PC Gamer Rig

The PC Gamer Rig: New CPUs, motherboards and more

It’s been a while since I updated the specs of the PC Gamer Rig, mainly because I’ve been waiting for things to settle down a bit in the wake of big CPU and graphics launches before coming up with a definitive list of best buy kit. With a few notable exceptions, Intel, NVIDIA and AMD have more or less finished the current round of the chip refreshment cycle, so if you’re looking to build or upgrade a PC for less than £1000/$1500, here’s what I think you should get.

The PC Gamer Rig: A graphics upgrade… or is it?

You can always hold off upgrading until the next big thing has been announced, so offering it as some sort of advice is a little bit weak. But the thing is, right now, there really is a good reason to hold off putting together a new machine or upgrading your old one. I’ve updated the PC Gamer Rig this week, but I’m not so sure you should.

Here’s why.

The PC Gamer Rig: A hard drive bargain driven?

Thinking of building yourself a new PC or upgrading an old one? Then you’ve come to the right post for component advice. The PC Gamer Rig is our (almost) weekly update about the state of kit costs and best value performance for your PC.

The PC Gamer Rig: Upgrading the keyboard

How come when we come to planning a new PC, we almost always skimp on the components that really matter? Yes a better graphics card might give you 10 more frames per second, but a decent keyboard will improve your game and keep you playing for longer. It’s the most used peripheral you own, and your fingers hate you not buying a good one.

The PC Gamer Rig is the best value PC you can build for under £1,000/$1,550, and thanks to some recent juggling of components and suppliers there’s been a fair bit of that budget left to play with in recent weeks. Since we can afford it, now that the Microsoft X4 – a long time favourite in the office – is getting harder to get hold of and more expensive it’s time to find an alternative.

The PC Gamer Rig: Are hard drive prices on their way down?

Another lazy weekend, another chance to kick back with a screwdriver and mess around with the PC Gamer Rig. Our averagely priced PC is in a state of constant flux, and rarely makes it through seven days without something changing as new components are released and online bargains are found.

So what surprises hide beneath its SECC shell this week? How did I manage to shave xxx off the overall cost without sacrificing a framerate of power? And are hard drive prices finally on the way down? For the answers to all these and more, click through the link.

The PC Gamer Rig part II: Son of the Rig

Component prices haven’t changed much over the last week, so there’s no changes to the PC Gamer Rig to write about. Instead of taking a few days off from scouring shopping sites, however, I’ve put together something a bit different.

Inspired by Alienware’s launch of its lounge friendly X51 console sized PC and a feature I’m writing for the mag, this week’s post is about a second system I’m going to try and keep up to date: The PC Gamer Media Centre-cum-Occassional-Games-Rig-With-Console-Beating-Games-Ability. Or, as I like to call it, Son of Rig.

New year, new Rig

Looking to build yourself a new gaming PC for the top titles of 2012? Sadly, January sales don’t really affect PC component prices. If anything, things are a little bit more expensive than they were in mid-December. Memory is a little bit cheaper than it was, but most other components have gone up a little bit.

Even so, and with big news like Intel’s Ivy Bridge and more affordable Southern Islands graphics cards on the horizon, now’s as good a time as any to start upgrading your system.

PC Gamer Rig: 2 more shopping days to The Old Republic

Planning to do nothing over the festive break but sit in your unmentionables playing games? Shame on you, there’s a whole world out there for you to explore and see you know. Even the most athletically aware of us must be planning to spend a little time with our PCs come Christmas, though, and there’s still time for an upgrade if you will.

Is water cooling making a comeback?

Have you considered water for cooling your PC? The received wisdom suggests you probably haven’t. Computer components have been getting gradually more efficient and cooler running, while at the same time traditional fan and metal heatsinks have improved in design to the point that they’re often more efficient than water coolers and cost a lot less.

According to some industry insiders, however, water cooling is undergoing something of a renaissance. Baroque designs and piping are back in fashion, so they say, and demand for water cooling has never been higher.

Actual figures are hard to come by, mind. Gartner and other analysts don’t really track the types of cooler PC owners are custom fitting to their machines, and any evidence one way or the other is entirely anecdotal. What’s almost certain, though, is that reports of the demise of the water cooler have been greatly exaggerated.