Oh, I didn't see that sorry, here's my build then.

Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz $127.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115077

ASRock Z68 Extreme3 $121.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB $41.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W $63.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

HIS H685FN1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161384

Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200 RPM $85.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767

Antec Three Hundred Illusion Black Steel ATX Mid Tower $54.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066


Subtotal: $635.94

I'd go for an i5 if you give a bit more to use though (~$680)

Now, for a second run at a shot for a game from the current GOG weekend promo or one of the ones listed below... We gonna take another shot at this. If you can be bothered to do this; spec out your own budget build. My goal was to get somewhere between 5 and 700 USD. The final build pushed me over that limit bringing the total to $785.92 because of the GPU. The GPU pushed me 100 USD over my budget that I set for the build, but in the long run I think it will be worth it. So, here's your task for the second part of this giveaway. Spec your own budget gaming rig. Keep it a budget rig. I'll give you a 650 USD to work with. That should be enough to get you going. You notice I didn't include things like an OS or optical drive in mine to trim some of the fat. I don't need them. So, there you go. Second drawing will take place some time today (it's Sunday here)! Your current selection is limited to this weekends GOG promo until the current winner chooses their game. Then the others will drop back into the prize pool.

Good luck to you all!

BTW: I've just re-read my own rules. Let me make this clear. I'm awarding a game. Not the funds to build your own budget PC. I'm saying spec your own budget build within the 650 range. :P

I hope the_bard will forgive my ignorance and understand I'm not asking this with any sort of accusation at all. That worries me so much I almost don't want to ask, but my desire to know the answer is gonna make me ask:

You said you left out an OS because you didn't need one. I would love to avoid that cost if I built one too, but I don't know how to do that that is 100% legal AND still leaves me with a Windows machine (versus linux, etc).

If it's because you previously purchased a non-OEM version of Windows, well, that's still part of the cost of this rig even if you didn't purchase it right now, isn't it?

Again, apologies if this is getting under your skin, not my intention at all. My intention is to figure out exactly how one does this without purchasing at least an OEM version of an OS.

And thank you for the multiple giveaways. Very nice of you.

Not entering to win anything, just wanted to help you out and say...

I'd go with the XFX 6870. I have that card, or at least one very similar, and it's a good card. I've read the MSI is a good pick as well. Also... Fuck nVIDIA, fuck their overrated cards, fuck the bullshit propaganda their fanboys spread about ATI/AMD reliability/driver quality (I've had no problems of the sort since I made the switch), and fuck their antitrust bullshit...

Edit: Guess I should have read through the entire topic before posting...

Have a crack at a Spec, dont work in Dollars or use American suppliers understandably but will see what I can spec.

Case :

GIGABYTE GZ-F3HEB Black SECC Steel / ABS ATX Mid Tower Case - $24.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811233072

PSU :

RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W SLI / Crossfire Ready Modular - $39.99 :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817152028

Motherboard :

GIGABYTE GA-M68MT-S2 AM3+ NVIDIA GeForce 7025/nForce 630a chipset Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - $54.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128529

Processor :

AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core - 109.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103996

Ram :

CORSAIR XMS 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 1333 Memory (2 of these making 8GB) - $45.98 :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233132

Hard Drive :

Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" - $82.99 :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136784

VGA :

EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1557-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB - $143.89

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130629

Optical Drive :

LITE-ON DVD Burner - $17.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289

Monitor :

Acer 1920x1080 Black 21.5" 5ms Full HD WideScreen LCD Monitor - $119.99

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009306

Total comes to $640.80, all parts are new non OEM so CPU comes with heatsink. Corsair Ram is the stuff with heatsinks on it to keep things cool. Picked the AM3+ board to future proof a bit and it is a decent fast processor. Selected the EVGA card as they come with a 10yr warranty. EVGA also give you a copy of 3DMark 11 and whatever game they are promoting (Got Mafia 2 with mine, they have also had Batman AC since then)

Not sure if Newegg is the cheapest or best place for parts in the states. I use OCUK and Scan here in the UK but Hard Disks here are a lot cheaper and so are some of the CPU's.

This build will require you to use you current copy of Windows, Speakers and Keyboard / Mouse. Other than that it will run everything in 1920x1080, max details settings and plenty AA & AF.

You're welcome. I enjoy the giveaways.

Multiple license packs? Linux obviously. Systems that have been parted out. I'm a tech. I have legal OS keys that are not being used from shit I've built and tore back down in the past. No, I'm sorry I'm not gonna order a new OS just because it's a new build when I have valid keys laying around unused. Windows 8 should come out sometime this year. I'm gonna wait and see how that turns out before I run out and start buying more Windows licenses when I have plenty laying around here to cover my own needs. Yes, if I'm building one for a client or customer that does not have a valid copy of Windows, the price of the new OS is factored into the build. And that is their choice. I can't shove an OS down their throats. If you don't have an extra Windows key/s laying around; then yes by all means it's going to factor into the cost of the build. Unless you wanna run with an open sourced OS. I've spec'd one recently based on the AMD platform that comes in around 650 USD including one Windows 7 64 bit license. So, it can be done.

COOLER MASTER Storm Scout

GIGABYTE GA-A75-UD4H FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

Corsair Force Series 3 CSSD-F60GB3A-BK 2.5" 60GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Grand Total: $645.75

Notice I subbed SSD for mechanical SATA HDD . No optical drive. I have those laying around. Mechanical HDDs are through the fucking roof atm. If you need those, then yes by all means try to catch a deal and factor them into the build. Or swap the SSD back for the mechanical HDD. This should be optimal for someone who does light gaming. It's not gonna blow the doors off a rig that's geared more towards being a gamer, but it is an all around good build. You can throw in an Radeon HD 6670 later on and run it in Crossfire with the Radeon HD 6550.

I done a full new build last year that cost me £1400 in total, expensive but it is a fast machine. Decided against SSD at the time and bought a 500 Gb and 1.5TB Hard drive, smaller one is used for Windows and Media, second drive is for all my games.

Really happy with what I have, graphics cars has got some serious power behind it and should be good for a few years.

Cool. And thanks for entering. What GPU do you have atm if you don't mind me asking?

When I first built I had an EVGA 560Ti but it had faulty VRam. So I had to send it back and exchanged it for an MSI GTX 570 Twin Frozr III OC Power Edition. Its an absolute beast, cost me an extra £80 roughly but has been worth it. I was REALLY impressed with the performance on the 560Ti also.

Yeah its really good, it is extremely quiet also. The GPU hasnt gone above 68 celcius under full load and that was playing RAGE maxxed out in 1920x1080 res. The build quality on the heatsink itself is awesome. I just wanted to look at the card instead of actually putting it in the machine when I got it. Even my wife was impressed by the way it looked unboxed.

Didnt mention previously, if I do get selected to win something Arcanum would be cool :)

Cheers for doing this giveaway, its a fun one to do as I love building systems and doing potential spec builds for others. Love the whole looking about the net sourcing parts and finding stuff that has a good performance to price ratio.

Np. And yeah I like doing it to when I have time.

This is very interesting and VERY informative to me. I never realized you get a pretty darn decent machine for so little cost.

BUT, what I don't know, is, can a complete and total moron like myself go this route and feel comfortable when the parts arrive to build it???

I've never done that. I've always ordered mine through customizable sites like Dell in the past. But make no mistake, I am a computer moron. I'm guessing that mean I probably shouldn't try it, but wanted to ask just make sure.