Budget Gaming Rig

Leo wants a budget gaming rig. He already has his eyes set on a specific 19" wide monitor and he isn't sure what kit to grab. His needs are definitely different from mine, but I did offer to configure a system for him. I recommended going to a local computer stores so if ever a part breaks down warranty replacements or repairs don't put a strain into his tight work schedule. Prices are based off current published prices of Enigma and PC Hub. Here goes...


AMD AM3 ATHLON II X3 445 3.1 GHZ   3,560
According to the Steam Hardware survey only around a quarter of Steam gamers use a quad-core processors and another quarter use single-core CPU's. More than half use dual-core. considering that fact, it could be said that in terms of gaming, dual-cores are more than capable of playing most of current games. Consider also that the hexa-cores from both Intel and AMD were released in the months closing the previous year. Adoption is going to take a while and so will games that will take advantage of 6-core architecture. My rule of thumb? With those facts considered, either get a triple-core or quad-core processor. Since I'm configuring a budget gaming rig, I chose the Athlon II X3 445. This was released around a year ago, but it is still very capable processor. Check out the review on LegitReviews.com. Depending on your luck even, you may be able to unlock a 'fourth core' on this one. This bang-for-the-buck processor is going to be great for multi-threaded games and applications, with actual performance middling between dual-core and quad-core.

ASROCK 880GM-LE 3,090
This motherboard has a nice balanced blend of features for the price. It's got ACC (Advanced Clock Calibration) for when you want to try to unlock extra cores. It comes packaged with Asrock's Turbo UCC, an pre-boot application that helps you unlock cores and overclock without mucking around with the BIOS. It even comes with OC DNA, a Windows applciation that helps you overclock while in Windows. It's ready to take Phenom II hexa-cores when you're ready to upgrade and is Hybrid Crossfire compatible.

GEIL 4GB DDR3 PC10600/1333 1,910
I recommend Geil for this build as it is one of the lowest priced branded RAM. Geil has been around for a few years as well, so I'd rather go with Geil than other new and unproven brands. Add to that, friends tell me they overclock quite well. I don't void warranties as much as they do. I overclock after the warranties are over! Anyway, great brand to go with, even if you're going with their value line. They're solid and stable. They're not expensive. They've had years in experience making memory. These are all pluses for me.
     

SEAGATE 500GB 7200 SATA 2,170
Seagate is the only hard drive manufacturer to ever go out on a limb and say they guarantee their products for 5 years. It takes a lot of cajones to do that. I've never had a Seagate fail on me and I''l stay with them until proven wrong. 500GB is currently the sweet spot in terms of price and provides a lot of headroom for storing those saved games. Now, one thing that helps with speed is the thinnness of thi particular model. Since all it's 500GB's are in just one platter, you can imagine how dense the storage is for this one. That means accessing the data won't take as long as with previous drives since the space in between data has been cut short. So just remember to use the first 300GB's as this is where the prime real estate is. Data is read the fastest in these first 300GB's.


SAPPHIRE HD5570 1GB DDR3 128BIT 2,995    
A great mid-range card that's great for moderate gaming. It supports Direct X11. It's got HDMI, DVI and VGA Connectors. It's got a slim and low profile. It supports AMD's Stream Technology, so you can use the teraflops of computing  power in your video card on stuff like video encoding or transcoding. The computing power that GPU's have these days make them ideal for being re-purposed for other computation heavy tasks like that.  It also supports physics processing to make the watter ripples, car crashes and hair movement more realistics in finer details. It supports Dolby 7.1 sound on it's HDMI connector. Head on over to OverclockersClub.com for their review of the HD 5570

THERMALTAKE 500W Litepower 80 Plus PSU  2,200
Power supplies tend to be the last to be considered in a build. Often people go with cheap power supplies to be able to spend more on other components. But that kind of thinking leads to trouble. The smoking-burning kind of trouble. If you have an unreliable power supply, it can fry your expensive processor and motherboard, possibly burn your computer and cause a safety hazard for your home. Thermaltake is a well-known, very established brand. They have been making cooling products for years. In the last few years, they've expanded into cases and power supplies. For the most part, they have been consistent with the quality of their products. For a review of the Litepower series, check out OverclockersClub.com and HardwareSecrets.

COOLER MASTER (RC-430) ELITE 430 1,950
This is an old case. But for the money it's selling for right now it's great! You can mount 120mm fans on the front and back of the case. It's got space for a couple more up on top. It's got a bottom mounting for the PSU, so cooling comes from the bottom of the case and goes straight out to the back. It's got a tool-free mechanical design to make it easy to add or removed drives. To appreciate it better, you'll need to head on over to Overclockers.com for their review of the unit.

So there you have it folks, what I would get for a budget gamig rig.

UPDATE: I got asked "what about the fragging device like mouse and keyboard? =)" . Here's what I would get:

Memorial Day Weekend Gamer Kit

I was looking around at what kind of gamer goodies are up for grabs this Memorial Day weekend. I found more than a few specials. Here they are:

Deus Ex Human Revolution is a first person RPG. Unlike other RPG's, improving your player in Deus Ex involves body modifications, not weapons upgrades, potions or spells. Human Revolution is actually the series' third installment, but it's timeline is a prequel to the first two game releases. In the first two, augmentations were based on nanotech. In Human Revolution, body augmentations are in biomech. Sounds like a Sci-Fi fanatic's dream role-playing game, eh? You can get a glimpse of the gameplay by heading on over to PCGamer.com for their preview. Deus Ex Human Revolution is currently pre-ordering and you can get 10% for the entire pre-order period. 10% off ($49.95) when you buy Deus Ex Human Revolution and 10% off ($59.95) when you buy Deus Ex Human Revolution Augmented Edition from Gametap.

Shogun 2 is the second installment of the Total War - Shogun series. To be honest, I've only played Total War - Rome. But the game play was a great combination RTS with turn-based strategy. You play turns on th map and you fight battles in real-time strategy mode. The Total War series, in RTS mode, brings us back to times in history when wars were fought by the man. No fancy smart weapons or long-range nuclear missiles. You command a troop or a whole army and charge into each victory while enjoying the nice effects and scenery. That's what gets me. The reviews are encouraging and I might get this title myself. IGN rated Shogun 2 a 9/10 and Gamespot Asia rated it 9/10. Shogun 2 is 33% off until Monday 30th on Gametap.

Dirt 3 is the third release of the popular rally racing title. The graphics are even more stunning and game-play improved over it's predecessors. New maps come standard with this release. As always, driving expensive cars safely at super high-speeds in a variety of locales means getting in front of a large-screen TV and turning the console on. Would you risk wrecking a perfectly tuned Beamer to race it on a difficult to manuever dirt road in the real world? Go get your game on, because IGN rated this an 8.5/10 for the great game-play. You can get the latest edition of Dirt with 14% off:, $42.95 instead of $49.95 when you go to GameTap.

Witcher 2 is a sequel to the original Polish game title Witcher. It's an RPG along the story line that Witchers are warriors trained to use magic starting at an early age. It's personally not my favorite genre of game, but I have got to give props to the graphics on this thing. You have got to head on over to GamesRadar.com to check out their review of Witcher 2. The have got great screen previews of the game. GamesRadar rates Witcher 2 a 10, while Gamespot Asia rates it an 8.5/10. Witcher 2 is 10% off: $44.95 instead of $49.95 when purchased from GameTap.

And what sports nut does not like playing NBA? NBA 2K11 is out and it's 13% off when you go for it on GameTap: $17.25 instead of $19.95. If you don't have the moves on the actual hardcourt, well take out your controller son. Because you can slam your way to a win on this one. Joystiq rated it a 4.5 out of 5 stars for it's realistic game-play and improved AI.

What is Moore's Law?

Most modern processors, microchips and small electronic components are made up of tiny transistors. In the 1970's, the term Moore's Law was popularized. The law was named after Intel co-founder Gordon Moore. Moore's Law describes the rapid advancement in the increase of the number of transistors that can be fit into the same space in a die. It predicted that number of transistors that can be crammed into a processor will practically double every 2 years. A die is the raw material from which processor is made from. This is where the transistors are carved out of in very very tiny detail. Now I am using the processor as a specific example because it is the subject of most discussion about Moore's Law. Also it is in the manufacturing of processor that technologies in miniaturization are first proven. After these 'fabrication' technologies have proven cost effective enough are they snapped up by other industries for manufacturing other electronics.

 Although mostly refered to when talking about processors, Moore's Law also affects advancements in other electronic components that similarly benefit from high transistor density in small packages. Things like the digital camera sensors, computer memory (RAM) and solid-state drives are all fashioned after dies etched with transistors. Even the microchips that make it possible for your LCD TV to process images, or your Blu-Ray player to play those movies.

Moore's Law was originally just a forecast of a trend, but as technologies in manufacturing have advanced, it has become a self-fulfilled prophecy. Think about it. Every 2 years or so, there's a huge increase in the mega-pixels a digital camera will have for the same amount of money. Same goes for computer memory. I remember when I assembled my first computer some 8 years back that 512 MB of memory was a lot. Now, you'll see current computers selling with at least 4GB of memory. Just think back to a few years ago when laptops cost over a thousand dollars each. Now, we have laptops that work just as fast and can be had for half that. All of these advances are the effect of miniaturization and the cost savings that goes with it.

Moore's Law is good for both manufacturers and consumers. It allows manufacturers to do more with less material and cost. It gives us consumers more bang for our hard-earned buck. So you could say both sides get more for what they pay for. The next time you overhear a geek mention Moore's Law, you won't be clueless and you'll be more appreciative about what they're talking about.

Upgrade Itch - Zacate On My Mind

When you're the kind of person who builds your own computers, you tend to get a little itchy when new technology gets announced. You get an upgrade itch every so often. Well, I've got it again. I've had my desktop now for close to 2 years and a lot has changed in the last 18 months. One of the most glaring would be AMD's entry into the ITX market with the Fusion platform. They're desktop and notebook products with graphics integrated onto the processor itself, what AMD calls APU's, have been nicknamed Zacate.

I've been looking around at prices and I've decided to mock up a few set-ups that will possibly go into my next build. Here are the parts that I would go with on a small-footprint-energy-efficient build:

Antec ISK-100 - A true Mini-ITX case for the footprint conscious. This is trully small. It measures in at 248 mm (H) x 108 mm (W) x 212 mm (D). It's side about as wide and as high as an outstretched hand. To fit everything in, some sacrifices had to be made. It does fit 2 hard drives, but it will only take 2.5" laptop hard drives. It does not have a power supply in the traditional desktop sense either. Inside the case is a small power board that distributes power to the devices inside. What gives it power is an external AC Adapter, much more common on laptops than in desktops. The AC Adapter is only 90 watts, so that gives you an idea of how energy efficient the parts you choose should be.

Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 - This board has all the new goodies. It's got USB 3.0, SATA 6 GB/s ports and DDR3. The integrated graphics also support DX11. Having VGA, DVI and HDMI also give you flexibility when it comes to displays. It's built for durability too. Most Gigabyte boards these days have an extra layer of copper in the board to make them more sturdy in constant use. They also come with 'solid' capacitors that are more heat resistant and don't leak like electrolytic capacitors. All in all a great board packed with features and built to last.

4 GB (2 x 2 GB) Kingston DDR3 ValueRAM - I chose this in particular because I have been using Kingston RAM for more than 6 years now. I have never had any problems with them. Another great thing about certain  ValueRAM models is their size. The one pictured left are low-profile and if you're working with a case as tiny as the Antec ISK-100, every millimeter counts.


320 GB Seagate Momentus - I've always used Seagate, starting with the 1st computer I built. I will continue to do so, since they are the only manufacture ballsy enough to guarantee their products for 5 years. Anyway, since laptop drives are definitely more money per gigabyte of storage, I opted for the current smallest capacity. It would be more practical from cost perspective to get a small-capacity laptop drive to fit the case and a large-capacity external USB drive to store your stuff. And with USB 3.0, the file transfer speeds will not matter so much because it will be fast enough not to bore you from waiting.

2 TB WD My Book Essential (USB 3.0) Drive - When it comes to friends and external hard drives, most of mine recommend Western Digital drives. You may ask why 2 TB? My rule of thumb for hardware has always been to get a hard drive that is half of the current largest capacity. This wiggle room allows me to buy a drive and use it for at least 2 years without feeling the pinch. It has worked for me for years. 2 TB may be a little over half the current 3TB king of the hill, but with the large files these days thos extra GB's will come in handy. Especially when you decide to use your digital camera's 12 mega-pixels full on. You do need to store those memories somewhere.

LiteOn External Optical Drive - I've been using LiteOn for as long as I can remember building PC's. I've only had 1 drive die on me after 2 years, but that was because I really abused it. I would burn 15-20 DVD's for friends in a single sitting. Then again, in hindsight, with that abuse I'm surprised it lasted 2 years. Lesson learned for me. I don't abuse my drives that much anymore. But again, it's a brand I trust. And they don't cost as much as the other major brands. Oh, and a little trivia. LiteOn makes drives for Sony, so if you've got a Sony DVD drive, chances are it was made by LiteOn.

Terminal in Geek

Linux Command Line & Shell Scripting Bible

No, no one is sick or ill. It isn't where buses wait for passengers either. Terminal or the Terminal Window is where geeks type in commands to make the computer do something. Back in the day, when Unix and Linux didn't have graphical user interfaces or GUI (pronounced gooey), geeks typed in commands using a command line interface in a terminal environment. The screen was all text. No fancy graphics where you just click on stuff. Just a blinking cursor on screen waiting for the user to enter a command. Type in a sequence of words or acronyms and the computer does what you ask it to do. Commands follow a syntax, kind of like grammar in English. The syntax follows patterns and you'd have to know what your typing was 'grammatically correct' so the computer does what you ask it to do.

Nowadays, Linux has graphical user interfaces. The thing is most old school linux users still love using terminal commands. It is still the most efficient way to do things in Linux. So inside the graphical interface is a terminal window, a miniaturized terminal environment contained inside a window. It functions in a similar fashion to the CMD or MS-DOS Prompt window in Windows systems.

In the Beginning...Was the Command Line

Most operations like say installing software are still performed within a terminal window. Graphical interfaces were just added to make it easier for users to click and choose. Say you're an Ubuntu user and you want to install a piece of software. You open up the Synaptic package manager and tick on a checkbox or two. After Synaptic downloads the needed files, it will launch it's own terminal window and if you choose to view the details, you'll see the commands run on their own in a terminal window.

So the next time you talk to a geek and they mention the 'terminal', you know they're not talking about Rupert Holmes or his song :-)