Build An Ultimate Gaming Computer
For Under $1000!

Updated November 23, 2005

If you've always wanted an ultimate gaming computer but didn't want to spend $3000 to have one custom built, or if you are tired of the poor quality computers you get from manufacturers, look no further. In this article I will show you where to buy cheap computer parts and give you the resources to build your own computer.

Have you always wanted to build your own computer, but were afraid it was too complicated? I'm here to tell you that you can do it. I've built several computers myself and was surprised at how easy it actually was. Sure, the first one took me awhile but that was because I couldn't find good information on how to build your own computer. You won't have to go through the trial and error that I did because I've laid out all of the information I've learned in my Building Guide. This isn't a sales pitch either, it's all free. After seeing how easy it was to build a computer, and realizing the cheap, inferior parts that the manufacturers use, I want to let everyone I can, know how easy it is to build a computer. Once you build a computer, you will never buy one again.

If at anytime during this article you have a question about components you can probably find the information in the buying guides located on the left navigation bar. If you don't find what you are looking for there feel free to email me. Don't feel that you need to use the exact components I've picked out here either. If you see something else you like better go ahead and use it. Just make sure it will work with the rest of the hardware you have purchased. Again the buying guides will help you with this. Now, lets build a computer that will make all of your friends jealous, for under $1000.

The CPU For Our Ultimate Gaming Computer

It is my opinion, and many share my opinion, that the Athlon 64 CPU is the best on the market. Now there are many different Athlon 64 chips made. For our purposes I have selected the AMD Athlon 64 3000+. For a little extra you could upgrade to a faster model, but this chip will give us the most bang for our buck. It will outperform pentium chips that cost much more and will leave us enough money in the bank to get a top notch graphics card. After all, what good is a gaming computer if you don't have a great graphics card? This CPU is selling for $139.99 at Tiger Direct.

A Motherboard For Our Gaming Computer

For our motherboard I've selected the MSI K8N Neo4-F NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard. This is a socket 939 motherboard which will support the Athlon 64 3000+ CPU we've selected. Some important features for us is the 16X PCI Express slot for our graphics card, hyper transport technology so we can get the most our of our CPU, 7.1 channel on board sound (this will save us from having to purchase a sound card), integrated ethernet connection (Gb Lan), and it is setup for Serial ATA for our hard drive. Not to be overlooked, it supports up to 4GB of DDR 400 RAM and it supports the Athlon 64 FX so we will give us plenty of room for expansion in the future. It is currently priced at $89.99

1 Gigabyte Of RAM For This Gaming Machine

You need plenty of RAM for your gaming machine to function. At the same time you need to keep your total budget in mind. 2GB of the best RAM won't mean much if we have to skimp on our graphics card and CPU. A good balanced fit is the US Modular 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory. This will give us a gig of memory which will be adequate and will leave us two open slots on our motherboard to add more memory later. The price is currently $85.99 after a mail in rebate. Hurry though, the rebate is only through the end of November.

A Hard Drive For Our Gaming Computer

Maxtor / 80GB / 7200 / 8MB / SATA-150 / OEM / Hard Drive
We will need ample storage for our gaming machine and we don't want to wait. To accomplish this we will go with the Maxtor 80GB 7200 RPM SATA-150 Hard Drive. This SATA hard drive will give us 80GB of storage, 8MB memory buffer, average seek time less than 9.5ms, and it runs at 7200 RPM. This is a great hard drive and the cost is only $59.99.

The Right DVD Burner For Our Gaming Computer

No gaming computer is complete without a DVD burner. I've selected the NEC ND3540A DVD burner for our gaming machine. It reads and writes all forms of DVD and CD media making a CD burner unnecessary. If you want you can add a floppy, but I never use a floppy drive anymore since you don't need it for a boot disk for Windows XP. If I need to save something to disk to transport it, I usually just use my thumb drive. This Samsung DVD burner is currently priced at $41.99.

PCI Express Graphics Card For a Gaming Machine

The XFX GeForce 7800 GT has been chosen to handle the visual display work for our Ultimate Gaming Computer. With the release of the 7800 GT it is now cost effective to jump on the GeForce 7800 bandwagon. Costing significantly less than the 7800GXT it still offers incredible performance. It is priced to sell at $319.99 after mail in rebate.

What's A Gaming Computer Without A Cool Case?

A great looking case is a necessity when building a gaming computer. Although you will spend most of your time staring at the monitor, the first thing you see when you look at a computer is the case. Make sure you make the right first impression.

For our Gaming Case I've selected the ThermalTake Tsunami Series Aluminum ATX Mid-Tower Case. It delivers all of the goods and then some. It has plenty of internal and external drive bays. It has top mounted USB and Firewire ports so you don't have to reach behind to plug things in. To keep things cool it has two 120mm and one 90mm case fan. Not to mention the case is constructed from aluminum which has been shown to dissapate heat better. Plus, to top it all off it employs an air filtration system to keep your components clean. If you've ever opened your computer up you know how dirty it can get in there.

We get all of this for $99.99. I know it's a little pricey but I think it's worth it. If you would like you can substitute the case in the beginning of the article. It is currently priced at $79.99. If you don't like that one either, shop around. It's your computer, make sure you are happy with it.

We Need A Big Power Supply For This Beast

Choosing a power supply is very important. The power supply is the most overlooked component in a computer and it is the cause of a large number of problems. Many people just look at the total output and purchase a case with a power supply included. This is a big mistake. Think about it. If a good power supply costs $60 and a good case costs $60-80, what kind of power supply are you getting with that $40 case? For more information on choosing a power supply I recommend reading my Power Supply Buying Guide.

For our gaming computer I have selected the Coolmax CR-550 550 watt power supply. Among some of it's features are overvoltage protection, SATA ready (for our hard drive), 3 speed fan control switch, a giant 140mm fan to keep it nice and cool, and plenty of power. It currently checks in at $74.99.

That's it! We now have all of the components we need to build our Ultimate Gaming Computer for Under $1000. Below is a short list of everything with prices. If you click on the link it will take you to the store I've found it at. If you would like, you can shop around some more. You might be able to find these products cheaper somewhere else. I've used Tiger Direct for my pricing simply because I like their service and the prices are normally competitive.

If you already have a couple of components such as a DVD drive or a case you can steal from your old computer you can cut the cost down even more. I've also assumed you have a copy of Windows or an operating system you can use. If not you can pick up an OEM Version of Windows XP at TigerDirect for $89.99.

Ultimate Gaming Computer For Under $1000 Summary

AMD Athlon 64 3000+ $139.99.

MSI K8N Neo4-F NVIDIA Socket 939 ATX Motherboard $89.99

US Modular 1024MB PC3200 DDR 400MHz Memory $85.99.

Maxtor 80GB 7200 RPM SATA-150 Hard Drive $59.99

NEC ND3540A DVD burner $41.99

The XFX GeForce 7800 GT $319.99

ThermalTake Tsunami Series Aluminum ATX Mid-Tower Case $99.99

Coolmax CR-550 power supply $74.99