 |
Value Gamer
|
| Like the hard-core gamer, the Value Gamer demands
a powerful PC. Unlike the hard-core gamer, the Value Gamer has
a tight budget. Therefore, the Value Gamer wants to get the
best system with what he/she has to spend. |
| |
| Processor - 700MHZ Pentium or Athlon.
|
| A 700MHZ or faster chip should be sufficient
for the Value Gamer. AMD's Athlon processors are the cheaper
choice. |
| |
| Memory- 128MB |
| A gaming machine need lots of memory, whether
its a value machine or not. Get as much as you can afford. Try
not to cut cost in this department by buying the cheapest brand
memory you can find. Good quality memory is very important for
games and high-end motherboards. Low quality memory does not
even work in some high-end motherboards. Always choose a reputable
brand. |
| |
| Video Card - Any 32MB Geforce2 MX card.
|
Although the Nvidia's geforce2 MX cards are not
as powerful as their GTS version, it is still a high performance
video card. The MX version is also much cheaper than the GTS
cards. Some MX cards also have "dual display", allowing
you to hook up an additional monitor or TV. You can play games
on one screen and surf on another.
* If you are upgrading to an AGP type video card, make sure
your motherboard has an AGP slot. Older motherboards may only
have PCI slots and not the faster AGP slot. |
| |
| Sound Card: |
| You can't possibly have a quality game without
quality sound. The Value Gamer needs a card capable of producing
surround sound |
| |
| Hard drive - capacity: 20GB or more. Speed:
7200rpm or higher |
Games eat up a lot of hard drive space. Get a
larger capacity drive if you want to keep many games installed
or your PC. The standard size drive is approximately 6GB. With
a couple of fully installed games and some MP3s, 6GB will be
gone in a hurry.
7200rpm hard drives are fast. The speed at which the plates
inside the drive spins is measured in rpms. At 7200rpms
it is recommended you buy a hard drive fan or better yet, a
fan and heat-sink combination. This will keep the drive cool
and extend its life. The standard 5400rpm drives don't require
a fan though some may argue differently. The point is, what
ever speed your drive is, a cooling fan is a good investment.
|
| |
| Monitor - Size: 17" or Larger |
| A 17" monitor is a good choice if you want
to cut cost. If you have the money, go for a 19" or larger
monitor. |
| |
| CD-ROM - 32X - 48X |
| A 32x CD-ROM should be sufficient for most computers.
The increased performance of a faster drive may be hardly noticeable
but it feels good to have one. |
| |
| << Back to the the Family
PC |
|
