Project Gaming In-Drive

Hello, everybody!

I am helping out a friend that is looking for a good gaming computer. Unfortunately, she has only been able to scrounge and save up enough for a entry-level computer, a Dell.

I like Dells for their stability and speed, though I said to her that if I get some free time, I would help her look into a custom-built computer. She agreed.

She says her budget range is around the entry-level range, and I want to get her the most power that I can and leave plenty of space for upgrading later.

Do any of you have suggestions for any cheap-yet-excellent parts that I can outfit the computer with?

Some notes:

She is definitely into AMD, and wants a 64-bit processor in a Socket 939 slot.

She's a gamer, and she wants to try out this newfangled PCI-X slot that's been going around.

Thanks for reading this and thanks in advance for helping me out.

 

Would probably go Athlon 64 3400+ in that case, and do you mean PCI Express? Would probably go for an Asus or Abit motherboard with PCI Express slot.
If you're looking entry level price then probably a top range Geforce 6600 for video card.

 

"She is definitely into AMD, and wants a 64-bit processor in a Socket 939 slot.

She's a gamer, and she wants to try out this newfangled PCI-X slot that's been going around."

It depends on what exactly she needs... If you need a monitor/keyboard/mouse, etc. forget about an Athlon 64 939 for the price of an entry-level Dell. You'll have to give more specs. Namely, exactly how much she has to spend, and what exactly she needs...

 

She wants an all-purpose computer (Internet, gaming,, and she's willing to spend a maximum of $900.

 

Ok, cool. $900 should be good. Much more than entry-level. (around $400) However, we still don't know what all she needs... Monitor? Mouse? Keyboard? Or just the tower?

 

Please note that although the PCI-X slot has more bandwidth than the AGP 8X slot, there are no current graphics cards on the market that see a benefit for using PCI-X over AGP 8X. It is actually cheaper to go the AGP 8X route - she'll get a better pc for the buck IMO.