Ultimate Gaming on a Budget.

Browsing the internet, I came across a few pages advertising how to build a computer for under $500. After viewing their process, products, and prices (a gaming PC for 499.99) I challenged myself to do better. What I came up with was a monster in comparison. Read more to discover my approach and masterpiece.

• AMD Phenom 8750 2.4Ghz Triple-Core Black Edition Processor
• Sapphire Radeon HD 4830 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 Video Card
• 4GB (2x2GB) PC2 8500 Dual Channel RAM
• 160GB Sata3 Seagate Barracuda HD
• A780GXH/128M AM2+ AMD 780G HDMI ATX MOBO
• CoolMax 650W ATX Crossfire PS
• Foxconn TPS544-NPS 0.8mm SGCC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
• Pioneer 20X DVD+R Black Sata DVD Burner
  

This machine cost $485.92 ($465.92 with the $20.00 mail-in rebate) in parts to assemble and would be able to play just about anything thrown at it. Not just play it, it would do so with a bit of grace and a solid FPS rate. With this setup you could easily add-in another video card without making any other hardware changes. This add-on would cost around $99 more. Though this system is perfectly fine without being a Crossfire rig.

There are several things to consider when building/assembling a new PC; you have to ensure compatibility (are all the parts you selected compatible with each other and the software they are meant to run on), as well as build a machine that will last. In the case of our build the motherboard will support the upcoming AM3 CPU. All these components are Vista compatible, though it does not come with a an OS. I myself run Ubuntu Studio (I absolutely love this OS and have not found any issues playing any of the PC games I love). Though its usually best to leave the OS choice to the operator as everyone has their own needs and preferences.

The next step in the process would be to order your parts (I personally use Newegg, there are other excellent sites out there as well which give great deals and have equally good customer service, such as Tigerdirect).

Assembly

• Inspection: Soon you will receive all your parts via mail, do not fill intimidated by all the parts. Begin by making sure you have received everything you ordered and look over the boxes and the parts themselves for damage (as this is not uncommon to received damage parts in the mail). The last thing you want to do is assemble your brand new computer to find that it does not work.

• Tools: Be sure to have a small screw drivers set with size #1 and #2 Philips tip screwdriver (non-magnetic preferably).

(Remember the steps may change dependent upon hardware used. These steps were designed to work with the build detailed above but will work for just about any build.)

• Step 1: The Power Supply: Once you have checked receipt and condition of parts, next pull out the PC case and read over the instructions. You will need to remove the side panel and then motherboard tray (you will find a bag of screws in the case packaging somewhere, its handy to place them into a container so you do not lose them). The installation of the power supply(PS) is fairly quick and simple. With the tower sitting upright you can see where the PS will be secured from the back of the case. With the side door removed from the case I find it easy easier to place the case upside down in front of you looking in, you should be able to see where the PS will be secured. Place the PS into the case with the cables facing inside the case and the back of the PS facing the hole in the back of the case (remember the orientation, the case is upside down, the PS should be upside down at this point. Let the top of the PS rest on the top of the case, now you can take the small bag of screws which came with the PS and secure the PS down from the back of the case (this will be done with four Phillips head screws).
  

• Step 2: The Motherboard: With the power supply now secured and the mother board tray removed, it is time to read the direction booklet that came with the motherboard. It is no secret that most of us hate to read the directions, though with building a PC you can often times miss a valuable piece of information, so I would say this is important. You will first want to secure your motherboard to the motherboard tray included with the computer case. Usually, this is done by 6 screws and spacers that come with the case, you can see where the screws go on the motherboard itself by the eyelets at the corners.
  

• Step 3: The CPU: With the motherboard freshly secured to the motherboard tray it is time to place the CPU onto the motherboard. Again, read the directions, it will also show an illustration of the CPU properly going into its socket on the motherboard. First unlock the clip and remove the plastic retainer over the CPU socket on the motherboard (leave the retainer open because that's what secures the CPU down to the board). Then look at the pins of the CPU and find the key way, this will be a change in pins, usually at one of the corners of the CPU. Match that up with your motherboard, this will give you the proper orientation of the CPU socket. With the CPU oriented to the socket, lay the CPU in place. You could not have to force the pins into the sockets, they should slide right in. If you feel you have to force it, pull it off and re-orient the processor for another go. With the processor secured into place, place the CPU sockets retaining clip over the CPU (there will be a built up of pressure when securing the retaining clip to the socket over the processor, this is normal), at this point it should latch down and the processor will be secured into place. At this time you will take your thermal compound (there are various brands like Arctic Silver and typically come with a processor.) and evenly spread it over the CPU, just as if you were spreading peanut butter on a sandwich. What this does is create an environmental seal between the CPU and your heat sink/fan so that the cooling device can do its job, evenly across your CPU.

• Step 4: The Fan: We are ready to secure the fan to the processor. This step can go before you secure the motherboard on its tray back into the case or after. Depending on size of fan and case, usually a stock fan is smaller and easily secured to the motherboard tray before its placed back into the case. This is something you will need to feel out before installing the motherboard tray, as its fairly easy to tell. Now place the fan squarely over the CPU and press the fan clips down, they should easily lock into place, securing the fan. The fan's power connector will be discussed in step five of the How-To guide.
  

• Step 5: MotherBoard Tray: At this time if you look at the accessories that came with the motherboard you will notice a plate cut-out that matches the peripherals on the mother board. On the case there will be a generic clip (peripherals' face plate) that I have never seen actually match up to any mother board. Remove the generic face plate and replace it with the plate that came with the motherboard. Now it is time to secure the mother board tray into place inside the case, (depending on the case, the motherboard tray will either slide in or screw down) it should align with the newly installed clip. Next, we will need to connect all jumpers, case accessories, fans, and power/reset switches to the motherboard. At this point you will need to refer to the motherboard directions as the steps vary greatly between motherboard models/manufacturers. The directions will contain orientation pictures for the different connections to show you how they should hook up. The process is straightforward and easy.
  

Take note: some cases do not come with a removable tray for the mother board so all the work will have to be done from within the case.

• Step 6: RAM, Video Card(s), Hard Drive(s), DVD Burner(s): I decided to include installation of your RAM, video card, hard drive, and DVD burner because it all just feels like the same step when in the process of building the PC. It does not generally matter what order you install them. It will usually make sense to you when looking into the case as you want everything to come together nicely. Sometimes its easier to install the media drives before your RAM or video card, other times the case is so large that it does not matter. So I will leave this step for you to decide as your building your new gaming rig. Keep in consideration effective use of space as well as cable management. It is always a good thing when building your new case how you will rout your power supply cables and contain them into the case in an orderly fashion, otherwise they will block airflow, obstruct fans, and generally take away from the whole aesthetic of the case. When you install your RAM remember to look for the key way notch on your stick of ram and align it with that of your motherboard. With the above build the media drives are SATA3 meaning you wont have or need those "tape" or "rounded" IDE cables, SATA is faster than IDE and the cables are less intrusive than standard IDE cables. When connecting your video card, be sure to use the top PCIE 16x slot, as the motherboard detailed in this build allows two video cards in a crossfire format. Also, remember to connect the power jumper that will come with the card. This jumper will plug directly into the back of the card, and from there to the power supply, otherwise you can use a connector on the power supply directly (it is just nice to use the jumper as it lengthens the power supply cable for cleaner cable management into the case).

At this point your PC is built, you will still need to select an operating system. If you want to further save money you can always use an open source operating system such as Linux. Most Linux users have their own personal brand and choice of distrobution, though I recommend Ubuntu, which you can order a free CD at www.ubuntu.com or just download the OS for free from there as well. Once you have chosen your OS you will want to thoroughly test everything to ensure the hardware works as intended. I do this by first booting up to check over settings in the bios, as well as the temperatures page in the bios. When everything checks out there, I proceed to booting the OS install disk. I install the OS, update all hardware drivers and then immediately install the most graphic intensive game that I have to check out the machine under heavy load. At this point it is good to enjoy your new rig and play for several hours. With the PC under a load you are actually testing the components, if you received anything defective in the mail they will generally fail in the first couple of days of use. This way you can take full advantage of your warranty and replace anything that may otherwise fail in the future. It also does not hurt to download a PC benchmarking program or two just so you can see the awesomeness of your new build in more than just terms of FPS. These programs test every aspect of your PC and most will show you your PC in comparison to other PCs like the Dell XPS.

I have made this guide as explicit as possible, if you have attempted the process please respond with feedback on your success.