Best PCIe Card: $100 To $190 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money: September 2010. Best PCIe Card For ~$100: Radeon HD 4850 512 MB (Check Prices) Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail The Radeon HD 4850 keeps on delivering great gaming value. At the $100 price point, Nvidia's GeForce GTS 250 and AMD's Radeon HD 4850 hang on in an eternal battle to deliver fantastic performance to budget-oriented gamers. We don't think you can go wrong with either of these cards, but at the moment the Radeon HD 4850 512 MB is priced closer to the magic $100 figure we like to see.
Best PCIe Card For ~$125: Radeon HD 5750 1 GB (Check Prices) Although it costs a few dollars more than the Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce GTS 250, the Radeon HD 5750 has extra appeal appealdue to its DirectX 11 hardware capabilities. Bear in mind that the GeForce GTS 450 launched earlier this month as well, and we'll take that card into consideration for next month's column based on the pricing of retail cards. Best PCIe Card For ~$145: Best Gaming CPU: $110-$150 : Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: September 2010. Best Gaming CPU for $115: Core i3-530 (Check Prices) Our Game-Off: Seven Sub-$150 Processors Compared review proved it to our satisfaction: at $115, the Core i3-530 deserves a solid recommendation as a gaming processor. It consistently beat the Athlon II X3 445, and came surprisingly close to challenging the Phenom II X4 940 in a number of situations.
The only downside is that this dual-core, Hyper-Threaded processor doesn't handle multitasking as well as a true quad- or even triple-core processor like the Athlon II X3. Best Gaming CPU for $125: None Honorable Mention:Core i3-540 (Check Prices) Although the cheaper Core i3-530 remains a better value at $115, overclockers looking to squeeze the most clock rate out of a Core i3 CPU might find the higher multiplier worth a $10 premium. Best Gaming CPU for $140: Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (Check Prices) At $140, the Phenom II X4 955 offers incredible gaming value. Read our review of the Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, right here. CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C8.
Heat management is always important for any PC builder and enthusiast. Corsair understands this concern, which is why each XMS3 Series DIMM comes with a stylish heatspreader, which dissipates heat by exposing it to cool air over a greater surface area and will look great in any case for your next LAN party. These DIMMs also operate at a cool 1.65V for better internal temperatures overclocking versatility. Upgrade your PC at an affordable price with XMS3 Series memory today! CORSAIR XMS3 DDR3 SDRAM Especially designed for being compatible with dual-channel DDR3 Intel Core i5 and Core i7 platform, the cutting-edge XMS DDR3 memory from Corsair can operate at 1600MHz with a latency of 8-8-8-24, making it ideal for all extremists and enthusiasts.
Through the Newegg EggXpert Review Program, Newegg invites its best reviewers, known as EggXperts, to post opinions about new and pre-release products to help their fellow customers make informed buying decisions.Click here for more details. Kingston HyperX 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C7D3K2/2GX. Experience blinding speed in your programs and video games with fast DDR3 1333 SDRAM at a price point that lets you upgrade on a budget. Medium-density 2GB Kingston HyperX memory is exactly what you should give your system for the boost it needs to help reduce loading times and get you back into the fight faster. You’ll also enjoy reduced data bottlenecks by taking advantage of dual channel technology on compatible motherboards. Heat management is always important for any PC builder and enthusiast. Kingston understands this concern, which is why each HyperX Series DIMM comes with a stylish heatspreader, which dissipates heat by exposing it to cool air over a greater surface area and will look great in any case for your next LAN party.
These DIMMs also operate at a cool 1.7V for better internal temperatures for overclocking versatility. ASUS M4A88T-M AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard. Take advantage of the powerful multi-core AMD Phenom II and Athlon II processors with this board's AM3 socket. You'll also have access to the most powerful and fastest video processing around when you install a discrete ATI video card that will work in conjunction with the onboard GPU for a unique Hybrid CrossFireX configuration. You'll also appreciate the HyperTransport 3.0 technology, which radically improves overall system efficiency. ASUS is an industry leader known for making innovative and reliable motherboards. Bring home the experience and craftsmanship and build your next system in confidence today! Core Unlocker Asus Core Unlocker activates AMD CPU's latent cores with just a simple switch so you can enjoy a performance boost without performing complicated BIOS changes.
AMD Phenom II X4 945 3 GHz Processor OEM - eBay (item 280566157698 end time Sep-30-10 19:33:58 PDT) AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor HDX945WFGMBOX. Experience a new world of quad-core computing with the AMD Phenom II X4 945. Every aspect of this processor was designed with speed and energy efficiency in mind. AMD64 with Direct Connect Architecture and 45nm technology has created a tuned processing pipeline that helps keep your system performing at the highest levels. HyperTransport Technology provides up to 16.0GB/s bandwidth to reduce system bottlenecks and AMD Balanced Smart Cache ensures quick access times to highly used data. Energy efficiency is important to AMD, allowing you to enjoy a cool, quiet PC while saving energy and reducing heat, noise and the effect of your computer on the environment.
Energy efficiency innovations include Cool’n’Quiet and AMD CoolCore. These technologies reduce power consumption and processor activity. AMD Phenom II processors also offer support for Virtualization Technology.