You can definitely get a PC that absolutely destroys any game out there for that price. I would not bother with a quad core chip. I would also go AMD. What I would do is take $300 off that $900 for games, then I would get:
Amd X2 6000. $67
4GB ddr2 800 ram. $43
am2+ / am2 motherboard for $50 or under with 6 channel audio.
random case for around $30.
small case fan for $10
optical mouse and kb for $20.
a 500-700 watt power supply that puts out at least 40amps on the 12v rails. You add 12V1 + 12V2, etc. $70. Maybe even cheaper with rebate.
a 500GB sata for $60.
xp64 oem for $100. You can likely find it cheaper on ebay. Just make sure it's unused :)
and I'd probably slap in an ati 4870 for $175. (You can find them. look!).
This should hit in a little over $600, and you'll definitely be able to max pretty much anything out there on most resolutions for the forseeable future.
Some will tell you to get a better processor, but don't bother. Use the extra cash for some great games. Also, do yourself a favor and do not overspend on a power supply and case. It's just a waste.farrell2k
That is some pretty bad advice man...
He said he has $800 to 900 to spend on the rig, so why limit him to $500-600? :|
I'm sure he will have money to spend on games.
Second, case is a matter of preference. In general, a ~$100 from a good manufacturer is going to be a higher quality in materials, build and airflow management. Again, with a $900 budget why should he have to get a cheap-o beige 90's style case with bad airflow?
As for a PSU, never tell anyone to "not overspend" on the PSU. Within reason, of course. That tends to start making people think that a $20 PSU is just fine... I chose to add that PC P&C because well, they really do make some of the very best. Also leaves him open for future upgrades. It's the kind of PSU you could easily carry over to another build in a couple years time.
Finally, there's no reason he shouldn't get quad core at this point. Benchmarks show quads DO perform better in gaming than duals and many games are starting to take advantage of quads. Try playing GTA IV on a dual... The motherboard I suggested is a great budget board that allows for great overclocks and has Crossfire support should he choose to eventually go that route (albeit x16/x8 ). I suggested the Crucial RAM because of personal experience with Crucial. I've been using their memory for years and it's always served me well. That ram has some amazingly tight timings as well.
Oh and, OP, if you need an OS, go with either Windows 7 RC (very stable, free to use and will work till summer 2010) or Vista Home Premium 64-bit. There's no reason to be suggesting XP anymore.
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