The $500 Gaming PC

Introduction


In this month's System Builder Marathon $500 PC, we plan to spend every penny (and then some) to strengthen some of the subsystems our last effort left lacking when we knocked $100 off our budget.

The system we set out to build one quarter ago was a low-cost box that would excel in all areas, not just gaming. The resulting machine represented nice platform balance for casual gamers, but certainly wouldn’t live up to the expectations of the hardcore enthusiasts who originally wanted to see how low we could go.

As we were quite pleased with the motherboard and processor, we didn’t look to spend more on either of these components. We added an affordable cooler and also benefited from AMD’s recent Athlon II speed bump, which provided us with an extra 100 MHz for the same cost.

$500 Gaming PC System Components

With the machine’s foundation established, we then looked to address the rig’s gaming prowess; specifically, the need for more graphics muscle. Rather than gamble and explore the M3A770DE’s x16/x4 CrossFire performance, we opted for the safer route of a single card. Finding Sparkle's GeForce GTX 460 768 MB in stock at $160 set the bar a bit higher than we originally anticipated.

Much-welcomed price drops brought four gigabytes of memory well under $100. The cheapest kit fit nicely within our budget, but then meant we could only afford a small bump in storage capacity.

The Antec EarthWatts 380D provided a boost in overall power supply quality, while delivering enough +12 V amperage to keep our overclocked components stable. This power supply was $45 on its own, but could be secured in the NSK 4482B chassis for a total price of $65. Our pricing chart above doesn’t reflect the available discount code, so in the end we come in a little over budget. Currently, the cost would be a bit higher, but making some parallel moves that take advantage of holiday savings could bring this machine down under $500.

Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 445

Use of the retail AMD boxed cooler in September’s $400 PC capped performance gains from overclocking and unlocking the Athlon II processor. This time we chose an aftermarket cooling solution that was affordable and left greater headroom for pushing voltage and core speed.

The AMD Athlon II X3 445 sports three 128 KB L1 caches and three 512 KB L2 caches, but lacks the shared L3 cache found in AMD’s Phenom II processors. This 45 nm chip offers three processing cores, a 3.1 GHz stock core clock speeds, and solid overclocking potential.

CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92

Rosewill's design features a copper base, three copper heatpipes, and aluminum fins, cooled by a variable speed 92 mm PWM fan. Although it's not the quietest or best-performing cooler, it offers a good blend of price, performance, and noise.

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: March 2010

Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great-that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget.

So, if you don't have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don't feel confident enough in your ability to pick the right card, then fear not.

February Review and March Updates:

AMD cranked out the product launches in February of 2010, with three new products hitting the store shelves: the Radeon HD 5450, 5570, and 5830. From a gaming standpoint, we can ignore the Radeon HD 5450, which is essentially as fast as the older Radeon HD 4550. This is an HTPC card that doesn't have much prowess in the way of gaming. The Radeon HD 5570 has some potential as a low-end gaming card. But with near-4670 performance and a much higher price point, it isn't something we'd recommend until the cost comes down.

The Radeon HD 5830 is a much more interesting card, essentially a cut-down Radeon HD 5870 with 1,120 shader cores. At $240, it sounds like it has potential. But the card is further crippled by disabling half of its GPU's ROPs, and the unfortunate result is that it performs much closer to the Radeon HD 5770 than it does to the Radeon HD 5850. Despite this limitation, now that the $200 Radeon HD 4890 has disappeared from store shelves, there is really no direct competition for the Radeon HD 5830. We award it with an honorable mention for folks who aren't interested in a dual-card CrossFire setup of Radeon HD 4850s.

On the pricing front, we're looking at fluctuations all over the map, as retailers try to peg appropriate relative costs for the new Radeon HD 5000-series cards as older models become obsolete and fall out of inventory. The Radeon HD 4890 is all but a distant memory now, and Nvidia's GeForce cards, from the GTX 260 to the GTX 285, are either MIA or grossly overpriced. In this environment, with no real competition, the Radeon HD 5850 is actually getting even more expensive. It's now around $320, when only a month ago some of these cards were selling for $290. The ultra high-end Radeon HD 5970 has even skyrocketed to $700.

Of course, Nvidia's next-generation GeForce launch is rumored to be just around the corner, so expect the price shifting to continue in the near future, at least until we see where the new cards land. Happily, there are still a lot of great graphics card buys out there, and we don't think that will change. But it certainly makes us sad to see great products like the $200 Radeon HD 4890 ride off into the sunset.

Best PCIe Card: Under $90

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For ~$50:

Radeon HD 4650

Great 1280x1024 performance in most games, 1680x1050 with lowered detail

Radeon HD 4650
Codename:	RV730
Process:	55nm
Universal Shaders:	320
Texture Units:	32
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	600
Memory Speed MHz:	400 (800 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 10.1/SM 4.1

You will not find a card that packs more punch than ATI's Radeon HD 4650 under the alluring $50 price point. With solid stock performance and an overclockable GPU, this card is an excellent starting point for our list of recommendations, and a wholly worthwhile upgrade if you're currently stuck using a motherboard limited to integrated graphics.

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For ~$65:

Radeon HD 4670

Good 1680x1050 performance in most games

Radeon HD 4670
Codename:	RV730
Process:	55nm
Universal Shaders:	320
Texture Units:	32
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	750
Memory Speed MHz:	1,000 (2,000 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 10.1/SM 4.1

The Radeon HD 4670 continues to offer modest performance and very low power usage, making this product a reasonable all-around value. Its accelerated clock rates and modestly-higher price tag are worth considering if you originally had your eye on the Radeon HD 4650.

It's worth noting that this card's closest competitor, the GeForce 9600 GSO, isn't making a very strong showing. The GeForce 9600 GSOs we could find for sale were crippled 48 shader/128-bit memory versions of the card. The models we'd want to see should be equipped with 48 shaders and a 256-bit memory bus, or alternatively 96 shaders and 128-bit memory bus.

Unfortunately, it seems that the low-priced Radeon HD 4670 cards with 512MB of RAM are getting harder to find. instead there are a lot of 1GB cards on the market. But at $75, the price is too close to the superior GeForce 9600 GT. Though this might be a temporary situation, we do expect the 4600-series to disappear entirely once the new Radeon HD 5570 becomes widely available.

Best PCI Express (PCIe) Card For ~$80:

GeForce 9600 GT

Great 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail

GeForce 9600 GT
Codename:	G94
Process:	65nm
Universal Shaders:	64
Texture Units:	32
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	256-bit
Core Speed MHz:	650
Memory Speed MHz:	900 (1,800 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 10/SM 4.0

The GeForce 9600 GT is still a great entry-level performer, thanks in part to its high-end 256-bit memory interface and speedy DDR3 memory. It's a solid choice on an $80 budget, even if the architecture on which it centers is showing its age.

While the GeForce GT 240 is beginning to encroach on this card's price territory, the 9600 GT remains a bit faster than even the GDDR5 version of the newer card, and its recommendation remains secure for the time being. It remains to be seen whether the new Radeon HD 5670 will drop in price to give the 9600 GT some real competition.

Best PCIe Card: ~$95 To $180

Best PCIe Card For ~$100:

Radeon HD 4850 512MB

Exceptional 1680x1050 performance in most games, 1920x1200 in most games with lowered detail

Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Codename:	RV770
Process:	55nm
Universal Shaders:	800
Texture Units:	40
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	256-bit
Core Speed MHz:	625
Memory Speed MHz:	993 (1,986 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 10.1/SM 4.1

The Radeon HD 4850 is returning to the ~$100 price point after a brief hiatus, and we hope it lasts. If you're considering this graphics card, buy it while you still can, because nothing in the $100 range can touch it. Availability is waning, and these products probably won't be around much longer now that the Radeon HD 5750 has arrived.

Best PCIe Card For ~$130:

Radeon HD 5750 512MB

Great 1920x1200 performance in most games

Radeon HD 5750
Codename:	RV840 "Juniper"
Process:	40nm
Universal Shaders:	720
Texture Units:	36
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	700
Memory Speed MHz:	1,150 (4,600 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 11/SM 5.0

The price of the 512MB flavor of Radeon HD 5750 is quite low, and this month it's enough to take the recommendation from the 1GB versions of the Radeon HD 4850 and GeForce GTS 250. Although it costs a few dollars more, the 5750 is more appealing due to DirectX 11 hardware capabilities. There are other benefits, such as Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Master Audio and Eyefinity triple-output support, making this card an easy choice on all fronts.

Best PCIe Card For ~$145:

Radeon HD 5770 512MB

Great 1920x1200 performance in most games

Radeon HD 5770
Codename:	RV840 "Juniper"
Process:	40nm
Universal Shaders:	800
Texture Units:	40
ROPs:	16
Memory Bus:	128-bit
Core Speed MHz:	850
Memory Speed MHz:	1,200 (4,800 effective)
DirectX/Shader Model:	DX 11/SM 5.0

While the new Radeon HD 5770 isn't any faster than its older Radeon HD 4870 cousin (we've found that it's even slightly slower in many instances), it does have something the Radeon HD 4870 doesn't have: full DirectX 11 and Eyefinity support. Indeed, while the Radeon HD 5770 doesn't run away with any performance crowns in this category, it does look good from a longevity/value standpoint.

Perhaps more importantly, at the $145 price point, there is nothing to compete against the 512MB version of the card now that the Radeon HD 4870 and GeForce GTX 260 are at the end of their effective lives.

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Asus Eee PC 1201N review

At first glance, the Asus Eee PC 1201N looks virtually identical to several other 12 inch laptops from Asus including the UL20A and 1201HA thin and light laptops. But while the Asus Eee PC 1201N may have the same chassis as other Asus notebooks, it still breaks the mold in a few important respects.

This is the first notebook from Asus to offer NVIDIA ION graphics instead of the integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics that typically come bundled with first generation Intel Atom processors. Second, this is one of the only laptops on the market with a dual core Atom 330 processor. The CPU was initially designed for low-powered mini-desktop computers called nettops. But the Atom 330 is still a relatively low power CPU. And in the Eee PC 1201N it offers just a little bit of a performance boost, which helps this notebook to outperform other 11 and 12 inch notebooks with NVIDIA ION graphics and single core processors.

On the other hand, the Atom 330 is a bit more power-hungry than a single core Atom chip, and the Eee PC 1201N doesn't get the same kind of battery life I've come to expect from Atom powered notebooks.

The demo unit Asus sent me to review features a 12.1 inch, 1366 x 768 pixel display, a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 dual core CPU, NVIDIA ION graphics, 2GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, and Windows 7 Home Premium. It has 802.11b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth and a 0.3MP webcam.

Design

The Eee PC 1201N comes with either a black or silver case. The demo unit I received has a glossy black cover. The bottom of the computer has a matte finish, as does the battery, but the palm rest and bezel around the screen are the same glossy black plastic as the lid. It's attractive enough, until the shiny plastic starts to show your fingerprints.

The screen is also glossy, which means it can function as a mirror when the display is off. But while I wouldn't recommend using the Eee PC 1201N outdoors, the screen is bright enough to be used in most indoor settings. The 1366 x 768 pixel display is sharp and clear, without being too sharp. I'm not a big fan of high resolution displays on 10 inch netbooks, but this laptop's 12.1 inch screen is the perfect size for the HD screen. You can play 720p video in full screen mode and enjoy every last pixel.

The computer does get a little hotter than other 10 and 12 inch low power laptops I've tested. I'm betting that the combination of the dual core Atom 330 CPU and NVIDIA ION graphics are to blame, but the long and short of it is that I wouldn't recommend putting this notebook on your lap for an extended period of time while wearing shorts. But a good pair of jeans or thick trousers should protect you from the extra heat, which is most noticeable on the bottom of the computer. The keyboard and touchpad area don't get too hot.

On the bottom of the Eee PC 1201N you'll find a single access panel, which you can open to access 2 RAM slots. The notebook can handle up to 4GB of memory. The hard drive and other internal components are not easily accessible, so if you were hoping to swap out the HDD for an SSD or perform some other upgrades, you'll need to open up the laptop case.

Around the sides of the notebook you'll find VGA and HDMI outputs, as well as 3 USB ports, mic and headphone jacks, an SDHC card reader and an Ethernet port.

At the back of the laptop the battery sticks out a little bit from the base, which makes the Eee PC 1201N a tiny bit thicker at the rear than in the front.

Keyboard and TouchPad

The keyboard on the Eee PC 1201n is pretty much indistinguishable from the one on the Asus UL20A, which is to say I'm pretty happy with it. The island-style keyboard features flat keys with a little space between each key, making it easy to find the edges of the keys without looking down at the keyboard.

Because the Eee PC 1201N is a little larger than a typical 10 inch netbook, there's also room for a dedicated line of keys on the right side of the keyboard for PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End functions. The arrow keys in the bottom right corner double up as multimedia playback controls when you hold down the Fn button. And the Fn keys at the top of the screen allow you to adjust the volume, brightness, and several other settings.

Above the keyboard there are two buttons. You can press the one on the right to boot the PC. The button on the left toggles the touchpad. If you're using a mouse or watching a movie, you can turn off the touchpad. Just press the button again to turn it on.

The touchpad, at least on the unit I tested, is more like the one on the Eee PC 1005/1008 series of 10 inch netbooks than the Asus UL20A touchpad. It's made of the same black plastic as the palm rest area and has no physical border separating it from the palm rest. But the touchpad features a raised bumpy texture which provides a little friction and makes it easy to detect where the touchpad begins and ends.

There's a single wide button below the touchpad, with a rocker in the middle, allowing you press down on the left or right side to register a right of left click.

I found the touchpad reasonably easy to use, but I prefer the feel of the Asus UL20A touch area. The difference is that instead of raised bumps, the UL20A has small indents, or dimples.

Performance

The Eee PC 1201N isn't the first notebook with NVIDIA ION graphics to hit the market. But it is the first with ION graphics and a dual core Atom 330 CPU. And that makes a modest but noticable difference in everyday performance. While the HP Mini 311 felt a little sluggish when performing tasks that didn't take advantage of GPU-acceleration, the Asus Eee PC 1201N feels just as snappy as any Atom-powered netbook with a smaller screen.

For day to day tasks such as surfing the web over WiFi or editing documents, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between the sub-$500 Asus Eee PC 1201N and a much more expensive system. But when it comes to activities that put more strain on the CPU or GPU, the Eee PC 1201N excels in some areas and struggles in others.

For instance, the Asus Eee PC 1201N fared better than the HP Mini 311 in my app launching test, where I time how long it takes to load image editor GIMP 2.6.7 and office suite OpenOffice.org. But this computer wasn't as fast as the Asus Eee PC 1005PE with a single core Atom N450 processor, the Asus UL20A with a Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU, or even the ASRock ION 330 nettop which is similarly outfitted with an Atom 330 CPU and NVIDIA ION graphics.

Another benchmarking tool, Cinebench tells a somewhat more complex story. This test measures single-core CPU and multi-core CPU performance as well as OpenGL graphics performance. The Eee PC 1201N came in dead last in the single-core test, but outperformed the HP Mini 311 notebook and ASRock ION 330 nettop in the multi-core test. The Asus UL20A with its dual core Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU trounced all three in the CPU tests.

But where the NVIDIA ION platform really shines is in graphics performance. The Eee PC 1201N got the lowest score in the OpenGL test of any ION system I've tested to date, but it still came in far ahead of the Asus UL20A in this test.

In the 3DMark06benchmark, the Asus Eee PC 1201N bested the HP Mini 311 in every test, including the CPU and overall 3DMark score. It also came out ahead of the ASRock ION 330, even though the ION 330 notched a slightly better CPU score. And the Asus UL20A had the highest CPU score of all, but the integrated GMA 4500MHD graphics were no match for NVIDIA ION.

In other words, the Eee PC 1201N should have enough graphical prowess to play some modern 3D video games by offloading much of the heavy lifting to the graphics processor. But while the GeForce 9400M (ION) graphics blows away the integrated graphics Intel offers for its Atom and CULV chips, it's not exactly bleeding edge. If you plan to watch 1080p HD video, you don't really need anything more powerful than ION. If you want to play Modern Warfare 2 or Left 4 Dead 2, you might want to opt for a higher end system like the Alienware M11x.

NVIDIA's ION platform also has another trick up its sleeve. NVIDIA's CUDA technology allows you to use the GPU to process some tasks that would normally be handled by the CPU. For instance, it took 8:13 to transcode a 4:34 video file using MediaCoder with a standard H.264 video encoder. When I used a CUDA-enabled encoder with MediaCoder, the time was cut to 2:58. That's on par with the results I got from the ASRock ION 330 and noticeably faster than the amount of time it took to transcode the same clip with the Asus UL20A (4:48) and HP Mini 311 (15:48 with the basic encoder and 3:17 with the CUDA encoder).

Battery

The notebook comes with a 6 cell, 63Whr, 5600mAh battery. I was only able to squeeze about 4 hours and 10 minutes of run time out of the Asus Eee PC 1201N while surfing the web with WiFi on. I suspect that number would be even lower if I was using the notebook to play games or watch videos.

The battery actually holds a bit more power than the 47Whr battery that ships with the Asus UL20A in the US. But due to differences in the processor and graphics, the UL20A actually runs for longer on a charge than the Eee PC 1201N. The Eee PC UL20A has a dual core Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 CPU and integrated GMA 3150 graphics, while the Eee PC 1201N has a dual core Atom 330 CPU and NVIDIA ION graphics.

As I discovered recently, it turns out the batteries for these two notebooks are interchangeable, so if you're looking for a higher capacity battery for your UL20A, you might want to consider looking for a 1201N replacement battery. I suppose you could also use a UL20A battery in your Eee PC 1201N if you want less battery life, but I don't see any good reason to do that.

Verdict

The Asus Eee PC 1201N is the first notebook with an Atom processor and NVIDIA ION graphics that I've tested that doesn't feel slower than a typical 10 inch Atom powered netbook at day to day tasks. Sure, the HP Mini 311 and other ION-powered systems can play modern video games and stream HD video. But they're kind of sluggish for web browsing. That's not true with the Asus Eee PC 1201N, which is likely due to the dual core Atom 330 CPU.

But if you're primarily looking for a machine for surfing the web, you might want to consider a smaller netbook with an Atom N450 processor or an 11 or 12 inch model with a CULV processor. Both options are likely to net you significantly better battery life. The reason to consider the Eee PC 1201N is if you want a notebook with decent everyday performance, and above average graphics capabilities.

When it comes to HD video playback and handling 3D graphics, the Eee PC 1201N comes out significantly ahead of the Asus UL20A and similar notebooks with CULV processors. And if you're looking for a budget ultraportable that can handle some modern gaming, you're not likely to find one that comes much cheaper than the Eee PC 1201N, which sells for under $500 on Amazon.

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