Recommended Gaming Builds
Below you will find some great computer builds. The pricing shown is an estimate, and does not necessarily reflect actual prices, as computer parts have fluctuating prices relative to supply available. Please note that current hard drive prices are at an all time high due to low supply. Many of these computer parts can be purchased at or even below the listed prices. Amazon is a great source for those who do not need to pay sales tax.
Gaming Builds (Updated Monthly)
Budget Build:
| Component | Model | Price (US) |
| CPU | AMD Phenom II X4 960T Black Edition | $110 |
| CPU Cooler | AMD boxed heatsink/fan | 0 |
| Motherboard | BIOSTAR A880G+ AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX | $60 |
| RAM | PNY Optima 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 MD8192KD3 | $35 |
| Graphics | MSI Geforce GTX 560 N560GTX-M2D1GD5 | $175 |
| Hard Drive | Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA 7200 RPM Hard Drive ST31000528AS | $60 |
| Case | NZXT Gamma Classic Series GAMA-001BK | $36 |
| Power | Antec EarthWatts Green EA430D 430 W | $44 |
| Optical | Samsung 22x DVD Burner SATA Model SH-222AB | $19 |
| Total Price | $539 | |
Mid-Level Build:
| Motherboard | EVGA P67 Micro SLI LGA 1155, Intel P67 chipset | $149 |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3 GHz (3.7 GHz Turbo), Quad-Core, 6 MB L3 Cache | $220 |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper TX3 | $20 |
| Memory | G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR | $45 |
| Graphics | XFX HD-695X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 | $240 |
| Hard Drive | OCZ Vertex Series 30 GB SATA II SSD 3Gb/s | $65 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Black 750 GB | $59 |
| Optical | Sony Optiarc DVD Burner 24x DVD Burner | $19 |
| Case | Raidmax Atlas-295WB | $40 |
| Power | Corsair CX600 V2 600 W ATX12V, EPS12V, 80 PLUS-Certified | $70 |
| Total Cost | $927 |
Enthusiast Build:
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3: LGA 1155 Intel Z68 Express | $150 |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics | 2 x EVGA 015-P3-1580-AR GeForce GTX 580 SLI | $980 |
| Processor | Intel Core i7-2600K: 3.4 GHz-3.8 GHz, 8 MB Shared L3 Cache | $315 |
| Memory | G.skill RipjawsX 8GB (4GB x 2) DDR3-1866 RAM Memory Module (F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL) | $80 |
| System Drive | Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD-F120GB3A-BK 2.5″ 120GB SATA III SSD | $170 |
| Storage Drive | Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARS 2 TB, 7200 RPM HDD | $80 |
| Optical | Asus 24xDVD±RW Drive DVD-RAM/±R/±RW | $21 |
| Case | Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case | $100 |
| Power | Corsair Enthusiast Series 850-Watt 80 Plus Bronze Certified Power Supply | $120 |
| CPU Cooler | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 | $30 |
| Total Cost | $2046 |