Back view of Justin Lee’s gaming PC.

26-year-old Justin Lee is an avid gamer. But he found that gaming PCs available in the market are often expensive and not value for money. So Justin decided to take matters into his own hands – and build his own gaming PC. I caught up with the IT engineer to find out how he did this and what is required to build a gaming PC. Here is what the player said. 

Justin, briefly describe the gaming computer that you have recently assembled.

It has a Core i7 3.5Ghz (4^th generation) processor with 16GB RAM, a 4GB graphics (Gfx) card and 7 TB hard disk drives (HDD).

Why have you assembled, rather than bought a new computer?

It’s value for money. The price of a branded computer purchased from retail stores is inclusive of Windows OS, which I don’t need. I’m also able to make better use of the same budget by getting higher end parts. The disadvantage is that warranties are based on individual parts. But from my experience, the parts can serve for a good number of years and I have never claimed any warranties for my two previous gaming PCs built.  

Justin Lee.

What are the parts that you have bought and how much did they cost?

The parts are as follows:

• Asus B86M-G mainboard + Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5Ghz (4^th Generation) processor bundle – $526
• Leadtek GTX770 4GB Gfx Card – $520
• Western Digital 4TB HDD (Green) – $212

(I transferred another 3TB hard disk from my old PC)

• 2 X 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Kingston RAM  – $98 each

(I transferred the second RAM from my old PC)

• Cooler Master Extreme 2 Power Supply 725W – $89
• Samsung 24X DVDRW SATA – $21
• Icute casing (Made in Taiwan) – $65
• Assembly charge – $20

Total Cost – $1,551

And what sort of casing do all the parts fit into?

An Icute casing, made in Taiwan. It is black with two side plus one front intake fans. It also has a blue LED and a back exhaust fan.

Where did you get your computer parts and casing from? Who assembled it for you?

A shop at Level 5 in Sim Lim Square. They charged $20 for assembly of the entire PC.

What are you using this computer for?

Primarily gaming and viewing movies and dramas as it is connected to the TV in my bedroom. 

The front view of Justin’s gaming PC.

How does it handle the latest games?

For Run Battlefield 4 and Call of Duty, it runs smoothly. The average 60fps is at 1920×1080 HD resolution – with all graphics set to the maximum possible (and anti-aliasing turned off).

The Core i7 (4^th generation) processor automatically down-clocks the central processing unit (CPU) when not under load (clock speed drops from 3.5Ghz to 1.2 Ghz when I’m surfing the internet). But it overclocks automatically to the highest performance state using Intel’s Turbo Boost technology when required (the clock speed increases to about 3.9Ghz during gaming). Also known as ‘Dynamic Overclocking’, the increase in clock speed is delivered incrementally and safely when the processor’s power, current and thermal outputs have not reached its design limits.

What tips do you have for someone who wants to assemble a gaming computer?

• If you intend to use the old hard disk from your previous PC as secondary storage, remove it from the current system and bring it to the shop for assembly too, so that it saves you the hassle of opening up the case again when you get home.
• Compare prices with the A3-size price lists provided at the different shops in Sim Lim Square
• Refer to the following benchmark websites together with the price lists provided by the shops to select the highest performance CPU/ GFX Card for your budget range. The websites are:
  • http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html
  • http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

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