Is there ever such a thing as a budget gaming setup??

[CHR1S]

Im an avid Xbox'er but im being tempted back into the PC scene after being away for several years!

 

What sort of "budget" gaming rig (Small Form Factor - to go in media rack) should I be looking at?

 

I will be linking it to my AV Amp Via HDMI to a 37" LCD and im not expecting full detail GFX @ 1080p but something playable but better than my 360.

Im willing to build myself and I can buy the parts over a couple of months if its worth a premium.

 

Thanks

 

Chris

[Sarconia]

Well... I can't help it but I always think "fail" when the words gaming and small form factor are found in the same sentence as the performance of a build which is small will never match that of a desktop tower. The best graphics cards nowadays are flipping huge and struggle to fit in a case of that size let alone anything smaller.

 

I'm also not sure what you mean by not expecting fully detailed graphics @1080p but still want it to be better than your 360? I own a 360 (ok, I've not turned it on in months) but I've never noticed it to be lacking in detail when running at 1080p.

 

My general advice would be that it is possible to build a budget rig but you generally have to be prepared to upgrade a few bits now and then. It's a bit of a constant battle VS upgrading technology really, I've found that the most efficient method is to keep building middle of the range machines and moving the bits over to another machine when it becomes incapable of playing the latest games. The processor, motherboard and PSU are the most important bits to spend money on as those are the three which you are least likely to upgrade, RAM/HD's/Graphics cards can be swapped with relative ease compared to those.

[CHR1S]

Well... I can't help it but I always think "fail" when the words gaming and small form factor are found in the same sentence as the performance of a build which is small will never match that of a desktop tower. The best graphics cards nowadays are flipping huge and struggle to fit in a case of that size let alone anything smaller.

 

I'm limited to room, that's the only reason for a small footprint, its got to either live in or behind my AV rack. So lets say smaller tower, not small form factor.

 

I'm also not sure what you mean by not expecting fully detailed graphics @1080p but still want it to be better than your 360? I own a 360 (ok, I've not turned it on in months) but I've never noticed it to be lacking in detail when running at 1080p.

 

I want similar detail with some AA & AF thrown in for good measure, better than my 360 but not overkill!

 

My general advice would be that it is possible to build a budget rig but you generally have to be prepared to upgrade a few bits now and then. It's a bit of a constant battle VS upgrading technology really, I've found that the most efficient method is to keep building middle of the range machines and moving the bits over to another machine when it becomes incapable of playing the latest games. The processor, motherboard and PSU are the most important bits to spend money on as those are the three which you are least likely to upgrade, RAM/HD's/Graphics cards can be swapped with relative ease compared to those.

 

So where is middle of the road nowadays? i3? i5? what sort of GFX card? Baring in mind I was water cooling and over clocking back in the day, I want simplicity now, and no wind tunnel experience!

[kevbaz]

got no hopes of even a semi decent card fitting in a small form factor.. i have a slightly undersized axt and my radeon 4850 wouldnt fit..

 

personally i have a amd x4 phenom 9950 black edition, xfx 4850, 4gb ram and it plays everyhting great

[siuko]

I have a Silverstone Tech SG01 with an ATI 4850 working fine in it.... (See my sig for details of pc spec)

 

I think the biggest question is.... what sort of budget?

[Sarconia]

I'm limited to room, that's the only reason for a small footprint, its got to either live in or behind my AV rack. So lets say smaller tower, not small form factor.

 

Ah that's not so bad then, a smaller graphics card might fit at a push. I know it probably sounds weird but I've got a friend who doesn't have any floor space at all... he ended up quite litterally screwing his desktop case into the wall!

 

So where is middle of the road nowadays? i3? i5? what sort of GFX card? Baring in mind I was water cooling and over clocking back in the day, I want simplicity now, and no wind tunnel experience!

 

I usually say that middle of the road is about one generation behind the current technology - it's still good and will last for many years but it doesn't come with the hefty price tag of the current higher end stuff. For example, I wanted an i7 but they're really a bit too expensive coming in at about £220 the last time I looked, instead I went down to my local computer fair and found a brand new boxed Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 for £70. You've got to shop around but you can get some good deals that way.

 

Still, as everyone else has already said, it's all down to your budget really.

[CHR1S]

I have a Silverstone Tech SG01 with an ATI 4850 working fine in it.... (See my sig for details of pc spec)

 

I think the biggest question is.... what sort of budget?

 

That case looks good! Budget for around £400 give or take.

[BHMS]

£400 isn't much to throw into a gaming rig. I'd look for an i5-6xx + ATI 5770 with that budget. That should play most current games pretty well.