Build a killer DX10 PC for cheap

Nov 12, 2007

Few pains are quite as distinctive as that of installing a game hot off the press, only to find that you’re too busy being annoyed by the lurching framerate to actually enjoy it. But the answer isn’t necessarily palming over a thousand notes for an off-the-peg PC.

Custom building your own PC is cheaper, and you get to choose the best parts for the job. And the latter is something that you can’t guarantee from even an established system-builder, as their concerns are as often as much about shifting mass-purchased units as choosing the most effective ones.

If the thought of building a PC from scratch fills you with dread - or merely lethargy - then fear not. It’s not really a complicated process: once you know what you’re doing, you can do it in less than an hour. It’s just a case of screwing the motherboard into the chassis, and making sure you have all the components, such as the CPU and RAM, plugged into the right sockets. We’ll show you exactly how over the next few pages.

But the first part of the job is choosing components… which is the easy bit, as we’ve already selected ones that we’ve tested for effectiveness, and represent the best value for the performance they offer. Naturally they’re well up to handling today’s demanding games. We went to Newegg (for those in the US) and Yoyotech (for those in the UK) for our parts, as their prices are good, and they know their kit - something you won’t find with a faceless larger business, so if you need to talk things over with them, you know you’ll get an expert response. Bear in mind that if you buy all of your kit in one place, you’ll save on postage, too.

So without further ado, let’s rip the wrapping off our components and get cracking. All you need is a Philips-head screwdriver, a clean, well-lit working area, an hour or two to spare, and a thirst for greater framerates.