Hey whats up! Today I’m going to be posting the November 2011 Gaming PC Under $900.

This gaming pc is excellent for those on a mid range budget but still want to run many of the games today at high to ultra settings.

CPU – Intel Core i3 2100

For the heart of this gaming machine we’re going to go with the Intel Core i3 2100. This 2nd generation Sandy Bridge CPU clocks in at 3.1ghz and includes 3mb of L3 cache. While this isn’t as fast as an i5 or i7, this is perfect for those just looking build a gaming machine on a budget. Considering most games today bottleneck at the videocard rather than the CPU, this is a perfect choice.

Motherboard – Asrock Z68 Pro3-M

For the motherboard, we’re going to go with the Asrock Z68 Pro3-M. This is an excellent budget motherboard retailing at just $109.99 over on Amazon. The Z68 chipset will allow you to both overclock K series CPUs and the integrated GPU on the CPUs. While you probably won’t be overclocking the i3 2100, if you find you do need extra cpu performance in the future, upgrading to an i5 2500K, i7 2600K or i7 2700K will still allow you to overclock.

Memory – Corsair Vengeance 1600MHZ DDR3 Low Profile 1.5v

For the memory, I’m going to stick with the Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz DDR3 Low Profile. This ram is excellent very compatible with most motherboards on the market today and is low profile allowing you to install large CPU coolers in the future if necessary.

Video Card – XFX Radeon HD6870 1GB

For the video card, we’ll be going with the Radeon HD6870 by XFX. The HD6870 has one of the highest price to performance ratios for video cards and will allow you to run pretty much any game except the most graphically intense games on high to ultra settings. At $169.99 minus a $20 mail in rebate, this video card is perfect.

Hard Drive – Seagate Barracuda 7200.12

For storage, I am going to recommend the Seagate Barracuda 500gb 7200rpm hard drive. For a gaming rig, 500gb will be more than sufficient and considering the current shortage of hard drives in the market even the 500gb drive is currently running for $99.

Optical Drive – OEM DVD Drive or OEM Blu Ray Drive (Any Manufacturer)

While optical drives are really unnecessary for daily pc usage, they are useful for the first time install of Windows and drivers and at $20, it doesn’t cost too much for the convenience either.

PSU – Corsair TX650M V2

For the power supply, we’re going to go with the Corsair TX650M V2. This high quality Seasonic made power supply can deliver 650w and is 80 plus bronze certified for its efficiency. It will supply plenty of power for this build. At only $99 this power supply also carries an industry leading 5 year warranty ensuring it will keep going even when the rest of your system stops.

Case – Corsair 400R

For the case, I’m recommending the Corsair 400r. At about $112 minus a $5 rebate on Amazon, this isn’t the cheapest case around but it is feature packed with plenty of features from cases double the cost. Considering the case will outlast the system you’ve built into it, there’s no reason to skimp here.

CPU Cooler – None

The i3 2100 has a locked multiplier so a CPU cooler is not an absolute necessity. If you do have some budget to spare though, make sure to purchase a CPU cooler. A Hyper 212 Plus at $25.60 is an excellent, budget friendly choice.

 

Total Cost: $883.67 as of 11/21/11

 

What do you think of this build? Want to modify the build and need an opinion?

Discuss in the forums! http://www.forums.custompcreview.com