First off, I'm going to suggest this guide only for people who are feeling up to overclocking. If I'm going to get the best value, I've got to squeeze all the value out of the processor with OCing.

A few changes from the previous guide...
1. Prices are up to date! Hooray!
2. New and retooled builds.
3. No more mail in rebates.

Remember, this is only a guideline for what, in my opinion, are some of the best deals you can get if you intend to overclock. Tweak them to your personal desires and get the perfect rig .

Table of Contents

The Budget Buddy
Work in Progress (AKA, trying to get it below $350)
Pros: Cheap. Cheap. Cheap.
Cons: Get what you pay for.

AMD Budget Gaming Rig ($529)
Pros: 7900GS, potential 2.8ghz on the X2 4000+
Cons: Hm. Slightly over the $500 budget is all I can think of.

E2160 Gaming Build ($777)
Pros: 8800GTS to blow through most games and with a good OCing mobo and processor, it could go far.
Cons: I would have liked to have had more HD space or a better processor.
Does anyone want an AMD build here? I just didn't feel it was worth it.

E6750 Gaming Build ($966)
Pros: The first build I've gotten under budget, all around more effective.
Cons: Not sure.
Kentsfield Gaming Build ($1015)
Pros: Quad-Core AND with the same gaming power as the E6750 build.
Cons: DS3L instead of DS3R.

Dual-Core Gaming King ($1490)
Pros: The 8800Ultra, the Antec 900, the PC&P PSU... It is a great gaming build.
Cons: Not a quad-core.
Kentsfield Gaming Build ($1444)
Pros: The overclockable 8800GTX (which is stock overclocked), , the PC&P PSU, Quad-Core... It is a great gaming build.
Cons: Have to OC a GTX instead of an ultra


$500 AMD Build
This rig won't be beautiful. In fact, it'll look like that computer that I got back when Windows ME was new. Overall, you can expect 2.5-2.8ghz on the X2 4000+ when OC'd, depending on how good the chip is. The video card is either the 7900GS or the X1950PRO, but since I was overbudget I went for the cheaper option. For $500, I find this computer a very suitable option.

Case: RAIDMAX Elite ATX-208 Beige 0.7mm SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811156011
Cheap and has the room to add two solid fans.

CPU: X2 4000+ $65
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819103774
Cheaper than the 3800+ at Newegg.

Mobo: BIOSTAR TForce TF7025-M2 AM2 $70
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138074
Good, cheap mobo. It OCs well, too. Some review took the old X2 3600+ to 2.8ghz using it.

RAM: WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820161172
Not a bad brand and DDR2-800. If I recall correctly, you want DDR2-800 for AMD based machines because with DDR2-667 you lose 5-10% of performance.

GPU: PNY VCG7900SXPB GeForce 7900GS $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133186
This isn't a bad video card. A click above the 7900GS.

PSU: Hiper 480W $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817128005
Quality PSU. Cheap.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $51
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 1682214441
Good HD. That's about it.

HSF: Scythe SCNJ-1100P 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835185038
This is a good HSF. You should get a good OC.

Fan: SILVERSTONE FN82 80mm Case Fan $4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811999348
Cheap, somewhat quiet, moves a lot of air. It's good for what it does.

Fan: SILVERSTONE FN121 120mm Case Fan $9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811999346
What can I say? Silverstone makes good fans.
Cost: $529

Intel Gaming Build
It topped out at $777, but it has an 8800GTS. It should take almost every game on fine and if you OC the processor, it turns into a demon. This is a great system, overall. For those who remember my old guide, I basically replaced the E4300 with the E2160, the DS3 with the DS3L, and memory has gotten cheaper so I could afford a better GPU.

Case: Centurion 543 $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119106
Nicer case. 2 120mm fans.

CPU: Pentium 2160 $92
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819116036
I stick to my guns with this puppy.

Mobo: Gigabyte DS3L $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
Solid mobo with the P35. Good OCer.

RAM: Patriot Signature Series 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 $71
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820220064
Cheap RAM.

GPU: PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133193
This is still a great card to game with.

PSU: Antec True Power Trio 550W $79
http://www.provantage.com/antec-tp3-550~7ANTS02K.htm
42A on the 12v, it is good enough.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600JS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $51
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 1682214441
Good HD. That's about it.

HSF: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro $25
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835186134
I can tell you from experience, the Ninja is hard to get good contact with Intel CPUs.
Cost: $777

Intel Gaming Build ($1000 variant)
Hey, I actually was underbudget this time. It should take almost every game on fine and if you OC the processor, it turns into a demon. This is a great system, overall. For those who remember my old guide, I basically replaced the E4300 with the E2160, the DS3 with the DS3L, and memory has gotten cheaper so I could afford a better GPU. I also upgraded the HSF to the Tuniq Tower!

Case: Centurion 543 $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119106
Nicer case. 2 120mm fans.

CPU: E6750 $205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115029
Not a bad processor.

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128050
A step up from the DS3L.

RAM: WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820161172
Not a bad brand and DDR2-800. Remember, timings have a small effect on Conroes.

GPU: PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133193
This is still a great card to game with.

PSU: Antec True Power Trio 650W $95
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-TP3-650&c=fr
52A on the 12v, it is good enough. SeaSonic OEM.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136074
Good HD. That's about it.

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $50
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] T-120.html
GREAT air cooler. It's a giant cooling machine.

Cost: $966

Kentsfield Build
Same as above, except with a DS3L instead of the DS3R. Make sure you don't need that RAID or the extra SATA slots!

Case: Centurion 543 $50
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119106
Nicer case. 2 120mm fans.

CPU: Q6600 $289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
Back in my day, the E6600 was this expensive.

Mobo: Gigabyte DS3L $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128059
Solid mobo with the P35. Good OCer.

RAM: WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820161172
Not a bad brand and DDR2-800. It should be enough to get a good OC on the Q6600.

GPU: PNY VCG88GTS32XPB GeForce 8800GTS 320MB $280
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133193
This is still a great card to game with.

PSU: Antec True Power Trio 650W $95
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PS-TP3-650&c=fr
52A on the 12v, it is good enough. SeaSonic OEM.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136074
Good HD. That's about it.

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $50
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] T-120.html
GREAT air cooler. It's a giant cooling machine.

Cost: $1015

Dual Core King of Gaming
I had some fun with this one. The amazing 8800Ultra, the Antec 900, the PC&P PSU... It is a great gaming build.
Some people may have wanted faster memory. I went with the same old AMPO because I heard that the Conroe doesn't gain much from the better RAMs like AMD's CPUs.

Case: Antec 900 $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811129021
I've heard great stuff about this case.

CPU: E6750 $205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115029
Not a bad processor.

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128050
A step up from the DS3L.

RAM: WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820161172
Not a bad brand and DDR2-800. Remember, timings have a small effect on Conroes.

GPU: MSI NX8800Ultra-T2D768E-HD-OC GeForce 8800Ultra $600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127288
The best GPU around. It's already factory overclocked, too. You can OC it further.

PSU: PC Power & Cooling 610W Silencer $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
I've ALWAYS wanted to have a PC&P PSU. They have great stuff.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136073
The big storage drive.

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $50
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] T-120.html
GREAT air cooler. It's a giant cooling machine.

Cost: $1490

Quad-Core Fun
Very similar. This one has a different case. Still, it is a monster.

Case: Thermaltake Tsunami $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133132
Another fun case.

CPU: Q6600 $289
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115017
Back in my day, the E6600 was this expensive.

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $130
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128050
A step up from the DS3L.

RAM: WINTEC AMPO 2GB (2 x 1GB) $75
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820161172
Not a bad brand and DDR2-800. Remember, timings have a small effect on Conroes.

GPU: MSI NX8800GTX-T2D768E-HD OC GeForce 8800GTX $500
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127281
The card is already fast and you can OC it to 8800Ultra speeds. It is as fast as some stock Ultras already.

PSU: PC Power & Cooling 610W Silencer $150
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817703005
I've ALWAYS wanted to have a PC&P PSU. They have great stuff.

DVD: Generic $30
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB $110
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822136073
The big storage drive.

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $50
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/ [...] T-120.html
GREAT air cooler. It's a giant cooling machine.

Cost: $1444




Any questions, comments, or suggestions?
Please Reply!

Nice work.
Gives a really good idea for the less experienced buyers.

great guide

the only thing i'd change is in the last quad rig..8800ultra to an 8800gtx. in the beginning you say that you promote OCing so i'd say make it more oriented to the whole system as this will save like a few hundred on your total budget.

once again great job tho

www.buildmyrig.com could use somebody like you.

The only problem I have with that guide is that it assumes everyone lives in the U.S and pays U.S prices, which we don't.

I did something similar before and I just couldn't keep up with all of the mail in rebates and all the other stuff.

Good idea. I tend to ignore overclocking video cards because of how much riskier it can be.

What are some of the more reputable and well known sites for other currencies? I can try and add that.

I love http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/ because they are open to haggling and have up to the minute stuff and http://www.scan.co.uk/ get good reviews and have lots of kit that is not always available in your average brick and mortar store. Thank you for your consideration.

Like mouse said those guides are great if you live in the us. I've wanted to make a build like your kentsfeild and it would cost me alot more if I bought it from stores in Canada.

For your intel gaming rig ($1000), I would switch the mobo to the DS3P. For only $20 more you get a second PCIe slot which would allow you to add a second 8800gts later. You were under budget anyways

For Canadian pricing, http://directcanada.com/ is a decent site.

Order your stuff and send it to your cousin that lives in the states... visit him and put it together yourself... then on his next visit back up to Canada, have him bring it up for you and take full advantage of the high CAD$ vs. USD$ right now!

See... relatives ARE good for something... only sometimes...

For the $1000 INTEL build, what are peoples ideas on this board:

ASUS P5N-E SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131142

I checked some reviews on it and it seems to do pretty good even compared with the $300 version of the board that uses the 680 chipset. I was thinking of making something very similar to the $1000 INTEL build with this motherboard in mind since I would want to SLI in the future.

Anyone have any experience with this motherboard or the 650i chipset in general?

Hm. That's a thought. How effective is an 8800GTS SLI with a 4x PCIe slot though?

Canadian Builds

Notes: I omitted the $1000 builds because of how similar they were to the $750 (or in this case, $800CAD) build.

AMD Budget Gaming Build
Case: Nikao 2750 $21
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ture=NIKAO

CPU: X2 4000+ $76
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] acture=AMD

Mobo: Gigabyte GA-M61P-S3 $78
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] e=GIGABYTE

RAM: Patriot Signature Line 2GB 2X1GB PC2-6400 DDR2-800 $100
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] re=Patriot

GPU: EVGA E-GEFORCE 7600GT KO $105
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] cture=EVGA

PSU: Coolermaster Extreme Power 600W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan $66CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] OLERMASTER

DVD: Generic $33CAD

HD: Maxtor DiamondMax 20 160GB $55CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ure=MAXTOR

HSF: Scythe SCNJ-1100P $36CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ure=SCYTHE

Cost: $570CAD

Intel Gaming Build

Case: Centurion 5 $51CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] OLERMASTER

CPU: E2160 $94CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ture=INTEL

Mobo: DS3L $95CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] e=GIGABYTE

RAM: Patriot Signature PC2-5300 1GB 1X1GB DDR2-667 ($41CAD each)
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=PATRIOT

GPU: Evga E-GEFORCE 8800GTS 500MHZ 320MB $304CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] cture=EVGA

PSU: Coolermaster Extreme Power 600W ATX 12V V2.01 Silent Power Supply 20/24PIN 120MM Fan $66CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] OLERMASTER

DVD: Generic $33CAD

HD: Maxtor DiamondMax 20 160GB $55CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ure=MAXTOR

HSF: Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro $21CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] %20COOLING

Cost: $801CAD

Dual-Core Gamer
At first this was a dual-core clone of the Kentsfield build, so I changed it up a bit.

Case: Antec 900 $113CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] F&vpn=NINE HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC

CPU: E4500 $148CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ture=INTEL

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $137CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] e=GIGABYTE

RAM: Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-5400C4 2GB $85CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=CORSAIR

GPU: 8800 Ultra $677CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] cture=EVGA

PSU: Corsair HX620 $153CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=CORSAIR

DVD: Generic $33CAD
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB $90CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=SEAGATE

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $59CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=SUNBEAM

Cost: $1495CAD
Kentsfield Gaming Build

Case: Antec 900 $113CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] F&vpn=NINE HUNDRED&manufacture=ANTEC

CPU: Q6600 $287CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] ture=INTEL

Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard $137CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] e=GIGABYTE

RAM: A-DATA PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 $96CAD
http://www.ncix.com/products/index [...] Technology

GPU: BFG GeForce 8800GTX OC2 626MHZ $573CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] acture=BFG

PSU: Corsair HX620 $153CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=CORSAIR

DVD: Generic $33CAD
Pick whatever you want.

HD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 320GB $90CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=SEAGATE

HSF: Tuniq Tower 120 $59CAD
http://www.directcanada.com/produc [...] re=SUNBEAM

Cost: $1541CAD