Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Brass  But you can't build a sub-$1k system that can decently run today's PC games.
That's the kicker. |
No, you're wrong, you can build a sub-$1k system that can run today's PC games. Like I said, take the monitor and speakers out of the equation - because you already own them (and the console gamers don't count their TVs and stereos in their "savings" diatribes) - and don't go for extreme top of the line, as I've found there's this oddly huge price gap at certain levels of all hardware, but only a small gap in performance at the same point. I built my current system for around $1000 back in January of '04 - and I mean everything: case, PSU, monitor, speakers, keyboard, mouse, EVERYTHING - upgraded it recently with a new vid card, PSU and monitor for about $300-$400, and it plays BioShock very well. Admittedly, you can't turn on EVERY bell and whistle in BioShock on it, but it still looks far better than any other FPS I've ever played (or any other game, for that matter), and with no appreciable lag. You have to do some research to find the parts, but it is possible.
My comp specs off the top of my head:
ASUS P4P800 mobo
Enermax 500w PSU
2.6Ghz P4 CPU
1.5GB PC3200 DDR2 RAM
HIS Radeon 2600XT vidcard
LanBoy Case
SoundBlaster audio card (can't remember which one, but it was spiffy 4 years ago)