vs. single-channel configs, but dual-channel has become the de facto configuration for enthusiasts. Could the 6MB of L2 in the Penryn CPU really be ameliorating RAM bottlenecks? We’re not sure, but obviously, there’s egg on our faces, not Falcon’s.

In performance benchmarks, the FragBox II didn’t break any records, but it didn’t fall on its face, either. Up against our standard quad-core GeForce 8800 GTX SLI zero-point desktop box, the FragBox II gets smoked in the gaming benchmarks and our Main Concept H.264 encoding test, but interestingly, the dual-core Penryn holds its head up high in the ProShow Producer, Photoshop CS3, and Premiere Pro CS3 tests. The extra 575MHz and faster Penryn design is just enough to achieve parity with the older quad Kentsfield.

We couldn’t compare the FragBox II’s performance against that of the $1,500 PC we built for the April issue because the OSes are different, but we can compare specs. Our desktop machine outdoes the FragBox II in just about every category: RAM, graphics, storage, and CPU; however, that comparison may be unfair since a desktop is still cheaper to build than a small formfactor rig.

What we have here is a reasonably fast small formfactor box that’s good for standard-resolution gaming. You don’t want to pair this wee rig up with a 30-inch panel—and really, who wants to lug a 30-inch LCD to a LAN party. The bad news is that we probably wouldn’t use the FragBox II with even a 24-inch panel, but that’s because we’re used to the smoking performance of GTX cards in SLI.

We certainly don’t think the FragBox II is perfect. We would have preferred a quad-core Penryn inside and perhaps a GeForce 8800 GTS 512 card, but then it wouldn’t be a $1,500 box or nearly as quiet. Of course, we’re still not sold on Windows Vista, but we’re getting as resigned to it as a 2-year-old is to a new baby sibling. We know that Mom and Dad just aren’t taking the new kid back to the hospital, even if he is Chucky.

Falcon’s FragBox II is not as sexy as what the company normally produces, but for a $1,500 small formfactor machine, it’s pretty damned solid.

HP dv9096xx

Robert Strohmeyer — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 13:30:41 -0600

We’ve said it before, and we’re saying it again: HP ain’t exactly famous for its gaming rigs. But to our surprise, the company has raised the bar for itself with the dv9096xx, a 17-inch movie-centric desktop replacement with a lot more graphics action than we’ve come to expect from the sensible-shoes crowd at HP. Unlike the nc6320 we reviewed in our June 2006 issue—along with just about every other HP notebook we’ve ever seen—the dv9096xx comes equipped with a 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600 GPU.

Anyone who’s followed the evolution of HP’s desktop replacement systems will find many of the dv9096xx’s other attributes to be familiar. This smartly dressed system sports HP’s signature brand of industrial design, right down to the wavy “imprint” finish on the outside of the case and surrounding the spacious keyboard. Like other dv9000-series notebooks of yore, this model features a big ole Altec Lansing speaker grille (which houses a pair of respectable speakers) for surprisingly rich audio. The bass still leaves plenty to be desired, but we’d gladly watch our favorite flicks on the road with this audio accompaniment.

Eschewing rear-mounted ports altogether, the dv9096xx packs all of its ports into the sides, but for a trio of audio jacks and an IR port on the front edge. While it lacks a PC Card slot, the dv9096xx includes four USB ports (two on the left, two on the right), an ExpressCard 54 slot, a 5:1 media reader, a mini FireWire port, mini HDMI, VGA, and S-video out, in addition to gigabit Ethernet and a modem. It also has HP’s Expansion Port 3 for connecting to a docking station at the office.

The big problem with this laptop is its poor battery performance. It craps out after an hour of play, while the Toshiba Qosmio, which we reviewed in July 2006, kept fragging for another half-hour or so. Still, if you carry your power brick along with you, this system can take on its portable rivals in both performance and price, as it sells for just over two grand—a few hundred bucks cheaper than similarly spec’d gaming notebooks.

Sometimes you just want to kick back and take in a show. And for that, the dv9096xx is well-equipped with its Toshiba read-only HD-DVD drive, 1440x900 Ultra Brightview display, and included ExpressCard remote control. But once again, you’ll face the wrath of the power gods if you forget to pack your AC adapter, because this big boy simply won’t stay awake through the average feature film.

If you’re searching for a savvy blend of price and performance, this desktop replacement from HP certainly fits the bill, so long as you’re not planning to spend too much time gaming or stray too far from a desk (or at least from a power source). To truly compete with similar rigs from Alienware and Voodoo, HP is going to have to step up its game in the battery and GPU departments.

Month Reviewed: December 2006
+ JACKED IN: Mediocre frame rates for gaming on the go.
- JACKED UP: Midrange GPU and an hour’s worth of battery power.
Verdict: 7
URL: www.hp.com

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$2000 Gaming PC Buyer's Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts for April 2009

Videocard

(2) BFG Geforce GTX 285 Cards$330 each, $660 total www.bfgtech.com

CPU

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz$289, www.intel.com

Motherboard

Asus P6T$240, www.asus.com

Power Supply

Corsair HX1000 Watt$260, www.corsair.com

Memory

OCZ 6GB DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V$91, www.ocztechnology.com

Case

NZXT Tempest$100, www.nzxt.com

Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB$120, www.seagate.com

Optical Drive

Samsung SH-S223F$25, www.samsung.com

Operating System

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM$100, www.microsoft.com

Price Breakdown

Total: $1,955 ($1,845 after rebates)

$1500 Gaming PC Buyer's Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts for March 2009

Videocard

PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 X2$401, www.powercolor.com

CPU

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz$280, www.intel.com

Motherboard

MSI X58 Pro$190, www.msicomputer.com

Power Supply

Corsair HX1000 Watt$240, www.corsair.com

Memory

OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V$97, www.ocztechnology.com

Case

NZXT Tempest$100, www.nzxt.com

Hard Drive

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB$120, www.westerndigital.com

Optical Drive

Samsung SH-S223F$24, www.samsung.com

Operating System*

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM* $100, www.microsoft.com

Price Breakdown

Total: $1,452 ($1352 after rebates)

Low Cost, Low Power Gaming PCs Soon to Come From HP

Pro Gaming PC Buyer’s Guide -- Updated Prices and Parts For October 2008

Videocard

2x BFG Tech Geforce GTX280$750, www.bfgtech.com

Motherboard

EVGA eForce 790i SLI Ultra$330, www.evga.com

CPU

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz$165 (Retail), www.intel.com

Memory

OCZ 4GB Reaper HPC DDR3/1600$250, www.ocztechnology.com

Case

NZXT Tempest$110, www.nxzt.com

Power Supply

OCZ EliteXStream 1000W$195, www.ocztechnology.com

Operating System

Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium$100 (OEM), www.microsoft.com

Hard Drives

2x Western Digital Velociraptor 150GB 10000RPM$360, www.wdc.com

Samsung F1 HD103UJ 1TB$120, www.samsung.com

Optical Drive

Samsung SH-S223F DVD Burner$26, www.samsung.com

Sound Card

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer$86, www.creative.com

CPU Cooler

Zalman CNPS-9300AT SuperFlo$40, www.zalman.com

Total: $2,532

Gateway Announces New FX Gaming and LX Series Desktop PCs

Falcon Northwest FragBox II

HP dv9096xx

(2) BFG Geforce GTX 285 Cards
$330 each, $660 total www.bfgtech.com

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
$289, www.intel.com

Asus P6T
$240, www.asus.com

Corsair HX1000 Watt
$260, www.corsair.com

OCZ 6GB DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V
$91, www.ocztechnology.com

NZXT Tempest
$100, www.nzxt.com

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1.5TB
$120, www.seagate.com

Samsung SH-S223F
$25, www.samsung.com

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM
$100, www.microsoft.com

PowerColor Radeon HD 4870 X2
$401, www.powercolor.com

Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz
$280, www.intel.com

MSI X58 Pro
$190, www.msicomputer.com

Corsair HX1000 Watt
$240, www.corsair.com

OCZ DDR3 PC3-10666 7-7-7-20 1.6V
$97, www.ocztechnology.com

NZXT Tempest
$100, www.nzxt.com

Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
$120, www.westerndigital.com

Samsung SH-S223F
$24, www.samsung.com

Microsoft Vista Home Premium 64-bit OEM*
$100, www.microsoft.com

2x BFG Tech Geforce GTX280
$750, www.bfgtech.com

EVGA eForce 790i SLI Ultra
$330, www.evga.com

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3GHz
$165 (Retail), www.intel.com

OCZ 4GB Reaper HPC DDR3/1600
$250, www.ocztechnology.com

NZXT Tempest
$110, www.nxzt.com

OCZ EliteXStream 1000W
$195, www.ocztechnology.com

Windows Vista 64-bit Home Premium
$100 (OEM), www.microsoft.com

2x Western Digital Velociraptor 150GB 10000RPM
$360, www.wdc.com

Samsung F1 HD103UJ 1TB
$120, www.samsung.com

Samsung SH-S223F DVD Burner
$26, www.samsung.com

Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer
$86, www.creative.com

Zalman CNPS-9300AT SuperFlo
$40, www.zalman.com