A Gaming PC for Under Rs 55,000

This quarter is shaping up to be a great one for PC gaming. Finally there are some great single-player titles getting released on what is fast becoming a fading platform. Every single great game seems to have headed over to the consoles.

Thankfully, with recent launches like BioShock and upcoming titles like Jericho, MOH 4, and the big one Crysis, it’s the perfect time to upgrade your aging rig for a more powerful performer.

Of course, an upgrade can mean different things for different users, depending on their purse strings and what they define as acceptable. Another thing to note is the wide disparity in prices across various towns and cities. Keeping these factors in mind, we think the perfect mid-level gaming rig can be yours for Rs 55,000.

Please bear in mind that the amounts we have quoted in this feature are based on Mumbai prices. They have been taken from a wide variety of dealers and are currently prevailing street prices. These are 'non-bargained' prices, so your persuasive sweet-talk could perhaps save you some more cash. So, here we go...

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550

The recently introduced Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 is a second generation product that's had its FSB bumped to 1333 MHz from the previous FSB of 1066. Priced at Rs 7100, this is the best VFM processor available right now. It has a clock speed of 2.33 GHz and a 4 MB L2 cache.

Motherboard: XFX 650i Ultra

Over the last couple of years, XFX has developed a very good reputation for its graphic cards and its exceptional after sales service. The company recently branched off into motherboards, with the introduction of Nvidia's 680 and 650 chipsets.

As its name suggests, the board we've chosen is based on the 650i Ultra chipset which has native support for the 1333 MHz FSB. The board lacks onboard graphics, but does offer a single PCIe 16x slot, 1 PCIe x1 slot, 8 USB slots, 3 PCI slots, and 4 SATA 2 (3.0 GB) slots. It is readily available at a cost of Rs 5,250.

RAM: Kingston DDR2 667 RAM 2x1GB

RAM prices have recently gone into freefall mode. This is good news for consumers, as it is now possible to buy two sticks of 1 GB very cheaply. This gives your PC a large performance boost, thanks to dual-channel support on motherboards. The perfect brand to go with is Kingston. It offers a five-year warranty and costs Rs 2,500 (1250x2), making it an ideal choice for our rig.

Graphics: XFX 8600 GTS

The XFX 8600 GTS is based on the G80 series of chipsets, which is DX-10 compatible, offers 256 MB of RAM, runs on GDDR3 RAM with a memory clock of 2.26 GHz and a clock rate of 730 MHz. At its price point of Rs 11,500, it's an incredible performer.

We currently have this GPU with us in the lab and are thoroughly satisfied with its performance. We plan to carry a single review along with an ATI vs Nvidia shootout, so you'll see just why we are recommending this card. It's that darned good.

Sound (onboard): HDA Azalia 8 Channel High Definition Audio
Onboard sound has come a long way in recent years. Today's onboard chips are multi-channel capable, and can easily compete with lower-end sound cards like Creative's Audigy 2 ZS. The XFX offers an 8 channel chipset with great audio output for excellent music, video, and gaming experiences.

LAN: Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller 10/100/1000
This standard Intel Gigabit onboard 10/100/1000 LAN gives a maximum transfer speed of 1000 Mbps. It is fast enough to take care of your broadband internet (most have a connection speed of 256 Kbps or 512 Kbps). Though Gigabit LAN is already present, most home networks are only capable of handling 100 Mbps speeds. Hence, you have the right firepower in Intel's 10/100/1000 LAN.

HDD: Seagate SATA II HDD 250 GB

The cost of hard drives has dropped drastically as well in recent times. Units currently available offer an excellent price advantage if you compare the cost of the drive with its storage capacity. We had to decide between Seagate and Western Digital, and chose to go with the former due to the five-year warranty it offers. The 250 GB is built on the SATA II platform and offers more than adequate storage for all your needs. At under Rs 3,000, the drive is a great bargain.

Optical Drive: Lite-On LH-20A1P

The market for ODDs has become total VFM now. Prices of blanks have dropped to an all-time low. This is one segment where a single company’s lead has remained unchallenged for quite a few years. The brand is Liteon, whose products have come to define and set the standards for others to follow.

Monitor: Viewsonic VG1930WM

Viewsonic is a brand that really needs no introduction. The VG1930WM we have chosen here is a budget 19-inch widescreen monitor with a native resolution of 1440x900, a response time of 5 ms and a contrast ratio of 700:1. One thing that sets it apart from others is the fact that it has native support for DVI-D, which gives much sharper images and allows for richer color rendition.

Keyboard & Mouse: Microsoft Comfort Keyboard 2000 and Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 1000
Trying to fit in a dedicated gaming keyboard/mouse combination in our modest budget is quite a tall order. We considered various options and chose this combination as it offers nice ergonomics and a surprisingly good gaming experience. However, if your budget allows it, we recommend that you look at either Razer's products or one of the Logitech combos.

Cabinet: Cooler Master Elite 330 / Cooler Master Extreme Power 600 W

The ideal cabinet for our beast comes from Cooler Master or CM as it’s popularly known. CM offers some of the best PC cabinets and PSUs (Power Supply Units). We chose a mid-size tower with seven expansion slots, two USB ports, and five 3.5 inch bays.

This cabinet ensures adequate cooling via a provided 120mm fan and a front side 120mm fan mount. But it doesn't come with a power supply, so we went in for the Cooler Master Extreme Power 600 W. This provides 600 W of power at 70% efficiency, and comes with full support for the newest Intel standard (ATX V2.01 12W).

Speakers: Altec Lansing ATP3
Altec Lansing makes some great PC speakers that offer an excellent experience for games and movies. The ATP3 2.1 speaker system fits well into our budget, offering above average performance and some features usually found in products twice as expensive. The subwoofer packs a punch and is capable of outputting 18 watts RMS. The speakers are equally well-powered and manages 12 watts RMS.

Specification Table

Components	Model	Price (Rupees)
Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo E6550	7,100
Motherboard	XFX 650i Ultra	5,250
RAM	Kingston DDR 2 667 2x1 GB	2,500 (Rs. 1,250 each)
Sound	Onboard	NA
LAN	Onboard, Intel 10/100/1000	NA
Graphics	XFX 8600 GTS 256 Mb	11,000
Optical Drive	Lite-On LH-20A1P	1,625
Hard Disk	Seagate SATA II HDD 250 GB	2,850
Monitor	Viewsonic VG1930WM	10,500
Keyboard/Mouse	Microsoft Comfort Keyboard 2000 and Microsoft Comfort Optical Mouse 1000:	2,000
Case	Coolermaster Elite 330 with Cooler Master Extreme Power 600 W	8000
Speakers	Altec-Lansing ATP3	2,100
	Total	52,925

What we have built here is a strong starting base for an ideal mid-level gaming machine. With a few more judicious upgrades, you will be able to build a really powerful gaming machine that can easily resist obsolescence for a few years. We plan to keep building and adding features to this machine, over the next few months as this will remain a constant WIP feature.