Build a Gaming PC Under Rs. 50,000

The last time we visited this price bracket, we chose to go with an Intel solution simply due to the strength of that platform. It's now been 4 months since that roundup and we find that not much has changed. The Core2duo continues to dominate the performance benchmarks and from the looks of AMD’s roadmap, this scenario is not going to change anytime soon.

So what has changed? Thankfully as compared to the last time, prices of good Intel platform based motherboards have come down a little more manageable level. Compared to the entry level Asus P5LDVM board we used last time, this time around we are using the Asus P5B-VM which offers some fairly hefty updates and better compatibility for future hardware upgrades. Another important change that we are making to our roundup, as compared to the last time we are replacing our 17-inch LCD monitor with a widescreen variant. Widescreen monitors as we already mentioned in the past, offer better aspect ratios, larger work areas and significantly better response times

We have chosen these parts carefully, based on various criteria such as trustworthiness of the brand, durability, warranty and VFM at their price point. Here is our list of peripherals we believe will build the best gaming machine at Rs. 50,000.



CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E6300 (Rs. 9,100)
Intel had been trailing AMD for over 3 years in the performance sweepstakes. All this has changed, with the introduction of Intel's powerful new line of dual-core processors—the C2D or Core 2 Duo. Large L2 caches and a range of optimizations make these processors the fastest x86 platform.

The E6300 is the entry level C2D, with 2 MB L2 cache running at a clock speed of 1.8 GHz and is about 35-40 percent faster than the AMD solution—the X2 4200. Offering an unprecedented performance vs. price advantage, and more than capable of crunching anything that is thrown at it, was the natural choice for our roundup.


Motherboard: Asus P5B-VM Motherboard (Rs. 7,600)
While there are some good solutions available at this price range, after close exmiantion of brands available in the market today, we find ASUS offers good VFM. The P5B-VM is a scaled down version of its flagship 965 chipset model, the P5B deluxe. The 965 chipset as compared to the 945 we had chosen last time offers better features in the form of a better integrated graphics solution, support for DDR2 800 RAM, eSATA support and far more USB 2.0 / SATA slots.

The P5B overall offers 5 SATA slots, 1 IDE Slot, 2 PCI slots and 4 memory banks with support for DDR2 533 667 MHz and 800 MHz Ram. For sound output the P5B has been equipped, with the ADI AD1988 audio chipset which offers great music playback and is 7.1 channel capable. Though the board does have the Intel GMA 3000 series graphics chipset available onboard, it also has a PCIe x16 slot that allows you to connect an external and more powerful graphics solution. In a surprising move, the P5B for a board in this price range also has 10 USB slots, 2 Firewire slots and SATA Raid support. Both these features are normally found in the highest-end deluxe range of boards and for them to even show up at this price point is both a rarity and welcome surprise.

Overall, keeping its deluxe connectivity options, support for Intel’s next generation of quad-core processors and its excellent audio output this board is a must-have for this roundup.


RAM: Corsair Select Value DDR2 667 RAM 2x512MB = 1 GB RAM (Rs. 5,100)
RAM is as essential to your system as a good processor. No system is complete without good quality ram. Corsair is a well known and respected brand and offers great performance. We chose to put 2 sticks here, as the motherboard is dual-channel capable. Dual-channel is used to double the memory speeds, bandwidth and performance at no extra cost hence it makes sense to utilize this free performance boost. Corsair offers a lifetime warranty with its products and this make it a must have in our roundup.